Hi,

My husband and I plan to spend about 8 - 10 days in Spain during February. (I'm being sent for a business trip the week before).

We know we want to see Barcelona for the architecture (husband is an architect), but would love to soak up the atmosphere, culture, etc.

We like to eat (we're foodies), drink wine, check out sites. We're not huge on having to do the "major" sites, but would like to do a little of it.

We would love suggestions on what cities to visit. We were told Andalucia area is beautiful, but don't know anything about it.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hello,
I'm from Chicago but I've been living in Spain for the last 18 years. Let me know your interests and I can give you some ideas for your trip. You can email me directly at [email protected]

Kelly

February should be a good time to visit Andalucia, but it is not as Architecturally diverse as modern day Barcelona. It's more historic and definitely Moorish in character, which your husband should find interesting as will you if you enjoy the beauty of Moorish design. Sevilla is the major city in Andalucia, but there are others worth visiting, even in February, including Cádiz, Jerez, Ronda and Málaga. You can make day trips out of Sevilla to Cádiz, Jerez and Ronda, but Málaga (Picasso Museum) and Granada (Alhambra), would require staying overnight at least one day each before you can start to enjoy them.

For a little more on both Barcelona and Sevilla you can check out Maribel’s Guides (http://maribelsguides.com) and Explore Seville (http://www.exploreseville.com/).

You might also consider Madrid for a night or two as you pass through. It’s well worth a couple of days, but maybe on another trip.

Andalusia is beautiful and there is a lot to do and see there. As for food; Spanish food is good but remember that thread, "What was your most memorable meal"? I don't think anyone listed a meal in southern Spain as their favorite.
I wouldn't try to get Catalonia and Barcelona in the same trip as Andalusia, but that's just me. Although, the food in Catalonia is better, IMO.
It would be hard to chose between the two as they both have their charms.

There are two restaurants in Sevilla that offer cuisine that is top of the line. One is the Restaurante EGAÑA-ORIZA (http://www.restauranteoriza.com/) with food and service that would be hard to beat anywhere, and the second would be dinner served at el Bulli's Hacienda Benazuza. A match for anything in Barcelona.

I spent 6 months in Sevilla. It is one of my favorite cities. Other cities in southern Spain that are worth seeing are Granada for the splendor of the Alhambra which is a Moorish castle that sits on a hill. Cordoba was very nice. It is a walled city that is heavily influenced by the Moors with the Mozquetta (sp?). Some smaller towns that cannot be missed are Ronda, a town that sits on a cliff with plenty of shopping and great views as well as one of the best bull rings around, and Ubrique an equally picturesque town that sits in a valley and is known for its fine leather products.

If you're foodies and going to Cordoba (which is worth going to for La Mezquita, have dinner at El Caballo Rojo (close to La Mezquita).

You'll probably want to fly from Barcelona to Seville.

Sorry, hadn't finished. Also, you'll be close to Granada which is worth going to for Alhambra. You also might want to check out some of the white villages. And the suggestion to check out Maribel's guides is excellent--she really covers so much. You also might want to check out some other websites such as spainlist.com, tourspain.es, spainalive.com and red2000.com as well as guidebooks.

I LOVE Barcelona and Seville and Cordoba and somewhat agree with the poster who suggests you not try to cover both areas in this short of time, but on the other hand, we did a similar trip in 11 days (also included Ronda) and loved it.