Hello folks,
Me and my girlfriend are flying from Brazil to Madrid on June 8th and we plan to stay around Spain up to June 22nd. The idea is to cover 4-5 locations at most and spend 3-4 days at each location.
We are still thinking about our route, but we definitely want to go to Madrid, Barcelona.... The question to you guys then is: what other cities would you reccomend? I was told by a friend to not miss Sevilla, and we are interested also in going for small cities, rich on the cultural and historical aspects.
Besides that, what type of transportation do you guys recomend inside Spain? Buses? Trains? (for instance from Barcelona to Madrid).
And last, but not least, if you have good opinnions about hostels (for a couple) or good and not expensive hotels, please let me know.
I really appreciatte your help, take care, Glauco.
Hi
Yes Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Cordoba are obvious choices. Trains are a good way to get about. Check out www.renfe.es. you can take the AVE from Madrid to Seville - takes 2 and 1/2 hours. Try Iberian Air for flights between Madrid and Barcelona. You may be surprised with the cost. For hostels in Madrid check out - http://www.twizi.com/madridhostelsmap.htm.
Hi,
What a great trip you are planning.
Poster nr. 1 has a good tip about the train to Seville.
Go to Andalucia, you can go via Barcelona on the way back.
Andalucia tips: Seville (Alcazar), Granada (Alhambra), Cordoba (Mestizo(?) mosque built inside cathedral, or was it the other way around, anyway, amazing place ), Casares (lovely whitewashed hill top village just inland 14 km south of Estepona), Tarifa (kite surf capitol of Europe, wonderful cool & funky, laid back place), Puerto Banus to get a view of how the other half lives................(coming from Brazil you will be shocked when you compare it to the average guy from the favela), people like the king of Saudi have their boats in the marina...
Enjoy!!
Oh yes, if bussing, training, whatever, hold on to your goods!!
bus stations has junkies wandering around looking for stuff to steal (bags etc.).
"coming from Brazil you will be shocked when you compare it to the average guy from the favela"...
No, you'll have seen it all before! As far as conspicuous consumption goes, Europe has nothing on Brazil! Give Puerto Banús a big miss, and Tarifa too - it's very pale compared to Brazilian beach destinations like Trancoso etc.
Granada is a must. Sevilla too, but I must say far too hot for me in summer. You culd visit Córdoba from there tho. I would visit Toledo, and maybe Segovia or Salamanca, from Madrid San Sebastián and the Basque country might be another possibility. Zaragoxa is definietly worth a stop between Madrid and BCN.
My favorite cities in Spain, in order: Barcelona, Tarifa, Cordoba, Madrid, Sevilla.
Tarifa is terrific. Many people like it, unlike #4, but it depends on what you are looking for. It has some excellent restaurants, including the Italia restaurant, which serves Italian food. The lasagna is the best I've ever had in my life and the friendly owner speaks a little English.
We took trains and rented a car. I don't recommend a car for anything but smaller cities. It is awful to drive in the larger cities in Spain. The lack of street signs will make it impossible for you to figure out where you are, no matter how good you map is. In smaller towns basically you can't get lost.
Granada is probably great, but we just didn't have time to see it. You won't be able to see everything anyway. I'd advise skipping the Basque country on this trip.
Hi, I would recommend that you think if you want a tema trip or a general view of Spain. As you know general views are difficult to make but here it what I suggest: You should visit very different cities of the country that by one mean represent something of a kind:
1. Barcelona, 3 days are enough and you can always make a day trip by train to Tossa de Mar where you can see a Mediterranian village with an old medieval quarter.
2. Madrid, it is the capital and it has the Prado Museum (spanish paintors), the Austrias quarter and a nice nightlife... not that sure in the summertime but you can also visit castilian cities around like Toledo or Segovia.
3. Santiago de Compostela, place for pilgrims coming from over Europe. You can see the northern side of Spain, enjoy the specific food they make and maybe visit Lugo with its wall or Finisterre which was the point where Europe finished untill 1500.
4. I would choose a city between Sevilla, Granada and Cordoba. Cordoba is very small and can be seen in a day. Sevilla is quite big and has a nice atmosphere after 19.00 when the sun lets you breath. Granada has the Alhambra and I would not miss that palace. I would bet for Granada personally nad you can visit some villages in the mountains or move down to the coast.
Maybe concentrating in some 4-5 cities you can enjoy more the trip and check what would you visit next time you come back!
Hope it helped!! Have fun!
Jaime
trusted partner
