Help For Barcelona Area and Andalusia
 

Thanks to all the frequent posters on this forum. It is very helpful. My wife and I are planning a trip to Spain, with another couple, April 13-May 3. Here is our rough schedule:
April 13-15 Barcelona-arrive via air at noon
April 16-17 Barcelona Area--small towns via car rental
April 18-20 Seville (fly from Barcelona)
April 21-26 Rent car-explore Andalusia
April 27 Toledo drop rent car
April 28- May 2 Madrid and day trips from Madrid
May 3 depart

So far we have plane reservations and hotel in Seville(the Amadeus). I would welcome comments on the overall itineray and specifically, what recommendations people would have for a driving trip and place to stay near Barcelona and how best to spend the six days in Andalucia and Costa del Sol after we leave Seville.

In the Barcelona area, we had planned a drivi ng trip into the Pyrenees, perhaps Girona, Beslau, Puigcerda,Lleida, Poblet. However, after reading the forums and checking on elevations, I am concerned about snow and road consitions on such a drive. If we were to stay in the foothills, could you recommend destinations and a place to stay? We enjoy hiking.

In Andalusia, after our three nights in Seville, we would stay at leat one night in Ronda and at least one night in Granada. Beyond that, we are looking for suggestions . Is there a town you would recommend as a base to explore the area? Is Costa del sol as condo/touristy as it sounds? If so, is there a smaller, more quiet place on the coast that you would recommend? Thank you for any suggestions. A special thanks to Maribel for her guides and sharing her comprehensive knowledge.

You don't have to worry about running into snow it the Pyrénées Orientals. It was bare and dry three weeks ago. The ski season has been a disaster.

You should not have any problem driving to Girona, Besalu, Poblet and Lleida.

There may be snow in Puigcerda but so far the weather has been rather warm this winter.

My husband and I just got back on Tuesday from 2 weeks in Spain. We spent 1 week down South and 1 in Barcelona. Not sure if you have a place to stay in Barcelona, but we stayed in an apt that was wonderful,
http://www.vrbo.com/global/siteFrame...turnurl=/49766 I'd recommend one of the Valencia's ones for 2 couples.

Personally, I'd skip the small towns from Barcelona and spend 5 days in Barcelona. There is so much to do and if you get bored, you can take a day trip to Monterserrat for some hiking or Sitges for a cool beach. We didn't go, but I have friends who recommend Figures and Girona if you like Dali.

If you like tours, check out the tour in Seville in Rick Steve's book. Her name is Connie and she is great.

We loved Ronda. We only stayed for 1 night, but probably could have stayed more and taken some day trips from there. We stayed at Hotel Enfrente Arte and loved it. We stopped in Marbella for lunch and it was kind of touristy, but beautiful. Alot of the guide books seem to recommend Nejres (sp?) I would only do 1 day in Granada to see the Alahambra and then maybe go to Travelez for some hiking?

Have a wonderful time!

I basically agree with cd75; I would spend as much time as possible in Barcelona. I would take time for a side trip to a coastal town, Tossa to the north would be my preference, though Sitges is nice. Montserrat is also worth the drive and can easily be a half day trip unless you want to do a lot of hiking once you get there. I would also say that you can go just about anywhere in that area, city or country, and see something wonderful - I lived there two years and with all the sight seeing and just plain driving we did, there were no mistakes or regrets.