2 Weeks in Northern Spain

(0nce again, and for some funny reason, Bilbao is misspelt)

It seems fine to me. Public transport is excellent in Spain.

alas, I think that is the result of my poor typing skills .

Are there any places you would recommend going to instead of the ones above? Can you recommend any places to eat/drink in these towns? I have seen from your previous posts that you are local.

Thanks.

Honestly I think 8 cities in 12 nights from Madrid to Bilbao to Barcelona using public transportation is very ambitious.

Have you traveled to Spain before and do you speak any Spanish? If not, it would be good to learn a few words particularly around public transportation (ticket, one-way/round-trip, how to read a schedule, etc....). Public transportation is excellent in this area.

Your first 5 nights are all one-nighters. By the time you travel, then check into your hotel 1/2 of your day will be over. Then everything will shut down from 2-4 or 5 for siesta. If your focus is on food and drink I'd forego Toledo, Segovia, and Burgos (they're great but save for another time). I'd add time in Laguardia to relax from the flight and re-energize. You could also visit Vitoria as a daytrip between Laguardia and Bilbao (you'd just have to verify there are open lockers at the bus/train stations in Vitoria for your luggage). I'd add time in the Basque country to visit and stay in a smaller village (Geteria, Lekeitio, etc....). I'd also consider adding a day to Barcelona. Even if you take the first train out of SS you won't arrive in Barcelona until 2pm. So, that's really only 2.5 days (assuming you're flying out of Barcelona on 11/30 and don't have to travel back to Madrid).

If you try to visit 8 cities in 12 nights I'm afraid much of your memories will be train/bus stations and moving from one place to another (at least in the first 1/2 of your trip).

hi krosenberg,

have you looked at fodorite maribel's guides @ www.maribelsguides.com? she does a great job and might help you sort out your thoughts. also search this forum for nothern spain - there have been some good threads about how to plan an itinerary in this area.

IMHO Cathy is spot on - moving on every day is a terible way of starting a holiday.

Thank you everyone for the advice! I am have a reasonably priced place to stay in Madrid, so I was thinking of revising my schedule this way:

Fly into Madrid - Land the morning of November 15th - 11/19
Day trips to Toledo, Segovia, and maybe El Escorial

Madrid to Laguardia 11/20 - 11/22 - Day trip to Vitoria

Laguardia to Bilboa 11/23

San Sebastion 11/24 - 11/26 (stopping along the coast)

Barcelona 11/26 - 11/29 (leaving in the morning)

Thoughts?

Leave out Barcelona and enjoy the North coast more. Might 3 nights in Laguardia be too much?

you did it again...I started a thread time ago wondering why this Bilbao is so frequently misspelt...got a lot of answers!!

Regarding your trip, I´d spend all day in Laguardia and profit the trip to visit the wineries, and skip Vitoria (although the guided visit to the reconstruction of the old cathedral is a great experience, www.catedralvitoria.com). As per the rest, follow CAthyM and annhig advices, as well as unload maribelguides for sound info on your trip.

Your alternative itinerary is getting much better I am now reading it correctly and see you have 14 nights!

Have you already purchased your airline tickets? If not, I would consider cutting out Barcelona as Egbert suggests. It would allow you more time to enjoy the Basque country and perhaps even more in La Rioja. Being you'll not arrive until the afternoon of 11/26 you'll only have 2.5 days as you're leaving the morning of the 29th.

If you have to fly out of Barcelona I hate to say this but I'd almost consider skipping La Rioja. It's a little rushed to try to do all 3 areas in one 2-week trip and this is the one area where it is difficult to get around using public transportation. The bodegas do take a bit of planning to visit and with your trip coming up on Saturday you're short on time.

If your heart is set on visiting all 3 areas first I would research which bodegas are open for visits the days you'll be there. Laguardia is beautiful, but if may not be as good as a base as Logrono or Haro if you ned the bus/train. Only 1 night in Bilbao isn't much time. It's a vibrant city and has some very interesting surrouding areas (Portugalete and the beaches nearby).

These sites may help you get a feel for the time required and frequency of public transporation:

http://www.alsa.es/portal/site/Alsa
One of the largest bus companies - but doesn't cover all areas.

http://www.renfe.es/horarios/english/index.html

I'd suggest booking hotels in advance particularly if you have a moderate budget and want to be centrally located (and are relying on public transport).

Great. What do you think would be better, Haro or Logrono?