I've been super busy and time is very quickly catching up with me. I'm planning a 17-day trip in mid-September to Northern Spain (already did Galicia in the Spring). I will be using public transport and will meet up with some friends in Barcelona but otherwise will be on my own. I jotted down several cities that sounded "interesting" and now I'm at the point where I need to:<BR> 1) narrow down my choices and 2) figure out how the final choices fit into a reasonable itinerary. <BR>I don't like like to rush about with alot of one-night stops but I think that many of these cities will make an easy 2 night trip with day trips also. I tend to like historical smaller cities (like Toledo, Segovia, Santiago) versus larger cities like Madrid, however I absolutely loved Sevilla. I'm also not much of a modern art fan (or museum fan for that matter) - I just love rambling around the old towns. <BR><BR>Here's my first-pass list of cities:<BR><BR>Catabria/Asturius:<BR>Llanes<BR>Santander<BR>Santillana del Mar<BR>Comillas<BR><BR>Old Castille/Leon:<BR>Leon<BR>Burgos<BR><BR>Aragon:<BR>Zaragoza <BR>Teruel<BR><BR>Basque Lands/Navarre:<BR>Logrono<BR>Pamplona<BR>Olite<BR>San Sebastian<BR>Hondarribia<BR>Bilbao<BR>Vitoria-Gasteiz<BR><BR>Castille La Mancha:<BR>Cuenca<BR><BR>Catalonia:<BR>Barcelona<B R>Tarragona<BR>Girona<BR>Cadaques<BR><BR>Any suggestions/comments on these cities would be great! Thanks in advance.<BR>

I've visited Santillana del Mar when driving between Santander and Galicia. It's a very picturesque village, but full of souvenir shops and coach parties. We stayed the night there (there's a parador, and many b&bs outside the old village), which we enjoyed, as it was beautiful when most of the crowds had left. However, if you only have an hour or so, it might not be worth the detour - there are many towns and villages that are not so self-conscious!

not sure if coach parties is an anglicism - should I say tour groups?

Yup, "coach parties" sounds right funny to American ears...we'd call them tour groups, and, even in the winter, Santillan is full of them. I had the joy of sharing the town with three buses full of French teenagers....<BR><BR>I agree that Santillana is very self-conscious, but it is very, very charming as well. I would visit mid-week when it is less crowded. Make sure you go to the new Museum built just outside the town, which includes an exact and fascinating reproduction of the Altamira caves. I know you say you don't like museums, but this one is cool. Conversely, the Museum of Torture in Santillana itself is an overpriced tourist trap (I should have known better...).<BR>Comillas is another great town; much larger than Santillana.<BR>Burgos is one of my favorite cities in Spain, but some people find it too austere and boring.<BR><BR>Your itinerary sounds like too much, even for 17 days. Good luck narrowing it down.

I've in the intermediate stages of finalizing my itinerary (thanks to lots of help from this forum) and thought I'd ask for some feedback and also had some questions:<BR><BR>1) Madrid to Pamplona, 1 night in Pamplona<BR><BR>2) Pamplona to Olite, 2 nights at Parador - this is during a weeklong festival so it should be alot of fun<BR><BR>3) Olite to San Sebastian*, 2 nights<BR>Day trip to Bilbao <BR><BR>4) San Sebastian to Santander*, 2 nights<BR>Day trips along coast (Llanes)<BR><BR>6) Santander to Leon, 2 nights<BR><BR>7) Daytrip to Burgos, overnight train to Barcelona<BR><BR>8) 4 nights Barcelona<BR>Daytrips to Monteserrat/Tarragona<BR><BR>9) 2 nights Girona <BR>Day trip to Cadaques<BR><BR>Return home<BR><BR>Questions:<BR><BR>Should I stay in San Sebastian or Hondarribia? What about Santander versus Santillina? The small towns (and Paradores) look so interesting but I'll be using public transportation so I need to be able to move around easily. <BR><BR>I'm open to any other suggestions also. Thank you all.

Hi<BR><BR>someone wrote .............. Message: Yup, "coach parties" sounds right funny to American ears<BR><BR>Ever heard of charabancs ?<BR><BR>Peter<BR>Languedoc, France<BR>http://tlp.netfirms.com