Okay, CC. What to not miss, tips, where to stay?
Going for 9 days in May–four of us. Flying into Madrid and planning to drive to Barcelona and San Sebastian. I think it’s too much but H thinks it’ll be okay. A couple days in each town. Already have Prado Museum on the list–planning on getting on-line tickets before we go. Figure we need a International Driving Permit. Ordering Rick Steves book on Spain.
So what are your best tips? and thanks in advance!
You can rent a car and drive on a US drivers license.
Take a fast train from Madrid to Barcelona. The drive is boring, the train is super fast. Unless you are doing something in the countryside, or visiting remote towns, I recommend using the trains in Spain. They are reliable and the fast ones are really fast.
We drove from Barcelona to Bilbao, which is almost like driving to San Sebastian. It took about 6 hours. I spent a lot of time looking for interesting stops along the way, and came up empty. (We drove because of where we were headed after Bilbao.) I would only drive this if you wanted to explore the Basque countryside. There isn’t a fast train to San Sebastian.
I loved both Madrid and Barcelona. We rented apartments in both places, which you should consider doing since there are four of you. In Barcelona we stayed in the Gracia district, which was lovely – residential but with some interesting shopping and restaurants, close to train stations and walkable to Passeig de Gracia. In Madrid we stayed just south of the Huertas/de las Letros district – loved it there, too. Walkable to the Prado and Retiro Parc.
If it were me, I’d do just Madrid and Barcelona, and do some day trips. Skip San Sebastian. There are wonderful day trips from both places – Toledo and Segovia from Madrid – in fact, thanks to the fast train, you can do a day trip to Cordoba (we did this – well worth it). From Barcelona, you can go to Girona, Valencia, Costa Brava.
fireandrain is right about the trains. They are wonderful. We didn’t get to Barcelona, but everyone tells me how much they loved it. Madrid was not my favorite city. I could have skipped it. I much preferred the smaller cites of Cordoba, Granada, and Toledo. If you want to stay in northern Spain, the Rioja wine region is worth visiting. We stayed in Laguardia, a beautiful little walled town in the wine country. There is a great guidebook for Spain, called Maribel’s Guides. I think most of her information is available online.
You will have a wonderful time! Last June, my husband picked up our 16-year-old daughter after she finished a semester in Cadiz, at the southern tip of the country. They rented a car and drove all the way up the coast to Barcelona. DH couldn’t get over how warm and friendly the people were - more than once, a person went out of his or her way to LEAD them to a destination when they were lost! And everything was so beautiful. Barcelona was definitely a highlight. Be sure to go to at least one live concert! There’s jazz, Cuban jazz, flamenco, classical guitar, etc., etc.
We just returned from a trip to Portugal and Spain. We didn’t go to the area you are headed, but did rent a car and drove from Lisbon to Seville, with a stop in Ronda (which is gorgeous). Having the car was actually really nice, the highways were very easy to maneuver and the navigation device we rented with our car (Hertz) was spot-on! Our apartment in Seville would have been impossible to find without it! The trains are great - we used them exclusively when we were in Italy last year, but having the car was a nice change and a fun adventure.
About the drivers license - we were told by the rental company that Portugal does not require the international driver’s license but Spain DOES require it. Although we never confirmed it that is true, we did get one at AAA - very easy to do and better safe than sorry.
Have a great time.
The trains are fast and comfortable. Take the train!
We loved Barcelona. Of course you will see the fantastic Casa Battlo and the magnificent Sagrada Familia, but also check out Parc Guell. My husband and I also enjoyed a day trip to Montserrat, which can be done easily by train.
You’ll love it. Make sure you pick up a real Madrid or FC Barcelona jersey
Again, there have been plenty of threads about Spain.
The drive from Madrid to Barcelona will indeed be boring. Unless one wants to stop in Zaragoza, there are few reasons to drive as opposed to fly or take the train. The train is a good option as leaving from the Atocha station is convenient. Just note that you can probably fly to Barcelona for about the same fare. It is just a matter of choice about wanting to haul luggage or not – which should be light in all cases. You can book tickets online and some of the best fares are released 24 hours ahead of time at the window at Atocha – which is not far from the Prado. The web site is at renfe. All in all, it is pretty easy and straightforward.
Renting apartments has become very easy with sites such as airbnb. Before booking, check the metro lines as it a very convenient way to travel in Madrid which is often hopelessly congested as the city is determined to finally find the buried treasures under most of their streets.
As far as San Sebastian, it is a matter of personal choice. Its main attraction is that the area is known for its superlative food, which is easily the best in Spain. This is similar to comparing visiting Paris or Lyon/Dijon or the Bordeaux area. The largest cities have more touristic choices but a foodie will definitely prefer the great restaurants.
There is so much written about Barcelona that little needs to be added. The guides are usually pretty correct: an interesting city that is not void of petty larceny issues. Enjoy the stay but be careful with pickpockets and groups of youths around the main attraction such as the Picasso museum and the Ramblas. Just a bit more than in other large Eurocities.
On a last note, check the discussions about ATM and cash. Arriving in Madrid with a bunch of dollars will not get you too far. Check your banks to locate the ones that will let you use the ATM without much additional fees. There is no need to buy Euros ahead of time. Also check the type of CC you have as you may start to encounter issued with chipless credit cards. If you plan to use a debit card, I’d recommend to open a secondary account to limit the potential issue of cloning fraud, which is alas very common in restaurants and shops in Europe. The protection of debit card is inferior to your credit cards. Also, expect your credit card to be blocked repeatedly and having to call the US to unblock them. The best solution is to have several CC and use them in different places. Two or three charges on a card will create the “fraud warning” and this even after sharing your trip with the CC people ahead of time.
For connection, getting a local chip for an unlocked telephone is very useful, especially if your party plans to split up during the visits. If you do not have unlocked phones, you can buy some pretty cheaply upon arrival. There are several stores, but the easier might be to head towards one of the Corte Ingles. Since you are bound to visit the Puerto del Sol, the people at that store are very good at helping foreigners and will let you choose among the many carriers. Make sure you understand the cost of using a US cell phone in Europe, and especially the cost of getting voicemails forwarded.
We loved Barcelona. However, my daughter and I got quite sick from something we ate in one of the markets–probably one of the fresh fruit juice drinks. We were knocked flat for about three days. So I’d suggest using some restraint in street eating/drinking.
H and I are going to Spain in May. We’ve driven around other European countries but never Spain.
Our draft itinerary is: Madrid, Toledo, Salamanca, Caceres, Merida ( I love Roman ruins), Cordoba, Sevilla, Ronda and other pueblos blancos, Granada and then a route back to Madrid that takes us past some other walled cities, Baeza and Ubeda (sp?) and the iconic windmills of La Mancha.
I like old historic towns and country life so we’re skipping Barcelona. Is this a mistake? I’ve watched the Rick Steves programs and I just can’t get too excited about the Gaudi architecture.
Regarding the credit cards: I call American Express before leaving the states. I let them know when and where we’ll be going so the card does not get blocked.
Tatin: I love Barcelona, but in many ways it’s not very “Spanish.” Catalan is the main language, and the French influence is strong. In many ways I preferred Madrid. We went to most of the cities you mentioned, as well as Avila and Granada. I think my favorite day trips were Cordoba and Segovia.
Another note: The Spanish don’t speak a lot of English. They have to study it in school, but they are very hesitant to speak it. That’s true even in the touristy areas of Madrid and Barcelona – and the further from the cities, the less English is spoken.
If you go to tripadviser, there’s a link to detailed instructions to buying train tickets. We followed the directions step by step and got our train tickets that way. One piece of advice – don’t catch a really early train. Everything happens 1-2 hours later in Spain – lunch is at 2 pm, dinner between 9 and 11. We got early train tickets for one day, and missed our train!
To save time we flew to San Sebastian (inexpensive flight on Iberian Air), stayed at the Hotel Maria Christina, hired a tour guide for the day. The views from the hill top overlook were stunning. Loved our time there, but wish we would have added Bilbao onto the trip.
One day we took the train to Sevilla to view the Cathedral and to Cordoba to enjoy the very unusual Cathedral Mosque of Cordoba.
If we go in May, are hotel reservations necessary outside of the big cities. I was planning on booking in Madrid, Granada and Sevilla but I like spontaneity and not planning where I am going to be every day.
That does not really make much difference. Called them and shared an entire travel plan. On day 2, Amex blocked card upon second use. Called again and updated status with dates AND times. Arrived in city 2 and used the card once. On second attempt, badadoum … card declined. A few minutes lated, the usual email about having to call them. Some moron who pretended to be name Jack in Islamabad or Mumbai noted everything and assured me it was for MY benefit. Next day, card functions to pay some items in golf pro shop. When charging something at the Spa in the same place, the clerk says … Sorry Sir, Amex wants you to call them! And that is with the Platinum Card!
It happens everywhere … even 10 miles south of the border!
Kajon, you didn’t miss much in Bilbao. Our friends went to the Guggenheim ( H and I don’t like modern art), stayed less than half an hour and left. It’s just another big city. San Sebastian is pretty, but nothing special.
However, we love the smaller cities to the south, Toledo, Cordova, Granada, Sevilla, Salamanca.
In Madrid, be prepared to like ham (the cured type) and lots of it. When ordering fish, ask if the fish has lots of small bones because a piece of filet is not often served. Shrimps are served whole so if you order seafood, prepare to do a lot of work.
Most definitely better than Barcelona (which is fine but overrated, IMHO) There are ruins in Andalucía like Italica: http://www.andalucia.com/cities/seville/italica.htm
If you want to add a bit of “beach” tourism, add Puerto Sherry or Marbella/Malaga to your itinerary. The latter being a good outpost to explore the “pueblos blancos” May will still be a shoulder season.
Thanks, xiggi. What do you think about making advance hotel reservations everywhere? If it’s shoulder season, will I just be able to pull into a parador and get a room? I’ll do it if I have to but some of our best trips have been those in which we’ve just spontaneously decided to go somewhere not on the itinerary.
TatinG, Be sure to check for festivals before you go. There’s always something, and that might be good or bad.
For many of the paradors reservations need to be made well in advance, especially if it is one called a historic parador. The one in Granada books way ahead. Those are some of my favorite cities in Spain on your list. I’ll be visiting some of them again in April/May, then again in June.
xiggi, I don’t use AE cards, but my Chase cards are always fine over there. I’ve also used them in France, Germany and Switzerland, no problems. I call Chase before leaving, giving them (they ask) my travel dates/countries.
Have fun!