Honeymoon
 

We are planning our honeymoon to Spain and now I am wondering if we picked the right place. I want something romantic and relaxing but don't want to lay on the beach every day. We have been to Italy already, so we chose Spain. Any recommendations for must see spots, activites (horseback riding, hiking etc.) How about boat trips?

Where in Spain?

We are thinking barcelona, madrid and seville in 10 days if it is do-able without being exhausted.

What time of year?
Doing Madrid and Andalusia in 10 days will be a challenge--forget Barcelona.

Barcelona is our top pick. We will be going in November

Why not do Barcelona and the French Riviera? I am not an expert in distance, but I think if you are in Barcelona, you are pretty far from Seville (but then again, I am thinking of driving, not train).

Well, Barcelona is lovely but it does not fit with Spain--it does with the south of France, the Pyrennes, and with the Basque region[San Sebastian].

I think all of Spain is romantic! I have been to Barcelona several times on business and pleasure and think it would make a great place to start a honeymoon. The city is an architectural gem, with medieval, renaissance and the famous Gaudi buildings. Lots of great walking in the old town, the Ramblas is so much fun, lots of good restaurants. A lot more than just lying by a beach?Run a search here for ideas on where to stay, what to do and where to eat.

You can fly to Seville in about 1.5 hours. You could also drive, which would be pretty, but might take longer than you want. Seville is a great place for horseback riding, there is a world famous horse fair every year. You can head into the hills from here for hiking/walking.

Other cities to consider are Cordoba and Granada. These are smaller and more charming, IMO. Of course Madrid is an interesting city too, but I think I would actually choose either Cordoba or Granada over them, as I think they have retained more of the historical flavour. Just my opinion.

The Basque region mentioned above is another good choice. The city of Bilbao has the famous Guggenheim museum, and the surrounding countryside is good for hiking. There are a number of good walking/hiking guides to Spain put together by Sunflower books, who do walking guides for many parts of Europe. They are very popular on this site, which is where I first heard about them. Go to sunflowebooks.co.uk for their list of titles, and you can order on line as well. You can also find them at Barnes & Noble and other on-line booksellers.

By combining Barcelona with other southern cities you will get a chance to see the difference in culture and people between the two; an interesting trip I think.

Weather in Spain in November will generally be cool. As long as you dress in layers you will be fine, bring a lined coat and hopefully leave it at your hotel most days. Barcelona/Seville/Cordoba will be in the mid to high 50s F. Madrid will be a bit cooler, in the high 40s F. You may get some rain in any of the places, less chance of this the later in November you go. (The highest rainfall month is October, and then the average about 3 inches, so no major downfalls would be expected. Barcelona averages 22 inches a rain a year, New York averages 44.)

I think the French Rivera will be too cold to be enjoyable, plus lots of the good restaurants will be closed. November is not beach weather in Europe, although many people are under the impression that it is always warm and sunny; not so. Save this for a trip at a better time of year for a beach.

For inspiration on all things Spanish, read James Michener's excellent book, Iberia. It is a bit old in terms of factual information, but gives such vivid and enticing descriptions of Spain, esp. Seville, Cordoba and Granada, that you will want to get on the next plane. . .

Hi, Barcelona is a wonderful place for romance. You'll love it. Consider driving to the Costa Brava and Pyrenees. Check out the Paradors run by the Spanish government at www.paradors.es They are **** places at bargain prices. Jim