Cities close to Barcelona

Girona is an hour to Barcelona by train. The flower festival will be going on there in May. I absolutely would not use a car to travel from anywhere with public transportation into a city for sightseeing.

I was in Barcelona mid October . It was hot and very crowded but there were no anti-tourist protests. I felt very comfortable and was treated well.

Wonderful city.

Thx
We are thinking pick up the car when leaving Madrid, drive into Rioja some stops and into San Sebastian, do some day trips from there. Drop car in Barcelona. Thoughts?

Please post the entire itinerary--it's hard to advise with only partial info, as evidenced by the car issue--thanks!

Land in Madrid stay 3 nights pick up car
Drive to LaRiojas stay 3 nights
Drive to San Sebastián stay 3 nights
Drive to Zaragoza 1 night
Drive to Barcelona drop car and stay 3 nights or city near by
Fly back to US from Barcelona.

Land in Madrid stay 3 nights pick up car
Drive to LaRiojas stay 3 nights
Drive to San Sebastián stay 3 nights
Drive to Zaragoza 1 night
Drive to Barcelona drop car and stay 3 nights or city near by
Fly back to US from Barcelona.

Thanks!
While this is a bit fast-paced for me, I see nothing wrong with using a car for between cities--although you could do it without (especially if your interest are wine-related--I'd hire a driver for a couple days instead if that is the case).
BUT, I would not pick up the car until I was leaving Madrid, so you don't have to pay for parking/aggravation while there. And I would definitely drop it on arrival in Barcelona. (You could perhaps drop in Zaragoza and take train onward.)
I think for someone who likes smaller places, it would not be a terrible idea to stay outside of Barcelona and day trip in for a couple sites, but your time there is short and you've already had a lot of moving around, so I would put all of the tourism hubbub that has happened in Barcelona out of your mind and stay in the city.
Last, because I just cannot help myself, I would delve deeply into some of these areas and see if you might want to drop one of your locations. I just have a personal aversion to skipping over a lot of stuff, so If I could not explore as much of the Basque country as I would like, I would save it and focus on other areas more closely. Regardless, just research how you will make the most of the car with limited time--good luck!

Thanks for all the feedback

Hi kdt316travel,

take look at going from Madrid to Logroño by bus. There are several every day and they are comfortable. Then you can pick up the car here for the next part of your trip. Unless you want the car in and around Barcelona, drop it off in Zaragoza and take the AVE into Barcelona.

If you search the forum, you will find many people really like Zaragoza and is worth a visit but is still a bit under the tourist radar

Do you have anywhere special in mind when visiting La Rioja? You might like Briones, it is one of the "Pueblos mas bonito de España". There are a few others, but Briones is well located to visit different parts of La Rioja.

Thanks for that I will check that out for car. In rioja we are staying at a vineyard near La Guardia.

@kdt3160travel

Any suggestion?

Yes, don't be concerned, honestly, there's no need in this case.

There's no organised "movement" against anyone in particular in that sense. While some (minor) "performances" were displayed some months ago -there was nothing but that- to protest against the increasing costs of rentals in the city -something that's happening in many major cities- these were (mostly) addressed towards the government. The images that appeared in the press with a few idiots who thought it'd be amusing to use water pistols against some people sitting on some terraces along the Rambles to gain notoriety, were nothing but an anecdote.

Also, I just want to mention that whenever there's a protest—no matter what it's about, whether it's students, public workers, farmers, or whoever—it's better not to be caught in the middle. Even if it's peaceful (and I’ll admit, our protests here in Catalonia are usually noisy but extremely peaceful), there’s always a risk that the tension could rise and things could turn into a scuffle. Since, as a tourist, you shouldn't be involved, if you see a protest in any city, no matter where, it's best to just steer clear and head to some streets a few blocks away from the protest… just in case. And enjoy the city.

If you live or have lived in any major city you'll understand what I am trying to convey here: cities are hubs of people with different needs and viewpoints. There's always something going on, always a thousand things happening at once. However, trying to generalize any of it distorts the true picture of the city

Just my take, anyway!

Note: I am a seasoned traveller, having also resided in a number of different cities abroad, so I consider myself somehow experienced in these matters, even if it's just a tad. Barcelona is my home town but I am a regular citizen and I don't work in tourism, therefore, I couldn't care less whether tourists visit or cease to visit, aside the fact tourism is not -by any means- the driving force of the city... this is to say that my view expressed above is sincere and have no further interest in conveying any agenda.

On another note...

If you're planning to rent a car, you'll definitely have the chance to visit hidden gems scattered all over the region that would be hard to see otherwise. Plus, as I've said over and over in many other posts, you don’t need to plan long trips here. For many reasons, the history of this region has given you a ton of interesting places to visit, all very close to each other. So, you can choose a base—like Barcelona or Girona—and take day trips from there without the hassle of constantly packing and unpacking your luggage. Plus, because of Catalunya’s unique geography, you’ve got stunning coves just a stone’s throw away, long beaches, nature reserves, lush forests, ancient cities and villages, and not too far off, towering mountains reaching up to 10,000 feet... all within a 200-mile radius.

Take a look: https://www.catalunya.com/en