What not to do in Spain?
 

We are going to Spain mid-March for 12 days. I have been advised several times not to waste my time in Malaga or any of the Costa del Sol. Does anyone agree or disagree? We will arrive in Sevilla and spend five or six days there. (Hopefully we will stay at the Dona Maria in Sevilla. Opinions?) Should we take days trips and perhaps spend two nights in Granda (Hotel America)? We are leaving from Madrid (No hotel as of yet). So perhaps six nights in Sevilla and two or three in Granada and the rest in Madrid also perhaps a day trip or two from Madrid as well. Any and all advice is much appreciated. Please suggest days trips or itinerary. Also, please advise as to specific hotels, restaurants, etc. <BR>Thank you! <BR>Thank you!

I would skip the Costa del Sol and drive cross country - more or less - from Granada to Seville. You should also consider Cordoba, Toledo on return from Seville and if you have time, I;d take a day trip from Madrid to the Escoril - a trip we didn't get to make. Driving in Spain is easy and some of the smaller mountain villages are enchanting.

What not to do in Spain? <BR>Don't leave anything in your car. Not an empty plastic bag, anything! Sound paranoid? Perhaps but you won't waste time with the guardia. <BR>Don't plan on a quick in and out meal (unless you are perhaps in a bar). Spanish meals can be long. <BR>Don't try the really orange stuff for bread unless you are daring. I dared and I could have lived without that experience. Has anyone ever wanted to wash their tongue with Clorox? <BR>Except for that, Don't be scared to try different foods. <BR>Don't buy olive oil at the duty free. Go in some market in a smaller town and buy it. Prices are drastically different for same thing.And it's worth lugging it back. <BR>Don't think just because you've been in one church or cathedral or convent or monastery that you can skip one. Besides being great places to rest, you often see wonderful things. <BR>Don't be afraid to speak Spanish or try to speak Spanish. Lord knows I've sounded like the most backward 4 year old so many times. <BR>Don't forget to carry something with the next hotel's name on it. If all else fails, flag down a taxi, show them the paper and follow them to the hotel. <BR>DON'T, DON'T, DON'T try to drive too far into Arcos de la Frontera. Park, lock and walk. Every time I've been in Arcos, I've seen at least five people have to back down the street. If by some wild chance you did drive up successfully, pay the guy to guide your drive down. Not only will he stand out in blind corners and direct you, he will also pull in your mirrors for you and sometimes even stand between your car and that dratted arch and push you off. <BR>Skip Costa del Sol. It's concrete and awfulness. Costa de la Luz beaches are much nicer. <BR>If a waiter says something is especial de la casa, order it. <BR>Have fun

ET---there is a lot of common sense in the good advice you got so far. Also, try not to go into churches and cathedrals with sleeveless shirts or shorts. Spanish people are very warm and a smile goes a long way, even if they can't understand English. Try to learn some basic greeting and food (cafe, copa de vino, cerveza, tostada, etc...) phrases in Spanish. <BR> <BR>In Madrid, I stayed at the Hotel Mora, across the street from El Prado Museum and the Botanical Gardens; $50/double!. Clean, comfortable with a courteous staff. Madrid does not have a shortage of great hotel deals, just check this site and you'll see! In Madrid, people dress a little less casual for the evening, even if just to sit at the Plaza Mayor; a dark jacket goes a long way. <BR> <BR>Another vote for not wasting your time in Malaga or Costa del Sol. In Gibraltar, don't miss a ride to Pico de Europa (Europa Point). On a clear day, you can see the African Coast from there. Beautiful spot. Enjoy the trip

On your way to Madrid, you can make a stop in Toledo maybe. <BR>Salamanca and Avila are similar <BR>worthfull places to visit. Don't ask for a 'cola' to a waiter (cola is the <BR>Spanish word for tail). <BR>Try 'churros y chocolate' (breakfast) <BR>

Another vote for skipping the Costa del Sol .... I would try to spend a night in Cordoba. The daytrippers clear-out and the atmosphere changes drastically for the better. We arrived in the late afternoon and stayed the night. We left the next day in the late morning. By the way, bus and train service from Seville to both Granada and Cordoba were excellent and I loved Hotel America. <BR> <BR>Have fun ... <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Hi, ET <BR>Don't drive into Gibraltar unless you really enjoy becoming a POW in the Spain-UK cold war over the Rock. It takes HOURS to get out (the only benefit is the cheapest fuel prices in Europe, but you will use half the gas waiting for the ONE Spanish customs agent who is compelled to inspect every vehicle.) Visit, yes, but walk or take the bus in from Spain. <BR>Don't skip Cordoba if you're in the area - a day trip from Seville is easy. The Mezquita is a bona fide world landmark.

We stayed on the Costa del Sol but used it as a base to do day trips to Granada, Gibraltar, Tangier and Ronda. I think you should be able to do any of these trips without staying on the Costa del Sol. The hotel we stayed in was nice but we didn't visit the beach (water was too cold) and we had a hard time finding good restaurants in Torremolinos. <BR> <BR>Don't bother with Tangier-the day trips to Tangier took all day, you really didn't get to see much and what you did see was unimpressive. <BR> <BR>You can easily do a day trip from Seville to Cordoba-I believe it was about a 1/2 hour by AVE train. You might also want to take a train from Seville to Madrid, that train took about 2 1/2 hours. You won't need a car once you get to Madrid, there is frequent bus service to Toledo (the bus service is more frequent and quicker than the trains) and I suspect the same holds true for the other day trip spots near Madrid. <BR> <BR>I'm not sure how Gibraltar got added to your itinerary or if you were even thinking of going there, but if you do, park in La Linea on the Spanish side and walk over to avoid the long car lines. And don't pay anyone to park, you should be able to find parking on the street (don't leave anything in your car!) Don't leave with any Gibraltar currency or you will have a souvenir as they will not exchange it on the Spanish side. <BR> <BR>We took a day trip to Granada from the Costa del Sol. We felt like it was rushed and we only got to see the Alhambra, so you might consider spending at least one night there. I heard that tickets to the Alhambra were hard to get on the same day you arrive so you might want to get them the day before. <BR> <BR>I'm not sure if a day trip to Ronda from the Seville side is doable, but the drive from the Costa del Sol side was breathtaking. Maybe someone else on the forum has tried it from the Seville side and can tell you if its worth the effort.

ET, <BR> 1) Skip Gibraltar. You will be stuck in a very, very long line to cross the border (the Guardia Civil is really cracking down these days on the contraband traffic, and the wait to cross is intolerable). If you do not plan to stay on the Costa del Sol, it will certainly be a long, long detour from Seville or Granada and simply not worth the time involved. <BR> 2) The Dona Maria next to the Cathedral in Seville is a nice choice (also the San Gil, the Taberna del Alabardero, the Casas de los Mercaderes or the Casas de la Juderia) <BR> 3) Definitely two nights at the sweet little America in Granada. <BR> 4) Day trips from Madrid to El Escorial/Valley of the Fallen and most importantly, Segovia. Segovia is truly not to be missed. You'll be enchanted. Avila is also a must-see if you can squeeze it in, as it is an exquisitely preserved town completely surrounded by medieval walls, and these days it looks gorgeous (I was there this summer and was amazed at how lovely it has become). <BR> 5) Add a day trip from Seville to Cordoba or even a night in Cordoba on your way up to Madrid. Don't miss seeing the Mezquita. <BR> 6) Instead of six nights in Seville, only 3. Add a stay in Arcos de la Frontera (yes, I know that navigating the tiny, narrow streets of Arcos takes a heroic effort, but it's worth it-or you could stay on one of the three "cortijo-hotels" (a Spanish hacienda) outside the town, or stay in the more easily navigable Ronda on your way from Seville to Granada. The drive from Seville to Granada through the hill towns is an experience you won't want to miss. <BR> 7) Consider spending a night in Toledo on your way back to Madrid. Toledo is much more pleasant at night after the hordes of day-trippers have returned to Madrid. Only then can you savor the unique atmosphere of this multi-cultural, labrinthine city. <BR> 8) Do a text search for great recommendations on hotels/restaurants from fellow Fodorites in Seville/Granada/Cordoba/Madrid. <BR> 9) As soon as you arrive in Seville, go straight to a newspaper stand and buy "El Pais" (the Madrid daily newspaper) and "El Marca" (the weekly sports paper). Then throw them in the back seat of your rental car in plain view and keep them there. This will immediately brand you as a local, not a tourist. Consider it a type of theft prevention. (No one reads "El Marca" other than a native!) <BR> 10) In restaurants, particularly for the mid-day meal (served late, at 2 p.m.) order the economical "menu del dia" for half the price of ordering a la carte. <BR> 11) Have a wonderful time! <BR> <BR>

I concur pretty much with everyone whose chimed in about the Costa del Sol--it's really not worth the effort as it has really no cultural nexus to Andalucia at all. It's really just a melange of sand, cold water, and bad touristy t-shirts. I lived in Spain for a year and think your trip sounds great! Granada, Seville, Cordoba are all spectacular but there are also a couple of lesser known gems like Ronda and Cadiz in Andalucia as well. Ronda is stunning and Cadiz, though it usually doesn't get much play in guide books, gives you real andaluz charm and much better beaches than in the Costa del Sol. Cadiz is where the Spanish go when they want to grab a little sol. Best wishes and do head the advice about leaving anything visible in your car. On the whole though, I think the spanish are truly genuinely wonderful people who will go out of their way (literally!) to get you where you need to go. Buen viaje!

(!) Beware of the trains in Spain, even if you have a Euro-Pass like we did. Here are two short horror stories...We <BR>almost missed a connection because they <BR>said we had "to reserve" our seats (at a <BR>small extra charge) for a connection from Malaga to Seville. And, we found <BR>customer service people at that terminal <BR>to be very rude and unresponsive to communicating in English after we were <BR>informed the night train to Madrid no <BR>longer ran, eventhough it was clearly posted at the station. Since this was our connection to fly out the next morning, we wound up taking a bus, which <BR>incidentally, was very efficient and <BR>inexpensive, plus arrrived two hours earlier than the posted train schedule. <BR>Also, the customer service people at the <BR>bus station spoke great English.--I later found out that the trains in Spain <BR>are state-run, which might explain the <BR>problem. In the future, I plan to take <BR>the bus in Spain! Has anyone else had <BR>a similar experience??? <BR>(2) If you do go to the Costa del Sol area, be sure and take a guided jeep excursion caravan into the lovely countryside to see the "real Spain". We <BR>also enjoyed dining in the Marbella area.

Have only been to Seville, Granada and Arcos, so here's my two cents on those. Seville is nice, but I'm not sure its worth six nights unless you're taking day trips elsewhere. Taberna del Alaberdero was one of the most charming hotels we've stayed in. Granada is fabulous--definitely stay two nights. We were there in late May and got tickets for the Alhambra in the morning for later that day, but I was at the ticket office shortly after it opened. Just as enjoyable was walking through Granada, particularly up the neighborhoods on the opposite hill, where the San Nicolas mirador is. We spent one night in Arcos and would not go back. The parador was lovely, but at the top and as someone else said, driving up there was a real experience. Our main problem was that it seemed very dead at night, at least where we were. The Spanish people are very friendly and tolerant of our high school Spanish so try to talk to them in their language if you know any.

don't miss seville,don't park a car with <BR>foreign plates there & don't miss the Alcazar. <BR> Try Cadiz! <BR>Buy a "rough guide to andalucia" & use it