hthought

Hello all ! I am very soon thinking of taking a long solo vacation in Spain(I am European, currently in another country but heading out soon). Before looking for a new job in another country, I am thinking of spending a good amount of time in a relaxing environment, was thinking either Spain or Italy, but Spain is more than likely my top choice.

I thankfully do not have a budget problem, although i don't want to go overboard for no reason. I am seeing that renting ranges from 500-1000euros, depending mostly on location (and square metres of course).

Now, my question is, I haven't been to Spain before and have no idea of what are the nice places to live at. I am seeing various coastal locations (Murcia, Almeria etc), but again I have no real idea.

What would be a nice getaway location ? Also, would i be able to easily find a place to rent there for like 3 months ?

I do enjoy having some things to do around if possible and I am willing to spend more to live in a more fun place. Would be nice if someone with experience can let me know of good options.

(Doesn't have to necessarily be near the beach, although since it's gonna happen around July, it's probably best

Thanks a lot for the help !

kja

Parts of Spain will be broiling in July and later. Consult weatherbase.com or any other decent source on climate data.

Do you have a good guidebook? That might give you a sense of what locations have the sorts of things you want to be able to do and that would give you good options for day trips or long weekends or whatever.

hthought

I am actually Greek, so I would anticipate that, probably around 40-45 i would guess, understandable. Don't have a guidebook, but I thought I would ask people/locals in this forum to get first hand information. I am looking at videos on Gran Canaria (which looks awesome) and some other places, but I'd love to hear what people think

jpie

My first choice would probably be the coastal areas around Barcelona but that is probably mostly because it is nice to have easy access to France when you want something different and new. We love Roses, but all the coastal areas will be swamped in July, August so you might consider going inland a bit where you still have great access to the beach by bus-some place like Figueres or Girona could be nice for 3 months. If you want the Atlantic side then I think Santander might be a place I would like for 3 months-but even Bilbao could be okay if you want something bigger.

I also personally love Seville-but not as handy to the beaches if that is a priority. And of course as you already know the summer temps. will be high.

hthought

Thanks a lot for the response, appreciate the help ! I will definitely visit Barcelona but i thought that staying around there would probably bit a bit overly expensive. I will definitely check it more closely. I don't think I will be visiting any other country at that time, I am actually mostly doing that these days (I live in Germany currently, so going to Austria, Switzerland etc is in my plans for the next couple of months).

I knew Girona but not Figueres. Looking at apartment for the former, the prices seem to range at about 600-800 for the most part, which is great.

I am guessing that the prices may be a bit higher around July, but it's ok. My biggest concern would be the fact that I want it for short term renting, like 3 to 4 months. I've heard of Santander too (because of the team ) I will take a look on youtube to check out on the different options you mentioned, that really helps a lot !

Thanks !

hthought

Not gonna lie, taking a look at a video of Sevilla, it looks absolutely awesome, looks right up my alley. Is it a lively place ? Looks like there are a lot of fun things to do around. I definitely enjoy vivid places at nights, even though I am not a fan of the big city life. Seems like it will be a tough choice, maybe i can look to spend each month in a different place or so.

Barcelona looks pretty lovely too and if i stay in Girona, I am seeing that it's 100km away, which is basically nothing. Not to mention that Mallorca is also very accessible from there. Could definitely end up being my place of choice.

I am also considering Valencia or Murcia, which also look great and in lovely locations.

Traveler_Nick

July anything near the coast will be very busy and expensive.

If you want to see Barcelona stay in Barcelona. Girona is a fair distance.

Seville is a major city but it will be hot. OTOH because it's hot it can be cheaper during the summer.

hthought

I want to travel in Barcelona, but I will be there for 3 months, not sure if i want to stay in the city. I am seeing that the distance is 105km, which should be a bit more than 1hour driving, really fair for me(I like driving).

I would say that my biggest question is what are some good sources for short term rentals in Spain ? (Like 3 to 4 month rentals). I am seeing longtermlettings .com for Murcia for example, and their prices seem to be really low. Like 500euros a month for 3 or 4 month leases. Is that normal ? I am just hoping i won't run into a scam

MmePerdu

I think you need both, a guidebook to point you in a general direction as you know what you like, we don't, & recommendations from experienced travelers to fine-tune.

Also, regarding renting for several months, I suggest you take it a month at a time rather than committing your entire stay to one accommodation. What sounds like a great place in a perfect location can not be, either the place or its location. On occasion I've abandoned a non-refundable place I hated, knowing it was always a possibility. I wouldn't want to take that chance with 3 month's rent.

Traveler_Nick

If you're looking at beach town rentals during summer you're looking at holiday lets with much higher prices. You might be asked to pay that much a week.

I honestly don't understand why you'd rather stay in Girona. Girona isn't a tiny hamlet. Barcelona has better transit connections. Obviously it's on the coast.

If you drive you'll need to find parking. Not exactly easy in central Barcelona.

hetismij2

I have a British internet friend who lives in Murcia. He has lived there for decades and speaks Spanish fluently. He loves that area. He isn't on the coast though but inland near Totana. Another internet friend lived in Almeria and loved that too but had to return to the UK for his son's health care and specialised education.
The British seem to prefer the south, the Dutch a bit further north and the Germans the Canaries.
You could of course also look at the Baleriacs.

Much as I love the Canaries I am not sure I could stay on any of the island for three months, but if you do decide on Gran Canaria try to find somewhere in the north away from the tourist centres.The Canaries are cheaper than the mainland for many things, not least because of their special tax status.

Remember if you stay over three months you are supposed to register with the authorities, and check your Greek health care coverage is valid if you are out of the country for more than three months at a time. Don't forget your EHIC - Spanish hospitals will want to see it before they do anything!

Good luck!

jpie

We like a little beach town outside Barcelona called Castelldefels-about 30 minutes by train. But as was mentioned above, prices are going to be high on the coast during the summer. Regarding Seville, it is wonderful-lively in all the right ways IMO. And because it is summer and hot-the prices might be better. Malaga is also a wonderful town although again it is hard to know what summer pricing could be. We rented sort in that area in Nerja but I have heard complaints online about the beaches and it is mostly an expat village with lots of retirees if that matters to you.

One advantage of looking for rentals in larger cities is that you will likely just have more choice. In any case the one area that comes to mind that I would avoid in the summer would be the areas around Benidorm-lots of tourists lots of high rises, etc.

Christina

Seville is one of the liveliest cities in Spain, but I wouldn't go there for a month in July. Also, because it is so popular with tourists, it will be more expensive than some places. I agree that Barcelona would be more expensive, probably, than usual.

I'd look at Valencia, Almeria and Alicante for the coast. Valencia is a port city popular with cruises, though (so is Barcelona), but it is cheaper to live than Barcelona. Teruel would be cheaper, it's a small provincial capital but cheaper than places like Valencia, and not as touristy. It's inland, though. It wouldn't be as hot as Seville, it's higher altitude. More like 30 in July, not 40. Seville is official more like 36 in July afternoon.

hthought

Appreciate everyone for the great responses They really helped !

So, thinking that I really want to visit Ibiza while I am in Spain, I adjusted the schedule and looked into the means of transportation. Came up with this plan:

Murcia (1st to end of July)-> Bus to Alicante (1 hour) -> Flight to Ibiza (45 minutes, 1-5 of August) -> Flight Ibiza to PalioMalaga (1hour15mins) -> Taxi/Bus to Marbella (1hour, Stay for 25 days)

and now 2 options :

1) Malaga to Sevilla -> 3hour flight
2) Malaga to Almeria -> 3 hour train

Not sure if Almeria if Sevilla would be the best choice here. Or maybe something else. I just don't like spending too many hours travelling and Sevilla would probably be a bit too hot. It will probably be Almeria.