winnick

My DH and I are planning a 3-week trip to Spain for next year and would appreciate feedback on the preliminary itinerary we've put together. We are early 60's, very active and enjoy charming towns, medieval villages and castles, and cities with cultural opportunities, We've been to Madrid and Barcelona on a previous visit and enjoyed both immensely. We never made any side trips while in either city.

What do you think of these options: We plan to fly into Madrid (or Barcelona) and out of the other. Also, would you suggest visiting in May, September or October?

We've always gotten great input from this forum and appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Day 1 US to Madrid
Day 2 Arrive Madrid and connect to Seville
Day 3 Seville
Day 4 Seville
Day 5 Seville
Day 6 Seville to Ronda
Day 7 Ronda (visit White Hill towns)
Day 8 Ronda to Marbella
Day 9 Marbella
Day 10 Marbella to Nerja to Granada
Day 11 Granada
Day 12 Granada to Barcelona (fly) then drive to Girona
Day 13 Girona (day trips while in Girona)
Day 14 Girona
Day 15 Girona
Day 16 Girona
Day 17 Begur or Tossa de Mar
Day 18 Begur or Tossa de Mar
Day 19 Begur to Barcelona
Day 20 Barcelona
Day 21 Barcelona
Day 22 Barcelona-->Home

or
Is it worthwhile to make this stop and see Toledo?

Day 1 US to Madrid
Day 2 Train to Toledo
Day 3 Toledo
Day 4 Train to Seville (thru Madrid)
Day 5 Seville
Day 6 Seville
Day 7 Seville
Day 8 Seville to Ronda
Day 9 Ronda
Day 10 Ronda to Marbella
Day 11 Marbella
Day 12 Marbella to Granada
Day 13 Granada
Day 14 Granada to Barcelona to Girona
Day 15 Girona
Day 16 Girona
Day 17 Girona
Day 18 Girona
Day 19 Girona to Barcelona
Day 20 Barcelona
Day 21 Barcelona
Day 22 Barcelona-->Home

CathyM

It appears the only difference between the itinerary's is 2 nights in Toledo vs 2 nights in Begur/Tossa.

Overall either itinerary looks good. Not too fast paced but you are covering alot of ground at a reasonable clip with 3-5 nighters mixed in with 2 nights. No 1-nights though, which I personally hate.

A few comments:
I'd try to book a connecting flight into/out of Sevilla. If you fly American then it's generally not much more expensive to book a connecting flight from Madrid to Sevilla. If the connection time and price works then it's better than going into Madrid to take the train to Sevilla (if you do option 1).

What I'd personally do (in general)-
*take 2 nights from Girona and spend 2 nights in Toledo and 2 nights in Begur. I spent 2 nights in Begur back in 2005 and still remember the incredible coastline. But Toledo is incredible too - especially if you have time for a couple of nights. It's really different after the daytrippers have left and is beautiful at sunset. As for Girona, it's lovely and there are nice towns to daytrip. But even with 3 nights you'd have a good 2 days for daytrips and 1 full day for Girona.

*I'd consider adding at least a day to Sevilla especially if it's at the start of your trip when the first day will be jetlagged. Definately do a daytrip to Cordoba. I'd even consider giving up Marbella and spending 2 nights in Cordoba.
There are some excellent daytrips from Sevilla (Jerez, Osuna, Cadiz, Sanlucar, Carmona, Ecija) you could do with more time.

*Marbella - I'd probably skip in lieu of Malaga, Cadiz, Ubeda/Baeza, Cordoba, Priego de Cordoba, etc....especially with the beach time in Begur

*Tarragona - do a daytrip from Barceona to Tarragona

These are all general comments. I think however the biggest decision is when to visit. If you visit in May or September I'd gear the trip around the festivals in the area. For example, May is a great time to visit Andalucia. The May Crosses in Granada and Cordoba is huge. The Patio festival in Cordoba is beautiful - so I'd add days in Cordoba. Many cities have their spring feria in May. So if you visited in May I'd probably focus more in Andalucia. But if you visited in September there is a wine harvest festival in Jerez so I'd spent a night or 2 there (or at least budget additional time in Sevilla for a daytrip). In September there's the biggest festival of the year, La Merce, around the 3rd week of September in Barcelona. The week prior to that is Santa Tecla in Tarragona - so I'd probably want to spend a couple of nights in Tarragona. There's also a festival this same time in tiny Besalu - a good daytrip from Girona.

Overall I think you've got a good list of places and the timing on each. Now the question is when to leave!

winnick

Cathy
Thanks so much for your detailed suggestions. I will rework with your suggestions. We will be flying AA into Seville via Madrid using FF miles if we do option 1, but with your suggestion I'd like to stop in Toledo. I assume we need to go back to Madrid to get from Toledo to Seville? I really hate 1 nighters too and really prefer 3 nights minimum but want to cover both Andulsia and Catalonia so need to do a few. We had planned to do a day trip from Seville to Cordoba. It sounds like we need even more time in Seville.

We are leaning to going in May and will research dates for the festivals you mentioned. If you have any hotel recommendations from your travels to these areas we would appreciate hearing them.

Thanks again for your great suggestions.
Karen

kja

I haven't been to Begur or Tossa de Mar yet, but I found Toledo incredible and thought it worthy of at least 2 full days.

I enjoyed the time I spent in Ronda - almost a full day - but left earlier than I had planned. I had seen and done everything I wanted to see and do there, and there were too many things I wanted to see/do elsewhere to hang around. I didn't try to visit any other white towns from Ronda, though.

For Granada, make sure to reserve the Alhambra for both a day and an evening visit, preferably in that order.

Do consider making time for Cordoba. I thought it worth 2 full days, although many people just visit the Mezquita as a day trip from Sevilla.

Enjoy!

kimhe

As Cathy says, May is serious festival time, especially in Andalucía and a great time of year to go. Local food, drink and culture in the streets and plazas and the summer heat is normally several weeks away.

May is also the month of the major San Isidro festival in Madrid, the celebration of the city's patron saint: http://www.madrid-guide-spain.com/san-isidro.html

BUT:
The largest and most important flamenco festival in the world, the Bienal de flamenco, goes on in Sevilla from the beginning of September to the beginning of October 2014. The major flamenco artists perform in theaters around town every night for about a month.

A night or two at one of the wonderful theaters in town to see some of the major flamenco stars together with an excited, dressed up and mostly local and knowledgeable crowd, could be easily be a (if not the) highlight of your trip.

Here are some of the artists that fill up theaters around the world today and who most probably will take part in the festival:

Sara Baras: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwushBt_Hpw
Estrella Morente: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUJA52_oDn8
Rocío Molina (seen her ten times since 2007): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRLSLYvbn1c
Miguel Poveda: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3CJiJX-qLE
Guitar legend Paco de Lucía, one of the finest guitarists in the world regardless of genre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oyhlad64-s

Presentation of the 2012 edition: http://www.flamenco-world.com/notici...l23052012.html

skatedancer

I would look into staying in Cadaques -- if you have a visit to the Dali Museum in Figueres on your list, then following it up to see Dali's home is very worthwhile. His home, needless to say, is idiosyncratic and to see how an artist lived and worked (his studio is left as if he were still there) is amazing. Cadaques is a beautiful village on the sea.

I am not sure what the drive time would be from Girona, but getting to Cadaques does require winding hilltop drive.

If you do visit Dali's home, then be sure to book tickets in advance online. It sells out quickly, so don't take the chance of getting there and then not getting in. They take small groups in at a time.

winnick

Kja, Kimhe, skatedancer,

This is some great feedback, thanks for your valuable insights. We definitely need to rework some things and it is sounding like September might be a better choice.

winnick

What about this: (I added an extra day in Toledo since we won't be arriving on day 2 until late afternoon and will also be jet lagged)
Day 1 US-Madrid
Day 2 Arrive Madrid and train to Toledo
Day 3 Toledo
Day 4 Toledo
Day 5 Train from Toledo to Seville
Day 6 Seville
Day 7 Seville
Day 8 Seville (day trip to Cordoba)
Day 9 Seville (maybe another day trip)
Day 10 Seville to Ronda (pickup car in Seville)
Day 11 Ronda
Day 12 Ronda to Granada
Day 13 Granada
Day 14 Granada (fly to Barcelona),pick up car drive to Girona
Day 15 Girona
Day 16 Girona (day trip to Figueres, Besalu, Vic)
Day 17 Girona to Begur
Day 18 Begur (day trip to Pals, Paratellada)
Day 19 Begur to Barcelona (drop car)
Day 20 Barcelona
Day 21 Barcelona (day trip to Tarragona)
Day 22 Barcelona-Home

skatedancer

What about flipping the order? If you are going in September, I would consider doing Catalonia first and saving Andalucia for last. I would imagine it is still quite hot there. I visited Madrid in late September and got as far south as Toledo, where it was still really hot and dry...

skatedancer

I also would suggest that if you do flip it, you do just a day in Toledo and add a day in Segovia as a day trip from Madrid.

winnick

Yes, we would flip if we end up going in September. I was just looking at weather underground and saw that it is hot in September in Seville. It also looks pretty hot in May. We may need to consider going in Apri if we start in Seville or mid September if we start in Barcelona.

winnick

We are rethinking the itinerary and may want to stay the entire 3weeks in Andalucia instead of heading to Barcelona and other Catalunya sites.

We would fly into Seville and out of Madrid as we still want to see Toledo, but given that we now have 8 more days freed up, where would you spend them?

So far we are thinking of :
5days Seville with day trip to Cordoba
2 days Ronda (visit Arcos and other white towns)
2 days Granada
2 beach days?
2 days Toledo at end of trip

That leaves us with 8 days. WOuld you tack onLisbon or other areas in Spain? We don't need to spend time in Madrid as we've been there before.
What beach town ? We were thinking of Marbella or somewhere on Costa del Sol.

Your feedback would be appreciated!

BigAleinstein

That us an awful long time in Girona and Begur. Maybe you should explore a flight to San Sebastian. Also I think the pueblos blancos tour is highly over rated, although Ronda is not.

kimhe

Cádiz (the three thousand year old Phoenician Gadir), close to Sevilla, has got some of the finest beaches in Spain. http://cadiz.costasur.com/en/beaches.html

Málaga is a wonderful city. Genuine and laid-back Andalucian atmosphere, great tapas bars, restaurants, cafes, theaters and nightlife, 3000 years of Phoenician, Roman, Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Gitano history and culture. Within 300 meters in the city center you'll find the newly excavated Roman theater, the Moorish Alcazaba (fortress), the huge 15-16th century cathedral, Picasso's birth-place, the Picasso museum, the new Carmen Thyssen museum etc. etc.
http://www.andalucia.com/cities/malaga/home.htm

One of my absolute favourite cities in Spain after many years of travelling in most parts of the country. A couple of articles about Malaga: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalis...pleasures.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/200...el?INTCMP=SRCH

I also have a soft spot for Nerja on the coast some 30 miles east of Málaga. All the amenities that makes it very popular with tourists, but Nerja has also retained much of its small town Andalucian feel and charm outside the most touristy parts of town. http://www.nerjatoday.com/

Photo of Nerja at the foot of the Almijara mountains:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2622/...de6a8146_o.jpg

Old town street in Nerja:
http://www.minube.com/fotos/rincon/131879/629455

winnick

kimhe: Thanks for your great recommendations. We'll research and modify our itinerary and get your feedback.

BigAleinstein: We decided to skip Girona and Begur and concentrate our time in Andalucia region.

winnick

We are re-thinking our itinerary and plan to skip Catalunya on this trip. What do you think of these options. Which of these options would you choose or modify.

Option #1:
Fly to Madrid, train to Toledo for 2 nights
Train back to Madrid and then to Codorba for 2 nights
Train Cordoba to Seville for 5 nights
Pick up car in Seville and drive to Ronda for 3 nights (day trips to white villages)
Drive to Granada for 3 nights (day trip on 1 day)
Drive to Nerja for 3 nights (1 beach day and day trips in area)
Drive to Malaga drop car and take train to Madrid
Madrid 2 nights (day trip to Segovia)

Option #2:
Fly to Madrid, train to Toledo for 2 nights
Train back to Madrid and then to Codorba for 3 nights
Train Cordoba to Seville for 5 nights
Pick up car in Seville and drive to Ronda for 3 nights (day trips to white villages)
Drive from Ronda to Nerja for 2 nights
Drive from Nerja to Granada for 3 nights
Drive Granada to Malaga drop car and train to Madrid
Madrid 2 nights (day trip to Segovia)

CathyM

Did you decide when exactly you are visiting? This would drive my decision.

Your itineraries are very similar just flipping a night in Cordoba vs Nerja.

winnick

Cathy:
We are going in early May. We do want to avoid being in Seville during the Feria, too expensive then so will work out the itinerary to avoid those dates there.

Would you stay 3 nights in Cordoba or 3 nights in Nerja? Or would you stay in Malaga vs Nerja? Would you put Granada at the end of the trip or after Ronda?

kimhe

I have a soft spot for Nerja, and three days here could be a great and relaxing rounding off the Andalucía part. Having said that, Málaga is a wonderful city with great vibe, great sights and some 20 times larger than Nerja. Two totally different options.

If you stay with Nerja, here are some suggestions:

You should visit the spectacular caves: http://www.cuevadenerja.es/index.php?lenguaje=en

If you're into the freshest seafood, local feel and extremely popular La Marina in Nerja is as good you get a seafood freiduría in all of Andalucía. Have splurged here on several occasions: http://www.guideofnerja.com/pages/gu.../marina_en.htm
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaur...Andalucia.html

Free tapas to choose with every glass of wine beer in most tapas bars/restaurants in Nerja. A glass and a tapa would be some 1,50-2€. Several great places serving delicious tapas, meat, fish and seafood grilled on the spot, stews, salads, ham, cheese etc. etc. Some of my favourites in town:
El Pulguilla: http://mynerja.com/view/bars/cerveceria-el-pulguilla/
La Puntilla: http://tapas-y-mas.com/la-puntilla/
El Niño: http://mynerja.com/view/bars/el-nino/

Lots of places with local character and clientel, especially in the old town/casco antiguo. High quality Italian (Vitaliano), Thai (Lan Sang), French, Mexican, Indian restaurants and a couple of up-scale Spanish places as well (Sollun, Pata Negra, Casa Luque)

You'll have to taste conchas finas when down here, pure heaven! https://www.google.no/search?q=conch...w=1600&bih=783

Egbert

I would spend two nights in Cordoba. 3 is kind of a lot. I'm not a big fan of Nerja although the view from the Balcon de Europa is nice. If you want to swim, the beaches around Cadiz are much more clean. Nerja seems to be mostly British and Irish. Cordoba is 100% Andaluz. The reason Nerja is nice is that it's not so built up with unsightly concrete buildings like the rest of the Costa del Sol. I would stay in Malaga because it is a classic Andalucian city with it's own personality and many, many more great restaurants and tapas bars and things to do than Nerja. I wouldn't have a preference as to where to put Granada or Ronda. Ronda is more quiet and geographically beautiful. Granada is Architecturally beautiful and a vibrant small city and college town. I think it's a great idea to skip Barcelona this time. It is like it's own country and you can look forward to a great trip there in the future and include the Costa Brava and maybe even the Basque country (spectacular in the summer).