We are a group of five women 70 years young who will travel to Madrid & Barcelona in early September. Has anyone used Central Holidays? Please comment on your experience.
We will have 3 days in Madrid and three days in Barcelona. The hotels they use are the Westin in Madrid and the Claris in Barcelona. What are the must-sees in each city? Is it possible to visit the Guggenheim in Bilbao as a side trip? The package includes rail transportation on Altaria special train between Madrid and Barcelona, but many of your posts suggest flying instead. Would appreciate hearing from you on any of these topics!

If you go to Bilbao, you have to fly, and having just been to the Guggenheim there, I really don't think it is worth the trip, even if the air flight is inexpensive. Madrid has far superior museums, and so does Barcelona.

You can look at the Iberia airlines website (they have an English option) and see the cost of flying to Barcelona. It is often as little as 35 euros, and I think it is a great improvement over the train. It is very easy to get to and from both the Madrid and the Barcelona airports, and taxi fares are reasonable in both cities, so I think you will have a far more enjoyable trip flying between the cities.

Even though you didn't ask I do want to mention that it will still be very hot in Madrid and Barcelona in early September. Plan to visit outdoor sites early in the morning. Spend your afternoon in cool museums and cafes. Don't overdo the walking -- which I think is especially easy to do in Barcelona, where the most interesting sites are far apart. There is a "hop-on, hop-off" tourist Barcelona that stops at all the major sites. You only pay one fare, and can get on and off as much as you like. It's a good bargain and a real footsaver.

Any good guidebook will give you the treasures of both cities, but I will underscore that one of the most rewarding places to visit in Barcelona in the Palau de la Musica Catalunya. Look it up in the guidebook and make sure to get a ticket for a guided tour, or even better, an evening concert.

Enjoy your trip!

Sorry for my typo. I meant to write "hop on, hop off tourist bus in Barcelona"

Thank you, nessundorma, for all the helpful hints. We did not realize it would still be so hot in September.

Has anyone out there used Central Holidays? They are new to us and we are eager to find out other people's experiences with them.

We did Northern Spain with Tauck which was excellent. Agree eaarly September very warm. Think the Guggenheim in Bilbao one of the great buildings of the 20th century. Highlight in a very good trip. Try to get to the Gaudi apartment building in Barcelona and also the Miro Museum. Also the Roman ruins very near the Picasso museum. All Barcelona.
The Queen Sofia Museum in Madrid is worth a visit, especially with acoustaguide tape.

I have never used or heard of Central Holidays, so I can't help you there, but if you are touring with them, they should probably have you all hitting the main attractions as part of the tour.

The Guggenheim is not a viable side trip from Madrid unless you are flying and even then, taking an entire day and payinb considerably more just to see a building that really doesn't offer much other than what you see in pictures is not my idea of a wise decision.

The Claris hotel is a nice one in BCN and will have you all close to the action and the things you will want to see. I posted a hot list on my "moving back to Barcelona" thread so check there for other recommendations.