Hi ! My husband and I are heading to Spain in April, and as always, I have trawled through this forum before finalizing my plans. And now, also as always, I would appreciate if you kind folk scan our itinerary for any glaring flaws. Would also appreciate your advice regarding specific logistical and other queries that have arisen during the course of our planning. I will try and provide as much info as I can, which will make for a very long post, but hopefully in the bargain also make it easier to weigh in with specifics.

So, two of us, for nearly 3 weeks, traveling using only public transport (ie, no car). Hotel bookings can be changed, flight bookings cannot (for obvious reasons)

April 5, Thursday : Arrive London Heathrow at 6.45 am on a flight from Mumbai, India. Onward flight to Madrid at 9.30 arriving Madrid Barajas Terminal 4S at 12.50. Take a cab to Atocha station. Collect prebought AVE tickets on Renfe for the 4pm train to Seville. Given Semana Santa, the only hotel we have managed to find is the Gran Barcelo Hotel Renacimiento on the Isla of Cartuja
Any idea how long it will take from Terminal 3 Heathrow to Terminal 1 ?
Is the location of the hotel going to be difficult regarding sightseeing in Seville?
Will it be a problem by cab from the airport to the hotel due to processions?
We would like to participate in the festival, but will also be quite tired, hence a good vantage point for a couple of good processions for La Madruga, like El Silencio or La Macarena ? Is casual clothing like a T-shirt and chinos ok or do we need to dress up more?

April 6, Friday : In Seville

April 7, Saturday : Day trip to Cordoba by train.

April 8, Sunday : In Seville

April 9, Monday : Bus in the morning from Seville to Ronda. Overnight at Entfrente Arte.
Any website where I can book/buy bus tickets for Seville to Ronda, Ronda to Malaga and Malaga to Granada ? Or at least be sure of timings ?

April 10, Tuesday : Full day in Ronda. Afternoon/evening bus to Malaga. Overnight at Hotel Sur.

April 11, Wednesday : Full day in Malaga. Afternoon/evening bus to Granada. Night tour of Nasrid Palaces already booked for 10pm. Overnight at Hotel Puerta de las Granadas.

April 12, Thursday : Granada. We have managed to get tickets for the daytime viewing of the Alhambra only for the 6pm slot but plan to enter earlier around 2pm and see the rest of the gardens and monuments. Hope that’s ok.

April 13, Friday : Full day in Granada. Late night Spanair flight at 10.25pm arrving Barcelona at 11.45pm in the night. Overnight at the Fashion House B&B
Will it be safe to take a taxi from the airport to the hotel that late in the night ? We have found this hotel through Venere.com and felt that for the location and price it was a very good deal. It is situated just off a street called Ronda de Sant Pere, quite close to Plaza Catalunya and Passeig de Gracia. Just wanted to confirm that this is a good, safe location to be in.

April 14, Saturday-April 16, Monday : In Barcelona

April 17, Tuesday : To Figueres for the Dali Museum and thereafter to Girona for the night staying at the Hotel historic apartment.
What is the best way to get to Figueres from Barcelona, ie bus or train ? And from Figueres to Girona? Also, in case we cannot leave most of luggage behind with the hotel after checking out, any convenient place to store luggage ? Do I need to book visit to the Dali museum in advance ?

April 18, Wednesday : Return from Girona to Barcelona. Full day in Barcelona. Evening Vueling flight at 6.30 pm arriving Madrid at 7.45pm. Taxi into town. Overnight at Hotel Plaza Mayor

April 19, Thursday : check out but leave luggage with Plaza Mayor (hope I can do this? If not where else is best, given our travel plan for next few days? ). Ave train from Atocha to Toledo. Overnight at Hostal Santo Tome.

April 20, Friday : Return by Ave to Madrid. Now is it better to take a connecting train to Chamartin and then a train to Segovia, or a bus, in which case which bus company and where does it leave from and how to I get to the bus station ? Overnight at Segovia at Los Linajes

April 21, Saturday : Bus (or train?) to Avila. Where can I store my overnighter in Avila for a few hours ? Spend a few hours in Avila and then bus (or train? ) to Salamanca arriving by afternoon. Overnight at Hotel Tryp Salamanca.

April 22, Sunday : Full day in Salamanca. Evening bus (or train?) to Madrid. Collect left luggage if not at hotel and check back into Hotel Plaza Mayor.

April 23, Monday : Madrid

April 24, Tuesday : Madrid

April 25, Wednesday : Check out and get to Barajas Terminal 4 in the morning and leave luggage in storage. Take the shuttle bus to terminal 2 for Spanair flight at 8.40 arriving Bilbao at 9.35. Full day in Bilbao. Overnight at Hotel Bilbao Jardines.

April 26, Thursday : Spanair flight at 9.10 from Bilbao arriving Madrid Barajas terminal 2 at 10.10. Take shuttle bus to Terminal 4. Reclaim luggage from storage and check in for BA flight to London Heathrow at 1.15 in the afternoon.

Right, and now some general queries. I am vegetarian (husband eats everything), that means no meat, fish or eggs. How do I say this in Spanish ? Any special vegetarian tapas I can ask for ? And any Italian/Indian restaurants in places above will really help, already got quite a few names for Seville from exploreseville.com.

I hope this is not information overload but I’ve almost always found that it’s the little things that go a long way towards making or breaking a holiday, and also that this is the best place to look for answers for all these minutiae. So laclaire, maribel, and all you other experts, please help me fill in these gaps, I would really appreciate your advice.

Thank you so very much

I will try to answer some of your questions.
April 5th your Heathrow-Madrid-Sevilla move seems fine for me in terms of timing, I am no expert in heathrow but I think terminal 1-2-3 are walking connection and terminal 4 is the one further away.
The cab from the train station to Isla de la Cartuja should be no problem as the processions take place at night and none in the drive from Santa Justa to the Barcelo hotel.
The location of your hotel is not ideal
but not that bad, apart from taxis there is a good bus service in the city and normaly reinforced during festivities such as "Semana Santa or Feria"
Dressing during the processions is really up to you. You will find people very well dressed, but it is up to you the way you want to go.It is a religious festival so i think some respect should be shown.
April 13
A friday night in Granada at 11:45 is not late for local standards, I believe your taxi ride will be fine.
April 19
Send a fax or email to the hotel asking them if they will keep luggage while you travel around.
April 20
Train to segovia or bus.
Buses leave from Moncloa bus terminal and the company that runs them is called " La sepulvedana" there are buses at least every hour.
From Atocha to Moncloa there is an undergrond connection involving one change. Allow 30 minutes for the move.
Now once you are in the train station at atocha check the moves to segovia in www.renfe.es and find out your best connection.
The move between Segovia and avila can be done by train through "Villalba" it will take just over two hours with a limited amount of services, I suggest you ask the hotel or the tourism board of Segovia the cost of a taxi from one city to the other.
There could be buses but I don´t know.
April 21
Avila- Salamanca has train connection
check again in the renfe site

Now regarding vegetarian food , must restaurants will have product to meet your needs and fish and meat are easy to avoid, egg might cause you some trouble. So you will have to say " Sin Huevo, Por Favor".
I suggest that you mention the word." Alergica" it will make them more attentive to your request.

Rgds

The best to travel between Barcelona/Girona/Figueras is by train.
Chechk www.renfe.esp, the Spanish railway site.
You don't need to make reservations for the Dali museum in Figueras.

Of the places you are going I have only been to Barcelona but I am in the planning stages for trips to the other areas. Try this site (http://www.softdoc.es/madrid_guide/t...ong_buses.html) for bus info for your trips around Madrid (Segovia, Avila, Salamanca).

My only general comment is that you have an awful lot of moving around. Are you very experienced travelers? I find that with a car, a lot of one nighters feels ok, but by public transportation it does not. You spend so much time getting to and from your hotels to the train/bus stations and then the time of the travel itself - it just adds up to more than you think it's going to. Which leaves you with alot less time to actually sightsee - and virtually no time to just kick back and soak up the atmosphere. And keeping up that pace for three weeks could get very tiring. I just know that my first few European trips were like that and I've found it really is worth cutting back on a few destinations to enjoy yourself more. Now some people are really into "slow" travel and spend at least a week or so in each destination. I certainly don't think you can't have enjoyable holidays moving around alot. But I've found on a three week vacation I like to have at least 3 days in each destination (hotel) before moving to the next.

One thought would be instead of overnighting in Toledo and Segovia that you do those cities (and Avila) as day trips from Madrid. I know they are suppossed to be wonderful in the evening but there is a lot to be said for not having to check in and out so often, store and lug around your luggage, etc. Actually I am planning on overnighting in those citites but I planned my trip to have at least two or three nights in each.

If I counted right you have about 15 hotel check-ins. I would really try to get it down closer to 10, even if it meant more day trips and leaving out a few destinations. That's just my opinion but that what this forum is for. Have a great time whatever you do.

Thank you so much for responding, I really appreciate your help.

Car, you certainly replied very specifically to some of those queries, just what I needed.

Pvoyageuse, I think the train is the way to go too, so will book tickets once we are there.

Isabel, I hear what you are saying, but to answer your question, yes we have travelled in Europe and other places too, most times have had the same reaction of "have we bitten off more than we can chew", but we seem to have managed all right so hope to do the same here too. We will endeavour to travel light, and yes, the motivation is to see some of these wonderful towns in the evening after the bustle of the morning tourists is over. We did the same thing in the hill towns of Tuscany six months back, and the entire town looks really different and more intimate when you stay overnight. Wish we could do more "slow travel" but what to do - so much world, so little time, you know. Thanks for the link for the bus information, very useful with all companies and their websites in one place.

Still have some queries on the board, so hope that all you others chip in with your advice. Thanks.

Your trip sounds great, if very busy! I also move around more than many people would, and really appreciate the chance to see places during the evening. For example, I'm very glad I stayed overnight in Segovia, Avila, and a number of the other places you plan to visit.

When I traveled to Spain a few years ago, I found that the bus from Segovia to Avila suited my schedule better than the train. Unfortunately, I don't remember which bus company it was or where I found the information. You might want to check into that option.

I also found it very easy to get from Barajas to Atocha by subway, but I only had one suitcase and a small totebag.

Hope that helps!

Looks like we might be in Figueres at the same time. Would offer you a lift, but we'll be staying at the Parador in Begur, so that won't work.

My main question is it seems you really aren't going to be spending any time in Madrid at the beginning of your trip, so why not fly into Seville (or at least Malaga, which is closer)? If you can switch your reservation at this point without too much difficulty and do an open-jaw into Seville (or Malaga) and they out of Madrid, I think it would be a lot easier for you.

We were in Seville for Semana Santa a few years ago, and it seems to go on and on all day, so yu should be able to see at least part of it.

IMO I think I would save Bilboa for another trip (I know we are) and maybe add a day to Barcelona.

I can give you some restaurant reccos for some of the places you're going if you'd like them (or don't already have them).

Have a great trip, and maybe we'll run into you in Figueres at the Theatro Dali...I'll be sketching in a sketchpad and DH will be taking pictures and usually wears a French or Spanish beret.

Hey artlover, thanks so much for even thinking about giving us a lift, thats so sweet. To answer your question, we did try to get a flight directly into Sevilla, but due to Semana Santa, and lets face it, my fairly late decision to do this trip in order to get there for the festival, no tickets available, at least none at a price I'd be willing to pay. My bad, I admit. Hence the whole shindig from Madrid.
Will look out for you at the Dali, for sure.

Thanks too kja, I'm leaning towards the bus for Segovia-Avila-Salamanca myself, now if I could just find someplace with info on timetables and allowing me to book beforehand, that would be great.

hi dyscover,
That explains it, and yes, it would be a riot if our paths crossed at the Dali (how would I recognize you?)

Have a great trip and if you can, go to Los Gallos in Seville.

Scheduled buses to Segovia.
Carrier: La Sepulvedana
Bus terminal: Paseo de la Florida, 11 - metro: Príncipe Pío
www.lasepulvedana.es

Scheduled buses to Avila.
Carrier: Larrea
Bus terminal: Estación Sur de Autobuses - metro: Méndez Alvaro
www.lasepulvedana.es

Scheduled buses to Salamanca.
Carrier: Auto-Res
Bus terminal: Fernández Shaw, 1 - metro: Conde de Casal
www.auto-res.net

Hey revulgo, thanks so much, that really helps to sort out my Madrid end of the trip.

Art lover, we're Indian, so should not be too hard to spot And Los Gallos is on my agenda.

Ok, so that leaves the following queries for which I still need answers :

Semana Santa in Seville
Our hotel in Barcelona - feedback regarding location
Names of some good vegetarian (no meat, fish or eggs) tapas that I can ask for

Thanks tons guys.

For vegerarian try to check:
www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/Europe/Spain.htm

Hi dyscover--We'll keep an eye out for you--and keep one out for us. What fun! Hope we get to meet!

Hey revulgo, thats fantastic info, thanks.

See you in Figueres Artlover, will watch out for your DH's beret

Sounds good to me!