cybor

Hola,<br />We're flying into Barcelona and hoping to head north to spend some time checking out the many historic towns, wineries, seashore, places to hike and possibly take leisurely bicycle rides up the coast. Can anyone recommend a good central area that we could use as a base? We'd like a walkable town with decent restaurants. We'll rent a car if necessary or recommended. <br />Thanks ahead

kja

You might look at Girona – its walkable and has some great restaurants and charm. Of course, you’d have to plan on lots of day trips if you want to see / experience all the things you list, but I think it would be hard to find a place better suited to all those things if your goal is to find a single base town north of Barcelona….

You can easily get there by public transportation and spend a day or two in the city before renting a car… and that’s important: If there is any chance that you will have jet lag,. Although many people are not aware of it, there is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and nothing you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit -- not caffeine, not effort, not sleeping on the plane.... Seriously -- NOT a good idea, no matter your other constraints and no matter your prior experience! And please be patient with me if you think I’m being overly adamant, but I know too many people who have died or been seriously injured in accidents to which jet lag was a contributing factor, and I know too many people who will spend the rest of their lives dealing with the knowledge that they were responsible for accidents that resulted in multiple deaths, including those of children, all because they were too confident in their ability to drive safely with jet lag. The issue has become a bit of a cause célèbre for me….

If you haven’t already seen it, you might find some useful information in my trip report … the Costa Brava section is near the end, after the Pyrenees and before Barcelona.
Four Awesome Weeks in the North of Spain and Catalunya

cybor

Thank you. Will take a look at your report. We'll be spending 3 - 4 days in Barcelona prior to venturing out. We'll likely spend a night or 2 at the end back in Barcelona.

kja

So glad to hear that - thanks!

I'm sure you realize that there advantages to arranging your trip to avoid two stays in Barcelona...

cybor

Sorry, I'm not understanding what you're saying. Could you rephrase, please.

kja

Sorry! See if this restatement makes sense:

First, I'm glad to learn that you won't try driving until after you've gotten over jet lag. Good decision!

Second, if you could re-arrange your plans so that you either start OR end your trip in Barcelona, rather than staying in Barcelona both times, you would avoid an unnecessary change of hotels. And if you do that, you might be more willing to consider staying at two different locations outside of Barcelona, giving you greater options for exploring the Costa Brava. So (for example) you could spend a few nights in Girona and a few nights in Tossa de Mar or Cadaques or whatever, with the same amount of time in Barcelona itself and with the same number of hotels -- just in 3 places rather than 2.

If you do that, you might consider putting all of your time in Barcelona at the end of your trip, so that you are as close to its airport as possible the night before your flight.

Does that help?

Dave_Ohio

cybor, One April during Semana Santa (after spending time in Belgium and the Netherlands, kja), my wife and I flew into Barcelona, rented a car, and drove to Figueres, where we put in for three nights at the Hotel Emporda, which offered free parking. On the way there, we stopped for the afternoon, had lunch, and saw the sights in Girona. We explored Figueres, home to the incredible Dali Teatro-Museum, and took a day trip to the coastal towns of Roses, Cadaques, and Port Lligat. We also wanted to get to some hill towns, but regrettably we encountered a ferocious April rainstorm on the day we ventured out for that and were forced to retreat. While Figueres and the hotel we chose provided a central location for the areas we wanted to visit, I think that a place like Roses might have afforded us better dining options and walkability. We had decided not to stay in Girona, which is beautiful, because of parking and the fact that it seemed farther south than we wanted to be. However, depending on where you're hoping to go, it may be very suitable.

We headed back to Barcelona, dropped the car off at the airport and stayed in an apartment in l'Eixample area for another week, before flying home. I think this is what kja means by avoiding two stays in Barcelona.

kja

??? I'm not sure what the reference to me [bold, underline, and italics added] means in this statement ???


My suggestion is to use public transportation to leave Barcelona ASAP upon arrival, without staying in Barcelona at that time -- take a train or bus to whatever location (Girona or whatever) works for you. When it suits your needs, and AFTER you have adjusted to jet lag (and NOT before) rent a car to explore more of the Costa Brava. When you are ready, return the car to Barcelona and enjoy that delightful city for several days before you fly out.

kja

P.S. No offense to Dave_Ohio ... its just that I don't know him or anything about him other than his posts here on Fodor's.....

Dave_Ohio

kja, I added that as an afterthought to assure you that we were not suffering from jet lag when renting a car. I am sensitive to the issue involved. No intent to offend.

HappyTrvlr

We enjoyed staying in Begur on the Costa Brava, beautiful views of the sea, charming. We also recommend a visit to Dalì Museum in Figures.

efarr99

I second Begur. We enjoyed our three night stay there. Took daytrips to Girona and Figueres and enjoyed the drive. We also went to Cadsques for a few nights before returning to Barcelona the night before our flight out. Highly recommend!

cybor

Great info, thank you. I'll look at the places you mentioned. I need to break down and suck up the postal/import fees and have some travel books sent to me from the US. There's really not much current info and maps online.
In regards to going to Barcelona first, I haven't worked the logistics of that part of the trip yet. The only thing that is booked is our flights.

kja

@ Dave_Ohio: Oh! Somehow, I didn’t parse the sentence that way at all, but can now see that it could be read that way – and I appreciate your sensitivity to the issue.


@ cyber: I think you will find having a guidebook to the area well worth the costs! Of the half dozen or so I used when planning my trip, the two I found most useful for Barcelona and the Costa Brava were the Michelin Green guide and the Rough Guide.

cybor

Forgot to ask ask about the terrain for hiking and bicycling in the areas you suggested. <br />P.S. I really hate this new format. I can't seem to get the hang of replying.

Diamantina

On a trip to the Costa Brava a couple of years ago, we spent a night in Girona (the city kja recommeded), using it as a base to visit the Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres. One thing we noticed right away was the many cyclists in jerseys riding around Girona's hilly terrain. We subsequently learned that Girona and the areas around it are popular with professional cyclists. The now-disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong lived there. You might want to look at these links:
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2...ist-dan-craven
https://roadcyclinguk.com/sportive/r...ng-girona.html
Bus and train both go to Girona from Barcelona. The Costa Brava/Girona Airport is 12.5 km southwest of the city. We drove there from Gratallops.

We regretted not having more time in Girona. The old quarter (Barri Vell) down by the Onyar River was charming and, based on our one evening meal there, there would have been many more wonderful restaurants to try. This You Tube (in Spanish with English subtitles) features both Girona and the Dali Museum in Figueres.
We also spent a couple of days in lovely Cadaques. But we were there in October when it's less crowded. It's home to Salvador Dali's home in Portlligat and close to Cap de Creus National Park. The road into Cadaques is winding and steep. If you go there, I suggest spending a night or two.

cybor

Again, excellent information. I really appreciate the informative links.<br />I'm gathering still gathering info but I do think that it may be possible to head straight out from BCN if possible to one of the above mentioned locations. Thinking of taking public transport north, renting a car and saving Barcelona to the end of the trip. <br />Is there a good selection of direct route transport from BCN?

kja

You can consult your transportation options at rome2rio.com

cybor

Hello again,
I ordered and finished all the travel books I ordered. They were somewhat useful but I didn't garner as much info as I hoped for. I've decided to fly into BCN and go straight up to Girona for 6 n. If I have the geography right, I think we'll be able to make quite a few day trips from there by rental car... or is the transport to a few of the places, ie The coastline, The Pyrenees accessible and timely by train or bus.
We'll then take a train down to Barcelona for 7n mostly doing city things with a possible day trip to some vineyards/bicycling and Sitges. I'm hoping to not need to rent a car but will do so if easier to get to these places.
Would love any advise on the above and apartments/neighborhoods to stay in. We prefer apartments/studios or at the very least a fridge in the room. A walk around location is key.

kja

Assuming you won't rent a car until you've spent a day or two in charming Girona, that should work well!

No need to use a car for your day trips from Barcelona. I think I provided the link for rome2rio upthread....