Barcelona, Bilboa, Cuena, Madrid
 

My friend and I are planning a trip this Oct. We are flying from the U.S. to Barcelona and home from Madrid.

6 nights Barcelona
3 nights Bilboa
2 nights Cuenca
4 nights Madrid.

I was in Barcelona about 40 years ago. At that time there was a hotel right behind the Cathedral in the old city. Is the old city still a good place to stay? Any idea of the hotel I'm thinking of?

What is the best way to get from Bilboa to Cuenca. Does anyone have an idea about the cost of a car and driver from Bilboa to Cuenca will cost? Is Cuenca worth the contortions?

Love any and all suggestions and recommendations.

What is the best way to get from Bilboa to Cuenca>

www.bahn.de/en says at best it is about a 10 hour train ride

can't imagine what a car and driver would cost

I'd say no matter how fab it is Cuenca is a major detour from your other cities- Toledo right on Madrid's doorstep can't be beat - How about San Sebastian or some place in north like Leon - an underrated city.

anyway about booking train tickets if you do Barcelona-Bilbao and then to Madrid- check www.renfe.com -Spanish railways for schedule and fares - nifty discounts for early bird bookers. For lots on Spanish trains check www.seat61.com- sage advice about book RENFE tickets on other sites that are easier to use; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com.

never been to Cuenca so don't know but can't fathom topping Toledo or many other towns more on your route - like Segovia and Avila.

High speed train to Madrid, then high speed train to Cuenca. We visited Cuenca as a day trip from Madrid. Other interesting day trips from Madrid are Roledo and Segovia.

HappyTrvl - how high on the wow factor would you put Cuenca?

Well worth the detour?

Thanks

First, please note it is Bilbao, not Bilboa. And it is pronounced BEEL-bow.

I like Cuenca and it is different, but for this trip, I would skip it and add that time to visit San Sebastian/Donostia from Bilbao.

I would fly from Barcelona to Bilbao and the take the or fly train to Madrid. Currently there is no high speed train between Bilbao and Madrid.

For your transportation options, you might consult rome2rio.com for some ideas, and then check the information you learn there because it is not sensitive to seasonal variation.

As you consider the time it will take to get to and from Cuenca, you might want to think a bit about your priorities for Bilbao and Madrid, too, as 3 nights is not much for Bilbao and 4 nights is very little for Madrid. JMO.

The world has changed a lot in 40 years, especially Spain. That little hotel behind the Cathedral on the old quarter probably no longer exists, unless you're thinking of the Regina.

Cuenca, and the hanging houses, are not a major destination for many, but is worth a day trip from Madrid, about 40 minutes by train.

San Sebastion and Bilboa must be the most misspelled cities in Spain :). And still don´t know why!

Mike, I still see Grenada on these boards.

IMDonehere, right, that´s the third one!

Home schooled? Spell check?

And where is Roledo? Could it be Toledo? Letters on the keyboard are next to each other.

PalenQ- Cuenca, We ate in a restaurant overlooking the in town bull ring. Liked the town but would put in below Segovia, Toledo. We had a long stay in Madrid that trip.

Spell check can wreak havoc on the typing of even experts. People might want to look at the posts from experts on this very thread before making a big deal about it.

kja, I posted some time ago about why Bilbao is so frequently misspelled as Bilboa...plenty of explanations!

@ mikelg: I know that you, of ALL people, understand the issue! My sincere apologies if my comment seemed directed to you. Quite in contrast, I value the wealth of information your share on this forum, and the grace and generosity with which you do so. At the risk of misspelling it, eskerrik asko, mikel!

A very fine and perfect spelling, thank you!!

@ mikelg: :-)

A very fine and perfect spelling, thank you!!

As the one who initially corrected the misspelling, I thought my response was polite and without pedantry. So I assume KJA's remark is directed elsewhere.

Yet upon re-reading that post, the pronunciation, BEEL-bow could be misconstrued.

Bow can be pronounced two ways, so it should be stated like the Chinese steamed bun "bao" or "bow" when someone leans over from the waist. The dictionary uses "bau" which is also somewhat ambiguous.

I think the hotel you are referring might be the Colon.