Hi !
what would you do with 25-28 days with an arrival and a departure from Barcelona in july ?
1) we already been to Barcelona and catalonia 7 years ago so dont feel the need to stay there for more than 2-3 nights.
2) we would have car.
3) we are looking to escape heat a bit (yes Spain is not a good choice for that )
4) Pyrénées would be nice (we do love mountains sights) but where and how much time ?
thanks
This is hard to answer without more info. Do you want to stay in Spain exclusively or do you want to incorporate other countries?
We can add France, but we have been to Dordogne and other northern parts of France. We have already done Portugal and dont feel the need to go back.
Choices:
1) Take the high speed train to Madrid, also visit nearby Toledo and Segovia, then head west visit Avila, Salamanca and enter Portugal visiting the Douro River Valley (Pinhao, Regua and Porto). Then north to see Santiago de Compostela and Galacia before heading east to the Basque region of Spain. Then head north into France through the mountains into Bordeaux region, then north to Loire Valley, then either to Paris (or do Normandy then Paris). From Paris head to Strasbourg, France and the Alsace region. From there you could visit Switzerland or move down to the Rhone River Valley and visit Provence all the way to the French Riveria. Then back to Barcelona.
2) Take the high speed train to Paris, then visit Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg (don't miss Brugges and Amsterdam). Then either visit Strasbourg and the Alsace region as well as the Rhone River Valley and Riveria. Then back down to Barcelona.
When in large cities like Madrid or Paris, don't have a rental car, but when you need to travel again pick up another car.
July heat is no joke in many parts of Spain. Consider "Green Spain" such as Basque County and NW Spain. For both locations, it's easier to fly. I don't know much about the Pyrenees, but it should be cooler than most of the country.
I’d spend time between Barcelona and the French border, then head west towards Huesca and Jaca. If there was still time after that, I’d head southeast towards Alcañiz and Tortosa before heading back to Barcelona. There are enough places to see and things to do in those areas to occupy a couple months. It really depends on what you like to do and see.
