Car Hire Vitoria Airport

Car Hire

Vitoria Airport is five miles (eight kilometres) from the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz in northeastern Spain’s magical Basque region. Unspoilt national parks, wonderful beaches on the Bay of Biscay and the city of Bilbao and its eclectic attractions are all within easy driving range of Vitoria Airport. Public buses do not serve the airport. This leaves people who are not taking advantage of the convenience of on-site car rental the option of taking a taxi.

Who to Book With
Car hire companies serving Vitoria Airport include Hertz and Europcar, as well as Spanish supplier Atesa. These suppliers do not maintain an on-site airport presence, but work out of depots and offices in town and in the surrounding locality. Renters who have pre-booked vehicles online can have them delivered to the airport or they can make their own way to the service outlets.

Need to Know Essentials
Motorists will have to show the following items when getting their hire cars:

- A UK photocard driving licence and its paper counterpart
- The bank card you used when making the reservation
- Passport or other means of ID with a photograph
- A printout of the booking confirmation

Read more car rental tips on our FAQ's page.

Driving
Vitoria-Gasteiz provides both on-street parking and car parks. Spaces can be hard to find at weekends and during the summer holiday period. There are no toll fees for city roads, but charges for motorways such as the Autopista AP-1 apply. Drivers pay the tolls at booths at selected points on the motorways. Most petrol stations in Alava Province are self-service. In out-of-the-way rural areas, small stations may be manned. It is worth having cash to pay for petrol as small stations often do not accept credit cards. All major bank cards are accepted at big stations.

See our driver’s Guide to Spain for further information.

Transport

There are no train or bus services from Vitoria Airport to regional destinations. The local taxi cooperative provides service to travellers. Self driving with car rental is an easier and less time-consuming option.

Trains
Although the airport has no rail link, Vitoria-Gasteiz Railway Station is linked to the Spanish train network. It has several direct services from Madrid every day. There are also trains to Bilbao, but they require passengers to change trains and they give travel times nearly as slow as buses.

Taxis
The Alava Taxi Drivers' Association is the principal taxi operator at the airport. Travellers can book taxis by phoning: +34 945 273500. Taxis are metered, with a set flag-fare and additional charges for each kilometre thereafter. Premium rates apply at night, weekends and public holidays.

Taxi costs:
From the airport to central Vitoria-Gasteiz is about £7.50

Buses
Vitoria-Gasteiz has no scheduled passenger flights. When the last flights were withdrawn, local bus companies followed suit. Companies such as Autobuses La Union and Eurobus run services to and from the city’s bus station. La Union serves the Vitoria-Bilbao route. Buses take up to 1 hour, 45 minutes to cover the 40 miles (65kms) between the two cities.

Facilities

Terminals
In recent years, Vitoria Airport was earmarked to replace the busier Bilbao Airport. Helitt Lineas Aereas and Ryanair were among carriers offering flights to Vitoria. Passenger numbers declined year-on-year and just 24,000 used the airport in 2012. Although commercial airlines have gradually pulled out, the airport is now a major air-cargo handling facility.

Parking
The car park at the airport can accommodate more than 500 cars. Parking is free. The car park is located adjacent to the passenger terminal, which takes less than one minute to reach on foot from the lot.

Wi-Fi
Vitoria Airport does not currently provide wireless internet access to the general public.

Information Services
Spanish Civil Aviation Authority: [email protected].

Useful Numbers
Aena Information: +34 91321 1000

Accessibility
The airport terminal offers full facilities for people with disabilities. It complies with EU regulations regarding free assistance for people suffering from reduced mobility.

Restaurants and Bars
The airport has a café and snack vending machines on the Departures concourse.

VIP Lounges
Vitoria Airport features a main public passenger lounge as well as three airside lounges. These lounges are for domestic, international and transit passengers, and have their own dedicated boarding gates. There are no lounges for VIP passengers.

Money and ATMs
The airport has no cash machines or currency exchange.

Shopping
There is a small souvenir shop in the terminal.