susiela

I am traveling with my family to Spain in mid-February for the first time. We are going to Madrid and Barcelona, and will be driving between the two. I was looking for a recommendation of a city to visit that will give us a sense of a smaller Spanish village. We will get the urban experience in Madrid, and I was hoping for a varied experience. We will have a rental car and can go south of Madrid (Grenada if it is worth the detour) or we can go east to the coast and then up to Barcelona, and I was hoping that someone would have a recommendation of some quaint towns (similar to Rothenberg in Germany). Thanks for any help!

Aduchamp1

For some reason few people visit Cuenca about 2 1/2 hours, east, southeast of Madrid. The town itself is an attraction with its hanging houses over a gorge which are stunning and its unexpected abstract art museum.

lincasanova

With a car i would stop in Alcalá de Henares, Cervantes' birthplace. Wander around the quaint town, see a museum and C.'s birth home, then continue to Siguenza to sleep in the castle parador there.

next day continue your journey to Barcelona via the A2 ( free road) or the AP2 (Peaje..toll road).

susiela

Great, thanks for the ideas. I will check them out. Do you guys think that we will miss a lot by not seeing either Grenada or Seville? I hear that those are great, but I don't have any sense of what we will be missing by skipping those places.

Aduchamp1

The Alhambra is one of the few singular tourist destinations (e.g. Pisa, Eiffel Tower) that lives up to its reputation. Sevilla, is a beautiful engaging city, that is perfect for people who like to walk, turn corners and find something beautiful or unexpected.

I am not a fan of the south save those places and a few others. It is crowded and can be unpleasant.

susiela

Can you recommend any good stops along the coast between Valencia and Barcelona? Thanks for the help!

Sassafrass

For me, personally, the Alhambra in Grenada is one of the most memorable places I have visited. I even keep hoping to return and spend several days there. Look at pictures and read about the Alhambra. Perhaps read, "Tales of the Alhambra."

I hated the drive between Barcelona and Madrid, but maybe that is just me. If you have interesting places to stop, perhaps it will be worthwhile.

MichelleY

Segovia would not be too much out of your way.

Aduchamp1

Ditch the car between Madrid and Barcelona. You do not want a car in any Spanish city incluidng Sevilla. Take the train.

lincasanova

Between Valencia and Barcelona

off the path.. a walled city MORELLA

On the path.. Peñiscola makes a nice lunch stop to walk around the castle hill and see the views.

Re Granada

Granada is an excellent destination.

If you google thses cities/towns and check out the pictures you will see what everyone is talking about.

Sevilla is also very interesting.

Train from Madrid to Sevilla. Bus to Granada. Fly to Barcelona on low cost airlines, or drive passing through many small towns,(2-3 nights) but none comparable to a "Rotenburg". There is some lovely coastline between Benidorm and Denia. Altea comes to mind as well as Javea, Denia, Calpe.

Spain was a very humble kingdom and I have not seen comparable "villages" as such as those found in parts of Germany. However, individual monuments are impressive, many castles having turned into lovely hotels, and SOME towns that have not grown too haphazardly are sprinkled around.

Enjoy your planning and decision making! You'll just have to leave something for next time!

http://www.castillosnet.org/programs/castillosnet.php

NEDSIRELAND

susiela writes: "... Do you guys think that we will miss a lot by not seeing either Grenada or Seville? I hear that those are great, but I don't have any sense of what we will be missing by skipping those places."

It's Granada, not Grenada!
For the late winter I would suggest that you concentrate your visit to the South of Spain; Granada and Sevilla may fit nicely. A 'mid February' trip will coincide with Carnaval (14-16 February); and the best place in Mainland Spain for that is Cadiz (South tip).

Aduchamp1 writes: "The Alhambra is one of the few singular tourist destinations (e.g. Pisa, Eiffel Tower) that lives up to its reputation. Sevilla, is a beautiful engaging city, that is perfect for people who like to walk, turn corners and find something beautiful or unexpected."

Between Barcelona & Madrid, I suggest Zaragoza, Aragon, birthplace (nearby Fuendetodos) of Francisco de Goya y Lucientes. You can also see the Magnificent Cathedral of la Virgen del Pilar where some of Goya's Frescoes & Tapestries are still displayed.

CathyM

It would help to know how long in total you have for your trip. If you only have 2 weeks I'd focus on 1-2 areas. Is this your first trip to Spain? If so, I'd probably visit Andalucia versus Barcelona.

By the way, Andalucia is probably my favorite part of Spain (or at least tied with the Basque country). There are many small villages and cities that are unspoilt and attractive. In adddition to the larger (but must see) cities of Sevilla and Granada you have many rural/smaller cities of interest (ie. Priego de Cordoba, Ubeda, Ronda, Sanlucar, Antequera, Cadiz, Osuna, etc,....). The only area I avoid (because it is crowded, built up and very touristy) is many of the resorts along the Costa del Sol.

Egbert

I am completely biased having lived in Seville. Madrid and Barcelona are great cities and I would love to live in one of them but for a trip to Spain you will be missing out on the best part if you skip Seville and Granada. I would even skip Barcelona and plan on visiting it on your next trip. I would not try to squeeze Bcn, Madrid and Andalucia in one trip by any means, unless you have a month.

Aleta

Have made 6 trips to Spain, the first was Madrid and the south, and I think everyone is sending you to the right place. Barcelona is a gorgeous city, but it will be very cold. But everyone is right: AVE train to Seville. Flying to Barcelona from Madrid is very cheap, sometimes buying a RT and throwing out half saves you substantial amount. Check rates on a travel site, there are discount airlines

tropicalsteve

If you go South then Seville is a must to visit, we went in Sept 08 and it was hot hot hot, but the old quarter around the Giralda is stunning with reasonable priced hotels (try hotel Murillo)and quiant donkey width lanes. For a costal alternative try either Nerja up the coast from Marbella but with none of the high rise and some great little hostels. Or further North East is San Jose on the Cabo de Gata, a 'white town' with some stunning deserted beaches and great walking plus an interesting desert scenery (film locations for the Good the Bad and the Ugly etc and Raiders of the Lost Arc!!). Don't get put off by the miles of plastic greenhouses when you first drive in - they don't reach the coast... Happy travels...

susiela

Okay, thanks for the input. I think we will head south to those cities and then take a plane from Barcelona to Madrid for 2 days in Barcelona, just to see it. Thanks for the input!!

lmhornet

Driving around Madrid and around any city or town any size is an absolute nightmare in Spain and should be avoided as far as possible. The road are confusing, narrow, and very very poorly marked. They are mostly one-way, so that when you inevitably get lost, you can't turn around and retrace your steps but rather go round and round. They have cleverly developed the idea of putting the steet names faintly carved on buildings so that they become completely invisible at night. If you can see a street sign, it does you no good because the roads change their name every few blocks. Once you get into the old quarter, the streets are so narrow that just avoiding getting stuck and scraping your paintjob against a building becomes a major feat.

This is not hyperbole. It is the reality of driving Spain.

Egbert

I like the street names on all the buildings. It is no fun to drive in the cities. Some have restricted zones that normal people are not allowed to drive in and they can ticket you but how would you know you're in one if you're not from there?
You must have a GPS when driving in Spain.

HandM

If you are still in Spain on the 17th march make sure you see the Fallas in Valencia, a great party.The trains are great and the upgrades to first class cheap and worthwhile for the longer trips. Cuenca is lovely but Madrid to Barca will be cold and often wet. Granada is beautiful and has a real flamingo flair.

lincasanova

Imhornet.. absolutely agree to many of your complaints!