rkirch

Four of us in active middle age are considering traveling to the Amalfi Coast for 1 week and then to Spain for another week. We usually rent a house for two weeks straight but for this trip the group decided to do one and one. Our interests are usually trying local fare plus historical sights and museums. When we stayed in France, the best times outside of the usual sightseeing was attending local markets.
I would appreciate any ideas at all.

Thank you.

traveller1959

Amalfi town has a beautiful market where you can see and smell and buy all kinds of lemons and lemon products (e.g. lemon chocolate). There are excellent restaurants serving local fare, of course, scented with lemon, the main local product (e.g. fish cooked in a wrapped lemon leaf). Besides, Amalfi town has a spectacular cathedral and very old shipyards. It would be my preferred base on the coast.

Otherwise, you have the dramatic coastal road, the emerald grotto just near Amalfi town (and the blue grotto on nearby Capri), hiking trails and many picturesque towns (like Positano) and in the area. A boat trip along the coast to Capri makes a good daytrip, and you have Pompeii, Herculaneum and Mount Vesuvius in easy reach. In other words, enough to spend a week.

You did not specify the region of Spain you are interested in. Practically everywhere in Spain you find historic towns, good regional food (in Northern Spain better than in Southern Spain), markets etc.

Where to go in Spain is a matter of season. Do not go to Andalusia between June and October - it is too hot. Otherwise, there are many options: The Costa Brava between Barcelona and the French border is very beautiful (especially Cadaques), Cantabria (around Santander) is fascinating, the Basque Country (around Donostia) is interesting, I also love Madrid and the surrounding region.

Here are dozens of Fodorites who know Spain well or live in Spain. You will get a wealth of information if you ask more specific questions.

traveller1959

I forgot the islands. Mallorca is very beautiful and diverse and has a mild climate. Year-round destinations are the Canaries with bizarre volcanic scenery.

ekc

The quintessential village on the Amalfi Coast is Positano and for good reason. Gorgeous views, excellent ferry service to Capri, Amalfi/Ravello and Salerno/Vietri. Lots of great restaurants and a good selection of beaches.

I rent an apartment for a week in Positano each June and can tell you there are many rental options. We have stayed at www.villalesirene.com and highly recommend it. Many of the better rentals book nearly a year in advance, so plan accordingly.

kja

I don't think you have a bad choice on the Amalfi Coast! JMO.

As for Spain, it is, IMO, too large and too full of wonderful corners to even try to narrow it down for you. I recommend that you consult some good guidebooks (always a worth investment, IME, or you can go to a library) to see what places capture your interest. For inspiration, I like the series with lots of high-quality pictures, e.g., Eyewitness, Insight, and National Geographic.

Enjoy!

jelopez33

rkirch: I agree you cannot go wrong selecting Amalfi or Positano for your stay in the Amalfi Coast.

Related to Spain, I suggest to stay in just one place, either Madrid or Mallorca Island. In any of them, you can easily organize a one week stay, with day trips ia tain in Madrid and renting a car in Mallorca. Of course, you can easily cover a one week stay without leaving Madrid itself.

Other options are Valencia, with some day trips or Malaga with some easy day trips as Granada, Nerja, Cordoba and even Sevilla, but Sevilla for one day will let you thinking it was too short a visit.

Enjoy!

kimhe

<trying local fare plus historical sights and museums. When we stayed in France, the best times outside of the usual sightseeing was attending local markets>

Take a look at Malaga city by the Med. Genuine Andalucian atmosphere, great tapas bars, cafés, terraces, restaurants, nightlife and 3000 years of history (Phoenician Malaka). Within 300 meters in the city centre you'll find the newly excavated Roman theater just beyond the 8-11 century Moorish Alcazaba, the 16th century cathedral, Picassos birth place, the Picasso museum, the Carmen Thyssen museum, the new Pompidou Center, etc. etc.
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...rs-restaurants
Video: "Malaga- Spain's best kept seret": http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...pt-secret.html

Several great food markets around town. My favourite is the old Atarazanas market right in the heart of the city: http://www.spain-holiday.com/Malaga-...razanas-market
http://spanishsabores.com/2013/08/26...entral-market/

Malaga street markets: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g1...t.Markets.html

The food scene is both very traditional and cutting edge: http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...taurants-tapas

Daytrip suggestions:

Cordoba, once the most advanced city in Europe with the famous Mezquita etc, 50 mins with the high speed AVE train: http://www.andalucia.com/cities/cordoba.htm

Granada with the spetacular Alhambra is 90 mins by bus.
http://www.andalucia.com/cities/gran...hamhistory.htm

Antequera, the so called heart of Andalucia, is just North of Malaga city. The first of the Granada emirate towns to fall to the Christians in 1410: http://www.andaluciacoastandcountry....era-spain.html
"5 Reasons to Visit Enchanting Antequera": http://wild-about-travel.com/2011/07...ing-antequera/

The Nerja Caves is some 40 miles east, lived people here more than 30 000 years ago: http://www.cuevadenerja.es/

Egbert

The Amalfi coast is nice but Spain is so much more interesting. In any case I would spend all of the time in one country and get to know a few different places really well.