Last minute Spain (HELP PLEASE).

Old May 3rd, 2019, 05:13 PM
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Last minute Spain (HELP PLEASE).

Irony abounds dislike heat, but live in Texas USA with 100f degree summers lol. Daughters love Spanish anything are in college and highschool almost fluent want to visit Spain. We haven't been and funds have become available to make that happen. I wanted a cooler (temperature area the Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, but NOPE it is SPAIN)

Dates 6/27-7/8 NOT LONG ;( short trip imo.

Fly into Madrid 6/28-7/2

Then where?

Was thinking San Sebastian and/orr Bilboa area (trying to avoid the heat) haven't booked, so please advise the number one factor for me is lowest Temperature and great food, but must be SPAIN

Ages 40's x 2
27, 20, 19, 17

I'm a foodie so hence why San Sebastian the more GREAT food the better and historic sites are always good.
At your mercy
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Old May 4th, 2019, 02:38 AM
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Anywhere in Galicia.
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Old May 4th, 2019, 02:53 AM
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Certainly the north coast is a nice option, but you are aiming for high season so accom may be an issue. I'd rather stay in San Seb than Bilbao, but if yoru kid is some sort of student of modern art then Bilbao is the place to go. Both have good public transport which opens up access to a larger area than say a small tourist centre.

You might also look at the Northern East coast. Barcelona will be packed but there are some nice small cities to the north, Girona (which is really nice) or Figueres. Both are on the plain overlooking the sea so will be hottish but lots of shade (nothing like Madrid where every fountain is a mecca). The towns on the coast are really seaside places. But both cities mentioned have lots to do, some great cycling, theatre, museums etc and Barcelona is just down the track for a hot day out. The food is excellent and very cheap as is the wine. Accom can be very cheap in these two cities which may resolve other issues.

Madrid can get really hot so they split the day into two with a long siesta in the middle. Supper is often served 10, 11 at night so the other option is to follow the locals and move your day as well.

BTW Bilboa is in Ireland ;-)
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Old May 4th, 2019, 08:06 AM
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Santander is often overlooked,, a nice town with excellent beaches.
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Old May 4th, 2019, 10:36 AM
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At that time of year (Very Hot) I would echo Northern Spain also. Wonderful place really. San Sebastian is amazing, Bilbao is OK but the Guggenheim makes up for it. You could also cross the border into France to see Bayonne (lovely spot) and Biarritz (very chic and upmarket, but the beach there is amazing).

You could also squeeze in a visit to Pamplona. OMG you have so many opportunities.

Hope you have a great trip.
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Old May 5th, 2019, 07:37 AM
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Will you be flying in and out of Madrid or do you have the option of a return from Barcelona for example? If so then I would explore the coast area north of Barcelona as mentioned. We also love Roses as a base there. If you are going in and out of Madrid then I would be inclined to explore the Atlantic side. In case you are GOT fans there are some interesting shooting locations for season 7 in northern Spain:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...b0a62d0987b137

You will need a car for that though. And honestly is you don't mind driving for that portion of the trip I would recommend it since you will be able to see so much more Also just a note about the food in San Sebastian. Most of the well known "starred" places book way in advance. Otherwise there are some nicer more mid range choices in San Sebastian itself that are good, but we didn't have very good luck just "walking in off the street" in the region-we found that unless we checked reviews ahead of time we were often disappointed.
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Old May 5th, 2019, 07:52 AM
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Really the whole trip is open lol. We don't have to fly into Madrid we could fly into Barcelona.

I haven't been able to look much the past few days as work has been hectic but in a few hours, I will be able to.

We are all excited just such a short trip wish it was 14-16 days.
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Old May 5th, 2019, 09:51 AM
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We spent 7 nights in San Sebastián two years ago, and while, unlike our travel companions who were out to enjoy every Michelin-starred restaurant in the area, we were content to pintxos-crawl every day and evening, I don't think I've ever eaten so well in my life. We were there in September, and while it was busy, the crowds weren't overpowering.
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Old May 5th, 2019, 01:10 PM
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San Sebastian could be good for a week but you probably want to see more of Spain - Madrid to Bilboa is neat - Burgos I thought was a neat town with famous monastery - then take train to Barcelona - spending a few days there and flying home fro there.. Trains are great in Spain - Renfe is the official site to book your own trains - often at a discount if early enough - www.loco2.com has similar fares and is much easier for many to use than renfe.com. www.seat61.com has sage advice on booking own train tickets - general info trains BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. If driving follow the same routing.
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Old May 5th, 2019, 02:04 PM
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Depending on language the city is called Bilbao or Bilbo. I should know. Bilboa is in Ireland. Stamps foot.
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Old May 5th, 2019, 02:25 PM
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Pal won't notice you stamping your foot. - at least it's too late for him to edit his post
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Old May 5th, 2019, 03:38 PM
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Bilbao, which is wonderful, is an easy and cheap bus ride from SS.
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