my travel bud and I are planning another trip for this year and right now it's looking like Spain and Portugal may be the destination. We've toyed with the idea of starting in Madrid, a few cities in between, and finishing the trip off in Lison, Portugal.

Right now we've got Cordoba, Malaga, and Seville as the in between cities. I think Barcelona may be out just to keep our travel time down and our in-town time up. But we could always change.

I've read the other threads. I guess i'm looking for recommendations on parts of Spain/Portugal to see in between Madrid and Lisbon as those two are definite stops.

12/31/2013 4:19:26 PM

All I can say is that it would be a shame to leave Barcelona off. Any way you can extend your stay a couple days? It would be worth it.

I have no experience with the rest of Spain...but friends that have traveled have all raved about San Sebastian.

12/31/2013 4:51:47 PM

Barcelona and the Balaerics are worth their own trip- preferably in the summer (although I went in January and still had an awesome time without actually laying out at the beach), so don't try to squeeze just a day in- you'll be mad you don't have more time.

I plan on going back to Spain next year for a few weeks and going to fly in/out of Madrid and mostly stay in Malaga to do day trips to Grenada, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Cordoba, Seville, etc.

What time of year will you be going? I don't know a ton about Portugal, but I hear it's nice and way cheaper than Spain.

12/31/2013 5:55:37 PM

this would more than likely be in may or june. For 12-14 days.

12/31/2013 8:54:17 PM

If you don't go to Barcelona for more than 4-5 nights you're fucking up royally.

12/31/2013 9:21:15 PM

Have you ever been to Spain before? 2 weeks is a good amount of time to explore 2 regions in depth. In fact, I'd probably skip Portugal altogether and just do Andalucia/Costa Del Sol/Barcelona and maybe fly in/out of Madrid if you really want to get a taste of everything.

12/31/2013 9:45:44 PM

Don't listen to what these people are saying about time. They have great recs but anything is better than nothing. Lisbon is so underrated they probably haven't been recently. Valencia is a great one as well. You can't do anything properly in 2 weeks so you might as well just do barcelona valencia madrid and lisbon for a few days each to get a nice taste. The other cities mentioned are all good but are small versions of the big3 for the amount of time you have.

12/31/2013 10:49:49 PM

by "these people" i really just mean synapse.

1/1/2014 3:41:47 AM

I got back from my two weeks in Spain a few months ago. I'll just tell you what we did, what I recommend, and if you have questions PM me. I can recommend hotels and food too in the places we went to.

There is so much to see and do there, what do you want to do? Party? Relax? History? Art? Food? Beach? Mountains?

We originally were going to do Spain and Portugal, but decided to do only a few regions in Spain.

We flew into Madrid, took the AVE to Cordoba, AVE to Sevilla, rented a car and drove through the White Hill Towns of Andalucia to stay in Ronda, drove to Granada, Flew to Barcelona.

Overall, if I had to do it over again, I would have gone to fewer places and stayed longer in each. Travel time is low in Spain, with easy AVE routes now and cheap flights. I loved the trip and want to move there now, or at least go back ASAP. Madrid and Sevilla were my favorite cities, and driving to the Pileta Caves was my favorite "excursion".

I've never been to Portugal or Malaga, so I can't compare, but my wife lived in Spain for a while and we decided based on her recommendations.



Just let me know if you want any specific recommendations once you get your itinerary more fixed.

1/2/2014 11:33:11 AM

San Sebastian, or "Donostia" if you don't want to get stabbed, sucks this time of year. When you planning on going? My wife is from that area -- just got back last week

Where you want to go depends on what you want to do...

I like to eat and drink, and the absolute best food is in the Basque Country -- Rioja etc...

1/5/2014 12:06:50 PM

I've never been to Spain, but I kinda like the music.

1/5/2014 12:24:31 PM

I lived in Spain for two summers - in Segovia and Santander. I also have traveled throughout Spain and re-visited it several times.

Madrid - Other than museums and a few select attractions 2-3 days is more than enough. Reminded me of NYC somewhat.

Barcelona is beautiful. Gaudi's influence is seen and the architecture is beautiful. Good party scene if that is what you are in to. One of my favorites.

Segovia is a beautiful city where the Aquaduct is. It is relatively small, but has a nice bull ring if you want to see a bull fight. 2 days here is plenty.

Santander is a beach city. While I had fun here, you can skip it.

Valencia is the same way. I went ~5 years ago when America's Cup was in Valencia. Our friend that we stayed with dated a guy on the championship team. We had a blast going to the equivalent of a Budweiser sponsored party for the teams and guests, but again, we only went because we had a friend there (got more than we bargained for). While the city is pretty, nothing special.

Toledo is fun is you are into swords and knives. A day here is more than ample.

If you want an unbiased opinion at the end of the day, go rent "Let's Go Europe" from the library. It tells you the main attractions of each city, price points of activities (hotels, hostels, bars, museums, etc.) and narrow down your search that way.

If you aren't in a nicer hotel, most places don't have air conditioning in the summer (at least when I lived with families).

Also, are you traveling light or taking luggage? If you can fit everything in a back pack, it is a great way to travel. We used ryanair to fly everywhere. You pay for baggage by the pound, but flights to big cities are $20-$80 on average, so it is often cheaper than a train.

1/5/2014 12:46:11 PM

Barcelona is pretty awesome. Wish I had been in the summer (went in March) when the beaches were populated. Try to get a hotel/hostel off Las Ramblas and you'll be in the center of the fun part of the city.

1/5/2014 1:13:40 PM

I didn't even get close to the beach when I was in Barcelona and I still thought it was one of the coolest cities when I toured Europe. I wouldn't worry about it being "beach weather" if you can fit it into your plans.

1/5/2014 1:37:06 PM

Salamanca was fun. It's a university town, and I was much younger when I visited, but I'd still make that a stop if I got to go back.

Man, I wanna go to Spain now. I want art in my face.

1/5/2014 2:56:50 PM

anyone have experience with Zaragoza?

i think we may push the trip back to late August to try and plan a La Liga game.

1/9/2014 8:41:32 PM

Personally Barcelona didn't do much for me, but I'll admit it may have been because everyone was builds it up so much and also as the first stop on my trip I was still jet lagged and trying to get adjusted.

My favorite spots were Granada and Seville. Cordoba was really cool but admittedly there wasn't a whole lot there unless like me you really like the historic aspects.

Only go to Madrid if you've got an excess of time and/or haven't been to any other major international city. Its kinda on the other side of the country from the interesting places.

1/10/2014 10:25:49 AM

^^ wife says nothing interesting there that you won't find in other places.

1/10/2014 10:12:19 PM

thank you.

right now it's looking like Madrid-Seville-Barcelona as our three main stops.

1/11/2014 11:41:34 AM

I just got back from Spain last night. Spent the past week there with the marching band.


We spent a few days each in Madrid and Barcelona, stopping at Zaragoza for a few hours in between.

Of the two, I enjoyed Barcelona more than Madrid. We didnt get to do a lot in either because our time was limited, but it felt like there was more to see in Barcelona than Madrid.

Everywhere we went, the alcohol was cheap. That was nice.

1/11/2014 11:07:28 PM

I plan on flying into Barcelona this summer for an 8 day trip. With such a short trip, how would you suggest travel, spend all in Barcelona or travel to some of the suggested towns, San Sebastian, Balearics, ect. I'm more into having a good time over sightseeing. Thanks.

3/1/2014 8:19:37 PM

lived in Spain for a year (mostly in Barcelona)

Madrid is overrated, and actually quite boring. I'd skip it personally.

[Edited on March 1, 2014 at 9:35 PM. Reason : x]

3/1/2014 9:35:06 PM

I'm going back to Spain in late Dec/January for 3 weeks

3/2/2014 12:53:39 AM

Anyone have any Hostel recommendations or what part of the city to stay in in Barcelona?

4/29/2014 10:32:41 PM

Go rent "Let's Go Europe" from the libarary. It tells you everything from hostels, restuarants, sites to see and rates them based on price, as well as gives you opportune times to miss long lines, etc.

4/29/2014 10:57:06 PM

For those of you who have taken the RyanAir flights between cities can you share your experiences? Security lines, time spent at airport prior to and after flights, etc etc.


Our biggest concern right now is Seville to Barcelona.

6 of us on RyanAir dealing with transportation to/from airport, baggage check, etc.

or taking the rail line 5 hours for $170/ea

or renting a van, splitting the 8 hour drive up the coast with a day/night in Valencia.

4/30/2014 10:06:27 AM

Try to find a hostel close to Las Ramblas. That's where the most shit is going on.

4/30/2014 10:18:50 AM

I second this^ you'll be around Las Ramblas 85% of the time, and definitely at night.

Ryan Air is great I've never had any issues with long lines or security. As long as you travel light (one bag) you'll be through in no time. We had girls with us one time and they had to check their bags but it wasn't but 5-10 minutes.

Honestly though, I'd go the car option just so you can take in some scenery in the non-touristy areas and it would likely be cheaper. You may need an international driver's license, though.

4/30/2014 12:13:03 PM

^I thought Las Ramblas was suuuuuper touristy; wish we had stayed elsewhere. That said, it's pretty central to a lot of the beautiful architecture and other shit.

^^RyanAir is great when it works, terrible when it doesn't (and the added fees can add up quickly). I think it would be a cooler experience (and much more flexible as well as reliable) to rent the van. Trains are always a good idea, especially if you can plan on sleeping a bit during the ride. If it's a good route you get a nice little tour of the country

https://www.facebook.com/james.lockley.98/posts/10153025848725476

4/30/2014 12:23:26 PM

they are touristy for shopping but all of the good bars are on the off-shoots, especially as you get closer to the water and you're right there is some great architecture around there, too.

4/30/2014 4:50:14 PM

RyanAir, when adding in baggage fees + our leg to Seville is no cost advantage over a Rail Pass and making both trips by train. So train it is, which i'm really excited about.

thanks for the input on Las Ramblas, looks like that's where we'll be.

4/30/2014 6:25:47 PM

I stayed at an Airbnb place in El Born in my honeymoon and that was a really nice area. Like directly across from the Santa Maria Del Mar cathedral.

5/1/2014 10:51:12 AM

Quote :

"they are touristy for shopping but all of the good bars are on the off-shoots,"

This. Do some research and talk to people. I found some really cool spots meandering in the streets off Las Ramblas. Obviously don't stay on the main street...but it is the central location.

And definitely hit up this spot:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187497-d940427-Reviews-Can_Paixano_La_Xampanyeria-Barcelona_Catalonia.html

There is a short window (there version of Happy Hour believe)...where you can get bottles of Cava for a couple Euros and half off all Tapas. It's kind of a madhouse...but the food is delicious and the bubbly is cheap!

5/1/2014 11:03:19 AM

thanks for the recommendations everyone. We found discounted Rail tickets and were able to book first class seats from Seville to Barcelona for $80 each. So things are looking good!

5/1/2014 11:35:55 AM

Also, if you can get in and feel like dropping some cash, go to Tickets. Best meal I've ever had in my life.

5/2/2014 11:59:20 AM

Drinks tons of delicious Spanish wine and eats lots of tapas and meat plates. My mouth if watering just thinking about it. Oh...and make sure you hit up their market....I think it's open every day except for Sunday.

5/2/2014 1:36:51 PM

I've been to Spain a couple times. Only to Madrid and Barcelona though. I stayed in Madrid for two weeks for work at the Westin Palace. That was fun but I was working 16 hour days.

Barcelona was pretty awesome although we only were there for an extended weekend.

My parents stayed 2 weeks in Malaga and loved it. I much prefer smaller country side towns so I'm assuming that would appeal to me a lot more.

5/2/2014 1:57:56 PM

I would rate Spainish food, available at restaurants, off the beaten path and on, a 5. that is the part I was most disappointed about.

(for comparisons sake, I'd give Italy a 10)

5/2/2014 2:21:03 PM

Yeah the only real good Spanish food I had was at a client dinner at a fancy ass place in Madrid. Was not tapas.

There's only so many ways to can cook up cheese, meat, and veggies.

5/2/2014 2:32:49 PM

most of the "tapas" we had was just low-quality fried food (like, stuff you'd buy frozen at Sam's) served with an "aioli"

best meal we had was at the Hilton Madrid (near the airport).

5/2/2014 3:16:08 PM

Tapeo in Barcelona had good tapas, the stuff around Barceloneta was largely crap.

5/2/2014 3:55:27 PM

If you're in Barcelona you HAVE to eat here. It's fresh fish and a little bit outside the city. It's in a local neighborhood. We ate outside and it was after a big futball game and one of the players came and ate here and took over half the place. Very local and delicious.

http://www.elspescadors.com/en/home

[Edited on May 2, 2014 at 4:11 PM. Reason : link fail]

5/2/2014 4:11:03 PM

Maybe I just got lucky picking places...but I loved Spanish food. They have awesome meats and cheeses and a great selection of fresh seafood. There were definitely some so-so touristy places...but do some basic research and you should be pleased. And if not...just drink more wine!

5/2/2014 5:06:49 PM

the tapas places we went to were amazing

We went to one diner place and ordered seafood paella, which may have been the most horrible thing I've ever eaten.

5/3/2014 2:18:20 AM

I thought the food in Spain was quite good, overall. Probably the best meal I ate was at Cera 23 in Barcelona. I think Spanish cuisine is something you either like or you don't. They don't tend to use a ton of spices, but I really enjoy it. What's not to like about cured meats, cheese, fresh seafood, and fresh vegetables? Gazpatcho and Paella are both fantastic when done properly, and their beef cuts are much more flavorful than what you find most places. It's also A LOT cheaper than in France or Italy, and their wines are just as good, if not better.



[Edited on May 4, 2014 at 8:31 PM. Reason : .]

5/4/2014 8:26:43 PM

I wasn't a big fan of the food in Spain but I'm also not that big on ham or Manchego cheese (which they are all about). Whenever we went to expensive places that the program paid for I enjoyed it, but for all of the normal places we wandered into off the streets was not good and I didn't eat any good paella, which was probably my fault for not looking into a good place beforehand.

I'd really only put Spanish food ahead of UK (except for fish and chips) and Dutch food. Honestly, in Amsterdam I couldn't find anything besides pea soup or Gouda cheese that had any sort of Dutch national identity - it was more like a hodgepodge of other country's cuisines done poorly. France and the Czech Republic were my favorite cuisines, with Italian and Belgian (moules frites!) not far behind. I'd love to go to Greece/Turkey/Lebanon someday.

5/5/2014 5:26:39 PM

18 days until the trip! any last minute advice? we're all set with travel between cities and hostel reservations.

8/11/2014 3:52:07 PM

chow down on the paella

8/11/2014 10:32:11 PM

do you like the rain?

if so...

8/11/2014 11:43:08 PM

tomorrow

8/28/2014 9:41:11 AM