Sumer time, vacation time – Traffic jam time?

Image by Nationaal Archief via Flickr

This weekend is not only expected a rise in temperatures. It also begins the summer vacation exodus of large numbers of visitors to the Costa del Sol.

The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) expects 870.000 vehicle movements in the access motorways to Malaga in the special operation August 1, which begins today at 3 pm and will conclude on Monday August 1 at midnight.

For the A-7 Eastern Costa del Sol are estimated around 250,000 movements, while in the Western Costa del Sol that figure rises to 380,000. On the A-45, meanwhile, are expected 240,000 movements, as reported from the central government representatives.

The days and rush hours with more traffic are today from 7 to 9 am, from 12 to 3 pm and from 5 to 9 pm. In addition, tomorrow, Sunday and Monday the most difficult times for traffic will be from 12 to 3 pm and from 8 to 10 pm.

The summer vacation exodus is not only lived on the roads. Malaga Airport receives this weekend thousands of travelers who come to the province or start their journey to other places. In fact, Saturday will be the day with the highest number of flights to date, with more than 400.

Who is moving these days on the roads of the Costa del Sol, we advise you to take it easy. Make also sure to carry enough water, especially if traveling with children, since particularly high temperatures are expected for tomorrow.

Car hire from Malaga airport, what should we know?

Image via Wikipedia

Tourists visiting Malaga and the Costa del Sol usually plan well in advance their visit, even more if it’s not their first time coming to Malaga. The main reason for this is that Malaga is a very popular destination, and if our holiday on the Costa del Sol includes accommodation, car hire in Malaga or any other tourist service, it is very recommended to book online those services in advance.

Why hiring a car in Malaga?

Well…this question is very easy to answer. If you are coming to the Costa del Sol, just for sunbathing, beach and resting in your hotel room, then maybe you don’t need to hire a car, or maybe you will be fine with a transfer or a cheap car hire from Malaga airport. Is this your case?

On the other side, if you are looking to explore the different towns in Malaga, to enjoy the natural beaches from other areas of the province or to visit some of the many events present in Malaga, then…hiring a car is more than recommended.

What kind of car should I hire?

This depends directly on many other things: Are you coming with a friend or with the family? Hiring a minivan would be a nice option for those who need the extra space, a luxury car or spacious car will provide the required comfort for driving longer distances.

If you just want to enjoy the surroundings, closer towns, or you just don’t want to spend much on the vehicle, there are many cheap car rentals available which will cost less than using a taxi

What company should I choose for car hire in Malaga?

There are many online websites offering cheap car hire at Malaga airport, however most of them are online brokers. What does it mean to you? Well…they claim to be the best, but they are not even directly related to a rent a car company, so they are just selling something they don’t even know if it´s good enough for their visitors, and not only this…it is very usual those websites let you hire your vehicle from a worldwide provider such Avis, Goldcar, Europcar…which will bill you a full fuel tank on pickup…so the price even increase…but we can’t expect much more, as it is a resold service, you are not using a first tier car hire supplier.

My tip is to hire always from the best local company at or next to the main airport in the city, and this applies to any destination we choose.  Below you will find some websites I recommend you to check:

• http://www.malagacar.com
• http://www.malagaairportcarhire.com

Malagacar.com  will pick you up at Malaga airport arrivals, and return you departures when leaving. The trust and competitive prices this company have generated over the years is well worth and it is the supplier of many other online websites and travel agents. If you need to hire a car for the first time or you need to try another because you were not satisfied with your first experience, just give it a try and get back to this blog to tell me your experiences, you will not regret.

Related articles

• Malagacar release new discount vouchers for car hire Malaga airport during Easter (malagaweb.wordpress.com)
• Malagacar.com will release soon new discount voucher codes for the summer season (malagaweb.wordpress.com)

Water taxi from Malaga to Marbella will be lanched by Easter

Image by Kristin Myers Harvey via Flickr

A Fuengirola based company is set to launch an alternative way of travelling between Malaga and the rest of the Costa del Sol: water taxis.

A group of entrepreneurs have brought from Southampton in the UK, one of the boats they plan to use to connect Malaga and Marbella within 45 minutes.

They are negotiation with national shipyards the manufacturing of the rest of boats needed to provide the service, which it plans to extend all the way along the coast to Gibraltar and “in the medium term will run all the way up to Nerja and Almuñecar linking the east and west”, the company said in a statement.

Under the same Aqua Taxi, each boat will be able to carry up to 12 passengers.

It is hoped that the Aqua Taxi service, which will be based at Malaga port, will be up and running before Easter.

The home port for the fleet will be Malaga harbour, with the main information point at the crossroads between Pier 1 and 2; this will be the main nerve centre of the new harbour, a must for cruise-ship passengers.

The company also has authorisation to operate from Marbella, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and is hoping to get permission in Puerto Banus, being an alternative to the Malaga airport transfers.

Related Articles

• Malaga Port: By water taxi from Malaga to Marbella in 45 minutes (www.malagaweb.com)

Transport in Malaga

Image via Wikipedia

In Malaga, there are two suburban trains available. The more popular one runs along the Costa del Sol and has stops at all major points, such as the train station Maria Zambrano, Malaga Airport and the major resorts of the coast, to Fuengirola.

Who wants to continue to Marbella, Estepona and Manilva, is better off with a rental car or private transfer instead the public transport in Malaga. The other train goes out into the country to Alora and the largest reservoirs in the province in a fantastic landscape. From the train station Maria Zambrano there are available inter-city trains to all major cities in Spain.

Next to the train station in Malaga is situated the bus station with many destinations within the province of Malaga, Andalucia and Spain. Taxis are relatively expensive, especially if the resort is located further away from the airport (about 60 € to Marbella and about 75 € to Estepona). Not only in this case is recommendable a car hire.

There are very cheap rates for car hire at Malaga airport and it is helpful in any case if you spend a week of holiday or more on the Costa del Sol because a car gives you the possibility to move on your mood and get to know the beautiful surroundings.

For those who are looking in the off-season for a car hire Malaga can find incredibly cheap prices, so it’s definitely worth going!