9 Days in Europe, June 2010

[dl]

Hello All. I've been reading this board for a few months now and I'm just about done with my planning for Europe. It looks as though I'll be flying to Amsterdam & Spain for my first trip to Europe.

I'm thinking of staying in hostels in amsterdam and barcelona. Am I being too ambitious with 3-4 days in Amsterdam, 3 days or so in Barcelona and 2-3 in Madrid?

Nothing has been set in stone yet but I'm thinking of flying to Amsterdam then down to barcelona, train to madrid and fly back to the states from there.

What can you tell me about the all three cities? Thanks for your advice!!!!

Also, do you have any recommendations of where to stay in all three cities and is there anywhere that is a "must see."

Thanks!

[herrbert]

With flights it is very doable. I would suggest 1 day less in Amsterdam, and to stick that to Madrid. Amsterdam is nice and compact, so you can explore it in about 2 days. If you don´t count the day you arrive (jetlag recovery), you will be fine.

You can now that the AVE from Barcelona to Amsterdam, which means you can get from Barcelona to Madrid in 3 hours. Check the website of renfe.es for tickets. (note you can only book 62 days advance, and cheap tickets go fast.)

Madrid, my is my hometown, so I can tell you a lot. But the most important is to take some time to go to Toledo. (daytrip)

[dl]

In terms of Hostels & Hotels- can you reccomend some for a mid 20ish guy?

Also, is the city easy to get around by foot / train, etc..?

[herrbert]

My weak point in Madrid ... as I never stayed in a hostel here I can´t give you a first hand acocunt. I had one friend coming to Madrid for a short stay and he stayed at the La Posada de Huertas Hostal, which is in the central, and he told me it is fine. I know that some of the hostals around Gran Via are best avoided.

Another option can be Hostal Salamanca, which seems to have very nice rooms (found by Willtravel btw), but it´s more a Hotel than a Hostel. (note Hostal, here means Pension.)

For Barcelona, I would check the Kabul Hostel.

Madrid is pretty easy to get around. The Metro system is the largest in the world, but most of the sights are walkable. Just check if you want to go to the bullfighting arena of Ventas, (line 5 and 2) and the Stadium of Real Madrid. (line 1). If you like nice view over the city, I would also suggest to take a look at the Casa de Campo. (From Metrostop Lago, walk along the lake, passing the restaurants, and than go straight / and a bit left, passing the tenniscourt you will see a little hill, that you can climb. The views from there are really nice.)