lynds

Planning on going to Spain during the last two weeks in September with my boyfriend--we are interested in beaches, culture, little places off the beaten track, and enjoy being active.

Can you recommend some "must-see" places and "must-do" activities? Or possible itineraries?

Thanks!

BigRuss

That summary says very little. Spain is the second-largest country in Western Europe and has many regions that could fit your needs. And whatever "enjoy being active" means leaves your specifications open to too many interpretations.

Start researching first, then come back here to narrow down your suggestions. Go to Fodors' page about Spain and review the suggested intineraries. Do the same for Fr*mm*ers' page and L*n*ly Pl*n*t (I figure I can't state the names of competitors on this board). Read about the various major cities and decide which sound good to you.

zeppole

I suggest you focus on Catalonia, which has everything you want, and enough variety to keep you fascinated for two weeks, but to get off the beaten track you might want a car.

nytraveler

Culture - if you mean museums and historical sights - are usually in the cities and larger towns - not off the beaten track. And Spain has several different regions that can easily take 2 weeks each.

Given the choice I would vote for Andalusia - unique becuase of it's Moorish cultural heritage (Seveille, Granada, Cordoba) - but also has great beaches on the Costa del Sol as well as the white villages - and nearby areas that have lots of interesting hikes (the whole area is quite mountainous). And you could see quite a bit in 2 weeks with a car.

zeppole

I'm going vociferously disagree with what nytraveler just posted.

There is a tremendous amount of culture -- including incredible art museums and historical sights -- off the beaten track in Catalonia. It's just astonishing anybody would post that.

Vic, Vall de Camprodone, Empuries and Castello di Empuries, just for openers, all have major cultural institutions and historic sights and they are quite off the beaten track when it comes to mass tourism -- in contrast to the itinerary posted for Andalucia, which is a place I adore but it is mobbed with tourists.

walksntalks

I like the northern coast. Have you considered Cantabria, Asturias or Galicia? If you like hiking, you might like to go to Llanes (small town in Asturias) or San Vicente (Kantabria), which are less than one hour from the National Park of Picos de Europa.
This area offers a good selection of walking routes, nice restaurants, fortifications from the Napoleon era, interesting cider culture (Asturias) and orujo culture (Kantabria), very good sea food etc.

ribeirasacra

Spain is so diverse We need teh Op to come back here and respond with some ideas of what they wish to see: Location of arrival departure: Method of travel: plus if they mean 14 whole days in Spain or must we deduct days for flying to and from their home country.

migmig

Hi from Spain.

Weather, natural sights:
If you know California, Big Sur like north of Spain (Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria) and San Diego aerea is like the south (Andalucia).

Culture, Acient Buildings:
You will find everywhere.

Beaches:
With good weather last days of september, only south of Spain (Andalucia) or South-East (Levante).

I would recommend you to go to Andalucia, rent a car and visit Seville, Granada, the beaches and small towns of Cadiz.

WebmasterTV

Can't go to Spain without visiting the Islands of either Ibiza or Formentera. We stayed here and it was marvellous.
http://www.hotelcantalaias.com

lynds

wow--thnaks so much for all the responses!

It will help narrow down where to start researching

Suequick

Catalonia is where you both should go. Beaches at Torredembarra are blue flag and amazing. Tarragona gives you the culture.