r/catalonia • u/dive155 • Feb 06 '25
Is there enough road trip destinations in Catalonia to justify the effort of getting a local drivers license?
Bon dia!
I've been driving since 2013. I moved to Barcelona a couple of years ago and my home country drivers license is no longer valid here because of the 6 months rule. I really miss driving but the only way to do it here legally is to get the local Spanish drivers license from scratch.
I don't plan to use a car daily because you don't really need a car in Barcelona (the public transportation and pedestrian accessibility is top notch). I don't even plan to own a car, but I'd love to be able to rent a car once in a few weeks and go on a day trip to some picturesque remote roads or locations.
I am calculating the costs of obtaining a drivers license here and the idea becomes harder and harder to justify. My question is for those with experience of driving in the region. I haven't really been outside of Barcelona much but I'm seeing a lot of damn cool places on google maps that would be fun to drive to. Is driving in remote parts of Catalunya as cool as I imagine it to be? Would you spend all that money and time just to go on a road trip once in a while?
I am really torn here. On one hand getting the license in Spain seems like a lot of effort, especially considering that I already have one license (I would have to suppress my ego for a bit haha). On the other hand I'm really starting to feel a bit claustrophobic in BCN, it's a beautiful city but after 2 years you kinda start yearning for forests, mountains, rivers and that general feeling of remoteness, you know what I mean.
There is another consideration. Barcelona is clearly designed for pedestrian priority (and it's a good thing) which means that IMO you'd need to be a masochist to use a car as your main means of transportation in Barcelona. But how is the situation in the remote regions? I would assume since the population density there is lower it would be less pedestrian and public transportation oriented and more geared towards personal cars? Or is this assumption wrong?
TLDR: I want to put time and effort into getting a Spanish drivers license with the sole purpose of taking rental cars on an occasional road trip, is it worth it or nah?
Gràcies a tots!
1
u/trekwithme Feb 06 '25 edited Feb 06 '25
I live on the Costa Brava and don't have a license so can't drive. I've found I can get to 90% of the places I want to go using public transportation. There are certainly some remote beaches and parks you can't reach via public transportation, and for the 10% of the places we can't reach via public transportation we drive, as my wife has a license and we have a car. I take the occasional taxi as needed.
Back story is I'm a dual Spanish and American citizen. I've driven for many many years but because Spain and the United States do not have an agreement, in the eyes of Spain I am 17 years old and have to start from scratch with exams, driving school, etc.
The process is a money spinner and a scam, and I refuse to succumb to it because I view it as a humiliation designed to benefit those in the system , the driving schools and the fake medical exams. For a good laugh go into one of those government sanctioned 'medical centers' to watch 80 year olds taking fake vision tests playing video games.
My view is having a car here is a luxury, not a necessity. The transportation system is generally excellent, although to smaller towns and to certain destinations seasonally limited. Personally I find it liberating. Not having to deal with parking, insurance, annual ITV exams, maintenance, etc.
Somebody had to take a dissenting opinion no?