SPAIN travel advice

it looks like i am going in early may! i need some basic advice. i am plotting out an itinerary and what i am thinking is fly into madrid, hang out there for a few days, rent a car (which is $15 a day i guess, cheaper than the train unless i'm really misinformed?) and driving up and down the mediterranean coast. we need to be in murcia for a few days for a music festival but have nowhere else specifically - we could either drive south along the coast and loop back or go up to barcelona.

does anyone have any advice on a good route to take/must see stuff? thanks!

i also need advice on stuff like affordable accommodations, where to stuff my face with jamon, etc.

please try to get yourself to san sebastian
that is my #1 suggestion

a little bit of advice on these old threads. I was in Madrid and the Southern coast a long time ago. Hmmmm let me think

Another reason among the many to visit Spain

Tell me what to do when I go to Spain for two weeks!

the trains are really expensive, unless you buy the tickets exactly two weeks ahead of time, when they release a limited number of discounted tickets. but it doesn't really matter cause the website for the trains is basically a black hole of frustration. the high speed trains are really nice though, and there is a digital display of the traveling speed in all the cars.
i was just in spain but not in these parts (except for a quick 2 day stop in madrid) but 2nd the suggestion of going to san sebastian.

murcia-alicante-valencia-barca is all along the coast and if driving's your thing then it's a slog but good times

i really don't mind driving! the high speed trains look crazy, but i am trying to be relatively frugal so the car rental seems like a good way to get around. is there a benefit to doing a southern route (down towards gibraltar) as opposed to northern?

they're just super different parts of the country, it's up to you what part you want to see. also if you're driving please budget a lot for tolls -- the roads are really really nice and well marked, but they have outrageous tolls.

and we might not need to go all the way up to barcelona but just hang around the murcia/alicante area (possibly up to valencia?), it might be too ambitious. it would be cool to take a ferry/boat somewhere, but i'm guessing ibiza is skippable!

good to know about tolls!

murcia-valencia is i dunno 3-4 hours

yes, tolls is a good point- though you can take the coastal roads and avoid some of them- it's slower but prettier imo

Renting a car will also cost more than $15 USD daily, or at least it did last year.

I would stan for Andalusia - Seville, Ronda - but only because that's the bit I'm most familiar with. Don't know the Blanca/Dorado/Brava bits that well. My parents speak highly of Northern Spain though - Leon, Oviedo, Bilbao, San Sebastián might make a good roadtrip?

Hiking in the Pyrenees in Torla was one of the highlights of my trip -- gorgeous medieval village in the middle of a national park/nature area. AMAZING.

la lechera otm, GO TO SAN SEBASTIAN.

and yeah Bilbao is lovely too, great people in both San Seb and Bilbao.

there are good pencions (spanish people using their flat/house as a guesthouse) in most places.

in fact if you go san seb i can recommend one, unless you intend to stay somewhere fancy. it was very very basic but safe, central, and clean, and the owner made us basque custard tarts and stuff, really fun.

san sebastian is like a food paradise.

toooootally a food paradise
easy to get around on foot too, amazing beach, bizarro amusement park on top of a religious monument

so bummed that the funicular was closed the day i tried to go to that amusement park.

this is but one of the amusements

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6134/5976905378_f43801484e.jpg

and the food was amazing. but honestly the food was amazing everywhere i went in spain.

yeah, p much

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6007/5976345131_803d18a734.jpg

was fuego negro open when you guys were there? a tapas bar up near the church in the old town but markedly different from the older bars, really swanky in a sort of naff way apart from the fact the food is this insanely good fusion type tapas, it was really incredible.

other than that it's nice having foie gras everywhere, and those squadrones of spanish men singing opera songs as they go from bar to bar. best way to get drunk ever...

we mostly went to local places, just kinda skipped around. there are a LOT of super fancy restaurants in spain, but i didn't go to any of them. i love the grazing aspect of spanish eating -- just kind of grab what you want, eat it, drink a little, go somewhere else, have something else, sit by the water a while, la ti da, eat/drink some more, etc.

i'll tell you what, if i disappear, san sebastian would not be a bad place to look for me.

now i really want to go to san sebastien but it seems on the opposite end of the country from where i need to end up (murcia)!

next time! i didn't make it south or west at all on my first trip; it's not a place you can cover reasonably in one short trip, i think.

btw if i disappear, please don't look for me.

this was the best tapas place we tried in barcelona. one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. cleaner and brighter than many, not too expensive. two long bars laden w/amazing jamon seafood etc. in the eixample area near ave diagonal, passeig de gracia and some cool gaudi buildings.

Cervecería Catalana
C/ MALLORCA, 235, 08013 Barcelona, Spain
+34 932 16 03 68 ‎

http://w.cdn-tonight.eu/214469.jpg

some of the tapas places were a little greasy/heavy; not here

http://w.cdn-tonight.eu/214370.jpg

please try to get yourself to san sebastian
that is my #1 suggestion

― La Lechera, Tuesday, January 24, 2012 2:24 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

YESSSSS

I wound up there sort of by accident and only for a day during a trip to France and it was amazingly lovely. I really want to go back. I have no other advice about Spain because S Sebastian is actually the only place I've ever been to there. LL otm though. If you can go there definitely try to.

now i really want to go to san sebastien but it seems on the opposite end of the country from where i need to end up (murcia)!

― bene_gesserit, Tuesday, January 24, 2012 3:43 PM (22 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Oh shit, only just saw that now. Bummer. I'm sure the rest of it is great too though.

well i can recommend cartagena as a beautiful town, heavy roman influence still v apparent, they're currently doing up the amphiteatre and the harbour area is spectacular

i live in madrid and know galicia, castilla y leon, extremadura, and andalucia pretty well, but nothing of the basque country or catalonia. how long are you going to be in spain, bene?

about 9-10 days! i'm definitely spending some time in madrid, and flying in/out of there, so madrid recommendations are welcome!

No-one repping for Lanzarote? It's great.

I don't know the eastern side of the country at all, but if you head south-then-east you can visit some superb towns - Toledo, Cordoba and Granada are all excellent, and places like Seville and Malaga would be just about within reach too. Gibraltar's really interesting and spectacular.

Stay in a ye olde parador if you can afford it. They're converted historic buildings and some of them are really amazing. Jaen (east of Granada) is a castle perched on a crag above the town.

I loved driving in Spain because it's big and empty, like a mini-America. This may be less impressive to an American, granted.

Gibraltar's really interesting and spectacular.

really? my parents have an apartment about an hour from malaga and a trip to gibraltar is always an option when i go with friends, but all i've heard about it is that it's one of the worst shitholes in the universe.

The bay and the rock and the view of Africa are incredible. Historically and politically it's pretty interesting. There are apes. No doubt it's full of tat - but I didn't really notice tbh.

God, yes, Gibraltar is awful. We hare down there, pick up cheap fags and booze and get the hell back out. The caves and that are ok, I guess, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to visit it.

my tip is: avoid Gibraltar

go to the rock, get out

a few days in and around madrid then visiting a couple cities in andalucia (i second cordoba and granada!) before ending up in murcia sounds awesome. not sure renting a car would be much cheaper or worthwhile though. you're going to have to pay for gas and parking and will be driving around half the length of the iberian peninsula. you don't necessarily have to take the ave everywhere--if you like seeing the countryside then the avant trains are a lot cheaper and go through random towns. and there's always the bus. you could also just rent the car in granada and drive to murcia. cabo de gata natural park is between them (on the coast) and a car would be handy there.

in madrid i highly recommend you visit goya's tomb.

i went to goya's tomb, it was cool

rip

thanks craigorio that is all really helpful! i'll look into costs of train/bus from madrid to granada. cabo de gata looks lovely!

alsa will be the bus line you want. it's about 20 euros, 5 hrs across la mancha, and there will be a bus leaving pretty much every hour all day long from madrid.

ok, i've just worked out some of the details, and i think we are going to take the bus to granada as you recommended! is there a specific town on the coast between granada and murcia that you would recommend spending a night in? we definitely want to spend some time in cabo de gato and take are time going up the coast.

alright - i've fully booked all my hotels so i could use some itinerary specific advice:

days 1-3 madrid - staying at a pension in the the universidad neighborhood, i definitely want to visit the prado but otherwise i could use advice on what to see/eat!

day 4 granada - staying in the downtown area but closer to the alhambra. definitely want to visit the alhambra but not sure what else. planning on renting a car here for the rest of the trip.

days 5-6 - cheaping out everywhere else on hotels, but splurged a little and booked two nights at parador de mojacar (http://spainparador.com/parador-mojacar.htm) which was still not all that expensive (came out to ~$70 per person per night) this is close to cabo de gata but could use advice on other towns to explore in the area)

days 7-8 - murcia - we will probably be at the music fesitival (watching PULP) most of the time

day 9 - need to find a budget accommodation near the madrid airport for an early flight home

Jely

I'm considering going for a week in March. I was going to do Madrid and Barcelona, but my friend is trying to convince me to concentrate on one city, and not try to do too much. Thoughts? I am leaning toward Madrid. Also, is it an okay place to travel alone in?

you should come in march instead and hang out with me!

i mean may

Madrid then, what nice areas would you recommend for air bnb/staying at?

We stayed in the Lavapiés neighborhood. It was a good location, close to the Prado, Reina Sofia, Retiro Park and Atocha train stationWe walked nearly everywhere from there -- covered ~70 miles over five days -- and it never felt far from what we wanted to see.

We're going back in late October. Thought this thread bump would be about this article: Locals in Spain, Tired of Booming Tourism, Say ‘Stay Away’

Catalans aren’t your average Spaniards

Thanks looking at Lavapies now

seems like kind of a first world problem to be asking for advice about traveling in spain?

we stayed at the hotel Principe Pio - it was clean, centrally located, but there was a loud nightclub out our window that stayed open basically all night

seems like kind of a first world problem to be asking for advice about traveling in spain?

― budo jeru, Wednesday, 17 July 2024 bookmarkflaglink

Just asked about Paris too. A lot of 1st world problems tonight

jelly ;)

I painfully threw my back out in Barcelona and had to learn how to say "No homeopatico! No homeopatico, por favor!" because the pharmacies kept trying to pawn that shit off on my

We caught a terrific deal at the Hotel Europa next to Puerta del Sol Square. It's a big old retrofitted pile of a building, but good enough if you're going to be there for a few days and just need a place to crash while you're sightseeing.

those floods looks absolutely apocalyptic

pretty bad - talking to people in our seville office today (obv far from the affected areas), most of them know people in that region and area, and there's been a lot of concerned phoning around. understandably preoccupied. it's just not set up for this sort of inundation afaict.

yeah, just heard a spanish weather guy and he was pointing to how well-prepared the U.S. was for that last hurricane, and that maybe they should start paying attention

Huge power outage throughout Spain and Portugal ...

Thanks for the recommendation, will check it out

^^^Presumably not addressed to JiC

I would presume the opposite

Lol
Thanks Josh i checked it out. Apart from a bit of absolute chaos crossing roads to get back to the apartment (what the fuck is happening and why are the lights out?) it was a nice simple afternoon reading and sleeping. Came back in time for cooked food at 830.

Others not so lucky obv.

But ... Two whole large countries without power is crazy.

Yeah was just joking about the power outage as a must-do

Most people see Spain with the power on, it's a rare opportunity to see it with the power off!

They are blaming a "rare atmospheric phenomenon." Zombies can't be far off.

sunspots?

swamp gas

My friends in Portugal mostly reacted by grilling up some sardines and opening up the wine, no electricity meant no work to go to.

But there have been more dramatic situations - hospitals obv, but also on a more mundane level old ppl who couldn't get back home because all the lifts were turned off.

Daniel, are the Azores affected?

Thankfully no, so my mum's all right. Dunno about Madeira and Spain's islands but would assume the same.

Not traveling abroad this year (and maybe not next) but went down a rabbit hole of looking at some pretty great paradores that are not really that expensive. Our one parador experience in Hondarribia was excellent.

Can anyone recommend good jazz and classical record stores in Barcelona?

Jazz Messengers (their distribution arm, Distrijazz, handles my releases in Europe).

Also https://www.jazzrecordsbarcelona.com/

I didn’t know they had a brick and mortar—are they the fresh sound guys too?

Anyone been to Girona recently... in August 🥵🥵🥵

was just there in March

I was there in early September *gulp* 14 years ago.

Girona not necessarily gonna be burning hot in August. Could be but not as worrying as like Sevilla or Málaga.

Any highlights worth mentioning?

I was only there once and had a great Michelin star meal for maybe sixty euro or so, idk if it's got pricier now but there were a lot of deals for the sort of fiddly many course meals that would be a mad price in a big city.

You are obviously very near Barcelona also so lmk if you plan on heading in there, got a lot of tips for there as I'm sure others would. Certainly worth getting the train in for a day or two.

Please give me your tips for Barcelona, I am there right now!

The Jewish History museum in Girona is worth a visit. walk on the city walls

Barcelona— one of the best meals we had was here:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/2L4HUYsLZKteHzde6?g_st=ic

The picasso museum is surprisingly good.

don’t miss the 1,000-year old church frescos in the National Art Museum
the old Saint Pau Hospital is an un-touristy architectural gem of modernisme

sagrada familia os a tourist trap see one of Gaudi’s houses instead

I thought all the Gaudi stuff was goofy as shit, but I guess you have to see it. The Picasso Museum is indeed great, not least because iirc it focused on his early years. We took a good food tour, always like those. The nicest meal we had (or maybe one of them) was in that giant food market, which itself is worth a trip, even if you have to deal with the densest throngs of tourists.

Definitely walk the city walls in Girona. I also remember there were gardens near one end of the walls (back behind the Cathedral). That whole old medieval Jewish section of Girona is great, especially at night.

the gaudi buildings are interesting from an engineering standpoint!

I agree, and goofy from a Cheesecake Factory standpoint.

the McDonalds across from Sagrada Familia has draft beer

ultramarinos, gresca, paco meralgo would be tips for restaurants in barcelona. those are more sitdown places, for tapas maybe el xampanyet. the ambient standard of stuff is p great tho.

joan miro museum is really good.

oh yeah Miro

Will be in Barcelona briefly (one day/night) and pretty familiar; mainly ISO Catalonia (Figueres/Girona/Roses) recs.

i'll see if i can remember any stuff in roses. lovely little town tho, good choice.

We had a light lunch in Monells a v small village about half an hour from Girona. There is a single square and you can walk from one end of the town to the other in less than five minutes, but has cool arched passages in and around the square.
https://luxm2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Monells_0003.jpg

Nothing to get too excited about I guess but far more memorable in my mind then many "bigger" sites from that trip. The dessert we had was just homemade cheese wrapped in cheesecloth with local honey that was the best thing ever. There were more cats than people hanging out in the square.

Besalu has a very cool medieval bridge and gate with portcullis. Definitely worth a stop if you will be nearby:

https://catalunyaturisme.cat/wp-content/uploads/besalu-1-1200x722.jpg

I found the rest of the town less memorable but we were also rushed that day.

Cadaques is a whitewashed seaside town that is beautiful on a nice day, though also maybe a bit boring. The drive in is dramatic as you come over the mountain and drive switchbacks into the town. We had a slightly overpriced meal at a place on the harbor with a view. Probably better options a block inland.

Figueres has the Dali Museum and really nothing else
Cadaques is cute and has Dali’s house
(don’t know where Dali’s car is *snort*)