Barcelona...then where? Seeking advice

This dilemma often pops up in the forum and it all boils down to the different travel styles, so it's always "complicated" to recommend something. I myself am not fond of travelling thousands of miles on a trip so I always tend to recommend shorter itineraries where you can reeeeally soak it in... without getting bored, of course!

For this reason, if you're flying into Barcelona, I would suggest an itinerary WITHIN Catalonia. Assuming the first and last days are "lost", since you're likely to be arriving and departing during the day, then you merely have 8 days.

SOME IDEAS...

• What is Catalonia
• Welcome to Catalonia
• Catalonia Experience
• Map of roads in Catalonia
• Routes and getaways
• Hiking Costa Brava thru her Camins de Ronda (what are Camins de Ronda)

... and for having a peek of some of the places: www.infocatalonia.eu

Do you have any interest in Dali and his art?

If I'd had extra time in Barcelona, I'd like to visit the Dali museum in Figueres and his house in Cadaques as an overnight trip.

I definitely would stay in the north in August (and once went there in July to escape the heat of Morocco).

I haven't done the Catalonian exploration that Enric suggests, but have been quite happy with my visits around the Basque area. Rick's Spain book probably covers as much of France in his Basque chapter as you would need (if any). These Atlantic beaches can be busy in August, when most of France and other Europeans are also on vacation. San Sebastian's Semana Grande takes place when you're there - with an international fireworks competition every night! I'd book a hotel ahead. At the same time, I'd probably avoid the busy French resort of Biarritz.

If you drop a car at San Sebastian airport, the old town of Hondarribia is well worth a visit or overnight stay before the flight (I liked Hotel Palacete. Or drop at Bilbao and fly from there. But either way, you should probably stay another night in Barcelona before your flight home, since your Spanish connection is not built into your trans-Atlantic flight ticket.

Zaragoza can be quite hot in summer; the August average high is 89F, about 5F higher than in Barcelona, and neither Barcelona nor Pamplona can be counted on for cool weather. For that you might well need to head to Montserrat, the Pyrenees or the Basque Country. Beware the Cerdanya Valley, an interesting area east of Andorra that is a hotbox in the summer.

August
8. Arrive Barcelona (4)
9. Barcelona
10. Barcelona
11. Barcelona
12. Fly to Bilbao (1)
13. Evening bus to San Sebastián (3)
14. San Sebastián
15. San Sebastián
16. Early morning train (3h 42m) to Zaragoza (1)
17. Afternoon train (1h 29m) to Barcelona (1)
18. Depart Barcelona

If you have extra time in San Sebastian (and I would, with 3 nights; I much preferred Bilbao), you might hop on a bus eastward to Hondarribia, an interesting town with a fishermen's district/restaurants along the waterfront and an historic district uphill. Alternatively, the three former fishing villages, now touristy towns, of Zarautz, Getaria and Zumaia can be reached by rail and bus heading westward from San Sebastian.

I think Bilbao justifies more time than parts of two days. There's more there than the Guggenheim. For one thing, its historic district is much larger than San Sebastian's, and it is far less touristy.