Itinerary help
 

Hi All

I have come here for some advice before and everyone here has helped a great deal ... so I am back

We are in the early planning stages for a trip to Europe for 5 weeks in September next year.. and so far the itinerary is as follows

3 nights London
4 nights Paris
4 nights Nice
5 nights Aix-en-Provence (hiring a car here)
3 nights Bareclona
3 nights Malaga
2 nights Granada
4 nights Seville
3 nights Madrid

we have been to Paris before so only a few days there to see a few extra things.
I have not been to London, but my husband has. This is just a short stopover to catch up with a friend - we are planning a London/UK trip another time, so i am aware that we wont see much in 3 days

Really - I am after an idea of Spain - is the spread of places right? I am planning a day trip to Cordoba from either Seville or Malaga

Do I need to hire a car in Spain?

we are travelling with my 11 year old daughter so also looking at fun things for her to do in any of these places

Since you have been to Paris before, why more nights there than London?

I would say yes to driving a car in Spain because it would give you greater flexibility in your travel plans; HOWEVER, that drive from Barcelona to Malaga is going to be a very long 9.5-10.5 hour drive and the drive from Seville to Madrid is 5-5.5 hours. If you think you will be ok with those two long days of driving and you are ok with the rental charges then rent the car.

Train service in Spain is very good these days. If you are not planning to visit the countryside I wouldn't bother with a car. Check seat61.com for train info.

Between the places in Spain you mention, train travels are more comforable than car rides.
Barcelona - Sevilla is about 5 1/2 hrs by train, there are highly discounted fares if you book ahead; your daughter pays only 60 per cent of the normal fare anyway.
Same ramark for Malaga - Madrid: 2 1/2 hrs by train, 11 trains per day, stopover at Cordoba possible.

Tons of local trains and buses between Sevilla - Granada - Malaga.

Aix en Provence - Barcelona by direct train lasts 4 1/4 hrs.
For the exploration of Provence, a car is a good solution, however.

Yup no need for car for those cities in Spain. Trains are great.

for lots of great train info check www.seat61.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. You are traveling enough on trains in France and Spain to investigate the France-Spain railpass.

When I go to Spain I just use the Train and occasional bus. I have done car hire on occassion and it becomes messy unless you really have to get to some out of the way place. Since you want to go to cities, forget it.

Buses even go into the countryside - a great bus ride is between Ronda - an awesome-looking town with a gorge diving it -to Seville via the famous perched white villages - just a 3-4 hour ride.

2 nights Granada
4 nights Seville>

Ronda would fit right in the middle if you wanted to spend a day less in Seville or some place.

I'd do:
3 nights Barcelona
2 nights Malaga
1 night Granada
4 nights Seville (daytrip to Cordoba)
4 nights Madrid
1 night Toledo

We've spent 20 weeks in Provence, and Aix is not a good "hub". It's not centrally located enough. Avignon or St Remy would be better - if you want to stay in a city where you can walk to shops & restaurants.

Stu Dudley

I'd do Toledo as a day trip from Madrid

I agree with Stu that Avignon would be better as a central hub for Provence (that's what I did).

I'm glad you've found helpful advises at the moment among all those Korean spam threads.

Yup Avignon area a much better base -many things in a short ways away.

I stayed in Arles and found it really nice -Van Gogh did a lot of work here before slicing his ear off and committing himself to that asylum in Saint-Remy (sweet visit -copies of his paintings have been set up in the bucolic area of the asylum just where he painted them)

I've also stayed in Avignon and loved it though it is a busier bigger city with a bit more tourists in high season.

If sans car then you can still take buses from Arles or Avignon to say the Pont du Gard - awesome Roman aqueduct still largely intact in that section soaring high over a river

Or to St-Remy-de-Provence or Les Baux (exceptional ruins of a medieval fortified city high on a plateau near St-Remy

Or trains from Arles to Avignon or Nimes or v.v.

Nice to have a car to explore places like the Camargue or the wine country north of Avignon.

<I am after an idea of Spain - is the spread of places right?

Great spread of places, will give you a taste of very different and fabulous parts of Spain. No need for a car.

<we are travelling with my 11 year old daughter so also looking at fun things for her to do in any of these places>

One idea for each city:

- Barcelona, go to the Castell on top of Montjuic (Jewish mountain) right in the city center. Full of Barcelona history, and great views of the city and the sea: http://www.barcelona.de/en/barcelona...-montjuic.html
Perhaps take the Teleferic up here: https://www.telefericdemontjuic.cat/en

- Málaga, have lunch in one of the many typical chiringuitos/beachfront restaurants, very popular with the locals: https://www.spain-holiday.com/Malaga...nt-restaurants

- Granada, Isabella, one of the most powerful and important queens in history (1451-1504) lies buried in the Royal Chappel (Capilla Real): http://capillarealgranada.com/index.en.html
Isabella: http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/me...isabella_i.htm

- See real deal flamenco in either Casa de la Memória or La Casa del flamenco, intimate venues and only top of the shelf artists perform here. No food, no drinks, just 60 minutes flamenco. An excellent intro to this beautiful and powerful art so important for Sevilla and the region. You might also be in Sevilla during the two weeks "September is flamenco" festival in theaters around town:
http://www.lacasadelflamencosevilla.com/
http://www.casadelamemoria.es/

- Madrid, the Retiro park with the boat rides, all kinds of street/park performances etc. etc.:
http://www.madridtourist.info/buen_retiro_park.html
http://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-i...que-del-retiro

<we are travelling with my 11 year old daughter so also looking at fun things for her to do in any of these places>

In Madrid's El Retiro Park you can rent rowboats in the nice park - hope I have the park right.

thanks heaps everyone.

we will definitely have a car in Provence - and I wanted to stay somewhere slightly less busy than Avignon but still with plenty of restaurants etc around. Aix looked like it should suit us

thanks a lot for the tips on kids activities.

Aig is larger than Avignon and just as busy. Perhaps even more busy.

Stu Dudley

and I wanted to stay somewhere slightly less busy than Avignon but still with plenty of restaurants etc around. Aix looked like it should suit us>

consider nearby Arles or even smaller St-Remy-de-Provence -both close to Avignon and thus great bases from which to hop to many nearby neat sights -Aix is just as busy as Avignon and less of a good base as there are not nearly as many compelling nearby placesto day trip to.

Les Baux de Provence; the Pont du Gard; St-Remy and the asylum Van Gogh committed himself to after slicing off his ear in Arles - he did lots of now famous works whilst in the asylum and copies now stand in the bucolic area he originally painted them; Avignon itself, Arles too, the famous Camargue -all easy day trips from Arles/Avignon/St Remy -Aix is a swell town but does not have such superb and popular day trips on its doorstep.