Hello,
I plan to spend two months in Spain and want to rent an apartment for a month in two different locations. I plan to spend one month in Barcelona, but would like to hear recommendations on other locations. Of course I understand it depends on my interests. I do intend to travel to areas around where I'm staying, for instance to the south of France from Barcelona.
Thanks!
Gillian
What month? (For example, I would skip Andalucia is August, but it super convenient for day trip exploring).
I'd want somewhere smaller to contrast with bustling Barcelona, but what is your preference?
I love love loved San Sebastian, so recommend anything in Basque region--which is also good for day trips.
lucky you!
I will be there in May & June and was thinking about Sevilla as well. I will look into San Sebastian and Andalucia. Thanks!
May is a simply wonderful time to be in Andalucia. A lot of people adore Sevilla, and it would probably make a good transport hub, but I was charmed by Cordoba and Ronda. Being on the water in Cadiz might also be interesting.
I would consider Andalucia for the first month. It’s quintessential Spain, very different from Barcelona (Good to see the variety in a country!) and a true cultural experience. Home of Flamenco, moorish architecture, sherry, and much of what we first think of when we think of Spain.
There are plenty of possible towns that would be good. Seville has the most to do, and plenty of good side trips so it’s my gut reaction.
I would also choose Sevilla for the atmosphere, size of the city, and connections to nearby locations. Wow, enjoy your time!
Spain is a big country by European standards, being 1000+ km from Cadiz to San Sebastián. Choosing just 2 locations means either some very long travel days, or missing out on quite a few places. You really will have to make some compromises.
With 2 months I would plan for ...
•extended time in Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla.
•some time also for Granada and Valencia.
•a road trip across the north from San Sebastián to Ssntiago de Compostela.
You mention visiting the south of France from Barcelona. I'm not sure whether you're contemplating day-trips or being away from our apartment for a few nights. If the former, spend some time on the Deutsche Bahn website, checking the travel times for trips by rail. You might also want to take a look at the fares. I used SNCF for the quick look described below, but if you're interested in Spanish regional trains you'd need Renfe.
If you want to see much of southern France, I think you'd do better to spend 2-1/2 or 3 weeks in Barcelona and the rest of the month in France itself. For one thing, you'd probably save substantial money on transportation costs. I looked at fares to Collioure, which is not far from the Spanish border. The lowest one-way fare I found for the period mid-March to mid-April was €40.10. That trip involves a relatively fast train to Perpignan and a slower train back down to Collioure. It's possible you could save some money by taking a slow Spanish train to the border and then a slow French train on to Collioure, but that would make the trip take a lot longer.
Should you decide to base yourself in far-southern France for a week or so, you could do worse than to stay in Perpignan. It is not the most exciting town/city in France, but it is a transportation hub from which (as of 2017) it was possible to travel to a lot of outlying towns for the grand sum of €1, often by bus but occasionally also by train.
The above is not meant to suggest that a month in Barcelona would be a mistake. I love the city and have mused about doing exactly what you're considering (minus the cross-border excursions). One thing I suggest you be cautious about is planning Sunday excursions to less-popular inland destinations. I needed to catch a bus from Ripoll to Olot and then on to Girona in late July. The bus never showed up and I ended up paying for two hotel rooms that night. People in the area told me the buses were not 100% reliable, but that's the only time I ran into a significant problem, though I noticed that my bus from Besalu left 8 minutes early. Schedules can be very thin on Sundays (and holidays), so if your bus doesn't show up, there may be no alternative. (Ripoll's worth visiting, so it was not a bad experience.)
Edited to add: I agree with David and wouldn't want to tie myself down to just two bases in a country the size of Spain unless I traveled to the country often, but I'm thinking you're looking for a more relaxing, live-like-a-local sort of experience rather than a more traditional trip. It will be fine as long as you are aware of the geographical limitations of your planned approach.
Thanks to everyone thus far!
Last spring I spent a month in Italy and moved around far too much, which is exhausting. This trip I would like to base myself in one or two cities and when I feel like having another adventure, hop on a train for a day or two, or three, then return “home”. I tend to really enjoy a change of scenery after about 5 days and so as with Italy, I know how easy it is to take the train, but this time with an overnight bag...
Any other suggestions are welcomed!
You could have fun spending some time in western Catalunya and visiting places like the very pretty Seu de Urgell. If you're not too late in the year (it gets hot). Puigcerda is a good base for Seu de Urgell and some smaller towns in the Cerdanya Valley. You can also hop across the border (walk for 40 minutes or taxi) and pick up the French Yellow Train at Bourg-Madame for a trip through the Pyrenees to Villefranche de Conflent. This is an SNCF train, not an overpriced tourist train (though most passengers are tourists).
Another good base would be Zaragoza, from which I visited Tarazona and the lovely, ignored-by-tourists Teruel (mudejar towers galore).
I also liked spending several nights in Girona. Although you can certainly visit Figueres and Cadaques from Barcelona, they're closer to Girona, and the latter has a very atmospheric historic district with multiple worthwhile sights. An easy side-trip by bus to Besalu is also possible.
I see your point about moving around. But things are pretty spread out, remember Spain is a lot bigger than Italy. I'd go for a compromise. 8-9.5 weeks. Spend 3 weeks in Barcelona and tripping around, then 1.5 weeks of short stays working your way to Sevilla for 3 weeks. Then 2-3 nights in Toledo, and the rest in Madrid with day trips.
As others have indicated, it depends on the time of year. I wouldn't want to be in Andalucia or around Madrid between June and September.
I like Chani's suggestion a lot.
I will admit to being frugal. The thought of paying rent in two places for 5 nights just to have a home base for a month goes against my sensibilities....and all the return transport fares. As mentioned, Spain is too big for one place to be home base for a month with day trips. If price is no option, and if you don't pack light, then I'd concede to your plan, but I would prefer to plant for a few weeks, move on to another region, the another. Last year, temps in Seville in May were already pressing 90F, so as much as I love Andalusia, you want to consider your tolerance of activity in hot climates. If it suits uou however, go the Slow Travel route of several days in Ronda, Granada, Cordoba. I could easily spend a week in Granada, Cordoba, Toledo....either watching life go by or doing further day trips. Seville is convenient, but I personally never caught the soul of the place....maybe I wasn't there long enough, but the other smaller towns enchanted me.
If heat would be an issue, go north. France is actually closer to San Sebastion than Barcelona.
If you wanted a ‘complete’ visit to Spain you should really include time in Galicia and the Basque Country. How you work them in while satisfying your criteria will be a big challenge.
10 nights in Barcelona
5 nights in Valencia
10 nights in Madrid
5 nights in Granada
10 nights in Sevilla
10 nights in Galicia
10 nights in Basque Country
