We are trying to decide if we should drive instead of fly or train before we get on our cruise. Are there any interesting things to see or do between Madrid and Barcelona?

No

If you have the extra time, the most interesting route IMO is to go southeast to Alarcon for coffee stop. See the parador. The continue to Valencia. Spend the night. Next day drive to Peñiscola and end in Barcelona.

Mad-Vlc 3.5 hours plus stop in Alarcon (no tolls)

Vlc- Bcn.. 3 hours or so plus stop in Peñiscola. ( tolls or slower road with no tolls)

Hi there,

I think its best that you get a flight if you can get a cheap one purely because there isn't that many interesting things inbetween Madrid and Barcelona. However, if you want to go off the beaten track a little then I would recommend that you do day trips from either madrid e.g Toledo or Barcelona e.g. Costa Brava. In both these places, of course depending on where you go, you can find excellent food at a cheap price.

So I would recommend looking for flights, vueling.com is usually the best option. That way you can save time allowing you to do some day trips.

Hope it all goes well.

OHcharlotte

(Oh-holidays)

Zaragoza is the best option.
http://www.spain.info/tourspain/dest...tm?language=en

Zargoza is cool .. what about Cuenca?

I like Cuenca a great deal but it still a long way to Barcelona.

IMO Cuenca is a long detour...

Nobody flies any more between Madrid & Barcelona.

The new high-speed rail line opened fully last year, linking Madrid & Barcelona city centre to city centre in just 2 hours 38 minutes stress-free, compared to 4 hours of taxis and airport hassle and cramped and environmentally-hostile planes.

See www.renfe.es for online train tickets within Spain, you can get cheap Web or Estrella tickets if you pre-book.

yes there is a high speed train between madrid and baracolona, but it is a whole lot more expensive than flying.

I think this all depends on the time available to do some NICE, UNIQUE sightseeing, ( my option) and actually see some high points of the country, or if they just want to "Get there".

When are you making that trip??

If it's around 12 Oct., Zaragoza is a Must! That date is not only a National Holiday; it is also when la Virgen de Pilar is celebrated. If you're lucky, you'll see groups dancing Jotas Aragonesas in front of Zaragoza's Magnificent Cathedral.

There's a Video of such a performance with Placido Domingo singing la Jota de la Dolores on the 'net.' Sorry, I don't have the URL