Poles thinking of buying a house in Spain consider a number of factors. Prices, weather, loan installments…. One of the less frequently discussed, but in our opinion extremely important, topics is the travel time from Poland to the various destinations within the region.
In this article, we will look at three modes of transportation and compare travel times to Spain by plane, car and train. How does the Costa Blanca compare to Tenerife and other islands?
- By plane – Costa Blanca vs. Tenerife
There are 1-3 planes arriving at Alicante airport each day from Warsaw, Poznan, Krakow, Gdansk, Wroclaw, Katowice or Lodz, and they are mainly the so-called “ airplanes “. low-cost airlines. Importantly, these flights also mostly take place during the fall and winter seasons. Alicante Airport is a good base for travel around the world; an average of about 140 flights, and Ryanair has had a major base here since 2007. An additional advantage is the exceptional proximity of this airport to the center of Alicante. It is only approx. 8 km to cover in 30 min, which is a rarity compared to other “low-cost” airports in Europe.
Tenerife, in turn, has two airports from which you can fly to Krakow, Gdansk, Warsaw and Katowice. Meanwhile, it is possible to fly to Majorca from Warsaw and Katowice, and to Ibiza only from Katowice, and only in high season.
Travel times are as follows:
Warsaw – Mallorca: 3:10 h
Warsaw – Alicante: 3:25 h
Warsaw – Tenerife: 6 h
*Ryanair data, 2023
The differences in the length of the flight to Alicante between Warsaw and other Polish cities are small, at most +/- 20 minutes.
- By car – Costa Blanca vs. Mallorca, Ibiza, Tenerife
A car trip to Spain may seem like an extreme sport – it takes time, after all ca. 28 hours. However, with a larger family or a dog, this may just be more convenient. Moving to Spain is difficult with the baggage of low-cost airlines…. Such a trip can also be part of a vacation if you stop along the way. You have to add a few hours to your trip to Ibiza, mainly because of the waiting time for the ferry and the ferry ride itself. The trip to Mallorca and Ibiza from Poland takes about. 33 h, and a curiosity may be the availability of ferries also from Marseille, which probably adds variety to the monotony of the trip. On the other hand, when it comes to a trip by car (and ferry) to Tenerife, ok. The 60-70 hr trip will discourage the most hardy drivers. Against this background, approx. The 28 h of travel on the Costa Blanca comes off extremely favorably….
- Other modes of transportation – Iberian Plateau vs. islands
At a time of growing popularity of the “collective”, it is worth briefly discussing this way of communicating with the Iberian peninsula as well. However, while in the past long-distance trains on international routes traversed the whole of Europe (such as the Orient Express), today these are rather short distances, and the journey from Warsaw to Barcelona and beyond has to be made with many changes. As reported last summer by Onet.co.uk journalists, it took them 36 hours, or by approx. 10 h more than by car. The route to Alicante is of similar length.
- Summary
Comparing different modes of transportation, by far getting to Spain by air compares most favorably, and the Costa Blanca airport has an exceptionally rich airline network. However, given the contingencies, it’s worth remembering to take the overland route as well – although not everywhere can be conveniently reached this way.
Of course, access alone does not have to be the deciding factor when searching for your dream property. The culture of the region, prices or personal preferences in most cases turn out to be the most important. However, the years 2020-2021, when ferry or airplane traffic was hampered, showed that this factor, too, is worth taking into account during exploration.
