Trip to Spain

You might want to mention how long a trip you're planning, where in Spain you plan to be, how you're getting around, what interests you about Bordeaux, and perhaps other things that aren't occurring to me offhand.

Where are you flying in to? My first impulse (after four trips to Spain, myself, now) is to tell you that there are so many things to do and see in Spain that you don't need an extra side trip to another country. You will be there less than a week, and it will be hard enough to narrow down the possible activities to something manageable without spending part of your time traveling to another place and back. Stick to Spain!

Six nights is not very long to venture to many places in Spain, let alone outside. If you are starting in Bilbao/San Sebastian you could consider ending in Biarritz/Bordeaux but even that is too much for 6 days.

I have been trying to incorporate Bordeaux into my 2-week itinerary for a trip to Spain and I just can't make it work. We will visit the Priorat or La Rioja wine region as an alternative to Bordeaux. It looks like Priorat from Barcelona will be the easier option for us, since we will be spending most of our time in and around Barcelona and Madrid.

I'd say no for a couple of reasons.

First, Spain is a little isolated on a peninsula - you will likely use up too much valuable vacation time taking a side trip into France.

Second, if you want a variety of foods and wine, you can find it in Spain. Spain, like many European nations, is a conglomeration of former small city states and cultural enclaves. In Barcelona, the people are Catalon - their language and food reflect that heritage. In Bilbao, they're Basque and, again, have their own language and food. In the far northwest, the people, language and food have Celtic roots. In the south, the Moorish influence plays a major role.

I spent a month in Spain. I was there three weeks before I heard a single person speak "proper" Spanish (a winery tour guide). For many people Spanish is a second language. They understand it and speak it, but it's not necessarily what they speak at home. They're not immigrants, they just consider themselves part of a distinct culture within Spain.