ThomasSchwarzmann

My wife and I will be in Catalunya Spain mid-October - looking for recommendations for three days by car visiting the Pyrenees...after much reading on Fodors and travel books, there are several towns that interest us: Ripoli, Olot, Besalu, Banyoles, Figueres, Girona, Tossa del Mar - my question is can visiting all or most of these places for an initial, cursory impression (for a future trip) be done with three full days? or are there suggestions for subtracting or adding other towns along that general route? (I realize a Pyrenees visit in mid/late October is weather-dependent, and if inclement we will stay by the coast) - our departure and return city with the car rental is Barcelona

sandralist

I'll confess I don't understand your question (which could just be me!). Some of the places you have mentioned are so tiny you can see them in an hour or two while others have interiors to tour and are much larger. Some of them I doubt most people ever go back to -- not because they are not worth seeing but because unless you are thinking of moving to Spain there is no particular reason to go back once you have seen them.

Your target sights are not very high up in the Pyrenees so I don't think weather will limit your pans too much. It really all depends on how much time you want to spend inside your car zipping through all these places. It wouldn't bother me in mid-October but others would want to go more slowly. But who knows what you'll think after you've seen these towns instead of others?

Towns that interested me that you have not mentioned are Vic (which is a great rainy day destination for its exceptional Catalonian museum and the rest of the town doesn't need sunny skies to be appreciated) and also Castello d'Empuries and Empuries itself. But you should go to what interests you if you've done a lot of research. (I've not been everywhere you mention.)

If you go to Girona there is an extraordinary and priceless 11th c. tapestry depicting a creation myth that is kept on display inside the cathedral in its treasury. It is really worth seeing.

ThomasSchwarzmann

thank you Sandra for your input - I think you grasped my intent and gave me an important perspective and more places to visit

sandralist

I often travel to rural Spain with a list of places prioritized and sometimes I don't make it to the bottom of the list. I don't think in mid-October you'll have any trouble finding accommodations most anywhere in that part of Spain.

Robert2533

If you use Begur as a base, you can cover quite a bit of the of the Baix Empordà in three days. The roads are in good shape and signage is fair. I do recommend buying a good map of the area and not depend on GPS. Michelin has probably the best map of the area, the No. 574 Regional Map.

sandralist

For a short stay -- maybe especially in November -- I would be tempted to stay in Girona or Vic. One of the downsides of daytripping in Spain is that so much of the life of places takes place between 5pm and 11pm. Sights might be open in the midafternoon and of course you can always walk around and admire the architecture but you might miss out on getting a real feel for a place. I'd want to be around for the evening bar scene and the morning shopping scene in places like Girona and Vic to participate in the contemporary public life of these small cities rather than just see the tourist sights.

I would want to make sure wherever I stayed in Girona it had easy car access (Vic is much smaller so anywhere would do). I also think I would prefer an inland location than a seaside location in November even if I planned to visit coastal towns and even though the Costa Brava generally enjoys mild temps in November.

ThomasSchwarzmann

first, the comments from both of you are the most first-person, useful/practical information I've received in all my posts for any of my trips, so thank you both! I will follow up on both the Begur and Girona/Vic suggestions and plan accordingly - fyi: my wife and I have no set agenda, simply to experience local culture, natural scenery, cuisine, architecture - it's our first trip to Spain, but we plan to make many more

Robert2533

You'll find a lot of good planning information on the Costa Brava Turisme website: http://www.baixemporda-costabrava.org/en

ThomasSchwarzmann

thx 123 - I actually just received the Michelin #574 and I expect not to have to use a GPS, considering this map's detail - any further thoughts are much appreciated

uhoh_busted

The only place I've been on your itinerary, is Figueres -- where we stopped to see the Dali Museum on our drive from Barcelona to Collioure (France). From the guidebook and our Michelin map, we thought we had it about right, but were unsure. We found a parking place in the vicinity of some signs for Dali, and stopped in a bakery to pick up some sandwiches for lunch. We then walked in the direction of the signs, for a couple blocks, and suddenly saw a large building with giant eggs on the roof. Yeah, we found it! It was well worth the effort

ThomasSchwarzmann

hey uhoh, we might to duplicate your surprise sighting, thx for the possibility

ThomasSchwarzmann

I'm getting close to finalizing our four-day/three-night excursion in a rental car, Barcelona north...after driving up the coast and wandering a few coastal towns, possibly as far as Cadaques, we will stay in either Figueres or Besalu - the last night returning from the Pyrenees will probably be in Girona...it's the second night that I'm having trouble figuring out - we will attempt a Nuria visit (tram) weather permitting and drive/explore the area north of Ripoli - can anyone recommend a destination that night, such as Ripoli, Vic, Olot (or any other small city/town in that general area)? pushing my luck, can anyone recommend a specific hotel?

sandralist

I would pick Vic and I would stay as close to the center of town as possible, probably here

http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/semi...otjaments.html

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_R...Catalonia.html

I would make a point of eating in Vic itself.

ekscrunchy

tt

Pvoyageuse

If you are staying in Cadaquès, I would skip the night in Figueres or Besalu. Both can be visited in one day. I would drive to Olot : check Hotel Les Cols Pavillons : glass walls and glass floors, Japanese heated "onsen". Check also Santa Paul near Olot, there are 2 very nice hotels in this small town.

lincasanova

Tossa del Mar is a nice town.. and if you are lucky with the weather you will enjoy the coast.

Begur is also popular.