24 Days in Spain, Summer 2019

I know what you said about the weather, but have you taken a previous trip to southern Europe during the summer? Andalucía is mind-blowingly hot at that time of year. Take a look at the summary weather chart on Seville's Wikipedia page. Consider that, unless you spend your summer days gardening or playing multiple rounds of golf, you probably live in an air-conditioned house, hop into your air-conditioned car to get to an air-conditioned workplace or store, etc.

Being a tourist in Europe is not like that. Some museums, shops, restaurants and cafes are not air conditioned. The only place you can count on having good air conditioning is your hotel room. There is a reason why Spain takes a long siesta in the afternoon.

Comments on itinerary:

• A day-trip to Tangier is a poor use of two days. Morocco is fabulous. Tangier is not.

• 2-1/2 days in Barcelona is terribly short.

• The Picos de Europa area may be a good spot for your family. It seems to be an area with opportunities for outdoor recreation. The old stone town of Potes is very picturesque.

• I wouldn't drive all the way from Cantabria to Santiago de Compostela for just one day. Galicia's very nice and worth more time than that, and it leaves you with a 5-1/2 to 8-hour train journey back to Madrid. You could use those two days to see more of the Basque Country or apply them to Barcelona.

Thank you for the reply and the good tips. We have not been to southern Europe during the summer, but live in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Summers here are scorchingly hot and humid, yet we still pursue all sorts of outdoor activities (boating, cycling, hiking, golf, etc.). We've lived here all of our lives, and the summer heat is just a part of it.

We have decided to remove Morocco from our proposed itinerary. The major decisions now are whether to strike Andalusia entirely, or do an abbreviated run through Andalusia visiting Seville and Granada. Again, our family interests trend more towards outdoor activities and smaller towns rather than museums, cathedrals, and large cities. We'd really like to see Alcazar and Alhambra however. Is the additional travel overhead (extra flight and train) worth it?

We’ve also decided to spend time in Costa Brava. Exact location is TBD, but we’re leaning towards Begur. Finally, if we strike Andalusia entirely it will give us significantly more time in Basque country, Cantabria, and Asturias (exact locations TBD). We’re leaning towards the non-Andalusia itinerary.

Non-Andalusia:
6/19 - Arrive Madrid, depart same day for Barcelona (fly)
6/20 - Barcelona
6/21 - Barcelona
6/22 - Barcelona
6/23 - Barcelona -> Costa Brava (rent car)
6/24 - Costa Brava
6/25 - Costa Brava
6/26 - Costa Brava
6/27 - Costa Brava -> Pyrenees (Alquezar/Benasque)
6/28 - Pyrenees
6/29 - Pyrenees -> San Sebastian
6/30 - San Sebastian
7/1 - San Sebastian
7/2 - San Sebastian
7/3 - San Sebastian -> Cantabria (Santillana del Mar?)
7/4 - Santillana del Mar
7/5 - Santillana del Mar -> Potes
7/6 - Potes (Picos de Europa)
7/7 - Potes -> Oviedo
7/8 - Oviedo
7/9 - Oviedo -> Madrid (return car)
7/10 - Madrid
7/11 - Madrid -> Toledo (day trip)
7/12 - Depart Madrid

Short Andalusia:
6/19 - Arrive Madrid, depart same day for Seville (fly)
6/20 - Seville
6/21 - Seville
6/22 - Seville -> Granada (bus/train)
6/23 - Granada
6/24 - Granada
6/25 - Granada -> Barcelona (fly)
6/26 - Barcelona
6/27 - Barcelona
6/28 - Barcelona
6/29 - Barcelona -> Costa Brava (rent car)
6/30 - Costa Brava
7/1 - Costa Brava
7/2 - Costa Brava
7/3 - Costa Brava -> Pyrenees (Alquezar/Benasque)
7/4 - Pyrenees
7/5 - Pyrenees -> San Sebastian
7/6 - San Sebastian
7/7 - San Sebastian
7/8 - San Sebastian -> Potes
7/9 - Potes
7/10 - Potes -> Madrid (return car)
7/11 - Madrid
7/12 - Depart Madrid

I like #2 better bc I would choose Seville and Granada over Oviedo and more time in SS. When you say Costa Brava, is that including Girona and surrounding towns (Figueres, Besalu, Cadaques)?
And lastly, on the heat: I agree that its totally doable; having lived in the Southeast muggy summer heat, and now in the SW dry scorching heat, I much prefer the scorching dry, but, a parasol is great, and sunscreen is essential. While indoor ambient heat (and that in the shade) is tolerable, its the feeling of being fried like an ant under a magnifying glass that is so harsh, and where something like a parasol is brilliant
Edited to add: what will you do with all that time in Potes? (aside: I am going to Spain with my kids this summer too, similar ages, and Potes looked cute and the area beautiful, but I couldn't figure out what we would do with our time - gondola up and hike, and then... hike more? Churches? That would all take about a day - so we chose the area around Congas de Onis bc it had a hike we want to do [Ruta de Cares], and a basilica, and a hike to a swimming hole with cliffs to jump from, which my son could do all day. But Potes is very appealing, I am just wondering how you will use the time
Also, Santillana del Mar is not on the water. It also looks quaint, but aside from strolling it for a bit, I thought a coast village would give my kids more to explore
Finally, are you aware of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe on the peninsula between SS and Bilbao? Its a castle-looking place used in Game of Thrones that kids would likely get a kick out of.

Hi Jessica. In Costa Brava we definitely plan on visiting Figueres and Cadaques for the Dali museum and house. Girona looks very appealing also, but I think we’ll actually stay closer to the coast (Begur maybe). We really want to explore all the area beaches and coves. Perhaps we’ll visit Girona as a day trip, or stop there when we head for San Sebastian.

Regarding Potes, we’d only be there for one full day. That day would be hiking and gondola. We’re not 100% sold on any of our Cantabria/Asturias choices however. I’m going to check out that hike you mention in Congas de Onis. A swimming hole with cliff jumps would definitely be a hit with my crew. As an aside, that’s one big reason we want to overnight in the Pyrenees: canyoning around Alquezar!

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, yes! We are definitely going to visit as either a day trip from San Sebastian or when we leave SS for points west. We need to figure out a Bilbao itinerary as well. We want to visit the Guggenheim, but do we do it as a day trip, or spend a couple of nights there? As you can probably tell from the itineraries we’ve stubbed out, we don’t like one night stays. We typically prefer to find a central location and settle in for several days.

Captain Ed, The cliff jumping I mentioned is not on the Ruta de Cares hike I mentioned (which starts from Poncebos, closer to Las Arenas than Congas de Onis We will be staying between Arenas and Congas, with that hike, the Basilica and the river/jumping on our list).
Here's the beta from the site where I discovered this:

"River swim/Cliff jumping:
Rio Dobra (Olla de San Vincente, Asturias) – Wild Swimming in Asturias Spain
A small parking area for this swimming spot is less than 10 minutes south of Congas de Onis, where we took a bus to Lakes of Covadonga.
There is no large sign indicating any wild swimming place, so it’s kind of tricky. Look for a restaurant called Restaurante Puente Dobra on the road N-625. Right before you cross the Dobra river itself, you will see the restaurant on the left (if coming from the North). Park the car, and walk in. Don’t forget to bring water and some snacks.

Google map search:

Playa Fluvial Olla De San Vicente, 33589 Río Dobra, Asturias, Spain
Senda De La Hoya De San Vicente, N-625"

Also: from this: https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/best-places-to-swim-spain
"BEST FOR JUMPING
Olla de San Vicente, Sella and Dobra, Asturias & Picos de Europa
Saint Vincent's Cooking Pot is a circular lagoon of crystalline blue-green waters where white rocks and a small beach make it an ideal spot for swimming. For the more adventurous, a waterfall and deep gully above the pool are great for jumping and diving."

We tried a base+day trips last year and did not like it, so while your family and ours (kids are 11, 14, 16) seem to be doing similar things, we will have a few one night stays and move more often

Edited to add: you can find info on the Ruta de Cares hike on TripAdvisor (just put the name int he search). Its about 7 miles RT, but a shuttle picks up in a small village called Cain some time in the afternoon if you prefer a one way option...

I don't believe you need that amount of time for Granada. Cordoba is very special and more than just the mezquita. The old, Jewish quarter is beautiful. You could drop a day from Granada and stay one night in Cordoba.

Agree with Jules. From research, not personal experience of course ;)

Jessica, thanks for the link and the info. Some of those swimming holes look awesome!

Jules M., I was disappointed that Cordoba didn't make the grade on our first itinerary, but good to know we could cut a day in Granada. I still feel that we are short-changing Andalusia with this itinerary. We could probably cut a day from Costa Brava without too much heartache and add it elsewhere.

The latest:
6/19 - Arrive Madrid, depart same day for Seville (fly)
6/20 - Seville
6/21 - Seville
6/22 - Seville -> Cordoba (train)
6/23 - Cordoba -> Granada (bus)
6/24 - Granada
6/25 - Granada -> Barcelona (fly)
6/26 - Barcelona
6/27 - Barcelona
6/28 - Barcelona
6/29 - Barcelona -> Costa Brava (rent car)
6/30 - Costa Brava
7/1 - Costa Brava
7/2 - Costa Brava
7/3 - Costa Brava -> Pyrenees (Alquezar/Benasque)
7/4 - Pyrenees
7/5 - Pyrenees -> San Sebastian
7/6 - San Sebastian
7/7 - San Sebastian
7/8 - San Sebastian -> Cantabria (town TBD)
7/9 - Cantabria
7/10 - Cantabria -> Madrid (return car)
7/11 - Madrid
7/12 - Depart Madrid

We were in Spain and Portugal for a month last year from mid- May to mid-June. We felt very satisfied with our 5 days in Barcelona (3 at the front end and two at the rear), 2 nights each in Cordoba, Seville and Granada. Visited Bilbao also which is worth the time and easy to get to from San Sebastian. Loved Spain so much we are going back this year to do the remainder of our bucket list and spend even more time in Barcelona.