Spain - first visit
 

I am starting to plan a trip to Spain for a week in the fall. This is first visit to Spain. What are reccomendations for best places in short time?

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Spain. Starngers cannot offer suggestions but not plan your trip without knowing interests, budgets, erc.

The first question would be, why did you choose Spain?

Myriads of best places in Spain depending on your interests, but Sevilla in the south and San Sebastián in the north are both magnificent cities and very different. Fall is a great time of year to visit both. Sevilla not too hot and San Sebastián with still some reminiscents of summer temperatures. I would have stayed the whole week in one city with perhaps a couple of daytrips.

The article "A different kind of Spain" gives you an idea of San Sebastián and the region: http://marshlands.blogstream.com/

"There is dining that features more Michelin starred restaurants per mile than Paris, New York, or Vienna. There is a culture that brought Woody Allen to the city’s Film Festival last year, brings Herbie Hancock and Bob Dylan to this summer’s Jazz Fest, and embraces Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum just down the coast in Bilbao. There is the zest for life that drew Ernest Hemingway to nearby Pamplona and was immortalized in The Sun Also Rises.

San Sebastian’s setting on the coast is a panorama reminiscent of Rio de Janeiro - a horseshoe bay of blue water whose entrance is guarded by Mount Igueldo, a wide sandy beach circling the bay, green mountains extending all the way to the water, and a statue of Christ on Mount Orgull overlooking it all. At the back of the bay lies the city, clad largely in white, perched on the beach and the slopes heading up into the mountains".

In Sevilla, the world's most important flamenco festival takes place between Sept 15th and Oct 9th:
http://www.flamenco-world.com/notici...al22032010.htm
One of the absolutely best tapas scenes in Spain:
http://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilletapas/
Great site about Sevilla with all kinds of information:
http://www.exploreseville.com/

I chose Spain because I've never been there and I've been everywhere else in Europe. I am going to France first, where I usually go as I speak French. We do not like to rush around or take tours. We enjoy walking cities and seeing neighborhoods etc. I am trying to get a feel for what would be a starting point for first visit; without trying to do too much. Right now I am talking cities or areas not to be missed. After I get that nailed down I will read forum for hotels,restaurants, museums as I get so much info from people who are so kind as to share their experiences and ideas.

I have been there for 2 weeks in summer two years ago. Spain is really a great place to travel if you like to visit historical and special-design buidlings. If you only have one week in Spain. You better stay in Madrid for 2 days, Servilla 1 day, Granada 1 day and Barcerlona 3 days. The below is my simplified iterinary:

Day 1 Madrid->Palacio Real,Plaza de Espana,stay in Hostal Carrera
Day 2 Madrid->Toledo,Alcazar,stay in Hostal Carrera
Day 3 Servilla->Catedral (La Giralda),Alcazar,stay in Adriano Sevilla
Day 4 Granada->La Alhambra,stay in Anacapri
Day 5 Barcelona->Museu Picasso, Catedral,stay in Catalunya
Day 6 Barcelona->La Sagrada Famlia, Parc Gell,Finca Guell,
Day 7 Barcelona->La Pedrera, Casa Batlló

All hotels were OK and I booked them through internet. You can take night trains or buses to save daytime travelling and hotel expenses.

Sevilla and Madrid are both perfect for walking and seeing neighborhoods/barrios - each with a distinctive character as if different small villages - in a relaxed pace. Great restaurants, bars, nightlife and magnificent museums and sights. Both cities would most likely give you a "Spanish" feel for this fascinating country that would make you want to come back and explore more. Each of Spain's 17 regions are different and rightfully claim their own identity and culture.

A lot of people would recommend to start with cosmopolitan Barcelona in Cataluña or belle epoque and food-crazy San Sebastián in the Basque Country (my favourite place on the globe since the late 80's). Lately I have fell in love with Málaga, and Cádiz, Cáceres, Gijón and La Coruña are all on the list for hopefully a not so distant future. And then you have all the small villages around...

Sevilla districts/barrios: http://www.whatsevilla.com/city-guide.html
Madrid districts/barrios: http://www.ailmadrid.com/madrid/barrios

my family lives in spain and we have been there many times, it depends on how much time you have. They have a fantastic train system that gets you in different cities quickly. I would start with the barcelona area for a few days, take the high speed train to madrid and spend a couple of days there, then take the high speed train to granada and see the alhambra, its beautiful. I would absolutely take the train to sevilla and end up in coastal Malaga. Malaga is absolutely wonderful and there is alot of the moorish and british influence in that area. With that being said I am a huge proponent of the red bus doubledecker in the large cities. You pay one price, get on and off at all the sites. This is a really great way to go. We've done this in London and Italy and it works out well.

While Barcelona has many charms, that would recommend on its own, Catalan, the language of the region is based in Provencal.

With one week, I limit my travels to Barcelona and Madrid. Barecelona has a unique sense of design and style while Madrid has world class museums.

'Catalan, the language of the region ....."

on a recent trip to Barcelona I told the taxi driver (in Catalan) I did not speak the language...he replied in Spanish :" Yo tampoco" ( me neither).

Thanks all for your help, this is exactly what I needed. I can see I will need another trip to really appreciate all Spain has to offer.

Vicky there is so much useful info here. Read through the posts and reports if you can and especially maribelsguides.com. That was my main guidebook.