shemali

Hi everyone!

So my family and I are looking to travel to Spain this July for around 16 nights, and I have a few questions. We want to stay in southern Spain, preferably on the coast and at cities/islands which are not too far away from one another to reduce travel time. Right now, it seems as though the best places to visit are Barcelona, Valencia, and Majorca, although I've also heard good things about Alicante, Malaga, and Seville. Which cities are "must-see" and how long do you think we should stay in each one? What should we do there? My family is looking more to relax than go to museums, so we appreciate scenic locations with pretty beaches and architecture.

We traveled to Greece last year (Athens, Crete, Santorini, and Mykonos) and absolutely loved it, especially Crete and Santorini. If anyone has been to both Spain and Greece, how do they compare? I assume Spain's beaches are not as scenic, but I could be wrong?

On a separate note, I'm having trouble finding hotel rooms in Barcelona (where we will definitely go) which can accommodate 4-6 people. Has anyone stayed at any centrally located hotels which would be able to accommodate at least 4 people in one room which are around $200 a night in Barcelona, Valencia, or Majorca? Or are we better off trying to get a VRBO?

Lastly, is 16 days too much time to spend in Spain? We are contemplating also trying to go to Marseilles and Paris, which would take around 6 days, and would cut down our time in Spain to around 8 or 9 days after all of the travel time is accounted for. Is this a bad decision?

I'd like to thank everyone in advance for helping answer my many questions!

Robert2533

You will not find any hotels that can accommodate 6 people unless they offer connecting rooms, which tend to be limited.

$200/night for a quad room in Barcelona in high season is not practical. You should rethink your budget or find an apartment.

kja

I strongly recommend that you get a good guidebook or two, or consult some in you local library, as your questions suggest some misinformation. Barcelona is not in southern Spain. I could be wrong, but would not have said that Valencia is in southern Spain. And 16 days is very little time for even a part of Spain. Good luck!

ribeirasacra

Got no idea which dollars you are writing about. For hotels look at http://www.booking.com.
Apartments can be found: http://www.booking.com/apartments/index.en-gb.html
Larger villas can be found here: http://www.villas.com
Must sees are a personal thing. And if you cannot make up your mind then one can certainly search for recommendations.
Here is this website's ideas. http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/spain/ They certain do not coincide with my ideals.
I would say you can find some great beaches in Spain if you look Here are some examples. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ho...-in-Spain.html
http://www.travelchannel.com/destina...s-best-beaches
Like Greece, Spain has some terrible coastline too.
16 days is not very long to stay in any country. One certainly cannot "do" Spain in that time. http://www.spain.info/

Rubicund

The only two cities that you mention that are in Southern Spain are Malaga and Seville. The rest are on the east coast from Alicante, through Valencia and up to the North East in Barcelona. Mallorca is one on the Balearic Islands in the Med off the North east coast. Southern Spain is mainly Andalusia.

What are the ages of your party? If you're looking at a hotel room for more than two adults, you will struggle in Spain (and get a few strange glances too). If you have four children, then your best bet is an apartment wherever you stay. I assume that your are US based.

Forget France, it doesn't give enough time for Spain. How about:

Fly into Madrid 3 nights
Fly Madrid-Granada 4 nights (Granada-hire car to visit Cordoba/Ronda/Malaga)
Granada to Valencia-2 nights
Valencia-Barcelona 7 nights including day trips to Montserrat/Costa Brava/Cava country(Sant Sadurni d'Anoia)
Fly home from Barcelona

That's 4 hotels or apartments but only three changes that you'll lose time with, so losing about a day and a half in transfers.

bilboburgler

Pretty beaches, architecture

Barcelona, in town meh but by train along the coast yes, yes and double yes
Valencia, meh, yes
Majorca, yes, Palma old town yes
Alicante, no, no
Malaga, meh, yes
Seville, inland, yes

BigRuss

Apartments in Barcelona - look here: www.apartur.com. Don't do a vrbo or homeaway unless it's also a company/lessor listed on apartur. There's a specific tourist apartment industry.

Some companies (Habitat, Barcelona Stuff) have apts in the same building so you can get two to accommodate your brood.

ribeirasacra

don't forget the apartments in Barcelona have to be registered with the authorities.
more info.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g1...Barcelona.html

simon_travellerUK

Hi shemali! If you're planning to go to Valencia and looking for relaxing areas and arquitecture I really reccomend you to stay at least a couple of days inland Valencia. Inland valencia is full of culture, history, wonderful gastronomy and excellent wines... Theres is a small region called Terres dels Alforins, also known as the Valencian Tuscany that really deserves a visit... Perfect if you're planning to get immersed and feel like a local... Google Valencian Tuscany and let me know your thoughts!

ribeirasacra

Valencia is not near enough for a trip to Andalusia, especially with only 16 nights.