Spain
 

Hi <BR>I'm planning a trip for Spain for July 2001 for two weeks and I would appreciate any help. We would like to do some sightseeing, nightlife and beach. Need help for hotels, itinerary and transportation. <BR>Thanks <BR> <BR> <BR>

I had the luxury of a month in Spain, here were the highlights for me: Barcelona... and a beach town about an hour outside called Sitges... Granada, just to see the Alhambra for a day... Nerja, a wonderful beach town on Costa del Sol... Cordoba, fantastic character... Seville, another wonderful city with an absolutely stunning cathedral... San Sebastian, terrific beach town in the Basque country. <BR> <BR>These places are literally all over the map... hit at least some of them. <BR> <BR>Have fun!

Angelo: If you want to have the time of your life in a beach spot go to Marbella in the south of Spain. Great nightlife, you'll most likely see more than one familiar face. If you can afford it, try to stay in Pto. Banus. If you stay here you'll quite close to Seville, Granada, Cordoba and lots of beautiful "white towns" like Nerja. <BR> <BR>Sitges, next to Barcelona, in the Costa Brava is an excellent idea too. There's a lot to do in Barcelona and you can travel all along the Costa Brava with is realy beautiful. <BR> <BR>But if it were my first trip, I will do 3 or 4 days in Madrid and go to the South.

My husband and I spent five days in the Costa Brava. We spent the time on Santa Christina beach at the Santa Marta and about 45 min north of Barcelona. The reason we liked it is because this particular beach is very private with actually only the residents of that hotel using it. Remember, the beach areas along that coast can get very, very crowded. We had our own car, so I can't help you with public transportation. There is a lot of night life all around these beach towns...including casinos.

Check out the "White Towns" in Andalucia. I know Ronda is a bit touristy, but its also gorgeous. <BR>Toledo is beautiful and I wished I could have spent much more time in Seville.

If going to Seville in July you must have air conditioning, it often hits 40 centigrade or more, but it's a beautiful place.If in the south, the coast is cooler especially Cadiz as it sits on a sea peninsula & gets the breeze. <BR>You will probably do better for hotel advice once you decide on your itinerary & post it.

SEVILLE!!!! It's sooooooo magical!

I just spent 2 weeks in Spain. 2 days in Madrid, half day in Toledo, one day in Cordoba (stay at the Amistad Cordoba, it's beautiful, centrally located and a bargain). Cordoba is one of my favorites, especially after all the tourists go home, it's charming and quiet. In Seville I stayed 2 nights and I stayed at the Hotel Becquer, which was conveniently located near everything and clean. I would not suggest staying in the Barrio Santa Cruz areas since there have been a lot of tourist robberies at night. Then we took the bus down to Jerez to visit the Sherry bodegas and to see the Royal Andulasian horses (the later was expensive and not really worth it). We then took the bus to Arcos de la Frontera which was beautiful. Ronda was also very beautiful, and I highly recommend the Parador there. Worth the bit more expense. Granada is a must. Book your hotels there early. We stayed at the Hotel Marcia which had very small rooms, was unfriendly and over-priced. Then we took the overnight train to Barcelona. Barcelona is worth 3 days. We stayed at the Rialto which was OK. Have fun!

Hi..I just spent 3 weeks in Spain this June. We visited Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, Sevilla, Malaga, Cordoba, and Granada. Make sure you visit the Alhambra! I have hotel names if you want.

We just spent a month in Spain in late June and early July. We did not see Seville and Costa del Sol, so I can't help you there, but we loved Cordoba and the Alhambra in Granada. Beaches will always be crowded in season, but we enjoyed Alicante, a small place called Benicarlo (stayed at the parador) and nearby Peniscola. People we met liked Tossa de Mar, a small beach village north of Barcelona. Speaking of Barcelona, it was one of our favorite places. <BR>You might want to consider Mallorca or Ibiza for the beaches.

Angelo, <BR> <BR>We spent 3 weeks in Spain last summer. We started in Madrid and then headed south to Seville by train (the fast AVE train is the way to go). My favorite places concur with the others: Toledo, Seville, Granada, Ronda, Arcos de Frontera and Nerja. If I had to choose my top 3, they would be Seville, Toledo and Ronda. Seville has it all: incredible cathedral, fascinating Alczar, romantic carriage rides and great flamenco. I would suggest that you stay over night in Toledo if possible -- it is truly wonderful at night after the crowds have gone. I loved Ronda and did not think it was overly commercialized -- beautiful scenery and great people. We happened to be there the night of a town party and everyone (all ages) were out in the square dancing and having a good time. A special memory. You will love Spain.

Hi Angelo, <BR>Great choice. spain is much more affordable than other european countries and the food is great. I went to Barcelona and Madrid in 1998. Honestly, i say, skip Madrid. Even El Prado was not such a great museum. (free on sundays though, if you go). <BR>i loved Barcelona and i could definitely stay one week. I am a very big fan of the architect Gaudi. there are also numerous great museums that are not as famous as the Louvre, but don't let this deter you. i truly enjoyed the Picasso museum in the barrio Goti. <BR>In Madrid, i stayed in the Hotel Paris. i believe it was 2 stars. great location right near the biggest Plaza and El Prado. <BR>In Barcelona, i stayed in Hosteria Grau. it has rooms with bathrooms in the room and rooms without bathrooms. Any hotel along or off of the very large street called Las Ramblas will be fine. Barcelona is a busy city and Las Ramblas is full of people (locals, tourists, backpackers, and street performers) 24 hours a day. <BR>In Barcelona, go to a restaurant called las quince nits (15 nights) in the barrio Goti. <BR>i also recommend you purchase fodor's Madrid and Barcelona travel guide. ( swear that's what i used). good luck!

Thank you for all your great help. <BR>Thanks again :) <BR>

Angelo, <BR>I would focus on one area of Spain, let's say , Barcelona and the area surrounding it, or Seville and the south. That way you'll have the time to really savor the atmosphere and in the summer, should you go South, to take it easy in the heat. <BR> <BR>If you do plan to go to Seville from Madrid , consider flying. It's a little LESS than the AVE and takes about 45 minutes. <BR> <BR>Also, you might consider Galicia, I haven't been there, would love to go, and it is cool in the summer. <BR> <BR>Have a good trip, <BR>Michele <BR>PS Skim through Karen Brown's INNS AND ITINERARIES for ideas on how to best spend your time. Her intineraries are well delineated and are useful planning tools.