First time in SPAIN!
 

My friend and i will be backpacking through europe next summer and so we are working out a schedual. We would like to hit spain for a while however we have no idea on what to do. Our budget is limited so if anyone could help by giving perhaps the top few places not to miss in Spain! That would be great!
Thanks

Presumably you are planning on using trains and busses (yes?/no?)

Are you planning 1 week or 1 month in Spain?

Do you want beaches, museums, hiking, nightlife, history, architecture, religion????

Do you speak any Spanish?

This is not necessarily the best place to find the least expensive accomodations and restaurants so give us a $ or Euros per day that you have in mind.

Many people are more than willing to help but we need a few clues!

Maria

ok sorry about the lack of information. haha but we are planning about $50 euros per day. And we are thinking of spending some 5 or 6 days in Spain. It's not that long of a time but it will do. YES Beaches are good!. I dont speak Spanish, only English and French, but my friend whom i will be traveling with does speak spanish. Beaches are good, but other stuff as well. We want to hit Barcelona and any other city's that might be interesting.

oh sorry, we have not worked out the transportation yet. But it will most likely include a mixture of train, buss, and good old fashoned hitch hikin'

*Bus

I am not a good source for beach information. But if you have just 5 or 6 days and want to be in Barcelona I would definitely focus on the beaches along the Costa Brava and not try to go farther south to the Costa del Sol, etc...

There are a lot of wonderful things besides beaches in that part of Spain (Catalonia) including the beautiful city of Barcelona and side trip to Montserrat, hiking in the Pyrenees, etc...

I am hoping that you will get many more replies from those more familiar with the Catalonia region than I am.

Your budget is pretty "thin" even for Spain, especially since it will be high season during the summer and especially along the coast where all of Spain and half of the rest of Europe vacations.

Good Luck!

Maria

thanks for all the information. But one question, what is monserrat?

topping

I think you should try to take a bit more money with you if possible. You may find you'll be struggling a bit on 50 Euros a day as Spain is not as cheap as it used to be especially since the adoption of the single currency. However, it is still relatively easy to find low-cost accommodation in and around Barcelona and if you can stick to eating cheaply you can do it.

Montserrat is a mountain not far from Barcelona where there is a famous basilica and monastery. There are good views from it, and I think there is a funicular you can take to the top for that. It has some historical and religious significance which you could learn about by perhaps typing that into Google to find some tourism info.

YOu might consider getting a guidebook such as Let's Go or Lonely Planet, perhaps.

thanks for the information. Ok so Barcelona is a good place to visit. But what about the beaches?
What about Valencia? Is that a good place to visit? Are their good beaches there?

For beaches try Lloret or Tossa del Mar on the Costa Brava. Further south you might try benidorm. these are tourist resorts where you might meet with other young people. You would be well advised to get a good guide book and a map of Spain. There are a lot of fun resorts on the southern coast of Spain which is known as the Costa del Sol. However, with your time frame i don't think you can make it that far. Are you travelling with Eurail passes?

yes we will have eurorail passes. And i would love to get that far down into spain. However our time is limited bt money and by time. So maybe on the next trip. Do you know anywhere where i could get a discounted eurorail pass or if they are ever on sale.