letsjetset

Hello all,

I am trying to plan an itinerary starting in Madrid, and going into Southern France for 16 days in the beginning of June.Our return flight is from Madrid, so we would have to come back. I will be going with my boyfriend, and we are interested in cultural attractions, historic architecture, and nature. We would like to avoid tourist traps and crowds as much as possible, and prefer charming, quaint places to visit. We wish to spend the least time in Madrid, and more time in the South of France or Northern Spain. We have already been to Barcelona and Costa Brava, so we'd like to see some new places. We speak Spanish but little to no French. We like to stay in hotels and apartments that are reasonably priced with friendly staff, but no noisy, budget hostels. Would you have any recommendations?

Thanks so much!

letsjetset

I forgot to add that we'd really appreciate recommendations in terms of towns/cities to visit in Southern France, and accommodations and activities. Thanks!

chillout

The obvious choice would be Andalucia in the South, but it's bound to be very hot and crowded in the summertime. So my recommendation would be the Atlantic Northwest. look up San Sebastian, what an amazing place.

HappyTrvlr

Is there any way you can change your plane tickets to fly in and out of France? Paris with a train to Avignon or fly into Nice..
If appears that you have little interest in seeing Spain this trip.

kimhe

You should take a closer look at San Sebastián (pop 180 000). A fabulous city, the gastronomical capital of Spain, some of the finest city beaches in Europe, beautiful landscapes and a culture that people takes great pride in. Very popular with Spanish holiday makers, but in the beginning of June the crowds would be a month or so away. Excellent time of year to go. The article "A different kind of Spain" gives you an idea of San Sebastián and the region: http://marshlands.blogstream.com/

View of San Sebastián from Monte Igueldo, one of the three small "mountains" of the city coastline.
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-phot....jpg/tpod.html

Some more San Sebastián photos: http://www.sansebastianturismo.com/i...dioma=ing&id=T

Lots of nice and small villages along the coast (Getaria, Zumaia, Lekeitio etc) towards vibrant Bilbao with the Guggenheim museum. http://www.guggenheim.org/bilbao

Pension Alemana is great value in the middle of everything in San Sebastián. 50 meters from the La Concha beach promenade, and a five minutes walk to the Parte vieja/Old town with the world famous pintxos. http://www.hostalalemana.com/ingles/

About going for pintxos in totally food-crazy San Sebastián: http://www.todopintxos.com/home/home.php?lang=en

More hotels in San Sebastián: http://www.booking.com/searchresults...l?city=-401497

DougP

3 villages that I enjoyed: Collioure, on the Med in the south of France... where Patrick O'Brien lived. Villefanche de Conflent.. a small walled town.. near some old fortifications between France and Spain.... Ax les Thermes...just north of Andorra... on old spa town..smells of sulphur..and a casino
By the way...Andorra is an interesting and educational drive... it seems to be thriving, with a strong 2nd home market, prob for skiing. It used to be known as a smuggling hideout and you can still buy duty free there... some things are cheaper