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Change of Plans - Please Help!

Hello, everybody is telling me that I'm crazy to go to south of Spain in July ( sevilla . granada. cordoba. valencia.) (my trip is 12 full days in Spain - with 3 nights already booked in madrid )
My trip starts in Madrid (that is already booked) - I'm finishing in Barcelona my daughter plane leaves from there)

So if I decide to go to the other way... Madrid up North and finishing in Barcelona.... I'm not familiar at all with the north of Spain...should I add some place from France? it's that worth it?? ...
(I have to make a decision very soon so I book hotels )

Where I should go ?? in the north of Spain ?? what are the must visit??

I'm eager for suggestion ...

Thank you

Posted by
950 posts

It sounds like you want to visit southern Spain and are willing to accept northern Spain as your next best option. If you can take the heat of summer, IMO you sould stick with your original plans. Ensure that your hotels are modern and fully air conditioned. Plan your days around a combination of indoor and outdoor activities, including lunch inside an air conditioned restaurant or an afternoon siesta back at the hotel. Use public transportation or taxis to get around, rather than walking longer distances. And, since you are in the south and east, the beaches are lovely and the water is refreshing.

Posted by
6805 posts

I'm with jkh on this. A lot depends on what you're used to, though. If you wilt when the temp gets over 80 or so, then chances are the south is not for you. I'm happiest when the temp is 95 or so, and southern Spain or Italy is no problem.

Should you decide to head north, I must mention that my husband and I had a wonderful time in Bilbao last year. There are amazing museums, great outdoor cafes, and we kept tripping over fascinating cultural events.

Posted by
3156 posts

My daughter and her husband were in Madrid, Toledo, and Cordova in July. It was over 100 every day. It was connected to a work conference for her so no choice.

I helped her reserve places in Toledo and Cordoba. We made sure that places were air conditioned and large enough to be comfortable spending afternoons there. One had a private plunge pool while the other one had a pool. In Madrid, she went to her conference while her husband visited museums.

They had a good time but in Toledo and Cordova they adopted the Spanish siesta to deal with the heat.

One thing to keep in mind is that day trips tend to not work as well in the heat as there is no way for you to go back to your room and take a break.

Posted by
11200 posts

Don't come to southern France; it's just as hot here. I do everything before 10:30 am and don't go out again until after 5 pm.
If you want to adapt to southern Spain, consider wearing linen clothing every day. You can find these at import shops or buy a couple when you get to Madrid. And pack sandals. Good walking sandals to wear every day.

Posted by
733 posts

Andalusia is the heart of Spain, I believe. It's the most culturally rich region of a great nation. If your friends are pointing you to northern Spain because of the climate, it's not that much different from southern Spain. I visited two cities on your list, Sevilla and Cordoba, and loved them. I wish I had had the time for Granada and Velencia.

This doesn't mean northern Spain should be skipped. When I was in Barcelona, I took a train 2 hours north to see the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres, practically the northeastern corner of Spain. It was lovely. I'm sure north-central and northwestern Spain are nice, too.

Posted by
7842 posts

If I want to visit a location, the heat won’t stop me. Much of Spain is hot in July.

Posted by
1511 posts

Verafuca

Do you only have 12 nights and you need to fly into Madrid and out of Barcelona? If so that is not a lot of time.

If you want to explore multiple cities in Northern Spain (or alternatively Southern Spain), you would add considerably to your hotel changes and travel times which will severely reduce the amount of time you have actually having fun. Spain is a big country and inserting multiple Northern or Southern stops will create a very long and indirect route between Madrid and Barcelona.

I think you would benefit from having at least 4 nights in Madrid and finish with at least 5 nights in Barcelona (my favorite of the two). Those two major cities have so much to see and do. You could easily fill those days and still have the option of doing a day trip from each without doing a hotel change. That would leave you with only 3 nights in between for one additional city. If you try to do more than 3 cities/hotels in 12 nights, I think that you will probably find that the whole trip to be too rushed and exhausting. How many times do you want to be lugging your bags in 100° weather?

FWIW, we had 14 nights and we stayed in Barcelona 5 (day trip to Montserrat), Valencia 4 and Madrid 5 (day trip to Toledo). I can vouch for Valencia. It is a delightful city which I would rank as a close second to Barcelona.

Good luck.

Posted by
9058 posts

Can you handle the heat.
I am from Georgia and found southern Spain (my first visit there) in the Summer was similar to what I was use to regarding temps into the 90s. If you are from Canada or Michigan, you might not care for the heat.

My favorite cities in Spain are Toledo and Seville.
Barcelona is nice, but not Seville.

Posted by
2439 posts

One of the things that surprised me about Seville was how much activity was skewed towards late in the day. I know it’s common knowledge that things like dinner are much later, but most of our rooms in Madrid, Barcelona and Granada faced the street and none of them were as deserted in the a.m. and still going so late at night. So, that takes some of the sting out of the heat. Our hotel in Seville had a pool on the roof and good a.c.

Posted by
310 posts

Concur on traveling as you planned. A fall month in southern Spain convinced us next visit will be in winter. Everywhere we went (Barcelona, Granada, Cordoba, Seville, Madrid & Toledo) was far more active very early in the morn & late at night. During the day does avoid the crowds (and shops), tho'. In any case stay out of the Barcelona & Madrid metros! Super HOT. The buses are more convenient and cooler. A lot of the main attractions were made to be cooler inside & in the gardens (it has always been hot in Spain) so having to go during the day is not sudden death. In spite of the heat & humidity, we loved our time there.