Europe & Beyond

Car Hire Spain – Visit El Escorial from Madrid

Europe Autos has already covered various car hire holidays in Spain – including car hire in Barcelona and to the Terra Miticac theme park in Benidorm.  Here we offer a suggestion for a driving trip from the capital Madrid to El Escorial

Driving from Madrid to visit El Escorial

The Spanish capital, Madrid, is a popular tourist destination and is a great place to visit. There are plenty of attractions in the city, including monuments such as the Palacio Real (Royal Palace of Madrid), museums, art galleries, theatres and sports venues. However, if you hire a car during your holiday, you can visit some of the attractions outside of Madrid, such as the World Heritage Site of San Lorenzo del Escorial, which is also known simply as El Escorial.

Car Hire Madrid

If you want to take a driving holiday in Spain, you can arrange to rent a car online. Online car rental specialists have offices throughout Europe, including offices in Madrid and other cities and offer good deals on car hire at spanish airports.

Getting to El Escorial from Madrid

It’s easy to get from Madrid to El Escorial if you book a rental car and it will only take you about 45 minutes to drive there. Simply leave Madrid on the A-6. Leave the A-6 at exit 47 and then take the third exit at the roundabout to get onto the M-600. This will take you to El Escorial.

Visiting El Escorial Monastery

El Escorial’s main attraction is its monastery (Monasterio de El Escorial), which was constructed for King Philip II of Spain, as he wished to offer thanks to God for his victory over the French at the Battle of St. Quentin (1557). The initial architect of El Escorial monastery was Juan Bautista de Toledo but the project was later taken over by Juan de Herrera. The monastery was finally completed in 1584.

The monastery is huge but not all of it is open to the public, as it is still in use. You can, however, take a self-guided tour or a guided tour in order to see some of the highlights, which include:
•    The Library – Located on the second floor, the monastery’s library contains more than 40,000 books dating from the 5th century to the 18th century. These are, unusually, placed on the shelves with the spines towards the wall, in order to allow the pages of the books to air. There are also glass cases in the room which house some of the library’s most valuable manuscripts. The ceiling of the library is decorated with frescoes by Pellegrino Tibaldi (1527-1596).
•    The Basilica – Constructed in the shape of a Greek Cross, the basilica has 45 chapels. The 30m high altar is flanked by bronze statues of King Philip II of Spain and Emperor Charles V, together with statues of other members of the royal family. There are also paintings by artists such as Navarette, Coello and Urbina, and frescoes by Cambiasso and Giordano.
•    The Royal Pantheon – Located under the Basilica’s Royal Chapel, the Royal Pantheon has been the burial place for almost all of Spain’s monarchs since it was constructed and also contains the remains of Emperor Charles I (who was also King Charles I of Spain).
•    The Museum of Painting – The museum’s collection includes works by Titian, Tintoretto, El Greco, Veronese and Giordano.

You can also visit the monastery’s Museum of Architecture, La Casita del Infante (a villa in the grounds which was constructed between 1771 and 1773) and La Casita del Príncipe (constructed in 1772).

The Nurburgring – Car hire in Germany

The Eifel mountain region in Germany is a great place to go for a holiday, but why not hire a car and travel to one of the most famous racetracks in the world: The Nurburgring?

The Nurburgring is located 43 miles south of Cologne and 75 miles northwest of Frankfurt. Situated in the Eifel Mountains and built around the town of Nurburg and its medieval castle, the track was originally opened in 1927 as a showcase for German engineering and driving talent. Over eighty years later, the ‘Ring is still regarded as the most challenging purpose-built racetrack in the world. At roughly thirteen miles long and boasting corners of every type, the track will severely test even the most experienced racing driver.

When originally built, the Nurburgring consisted of a North loop (Nordschleife), a South loop (Sudschleife) and a start/finish area linking the two with pits and grandstands.  Although the southern loop is now derelict and the start finish area is now part of the short Grand Prix circuit currently used for F1 and Touring car races, the Nordschleife still exists and you can drive it!

Despite being a racetrack, the Nordschleife is classed as a one way toll road, allowing anyone to drive it for a fee. However beware, this track is incredibly demanding and will bite hard if you do not drive within your limits. Also ensure that you check the official website for track opening times as the ‘ring is used regularly for manufacturer test sessions and driver training.

Before you go on the trip do some preparation by learning the track on a console or PC game. There are several games which have fairly accurate reproductions of the ‘ring, including Gran Turismo 4. When you are at the circuit, you can pay to be driven around it on a ‘Ring Taxi’ to allow you to familiarise yourself with the many challenges the Nordschleife offers.

If you want a break from driving (and it is advised that you do so), there are many things to see and do at the ‘ring. The Schloss Nurburg is a 12th century castle that over looks the start/finish area of the circuit and is an ideal attraction for non-drivers. This year sees the opening of the Warsteiner event complex, Nurburgring arena, four-star hotel and shopping mall, close to the start/finish area of the Grand Prix track.

Car hire Germany – Driving the Nurburgring track

It is not advisable to take your road-going hire car onto the Nordschleife, as car rental companies have now become savvy to such use of their vehicles. Some companies will give you a hefty fine for doing so and one company in particular will ban you for life. To assist them in preserving their cars, GPS tracking is sometimes used and locals are employed to spot them in the Nurburgring car park. If you have driven a hire car from the airport, do not leave it there!

Instead of breaking their cars, you can find several local German car hire firms that provide cars specifically for driving on the ‘ring. For more information on these companies and more general information about the circuit, visit Ben Lovejoy’s website here.

Switzerland Car Rental – Geneva

The city of Geneva, in Switzerland, is a great place for a holiday, but if you want to see more of what Switzerland has to offer, you can hire a car and drive to the nearby city of Lausanne.

Car Hire  Switzerland – Hiring a Car in Geneva It’s simple to hire a car in order to drive from Geneva to Lausanne – just visit online, low cost, car rental companies that offer some great cheap car hire deals and have car rental offices in more than 60 countries, including Switzerland. You can book a wide range ofwide range of rental cars, including compact cars and luxury cars online and pick it up when you arrive at offices for car hire at Geneva airport.

Car Hire Switzerland – Driving from Geneva to Lausanne

It will only take you about 40 minutes to drive from Geneva to Lausanne in your hire car and it’s easy to get there. Just head out of Geneva on the A1a and follow the signs for Lausanne.

Lausanne is situated on the banks of Lake Geneva and is the fifth largest city in Switzerland. It’s known as a city of culture and also the country’s Olympic Capital, as the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee has been located in the city since 1915.

Once you’ve parked your rental car, you can wander around Lausanne’s Old Town area, where you will find the beautiful Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame, with its carved choir stalls and 13th century rose window. Next door to the cathedral, you’ll find the Musée Historique, which is housed in the old Bishop’s Palace. This museum features displays of items relating to the history of Lausanne and includes a gallery of silverware from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Lausanne is also home to the fascinating Collection de l’Art Brut, a gallery featuring art works by people from around the world, none of whom have had any formal art training.

You can also explore Ouchy, the lakeside area of Lausanne, where you’ll find The Olympic Museum. The museum features exhibits relating to the history of the Olympic Games, including Olympic medals, Olympic torches and sports equipment used by Olympic medal winners such as Carl Lewis and Chris Boardman. You can stroll through the Olympic Garden and buy souvenirs in the museum shop.

Other museums in Lausanne include: the Musée de l’Elysée, where you can see more than 120,000 photos dating from the 19th century to the present day; the Musée Cantonal de Zoologie (Cantonal Zoological Museum), which features exhibits of vertebrates, insects and fossils; and the Lausanne-Vidy Roman Museum, which has a range of exhibits demonstrating what life was like in the area at the time of the Roman Empire.

You can also visit the Lausanne Vivarium, where you can see more than 200 animals, spiders and reptiles, including snakes, tarantulas, scorpions, lizards and crocodiles.

You can relax in one of Lausanne’s many parks, which include the Parc de l’Eysée and the Parc du Désert, go shopping or take a boat trip on Lake Geneva.