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Barcelona and Costa Bravo--9days, May, 2011

Barcelona and Costa Bravo--9days, May, 2011

Old May 11th, 2012, 04:31 PM
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Barcelona and Costa Bravo--9days, May, 2011

We stayed in an apartment in Barcelona for 5 nights and loved the "Old City Walking Tour" and the "Gaudi Walking Tour" with Runner Bean tours. Enjoyed Tapas 24, Mosquito, Cervantes restaurants and a great Argentinian one . Magic Fountain is a must see. Went to the top highlights-Casa Milo, Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell Casa Batllo, Chocolate Museum, etc. Half-day trip to Montserrat was great on public transportation. We stopped at the botanical gardens along the coast, Marimurtra Botanical Gardens in Blanes (gorgeous) and hiked along the coast in Tossa del Mar, stopped in Pals and stayed in Girona for 3 nights at the the Hotel Historic, which was perfect in all ways. Bistrot was a great restaurant there. Jewish Museum in Giirona was fascinating. We drove up to Cadaques, spending an afternoon, and went to the Dali museum in Figueres. We could not "do it all" and I wish we had more time in Costa Bravo.
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Old May 11th, 2012, 05:07 PM
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where did you stay in barcelona and would you recommend it?
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Old May 11th, 2012, 06:05 PM
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Costa Brava is somewhere I'd like to go.
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Old May 12th, 2012, 07:16 AM
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Unfortunately, I cannot find the apartment info. We stayed in the Eixample area and found it on VRBO. There are many good ones there and an apartment is the way to go! We have rented apartments in several cities in Europe.
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Old May 12th, 2012, 11:47 AM
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We are doing a similar thing in a couple of weeks. i have also booked runner bean tours for Barcelona, was it good? We are staying Begur as our Catallonia base after Barcelona and I plan to go to figures and Girona. We have 1 night spare that I haven't booked yet ( so far 3 in Barcelona and 4 in Begur) would you recommend a night in Girona?
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Old May 12th, 2012, 11:49 AM
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Just to add to my above question, I have booked the Gaudi walking tour with runner bean.
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Old May 12th, 2012, 02:10 PM
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Good that you have booked the tours. We were very pleased with the 2 tours we took--just the right length and amount of information for a varied group (21, 29, and 2-61 year olds). When we were there, it was first come, first serve, so good that you can reserve. It is a great time of year to be there weather-wise. I think with 4 nights in Begur (a great area), you may want to see Girona in a day trip from there or on the way to Figueres, stay around Figueres and get out to Cadaques, too. It depends how that works for your timing to get back to Barcelona if necessary.
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Old May 12th, 2012, 02:53 PM
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First of all, forgive my constant misspelling of Brava! We had this guide in hand, and downloaded on our iTouch and it was very helpful. http://www.roughguides.com/website/s...IRECTIONS.aspx
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Old May 14th, 2012, 07:19 AM
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Hi virginiafish,
Glad to hear you loved Costa Brava! We loved it as well, in fact, I think you and I posted when I wrote my trip report from October 2010. I wish we had more time in Costa Brava. What did you do in Cadaques & where did you eat? Did you go to Dali's home in Port Lligat? We loved Hotel Historic as well in Girona. Both the hotel & Girona are beautiful! Sounds like you used Girona as your base? Did you have a hard time finding Hotel Historic??? We did but it was an adventure getting there, which we now laugh about.
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Old May 14th, 2012, 07:52 AM
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Hi virginiafish
What was the highlight for you?
How far did you hike and would you recommend that stretch, is it strenuous?
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Old May 14th, 2012, 04:37 PM
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Kwoo-We only had a short time in Cadaques. We walked to the end of the promenade and took a swim. Didn't have time to go to Dali's home, but went to the museum, which we enjoyed. Yes, we found getting to Hotel Historic a challenge. In fact, the owner had to help us drive our car out to the parking area. Reminded us of a similar experience in Perugia, Italy, but there were had a meeting with a building. We used Girona as our base. Everything was wonderful, only wish we had more time in that area.
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Old May 14th, 2012, 05:10 PM
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stevelyon-"What was the highlight for you?" - of the whole trip or Costa Brava? The hike we took was more of a long walk. We walked up to the hilltop castle and fortress and through the streets to a wonderful restaurant. Unfortunately, I can't retrieve the name as we no longer have the tour book. It was not far from the Ava Gardner statue, nestled in a neighborhood with outdoor seating. Then, from there, we walk on the trail along the gorgeous coastline for some ways and then returned. It was not very strenuos at all. You can walk as long as you would like, I think. http://www.tossainfo.eu/gb/hiking.html
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