25th anniversary trip: 1 month each in Spain/Italy April and May next year. We have a cruise out of Barcelona second week of May so will spend 4 nights in Barcelona. We prefer a slower paced trip this time around. Looking to soak up the regional cultures in the 2-week stays with some day trips. Looking for suggestions from folks with experience.
Thanks in advance.
So you are looking for two locations within Spain for 2 weeks stays in each location in the month of April/May? Have you done any reading in what Spain has to offer? Any specific interests?
2 weeks North and 2 weeks South in Spain and will be doing same for Italy during April and May. Interested in culture, architecture, beach, food. Trying to avoid the really touristy stuff as we will be back again.
Is oceanside location important for all 4 stays? And north/south geographical distinctions?
Spain: Bilbao and Cadiz.
Italy: Genoa and Salerno.
Madrid, you need 4-5 days there because you should do day trips to Toledo and Segovia.
Seville, you need 4 days and a couple in Cordoba on your way to Seville.
Granada and Malaga (also Rhonda) are worth another 4-5 days there.
Haven't been north to Basque country, but you could do several days there easy.
Other places to consider are Salamanca in the NW near the Portuguese border and Valencia on the Med.
For Italy, first, the BIG 3, Rome, Florence and Venice.
Need two weeks to do them as well as Siena and Pisa near Florence. Also, in the vicinity of Venice, consider Ravenna and Verona.
The Naples area deserves about a week with Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri, as well as the Amalfi Coast.
You could do another week in the north, Milan, the Dolomites and some of the lakes.
Firstly I would suggest Sevilla for southern Spain, April/May is a time of celebrations in Andalucía, between Semana Santa, Feria de Abril, and the Fiesta de los Patios in neighboring Cordoba there are many opportunities to experience Andalucían culture like a local.
Secondly, have you done some research on the weather of Northern Spain aka Green Spain? Well it is green for a reason and April into May is the height of the rainy season, you could have weeks of rains that could toss a wrench into your plans. As we say in Spain "en Abril aguas mil" which means "in April a thousand waters", which means prepare for rain. If that is still ok with you I would recommend Oviedo or San Sebastian.
Alternatively have you thought about 2 weeks in the Spanish Canary Islands, the "Hawaii of Europe" so to speak? They tick all your boxes, culture, architecture, beach, food, for example the island of Gran Canaria is nicknamed the "Miniature Continent" because of the diversity of landscapes, from sand dunes to green ravines. It's a paradise if you are into hiking and nature. Gran Canaria also has quite a few picturesque towns like Arucas or Firgas that are worth checking out.
From a cultural standpoint, the next door island of Tenerife should be quite exciting, its home to the second largest carnival in the world (after Rio), which usually takes place in February-March, so it's sure to be a festive mood if you go then. The charming town of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, a UNESCO Heritage site, makes for a nice day trip too.
And one can also check out Teide National Park, another World Heritage Site, which is home to Mount Teide, the third highest volcano in the world. Not to mention all the unique and fascinating history and culture of the indigenous Guanche people.
The Canary Islands should have the best chance of beach weather in Spain during April and May
There are loads of regions that can offer what you are looking for, but there are questions of whether you want to do day trips, rent a car, rely on local transport, etc.
For Italy, Bologna, though some say not a pretty town in itself, has heaps of history, and fantastic train access to many smaller towns and cities. A number of them specialize in foods - Modena Balsamic vinegar, Parma ham and, well, Parmesan cheese. There are the Lambourgini and Ferrari museums and race tracks, 1.5 hours to Venice, connections to Padua and Vicenza with their Palladian Architecture and for slow travel, a barge day or half day trip from Padua to Venice (or vice versa).
Malaga Spain has been the Cultural Capital in the recent past and often gets overlooked, but from there are a number of other cities and activities. I do think you have to do somewhere in Anadalucia. As mentioned, April is a busy festival time. Of note, with global warming, it has also tended to heat up by April - sometimes to 100F, so be prepared. I also like Carlos' suggestion of the Canary Islands.
What about Sienna, Italy or somewhere in Tuscany for smaller hill towns?
Are you renting a car or relying on public transport?
If the former, look at Extremadura. If the latter, Andalucia. I know you said less tourism focused, but Andalucia is perfect for early spring and you have time to get beyond the crowds.
I'd consider doing both actually, and come back to explore northern Spain at a less rainy time of year.
Thanks for the feedback, I'll begin to research all your suggestions. We can slide our dates if May gets us out of the rainy season and do May/June if that's better. Some beach time, but not a requirement for the longer stay times. We will do a mix of car and public transportation based on itinerary.
April into May is not really the rainy season in northern Spain...it may rain any time, weather is quite unpredictable and you have to come prepared for all kind of weather. But, in exchange, it´s a lovely mountainous area, green, with beautiful mountain ranges and a wonderful, rocky coast with stunning beaches. And the gastronomy, from Galicia in the west to the Basque Country in the East, is amazing. Northern Spain is a very far place from the typical idea of Spain....no flamenco, no gazpacho, no sangría (well, this is true for most of Spain), not the sunny side..
We can slide our dates if May gets us out of the rainy season and do May/June if that's better. Some beach time, but not a requirement for the longer stay times.
I think May/June is better for northern Spain, but less ideal in the south when it starts to get quite hot with heatwaves. That's the difficulty with combining different corners of Spain in the same season, Spain has such diversity in climate, geography, weather... on one end you have the arid Tabernas Desert and on the other you have the lush green rainforests of Fragas do Eume, it's a bit like Peru.
