Can we do Barcelona with a side trip to Montserrat, maybe a couple of days in Costa Brava AND see San Sebastian in 9 days? Is that ridiculous? If it's doable, how do you recommend doing it. If we have to drop something, what do we drop? Thanks!
Posted by
Washington DC
27114 posts
A great deal depends on what you want to do in Barcelona proper. Ten days there wasn't enough for me, but other people schedule 3 or 4.
San Sebastian is 5-1/2 to 7-1/2 hours from Barcelona by train. ViaMichelin (thought to be somewhat optimistic in its driving-time estimates) suggests that driving will not be faster. So you're going to lose the better part of two days just in transit to San Sebastian. Personally, I think it's a shame to go that far and not see Bilbao and other parts of the Basque Country.
I suggest dropping San Sebastian from this trip and seeing more of Catalunya, which will increase your ratio of sightseeing time to in-transit time. Girona is a wonderful town (worth one or two nights), and Spain's best Roman ruins are in Tarragona. Enric has contributed a lot of posts on the wonders of Catalunya.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Day
1. Arrive Barcelona (4 nights)
2.3. Barcelona
4. Montserrat
5. Fly to San Sebastián (2 nights)
6. San Sebastián
7. Fly back to Barcelona. Pick up hire car. Drive to Costa Brava (2 nights)
8. Costa Brava
9. Drive to Barcelona airport. Return car. Fly out.
Vueling flies directly from Barcelona to San Sebastián.
Obviously dropping San Sebastián frees things up. Spend an extra night each on the Costa Brava and in Barcelona.