October or November for a trip to Avila, Salamanca, Sirra de Gredos and Extremadura?
Apr 9th, 2003, 02:28 PM
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October or November for a trip to Avila, Salamanca, Sirra de Gredos and Extremadura?
Fodorites,<BR><BR>We are in the beginning stages of planning our next trip to Spain for the Fall of 2003. We plan to fly into Madrid and then at the beginning of the trip spend a few days visiting Avila, Salamanca and the Sierra de Gredos before touring Extremadura. While I am not concerned that temps in Extremadura will be warm/comfortable enough during the first couple of weeks of November, I am having second thoughts about temps in the Castilla meseta and the sierra.<BR><BR>Can anyone give me some advice that might guide us here? Should we move our travel dates up into October in hopes of getting warmer temps in Avila and Salamanca and the Sierra de Gredos? I am not worried about having t-shirt weather to enjoy but I would prefer being able to walk in cities and do some hiking in the sierra without winter hats and gloves and jackets.<BR><BR>Thank you in advance!<BR><BR>Maria
Apr 9th, 2003, 04:22 PM
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Don't forget Segovia, which may have more to see than Avila. In any case, either one can be part of a day's tour from the other one, or Avila is a natural stop between Segovia and Salamanca.<BR><BR>If you like Art Deco, there is a very interesting house in Salamanca. It can be seen in the overview of the city from across the river often featured on tourist brochures of Salamanca, although not identifiable for what it is. It's the house with the long balcony facing the river. Built out of steel and glass, in 1909, it was a gallery in 1985. It was in pristine condition, with the original grillwork around the front garden.<BR><BR>North of Caceres, about 10 km west of the main road there is the twon of Garrovillas with a lovely Plaza Mayor, and nothing else. But it is worth a stop.<BR><BR><BR><BR>
Apr 9th, 2003, 04:54 PM
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Maria, Ironically, I am leaving domani for Segovia, Avila, and Salamanca over Holy Week. The 2nd week of my trip I will be participating in a language school in Barco de Avila--the gateway to the Gredos. I have been looking at temps for sometime and I am amazed how chilly it can be. I would move it up if you can to Oct. Good luck and watch for my report later.
Apr 9th, 2003, 06:40 PM
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Michael and Bob,<BR><BR>Thanks for your replies. Michael, when were you visiting Salamanca? Do you have any sense for the November vs October timeframe in that region? We have been to Segovia and agree that it has much to offer but probably will not return this time. Do you have any other suggestions for us for sidetrips, restaurants, hotels in the Salamanca, Avila or Extremadura areas?<BR><BR>Bob, I will look forward to reading your trip summary when you return! We were in the Castilla La Mancha area a few years ago for Holy Week (the last 2 weeks in April which is as late as Easter comes!) and also were surprised at how chilly it was. But it is an incredible holiday to enjoy in Spain. <BR><BR>Maria
Apr 10th, 2003, 02:13 AM
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Try to find time to visit Zamora -only about an hour by bus from Salamanca and far and away better than most write-ups would suggest. E-mail me if you would like my notes/URLs.<BR> [email protected]
Apr 10th, 2003, 06:12 AM
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Maria, I am from Extremadura. Novembr is not too cold although I think October is a very good minth to travel around that area. You will enjoy the different colors of the autum and you won�t find the unconveniencies of the winter. You should not leave Spain without visiting Caceres; it is a hot spot with an almost unspoiled architectobical and artistic heritage. Try to spend at least one day tehre and stop to have lunch at ATRIO, one of the best restaurants in Europe.<BR>
Apr 10th, 2003, 08:03 AM
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Anabel,<BR><BR>Thank you for the information! We are looking forward very much to our visit to Extremadura and we definitely plan to visit Caceres, Merida, Trujillo, Plasencia, Guadalupe, Badajoz and Zafra. <BR><BR>Can you give me any specific information about the temperatures in Salamanca and Avila and the Sierra de Gredos in the first days of November? I know that the temperatures in Extremadura will be very comfortable but we are a little concerned about areas in the North and in the mountains<BR><BR>Thank you also for your restaurant suggestion! We will be sure to go. Any other specific information that a local person would know about special places that might not be in the tourist guides we would appreciate very much.<BR><BR>Thank you!<BR><BR>Maria
Apr 10th, 2003, 05:27 PM
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Maria,<BR><BR>We were in Salamanca in July, so I can't talk about October/November weather. We did not have air conditioning in the hotel which was on the plaza mayor. Big mistake. We had to leave the windows open. The cafes are noisy until 2 a.m. and at 5 a.m. the street cleaning services and the delivery trucks for bottles started to arrive. Needless to say, we did not sleep well that night.<BR><BR>From Segovia to Salamanca we took a detour to Madrigal de las Altas Torres. A nothing town with a convent which was the childhood residence of Queen Isabella. Her room has been kept presumably as is. You suddenly understand that before the discovery of the Americas, the royalty of Spain was very minor compared to kings and nobility (the dukes of Burgundy for example) of other parts of Europe.
Apr 11th, 2003, 03:52 AM
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Hi Maria,<BR>Since I've already sent you an email with sightseeing suggestions for your wonderful itinerary, before I leave today for Toledo and pts. south, I just wanted to say that I would move the dates up to October if possible, primarily to give you more hrs of light for your touring. When we did the Avila-Segovia-castles-Duraton trip (thanks to you!) in early November, we were frustrated by having to end our touring every day at six, when the darkness arrived. And we couldn't start out on our expeditions until 9 a.m. We could have visited far more wonderful sights had we had an extra hr. of daylight. And temps in Castilla were in the fifties during the day (save for our glorious sunny 60s day in the Duraton) and dipped down into the forties at night. We needed jackets and sweaters for most of the trip. Just a thought...<BR><BR>And a second highly enthusiastic rec for Atrio in Caceres. The tops!<BR>
