Spain

[stearnz33]

Hey guys!

I used this website religiously back in 06 to backpack after I graduated college and had an amazing time! Now I'm planning a trip back (although much shorter).

In my 37 day trip 3 years ago I had to cut out spain due to time, but now am going to make up for it.

What cities in Spain are the "must sees"? This website talked up Gimmelwald and the Cinque Terre big time and you guys were spot on.... do you have a gem like that in Spain at all?

Going for 9 days and want to hit up 2 cities. Barcelona seems like a good call due to the fact it has beach plus the city has so much to offer. I want to enjoy the culture, architecture, food, etc. but a little beach doesn't hurt either!

Let me know what your guys' favorites are!!!

[stearnz33]

I have been talking with a friend of mine that studied in Sevilla for a year and I'm leaning towards 5 days in Barcelona then 4 in Sevilla.

Does anybody have any suggestions on what parts of town/districts to stay in in these cities?

[Eagle]

stearnz33,

Barcelona and Sevilla would both be good choices IMO, especially with such a short trip. Unfortunately I can't think of any "hidden gems" to suggest. Hopefully herrbert will see this post as he's be the best one to comment on Spain.

Don't forget to allow for adequate travel time between locations, as they're some distance apart. Also, are you going to use open jaw flights (inbound Barcelona, outbound Sevilla)?

Happy travels!

[WillTravel]

I really liked Toledo. Of course Madrid is a necessity, as I'm sure Herrbert will confirm.

[stearnz33]

yes, I'm flying into Barcelona and out of Sevilla (not purchased yet but that's the plan). I believe there is a high speed train that runs Barcelona - Mardrid - Sevilla.

[madamtrashheap]

Welcome back, stearnz33. Glad to hear you're getting back to Europe.

I'm a fan of Barcelona, so of course will give it my vote, however Madrid is a great city and offers excellent day trips too. 5 days in Barça and 4 in Seville would be great, as long as you're OK with not visiting Madrid this time around. You could do a (long) day trip to Figueres from Barcelona to visit the Dali Theatre-Museum if you're into his art and feel like something different - eggs anyone?!!

If, however, you do want to visit Madrid as well as Barça and Seville, then you could do 3 days Barça (beaches and sightseeing), 3 Madrid (the city and maybe one day trip, althought 3 full days, ie 4 nights, would be better) and 3 Seville (sightseeing and eating, aaaahhh). Taking into account the travel time (Barcelona-Madrid AVE is just under 3hrs, Madrid-Seville AVE is around 2 and a half hours) you could even leave on the early services to extend your time in Madrid and Seville.

Once you've decided your itinerary, see if you can book ahead to get decent prices on each route. herrbert will be able to add more to all of our advice, so stay tuned.

I'm also a fan of Valencia, but that and Toledo are for next time...!

[stearnz33]

wow, I am definitely on board with that itinerary. My main 2 questions right now are:

1. best time of year...thinking of some time between march and june.
2. What areas within the cities are the best to stay. I want to book ahead in order to get the best deals becasue I'm trying to keep to a budget on this one.

anxiously awaiting herrbert's input!!

[herrbert]

A bit late but I will give my few pennies.

I think 5 days in Barcelona and 4 in Sevilla are too many if these are whole days. Most of Barcelona can be seen in 3 days, and I would go for 2,5 - 3 for Sevilla as well. It would off course depend on you interests and possible daytrips that you want to do.

My must see town would be Granada. The Alhambra is in my opinion the best sight in Spain. 2 days for Granada would be sufficient.

if you settle for nine days 4 cities would be too much. You could opt to skip Madrid : ( and take a flight to Granada from Barcelona. But I would try to have a few more days, so that you can include Madrid.

My initerary would be Barcelona (train or flight to:) Madrid, flight to Granada, and by train to Sevilla. From Sevilla you have the option to visit Cordoba (by AVE it's 45 minutes) or a bit further away you could opt to leave early one day, and visit Cadiz for a daytrip.

From Madrid, you have to go and see Toledo, and or Segovia. The best time in my opinion is May. It will be getting warm in the inland, but not too hot.

For the hostels you need to check. I have heared good stories about Kabul in Barcelona, which is near the Rambles. For Madrid I would opt for an area called Huertas (Around metro Anton Martin), which is not that far from Atocha. (the worst hostels are around Gran Via.). For Granada and Sevilla I would recommend the Oasis Hostels.

[herrbert]

P.S.

My gems for Spain, would be Cacéres: The city is not that special, but the old part of town is lovely and Toledo like. Salamanca: lovely beautiful city with a lot of students. Alcala near Madrid, and there is another daytrip from Madrid which is a nice trip: The monastary of El Escorial. There are also some nice cities in the north that are often overlooked like: San Sebastian, Santander and A Coruña. Most of them will be out of the way for this trip.

[stearnz33]

Would Granada be more worthwile than Seville?
My plan right now is fly into Barcelona- 3 days there, then fly to Sevilla for 3 days, then train to Madrid for 3 days. Herrbert mentioned that 2 days would be enough in Barcelona, should I go 2 there and then use that extra day to take a day trip to Granada?

Thanks!!

[herrbert]

Granada is not a daytrip, but in my opinion it would rank above Sevilla. What you could do however is this: take an evening flight to Granada. If you are up for it make a tapas tour through the wown, and have a good night sleep. Get to the Alhambra in the morning. You are likely to finish your tour around 2-3 p.m. Make the stroll downhill to one of the other nice places. the Cathedral, plaza nuevo, and from there into the neighbourhood of Albaysin (the old Islamic barrio.) The last train from Granada to Sevilla leaves at 20.23 which means you have plenty of time to explore.

You will arrive at 23.23 in Sevilla, on Santa Justa station, which is not in the center of town. Going by foot would mean a pretty long walk. So you might want to do yourself a favour and take a taxi to the center. Or a bus (I must admit I didn't check that when I was there.). If you want to go by bus from Granada you might find some good alternatives as well. (I think you need to check the site from Alsa.)

[stearnz33]

I just looked at some pictures online of the Alhambra in Granada and it looks pretty amazing. Trips like this are so hard becuase there is SO much to see and no where near enough time. I have bought my plane ticket to Spain - Arrivng in Barcelona Friday morning 3/5 and leaving Madrid Sunday 3/14.
3/5, 3/6, 3/7- Barcelona
3/8- fly to Granada (morning)
3/8, 3/9- Granada
3/10- Train to Madrid
3/10, 3/11, 3/12, 3/13- Madrid (with day trip to Toledo)
3/14- Fly home

I would love to see Sevilla but I don't want to overload our vacation with (more) travelling. Let me know what you think!

Thanks again for all your help!!!

[herrbert]

I think this looks pretty good. If trains turn out expensive from Granada to Madrid, you can also check for flights. The Alhambra is a great place.

Check their website if you want to skip the lines in the morning. You can reserve your tickets their, making it a bit easier for yourself. Remember that if you receive your ticket at the entrace, it has a timeslot for the Palaces, which you must meet. You can make it easily, so need to rush, but keep an eye on your watch.

When you leave the small airport in Granada, exit to the right. There you will find a bus waiting after each flight. It will make the trip to Granada in about 15 minutes. It makes a couple of stopsin the city itself before going to the busstation. (if you stay close to the Cathedral e.g. at the Oasis) A good place to get out is at the Via Colon, near to the Cathedral.

Note that Granada is near to the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, so it can be a bit colder than you expect in March.

Maybe it´s better to leave Sevilla for a next visit. If you are able to rent a car on that trip you can use Sevilla as a base, and go to Ronda, some of the white cities, and make trips to Cadiz and Jerez de la Frontera. (as you already notice, the south of Spain (Andalusia) is a region where there is a lot to see. More to the east you will find Malaga aswell.