Hello Community
I have a few questions.
My husband and I will be traveling to Spain the beginning of May.
We will spend a few nights in Barcelona (we have already been there) and then go to Andorra.
Opinions vary on Andorra some love it some not so much.
From Andorra we will go to The Basque Country.
Since we don't know how we will feel about Andorra we were thinking of only booking a hotel for 2 nights. If we love it, we can always try to add a night somewhere.
From Andorra, we will drive to north. Again, wanting to have some flexibility, is it crazy to not have hotel reservations for a few nights and do things spur of the moment? We may want to spend a night elsewhere nd explore.
We have never traveled like that before so it makes me a little nervous.
We are planning 2 nights in San Sebastian and 2 nights in Bilbao. Do we need more time in either one place?
We have about 3 nights to play around with.
Lastly, we are still deciding how to drive from Andorra north. Hubby wants to go through France, I want to go through Spain.
I am a terrible mountain driver as the sheer cliffs scare the daylights out of me. (if you've ever been to Yosemite you know what I mean).
Any and all advise is very appreciated.
Thank you!
Victoria
Posted by
Paris
6901 posts
I am not so sure about Andorra either, but mostly because it is out of the way when you go from Barcelona to the Basque country. I would perhaps go to Aragón instead (Ordesa national park for high mountain scenery). If you arrive from Huesca, the drive is OK.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6788 posts
It's been a few years, but I doubt it has improved much: I found the city (Andorra la Vella) to be pretty awful - just a bunch of cheap, tax-free junk being hawked on every street, and crowds of people chasing that. It was quite a disappointment, and I was happy to drive on. Outside the city, the countryside (mountains especially) were scenic.
Posted by
Barcelona ☀️ Sweden ❄️
3904 posts
If you don't like curvy mountain roads, I would not recommend trying to cross the length of the Pyrenees just to see Andorra, it's no San Marino, more like a duty free shop. Best to drive the direct route through central Aragon region, from Barcelona to the Basque Country. Spend a few nights in Zaragoza conveniently halfway between the two.
Zaragoza has more than 2,000 years of history including Roman ruins of the city walls, forum, and amphitheater The Aljafería; an 11th-century Moorish palace, the most northern Islamic palace in Europe. Throughout Zaragoza you'll find Mudéjar architecture, a unique mix between Moorish and Christian styles and motifs. Zaragoza is also the home to the Nuestra Señora del Pilar Basilica, which has one of the best churches in Spain.
I think that Zaragoza is one of those undiscovered gems that Rick Steves calls "back doors". It reminds me a lot of Barcelona before international mass tourism really took off.