spain on the brain
 

Hubby's got Spain on the brain. Did a whirlwind tour of central Europe. A little too crazy with four kids. Needed lots of wine.....
We (I) would like to find one place for at least a week. Would like to enjoy culture and do a little bit of sight seeing (children think they've been in enough churches to last a lifetime).
Might try to find a small village in France for a week before of after so that said wains can practice their french, after all the poor things will be missing school.
We would like to go mid April.
Is Barcelona a good option? What will the weather be like then?

Barcelona is great and the weather should be fine in May.

If you go to Barcelona - take them to Tibidabo - the trip there is interesting and the view of Barcelona breathtaking. The amusement park should be Spanish enough! http://www.tibidabo.es/eng/vestidor.asp

I love Barcelona - one of my top two cities - and have visited there several times. I've been there in early April and mid-May. It was warm but not hot, with a little rain for a few hours on one or two days of my one-week visits. I like staying in the Eixemple district, which is adjacent to and just north of the old city - more upscale, less crowded, less noisy and fewer pickpockets. I liked the Hotel Astoria, a 3* at about 100 euros a night.

After Barcelona, you could drive up the coast (not very charming as the coast has been badly built up) - until you get to Cadaques, a nice seaside village in Spain. On the way you could stop in Girona for a few hours. (You can also get cheap flights on Ryanair I think from London to Girona, a couple of hours' drive from Barcelona.)

Then cross the border into France to find your quaint French village. You might be able to fly out of Perpignan,

Mom04 writes: "Hubby's got Spain on the brain. Did a whirlwind tour of central Europe. A little too crazy with four kids. Needed lots of wine.....
We (I) would like to find one place for at least a week. Would like to enjoy culture and do a little bit of sight seeing. ...

We would like to go mid April.
Is Barcelona a good option? What will the weather be like then?"

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I'm not a very big fan of Barcelona although I have visited there several times and spent considerable time in that City (I stay with relatives).

"mid April:" 16 Apr is Easter Sunday, preceded by 5-days of colorful Religious Processions in many places in Andalucia. Sevilla has the biggest!

Sevilla's Feria de abril (another BIG week) begins around 24 Apr. If you are a tourist in Spain in the springtime, Andalucia is the place to be.

Why not Madrid?? April isn't 'beach bunny' weather so Barcelona's coastal location shouldn't really impact your choice. From Madrid you could daytrip to Toledo & Segovia; and there's lots of things to do in Madrid in the springtime. I recommend Madrid!

We went to Barcelona in May year before last...it was absolutely fabulous! I was amazed at how much there was to do...we had absolutely no problem filling a week with activities. In fact, we were almost at a dead run the entire time. Beautiful, clean city, with easy-to-use metro system.