Ideas on how to spend 7 days in Spain?

My 18 year old son would be flying into Barcelona the 17th of December and training up to Paris overnight of the 24th.

He will have a rail pass which allows 3 days of travel. That could change.

Could he spend all 7 days in Barcelona with maybe one day trip or should he wander further afied in this time frame?

If so, where should he wander?

Yes, I know, look at a guidebook, but you guys have such good ideas!

It's HIS trip, but I'm sort of his travel agent, one that suggests possibilities.

I KNOW a lot of you out there have an intimate understanding of Spain so don't hold back!

Cheers,
Giselle

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Hi Giselle,

I think you are not getting responses because most of us think that your son should be asking his own questions.

I also think there are not as many questions answered about Spain.

Maybe you're right, though! Silly me!

That's a ridiculous answer. Is a mother not allowed to help him plan his trip? She is probably the one paying for it, and she probably wants to make sure he is safe while over there. She is not telling him that he has to do what she says, she is just giving him suggestions.

So, should he spend all his time in Barcelona? What other cities are close by that would be interesting to see?

I was in Barcelona last year and one of the really enjoyable side trips we took was to the Langedouc-Roussillon area of France which is right over the border. There was a great article in Travel & Liesure on it, you could do a search. There are some great towns there, Carcassone being one of the main ones. The coast of France in the area of Collioure where Mattisse painted is also very beautiful. He could also trek to the little country of Andorra which is right in the Pyrenees between France and Spain.

Dear db,

If Momma's purpose is to find info to pass along to Son so that he can make his own decisions, why not eliminate the middle-man (middle-Mom) and let him ask his questions himself?

What will he do when he gets to Spain and needs some help; email Mom asking her to email us and ask what to do?

Thanks, Buongiorno

He tells me he's keen on Carcassone. I didn't realize it was doable from Barcelona. Thanks for the great ideas.

I wish there was an edit function here. Sorry to post again, but what the hay.

Thank you donnabee for the support -- you are right, I am just here for him as a support! And actually, I am not paying for his trip. I am giving him some of our FF miles to get over there/back and approx. $260 for transportation. He worked this summer in a lumber mill and earned his own money.

Well Ira, maybe some of us are just a little closer to their children then others. I think it's great that she is helping him, and I would do the same for my children.

Giselle, I've never been to Barcelona but I took a look at your post because some good friends of ours went last Christmas. Their 20 year old niece was doing a semester abroad there. And now that I think of it, my hairdresser is going the same time as your son, also to visit a niece! Hmmm, my very short and unscientific poll would say that Spain must be very attractive to youngsters. On this board I keep seeing requests for Marabel's files. She knows Spain pretty well, it looks like, so perhaps you will get some good info there.

I think you're a nice mother to do want to be a "travel agent" for your son! What fun. (I am an inveterate travel planner myself, and I know I will be in your exact position in a few short years--my 15 year old has a BIG travel bug.) I assume your son is away at college, studying; hence your wish to help him out?

Perhaps he could arrange his trip so that instead of doing an overnight train to Paris, he could go through Collioure and Carcassonne on his way there. I honestly think he'll find plenty to do in and around Barcelona in 5 days; then he could spend two in Languedoc-Roussillon.

Make sure he sees the movie "Auberge Espagnole" before leaving.

And I hope I'm still helping plan my kids' trips when they're 30!

Ira, how funny that you feel you know what is appropriate and that Gisele doesn't! Are you the expert on all things or just on who should be asking questions? Just curious....

I help plan trips for my friends, kids, collegues, bosses, parents..... anybody who will listen to me. Some people aren't big planners. Some don't have a clue how to start. Some don't want to start. And some are afraid of nasty message board responders.

Giselle, I bet Mina can give you some great advice. She just covered some of this route and has some good tips.

buongiorno - Can you provide more details on your suggestion? I am going to Spain in February and was planning Madrid/Barcelona/Andalucia, but I also like the idea of Madrid/Barcelona/Andorra/Southern France.

How far is it from Barcelona to Andorra? Is Andorra a good country to visit? I'll look into Carcassone, but can you tell me more about how long to get there, highlights, etc?

Any info to help me research this new possibility would be greatly appreciated!

Giselle - sorry I am hijacking your thread a little, but hopefully, any answers will help you as well.

Karen

Thanks dancintomusic and grasshopper for your posts!

No, that's okay Kaudrey. Hope to hear from buongiorno, too. Good luck with your trip.

St Cirq, if my son did the 5 days in Barcelona and two in Languedoc-Roussillon, what do you think would be his best base city? Toulouse, Carcassone, Foix, Perpignan? I'm entirely unfamiliar with the region, have only guidebooks to help, and I know you have much familarity with Southern France.

We're thinking of purchasing a France/Spain railpass that allows 4 days of train travel.

Ahh Giselle, another mama who still has some connection with her child! How wonderful.
My son is older than yours and lives in Japan and I still get asked to inquire about travel for him,my daughter is on her way to Europe in the spring, of course, I help her in whatever way I can! what is a mother for if not to lend a helping hand?
From friends in London who helped us regarding a Barcelona trip, the advice was to stay based in Barcelona and do the day trips.
I second the suggestion to see Auberge Espagnole!

here's some beautiful pictures of Carcassonne...http://www.pbase.com/garoessler/carcassonne

If my memory serves me correctly, it's a 2 to 3 hour car ride to Carcassonne from downtown Barcelona. Much less from Barcelona to Collouire.

We stayed in a great B & B in the town of Fabrezon called Lou Castelet, they have a website

Give Giselle a break Ira....that kind of attitude annoys me. How do you know he isn't asking his own questions for this trip somewhere else? If the kid is smart, he should use every resource he has, including his mother. And just because she is helping him doesn't mean he's gonna e-mail mom if something goes awry. Do you think all kids are dumb? Aren't parents allowed to care? Sheesh. Reminds me of the guy I met in Venice who was eating dinner at the same table as we were. He asked me in the most condescending voice possible "So, when you run out of funds, do you go running home to mommy?" Never mind that I just finished telling him I was 30 years old and that I legally claim both my parents as my dependents because I support them! And all because I look young. Sheesh!

Sorry for the vent Giselle. There are lots of people here who are savvy on Spain. The real issue here is that wherever he goes in Spain, he has to get back to Barcelona to catch that overnight train. That would pretty much nix the itinerary I did in Spain (where I was for over 2 weeks). I decided to check out Sevilla, and traveling there took a full day. Then I had to make a mad dash back to Barcelona to catch a night train to Milan before my Eurail pass expired. However, the direct train would have caused me to miss my connection so I had to take the AVE train to Sevilla, then connect (to a DIFFERENT train station) to catch the Barcelona train.

So while I think that Sevilla is a great place to go, I think he should stay in Northern Spain. He could easily spend that time exploring Barcelona and its surrounds.