Hello!
I am looking to plan about 9-10 days in Spain in late May. I have never been and am looking for general tips on where to visit. I am currently looking at Barcelona, Madrid and maybe a smaller town (for the small town feel)?? We are looking for a relaxing vacation filled with great food, wine and the Spanish culture (not huge on the whole day spent in museums but we would still visit the big name ones) We would fly into and out of Madrid and/or Barcelona (doesn't really matter which we fly into and out of).
I would love to get a taste of the coast near Barcelona, from photos the water there looks amazing.
Is Valencia worth fitting into the itinerary? Or would it be more efficient to see more and spend most time in Madrid an Barcelona and take day trips to the surrounding area??
Any tips/suggestions are helpful!!!!
Posted by
OP
23 posts
Also very open to just Madrid and south Spain (just want to visit some coast to be near the water)
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4656 posts
Do you really save that much money doing a return flight over flying into Madrid and out of Barcelona? Spain is a big country with diverse regions.
You sort of need to decide priorities. You can certainly do Barcelona and Madrid, with say Zaragosa (which is on that train route) as your small town, or Toledo, which is an hour from Madrid, could be your 'small town'. But staying in the environs of one or the other might save some wear and tear. If the coast has a draw, then consider just sticking around Barcelona and the coast. Valencia is interesting for a couple of days, and May would mean a pretty time for the coastal part of town. It is home to paella and has a direct bus to BCN airport (3 hours), but not a first visit 'must see'. If you want to do more slow travel, it is a pretty coast line and you can use that as a destination with some smaller town stops along the way. I noted some non-touristed towns with old hill top castles that looked interesting.
I am not a great fan of day trips, as often a town has more to offer that what you can see with a quick in and out. I prefer to actually do the move and stay 2 nights...i.e. Toledo and Cordoba. But I did do a day trip to Segovia from Madrid which was enough. Also, day trip costs can add up with the return train fares. Some will pay that price rather than pack and move every few days - so the choice is yours.
Both Barcelona and Madrid have plenty to do for your length of time if you include day drips or shorter travel.
Sorry I can't say definitively 'this is the direction you should take', but there are really just too many options and you are not decided enough to see what direction to head for.
Posted by
Barcelona + Sweden
4180 posts
If you would like to include Barcelona and a smaller town (I'm thinking Toledo), I would do something like this:
Fly in to Madrid
Madrid (3 nights)
AVE Train to Toledo
Toledo (2 nights)
AVE Train to Barcelona via Madrid Atocha
Barcelona (4 nights) - Day trip to Tossa de Mar
Fly out of Barcelona
I think that Tossa de Mar should satisfy your beach craving lol, however the water may still be a tad brisk in May, but still swimmable. An alternate idea is to scratch Toledo and just spend those two days at Tossa de Mar, as it is a smaller beach town that makes for a nice base to explore the Costa Brava.