8 Days in Spain - leaving in one week!!

Old Jul 30th, 2014, 04:04 PM
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8 Days in Spain - leaving in one week!!

My husband and I are flying in and out of Barcelona, landing on the 7th of August and taking off on the 16th. I figure the 7th will be a wash due to jet-lag, so we have 8 days there.

We just bought the tickets yesterday and have NOTHING planned.

Any suggestions on things that can't be missed in Barcelona?

Also, we would like to take a side trip somewhere else for a couple of days, but aren't sure where. We don't want to spend an entire day on a train, so somewhere relatively close would be great.

We are very active and live near beaches at home, so we aren't interested in spending much time laying on the beach. We'd also like the side trip to be somewhere less urban.

Interests include historical sites, hiking, art, food, wine.

Thank you!
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Old Jul 30th, 2014, 05:04 PM
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Help?
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Old Jul 30th, 2014, 06:20 PM
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Take the train up to Vic for a couple of days at the Parador, if there are any accommodations available for your dates. Beautiful countryside, great for hiking, and the food and wine isn't bad either.

www.cataloniatravelguide.com/2013/03/04/vic/
http://www.victurisme.cat/laciutat.p...pagina=2&sub=3
http://www.spain.info/en_US/que-quie...tinos/vic.html
www.parador.es/en
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Old Jul 30th, 2014, 07:35 PM
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You still have time to get a decent guidebook or two. In light of your interests, I recommend the Rough Guide or Lonely Planet (in addition to Fodor's). If you can't get to a bookstore, order through Amazon Prime.

BTW, many of us only check the board once or twice a day, so topping your thread after just an hour doesn't really help. Just an FYI.
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Old Jul 31st, 2014, 03:56 AM
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Funny how different people's travel's styles are. If my trip were only a week away, I'd have already done a ton of research. (I'm reading about Spain now because I'm planning on a trip next year). Anyway, I agree that you can still get a guidebook, or visit other travel sites to see what's recommended,and based on your interests, go from there. Have fun!
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Old Jul 31st, 2014, 06:38 AM
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Hola sarahlizb! Just returned from a glorious 3 week trip to Spain which included 10 days in Barcelona - a wonderful city with so much to do and a great base for exploring nearby areas.

For a low key arrival day activity when you're feeling jet lagged consider touring the historic Hospital de Sant Pau designed by Modernist architect Luis Domenech Montaner, a contemporary of Gaudi. It's a 1 hour tour given 4 times/day in English with a fascinating history and stunning architecture.
There were only 10 people on my tour, I think many tourists don't know about it, but it turned out to be one of my favorite sites.

Another low key option is Parc Guell, designed by Gaudi. Suggest you purchase an internet timed ticket to avoid standing in line. Beautiful park with Gaudi sculptures and cottages.

Toured the 3 other main Gaudi sites using timed tickets purchased via internet to avoid lines - La Sagrada Familia Chuch, Casa Mila (also known as La Pedrera), and Casa Battlo - all very worthwhile.

In the Barri Gotic/Born/La Ribera historic areas, toured the Picasso Museum - also on a timed ticket - and visited Santa Maria del Mar Church with a great wine bar across from the church - La Vinya del Senyor.
This area has narrow streets with cute shops and restaurants - it's nice to just wander around, also 2 great markets - La Boqueria and Santa Catarina.

Parc Ciutadella is another lovely park which we walked through on our way to Barceloneta (the beach area) stopping for a seaside lunch at Ona, their sangria is potent!

You might also like to visit Montjuic which has a recommended flamenco show, El Tablao de Carmen, and a Magic Fountain show on the weekends.

If you're at all interested in taking a small group tour, can highly recommend the tour company we used - Spanish Trails. We did 5 tours with them and enjoyed them all - 2 Food & Wine Tours (Tasting Barcelona and Gourmet Barcelona), City Walking Tour, and 2 day trips to Costa Brava/Girona and Montserrat/Wine Country. The tour guides were all excellent - knowledgeable but fun, too - like touring with a friend. They have a variety of itineraries to choose from and keep their group sizes small, around 8 people. Take a look at my TA review and other reviews and you will get a sense of why they are so popular. Their food and wine tours in Barcelona are particularly fun, a great thing to do in the early part of your trip to learn about tapas and Catalan cuisine/wine.

We ate in mostly small, local places but did treat ourselves to an upscale restaurant (we liked it so much we ate there twice) - Etapes - located on a quiet street, Calle Enriq Granados, sit at an outdoor table, and if you're lucky you will get Didac as your server - the nicest, most attentive owner you'll ever meet.

Hope this gives you a few ideas. Happy to answer questions. We fell in love with Barcelona and are already planning a return trip in Sept 2015.
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Old Jul 31st, 2014, 06:43 AM
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Thank you to the people that offered recommendations - very much appreciated!

In response to the "lack of planning", this was a last-minute trip. I'm a bit frazzled and haven't planned anything because we literally decided to go and purchased plane tickets yesterday. I'm just hoping for a bit of friendly guidance from people that have been there - not judgement.

Thank you again!!
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Old Jul 31st, 2014, 06:55 AM
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Get an apartment for the entire time and make one overnight trip where you just take your toothbrush

Since you like hiking you could head to Montserrat for an overnight - do your hike in the day, and see the famous boy's choir at Vespers in the evening. It is wonderful up there in the evening when all the day trippers have left.

http://www.montserratvisita.com/
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Old Jul 31st, 2014, 08:38 AM
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Vic looks wonderful!! Do you think it would be doable as a day trip, or would you recommend staying overnight?

I stumbled upon Montserrat last night as well, I think that we are definitely going to go there for at the very least a day. Are the trails easy to navigate with limited Spanish skills?

NomadLass - THANK YOU for all of the recommendations! I am going to look in to Spanish Trails, as we would really like to do a wine tour!

Thank you all again!
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Old Jul 31st, 2014, 10:43 AM
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You're welcome! And what an ideal last minute travel destination. Barcelona is an easy city to navigate, great metro system, very walkable, taxis are pretty reasonable, such warm, friendly people, and great wine and food!

You mention Montserrat which is fairly easy to get to from Barcelona via train and funicular. You can get advice about how to do that on this forum, Trip Advisor, etc.

For other hiking options, the challenge is getting to some of those more remote areas unless you have a car since the trains only go so far. I found that using a tour company like Spanish Trails makes it a lot easier since they handle the transportation and will take you to "off the beaten path" areas that many tourists would never find. I was considering doing one of their Pyrenees hiking tours but ran out of time. They also offer hiking and kayaking tours in the Costa Brava beach area. Check their website for more detail and reading through their Trip Advisor reviews is helpful, too. Good luck!
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Old Jul 31st, 2014, 04:36 PM
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Vic would be wonderful for an overnight but note that the parador is located pretty far from the center, so you'd need a car, or pay for cabs to get to and from the parador. If you decide to stay in Vic it would probably be easier to stay in the center.

It has been a few years since I stayed at that parador and maybe things have improved food wise but in 2010 the food was basically inedible. It's a nice place to stay, but keep those still-frozen mashed potatoes off my plate por favor.
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Old Jul 31st, 2014, 04:56 PM
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All things Gaudi in Barcelona. For side trips, Montserrat and Tarragona (Roman stuff).

On Sunday at noon, join the dancers on the Cathedral plaza. Very unique.

Enjoy.
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