Car rental¶

The rental car for the 8-day driving loop, Sat 29 Aug → Sun 6 Sep 2026. The morning of Sat 29 shapes what time we can leave Barcelona; the Sun 6 return determines whether Alessio can drive Elisabeth to ZAZ himself or has to sleep next to the station. Both plan variants (01 and 02) assume the schedule below — see Proposed plan.

Chosen provider — Centauro¶

Quotes from Centauro as of 27 Aug 2026.

Pickup: Barcelona Sants train station, Sat 29 Aug 2026, 09:30. Return: Zaragoza Delicias train station, Sun 6 Sep 2026, 09:30. Duration: 8 days.

Why Sun morning return at Delicias, not Sat night: Centauro's price is the same either way (Sat-night close doesn't drop a day off the rate), and returning Sunday morning lets Alessio drive Elisabeth to ZAZ himself (10:10 flight) then bring the car back to Delicias. The alternative — return Saturday night — forces a hotel near Delicias or ZAZ so Elisabeth can get to the airport by taxi/shuttle without a rental. Same money, more flex, no early hotel search near a specific station.

⚠ Return time is 09:30, Elisabeth's flight is 10:10. Drop-off at ZAZ needs to be ~08:50 (check-in closes ~09:10 for Ryanair). Delicias → ZAZ is ~20 min, so the loop is: 08:30 leave Zaragoza hotel → 08:50 drop Elisabeth at ZAZ → 09:10 back at Delicias → 09:30 return. ~20 min slack. Consider either (a) requesting a 10:30 return time (usually free) or (b) checking whether Centauro offers a ZAZ-airport drop-off for the same price. See TODOs.

Car options being compared¶

Both quotes are within €1 of each other; the driving concern (EV vs. combustion) is the real differentiator.

Model / group	Price (8 days)	Powertrain	Notes
KIA XCeed or similar — Group F1	€498.85	Petrol / mild-hybrid (verify)	Compact SUV, ~1.5-litre petrol on most XCeed trims. Suits mountain roads.
BYD Atto 2 or similar — Group E3	€499.77	⚠ Possibly full EV — the Atto 2 is BYD's electric compact SUV; must confirm the "or similar" doesn't lock in a full-electric variant	If it's full EV, this trip is hard: Ordesa gateway (Torla) and Congost de Mont-Rebei area both lack fast-chargers on the Centauro network. Sat 5 Torla → Loarre → Montearagón → Zaragoza is 244 km with two mountain-village stops — a real range gamble.

Working assumption: pick the KIA XCeed (Group F1). Same price, no EV range planning needed. Only switch to the BYD if Centauro confirms the "or similar" fallback includes a combustion-engine model.

Open items¶

Confirm BYD Atto 2 is not full electric for our booking window — email/call Centauro before deciding between F1 and E3.
Try to shift the 09:30 Sun 6 return to 10:30 or 11:00 — same day, no extra cost usually. Buys real slack around Elisabeth's 10:10 flight.
Ask about ZAZ-airport drop-off as an alternative return location for the same price — if free, avoids the Delicias-back-loop after the ZAZ drop.
Read the small print on cross-Spain pickup vs. return — Sants pickup, Delicias return is a one-way; check what the drop fee actually is (it's baked into the €498.85 quote per the price screen, but confirm no extras at pickup).
Confirm mileage cap and insurance excess — 8 days, ~962 km (Plan 01) or ~787 km (Plan 02) plus the airport loop; unlikely to hit a cap but check.
Book once BYD/KIA choice is settled — Centauro pricing is dynamic; the €498.85 quote can move.

Sat 29 Aug morning timing¶

Pickup at 09:30 → drive to Elisabeth's pickup point in Vallvidrera → depart together for Vall de Núria (Plan 01) or La Seu d'Urgell (Plan 02).

Realistic Saturday-morning shape (traffic assumed light-to-moderate, checked via OSRM 27 Aug 2026):

Castelldefels → Sants by R2 Sud train — Alessio checks out of Hotel C31 after the extra Fri 28 night; ~25–30 min train + walk.
09:30 pickup at Centauro (Sants). Standard reservation paperwork ~20–30 min.
Sants → Elisabeth's pickup point (Vallvidrera, west BCN — up on Collserola): ~8.8 km, ~18 min driving, likely 25–30 min with Saturday city traffic.
Target arrival 10:30, depart together by 11:00 at the latest — 30 min at pickup covers greetings, luggage load, and any small delay in the earlier steps.
From Vallvidrera:
Plan 01 → Queralbs: ~146 km, ~2h03 — arrive Queralbs ~13:00, comfortable for a mid-afternoon cremallera up.
Plan 02 → La Seu d'Urgell: ~168 km, ~2h15 — arrive La Seu ~13:15, whole afternoon in town.

Vallvidrera is on the north-west edge of Barcelona (Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district), which is slightly closer to the north-bound routes than Castelldefels — so the day is not worse than the previous "collect car in Castelldefels" assumption. Both plans reach the touring destination with the whole afternoon still available.