Chele60

I am planning a trip to Spain towards the end of next summer, so I have lots of planning time but I'd like the expert's here to let me know if I'm starting off with realistic expectations. Any help (and I'll probably be back with more questions as time goes on!) would be appreciated.

I've never been to Europe, so this will be quite the experience. I'm planning on spending 3 weeks, end of summer (September??), solely in Spain. Tentitively, I'm looking at arriving in Madrid (actually, this is the only firm part) and staying to see parts of this city. Then I would like to travel to Seville and spend a few days around there. I'm thinking of Valencia, but am not sure - any ideas? I'd like to move onto Barcelona for a couple of days and then travel up to San Sebastian before coming back to Madrid to go home. Is this realistic? Or should I think about condensing?

I understand Toledo is a "must see", but what about Salamanca? Again, too much?

I am going with my boyfriend and we are into both big cities and small towns, as we feel both have advantages. We love museums and architecture and nature in general, though neither one of us are hikers in any way! (We do like to take walks/strolls, though) We are both very much into history and look forward to learning about a place we visit. We are not part of the nightlife, so things as nightclubs, bars, dancing, and such do not interest us. We do, however, appreciate a good meal without breaking the bank.

Trip will not be 5 star but we will not be staying in hostels, either, if that helps. We would rather spend our money on food and sights. Oh, and neither of us are really into shopping, except for an occasional souvenier for a friend or family member.

Finally, I am more into public transporation and my boyfriend is more into driving himself. I've seen where one can get a rail/drive pass - is this worth it? If so, is it best to drive between cities and use public transport in the cities? Would it be best to use the "train days" for stretches such as Barcelona to San Sebastian and San Sebastian to Madrid?

Any help anyone can offer is greatly appreciated. (And yes, I do realize this is well in advance and not completely thought out, but I don't want to set my heart on some place and then feel crushed if I can't get it in on this trip!)

Thank you!!

Wildfire

As it is your first trip to Spain/Europe
may i suggest that you spend time in Granada and possibly Cordoba. Cordoba is on the way to Seville on the AVE. You may also like to consider a drive through the white villages (renting a car starting in Seville and perhaps giving it back in Granada).

mamc

Agree with Wildfire. Spend some time in the white villages and by all means, go to Granada. It is not necessary to spend much time there but the Alhambra is a must see and one of the most spectacular sights in Spain or anywhere. If you plan to visit Southern Spain, go in late September - Seville can be very hot, even then.

lincasanova

convenient train ride to keep in mind as the tolls on highway are outrageous is the valencia-barcelona route using the high speed euromed.
go first class, and get meal and drinks included.
use the VIP lounge before boarding.
very nice.

otherwise, i like to drive to the small towns all over.
remember that madrid-barcelona by car is super boring. so perhpas this helps your planning.

i trust searching on these posts you can find great hotel ideas, the paradors are a must to see or stay at.. many nice castles..and with three weeks. you can have a very relaxed time . i wouldn't make too many reservations in middle of trip so you can play it by ear a bit.

for this length of a trip it would be good for you to take note of www.bancotel.com offers.
you can have very nice 4 star hotels in big cities for 50 euros/night.

local travel agencies can also find same type offers last minute with no problem unless there is a festival those dates.

if you do like museums and don't want to break the bank.. valencia has the most free museums of any city i know.
it also boasts the calatrava designed science center and largest aquarium in europe.

have fun planning.

TopMan

Once you've decided on a final itinerary go to www.railpass.com and input that itinerary. You can find out whether or not a pass would be more economical than point-to-point tickets.

As a general rule, passes become more economical the more you use them. They are also somewhat more convenient than point-to-point tickets in that you do not have to worry about getting into ticket lines or purchasing tickets from machines.

Passes will NOT guarantee you seat reservations which you'll need if you want to use the high-speed AVE link between Madrid and Seville. If you are only going to make a few trips then a pass may not be worth the money.

Sometimes it can be easier and just as economical to fly between some cities within Spain such as Madrid-Barcelona since there is enough competition on the routes between airlines that fares can stay relatively low. But you'll have to consider the additional factors of baggage weight restrictions (typically 44 pounds of checked luggage) and the costs of getting to/from the airport whereas rail service generally gets you to the city center.

If you are truly "into" museums then Madrid is definitely worth some time since the Prado is considered to be one of the four greatest museums in Europe.

bobthenavigator

First, congrats on a well crafted question--that helps!
I see your trip in 3 phases, with Andalusia being the biggest concentration of time--perhaps as much as 9 days. Something like this:
Arrive Madrid---4 days with a train day trip to Toledo[maybe Segovia]

Train to Seville--3 nites

Get car--to Ronda via Arcos and the white villages--3 nites total
Drive to Granada--2 nites

Drive to Costa Brava with an overnite enroute--perhaps at Peniscola

Spend 2 nites on Costa Brava perhaps at Tossa de Mar or Aiglabrava.

Drive into Barcelona--drop car--spend 3 nites here with day trip by bus to Monserrat.

Fly home from Barcelona, or train to Madrid for last nite and departure.

That is a start. I do love San sebastian but it does not fit well with this itinerary. Hope this helps.

zootsi

We were in Spain last April, and loved it, particularly Seville, Nerja, and the white villages. Madrid was ok, but i wouldn't make this a major part of my trip. For some very interesting places to stay in the Andalucian countryside, go to the rusticblue.com site - a feast for the eyes and a great intro to rural Andalucia. Spain is a good 'first Europe' country in that it is easy driving, and the people are friendly. However, not as many Spaniards speak English as you might expect, except for the Costa del Sol area.

Chele60

Wow! Thank you all so much for the speedy replies and great info! This really does help a lot and gives me some direction to start investigating.

So much planning to do, so I suppose it's a good thing that is one of my favorite things to do!

Interesting observation regarding the idea that English is not universally spoken. Guess you might say I'm one of those Americans who just assume everyone understands her! Good thing my boyfriend knows Spanish (he keeps reminding me that it is "Mexican Spanish" and not "Spain Spanish&quot and I'm taking a basic Spanish class to get a few words and phrases down.

Thanks to all for the great start - I really do appreciate it!

Wildfire

Hi Chele
regarding the speaking spanish issue...try to learn basic phrases and words as much as possible.

I am spanish speaking. The Spanish spoken in Spain is a bit different but not terribly so. Madrid speaks differently than Andalucia. Your boyfriend speaking spanish should be quite enough.

artlover

It's great that you're starting to plan so far in advance, and I agree with you that planning is part of the fun.

There are lots of great resources that you can use (besides this, which is one of the best IMO) such as guidebooks and websites. To name a few websites--okspain.org, spainalive.com, red2000.com, spainlist.com, aboutspain.net, tourspain.es, europetrip.com as well as doing a google search of places you might be interested in. Also, mappy.com can give you distances between places as well as routes, which can be very helpful.

It's also good that you're both going to speak some Spanish. Don't worry about being completely fluent--the people are so gracious when you at least make the attempt.

Spain is wonderful--we're going back in May to some places we haven't seen before. You won't be able to "do it all" in 3 weeks, but you'll be able to go back again...and again...