Cities to avoid on weekends/ holiday?

What prices? What is your source for 'I should avoid Toledo on weekends because prices are 20% higher'. Prices of what? There would be a minor revolution if prices fluctuated like this anywhere.

You will not notice October 12th because you do not know any different from normal. There is little in the form of celebration wherever you will be.

And besides, sometimes part of the fun is being in a city on one of their biggie holidays. I unknowingly arrived in Athens on election day on my very first trip to Europe in 1993. It was sheer, unbelievable chaos and I loved it. The streets and sidewalks were teeming with cars and people, with horns blowing and confetti flying out of windows. Likewise, I got to Paris during the Fete de la Musique and was so enormously grateful for my randomly good timing.

I had to think about where I got that idea in my head, but I found the source - The RS Spain 2014 book says that in Toledo hotels "often have a two-tiered price system, with prices 20 percent higher on Friday and Saturday."

Oh and you generalized it to all of Toledo. Oops.

As for the holiday, here is a site: http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/spain/hispanic-day

More research showed that some museums are free that day.

Perhaps someone who has been in Spain October 12th can answer.

Valerie - I agree, being there on a holiday could be great! I didn't know if any one of the cities listed might have special celebrations that we wouldn't want to miss - or for some reason might want to avoid.

Thanks, Bets, helpful info - I can avoid planning to visit a museum on 10/12 when it's free and more crowded. I'd rather pay on a regular day to avoid crowds.
About the holiday - maybe I should have started by asking for comments from people who have been there on 10/12.
And yes, I did assume he was talking about Toledo hotels rather than hotels in general. I didn't see anything about weekend price increases in other parts of the book.

In North American large cities, hotel rates are often significantly higher on weekdays to take advantage of the business traveller. So in Toledo, Spain, it is the opposite. Uber calls it "surge pricing". I hate Uber.

'maybe I should have started by asking for comments from people who have been there on 10/12.'

Extraordinary. Are you suggesting I was guessing what happens on October 12th?

Interesting. We visited Toledo in November 2013 as a day trip from Madrid, so weren't researching lodging and prices. As with the situation Norma described above, it's also the opposite in downtown Brussels, Belgium, whose business-class hotels are used mostly by government and business people during the week, and they offer big discounts on weekends to get people into their rooms.

We arrived the evening of the Madrid-only Fiesta de la Almudena, but it was a solemn religious holiday and didn't seem to tie up traffic or affect places being open. On an earlier trip one summer, a jazz festival in Madrid attracted a massive crowd in front of the Royal Palace.

Not at all, Neil. I can't seem to keep from putting my foot in my mouth. I simply was considering Bets' suggestion that perhaps someone who has been there on 10/12 could comment. As I reread your original reply, I see that you speak with some authority about things not being very different on that day. Thanks for the input - I won't need to concern myself with the holiday as I finalize my dates.

Here's my take on Spain Day -- in 2007 we didn't realize that October 12 was a big holiday and arrived in Seville without reservations to find no rooms for the weekend. Finally went to the TI at the train station and when I explained that we didn't need "American style" lodgings they found us a bath-down-the-hall no-elevator hostal. Lots of people in the streets, big religious parade (festival of La Macarena). Great time to visit as long as you have a place to stay.

Is there a place any where where's hotels don't charge more for the weekend?

A note on Oct 12th, just for info in case anyone is travelling to certain regions...

While there are celebrations in cities (and towns) like Madrid, Seville, Granada, etc.. some regions (such as Basque Country or Catalonia for example) do not celebrate this date as they have their own National Days and while it's a public holiday, nothing out of the ordinary happens, it's much like any regular Sunday.

The National Day for Basque Country is called the Aberri Eguna and is celebrated on Easter Sunday and for Catalonia is called La Diada and is celebrated on Sep 11th. In those dates many cities and towns of these two territories celebrate hanging flags in the balconies, with traditional dances and other folk displays, flower offerings, homages and tributes to representative figures of these nations (past heroes, famous Bascs/Catalans), etc... and also parades and civic demonstrations

The reason is political as I'm sure many of you might know Spain is not a unified "country" in the traditional sense and in those regions there's a great number of people not considering themselves part of Spain but separate nations hence Oct 12th is not considered to be representative. So, if celebrations are what you're after on Oct 12th, you'll be disappointed in these two regions.

I haven't really paid attention but I have noticed that some hotels have higher rates on weekends or other days when there are special events. I guess I might rearrange my itinerary if the difference was significant and it wouldn't be hard to adjust my plan. If you're staying a few days in Madrid, and you find that the hotel of your choice charges a lot more for the weekend, you can adjust for it easily. I haven't seen that for Madrid hotels. Do consider if it's going to be difficult or inconvenient to adjust and compare that with the savings - may not be worth it to save €15-20.

Alternatively... downgrade your hotel :).... in major cities you'll find all sorts of establishments, from B&Bs and guesthouses to 5 start hotels so if you've stretched your budget to the max, simply look for a hotel in a lower category. Also, if/when my budget is too thin I personally prefer guesthouses and B&Bs if I am in a big city than less-than-3-star hotels as many of the earlier are run by the owners themselves -or they're directly involved- and tend to be more homy and comfortable. On smaller towns and villages is a different matter as is not uncommon to find 1-star hotels run by the owners. In anything run by the owners themselves one tends to be better serviced.

"Is there a place any where where's hotels don't charge more for the weekend? "

Sure. As Norma said, places that depend on business travelers often have lower prices on weekends. In Europe, that includes Brussels, Stockholm, and Oslo. In the US, DC used to have great weekend hotel bargains, but that was 20 or more years ago; now those deals seem to be gone.

Whether in Europe or North America, I don't avoid cities on weekends. I actually prefer visiting cities on weekends. Why? The worker bees are not using the roads and public transportation to get to and from work. Travel is easier, both to and within a large city. Also, I prefer weekdays to visit the smaller, tourist-dependent destinations. Places like Ronda and Cinque Terre are less crowded on weekdays because the worker bees are...working. As far as lodging, higher rates on weekends tends to be a North American trend. In Europe, not so much. And my wife and I prefer lodging with fewer than 20 rooms in total. In these small inns and B & Bs, the owner or host will actually know your name and these types of lodging seem to provide a more "local" experience.

Jennie,

What city do you plan to be in on October 12th?

We were in Granada this past October 12th, but it was the day we'd plan to travel to Sevilla.

So, the hotel staff warned us about taking a taxi to the bus station, before the holiday processions would start, due to street closures.

When we arrived to Sevilla, our taxi driver had to go around because some streets had been blocked, due to the city's processions
(parade).

So we missed whatever celebrations the city had, but we were treated to a free entrance to the Royal Alcázar!

Please send me a PM if you need more detailed information.

Edit: Keep in mind that October 12, 2016 falls on a Wednesday.

In 2015, October 12th was on a Monday, so it was a 4 day weekend for many.

Oh my, I haven't checked for a few days - so many great comments! As it turns out we'll be heading to Madrid on October 12 and we'll use the metro so we won't have to worry about closed streets. I will be sure to make reservations! There were several comments about staying in smaller hotels where you get to know the owner. I love this! One of our goals is to practice speaking in Spanish so this idea fits right in. Thanks to all!

Oh my, I haven't checked for a few days - so many great comments! As it turns out we'll be heading to Madrid on October 12 and we'll use the metro so we won't have to worry about closed streets. I will be sure to make reservations! There were several comments about staying in smaller hotels where you get to know the owner. I love this! One of our goals is to practice speaking in Spanish so this idea fits right in. Thanks to all!

as for the fluctuating prices - it sometimes does happen with SOME hotels in biggest tourist attractions.
you will search for a while and you will see that you dont have to overpay.
Plus + being in Spain in October means ->> low season, few tourists and so on. good time

and as for visiting teh cities during the weekends - >> if you drive in your car that's the best time to visit... easy to find parking that would be free. and this is actually really good tip, trust me :-)

Hi Jennie, as several people have made clear, the 12th is different things to different people.

Here in Logroño we are influenced by Zaragoza, and I have always known the 12th as the Pilar, are the Virgin of the Pilar, la Pilarica.

Prices are based on supply and demand. A weekend night in Toledo will be cheaper than staying in Madrid. Madrid and Barcelona are by far the most expensive lodging in Spain. I tend to use budget lodging. In Spain it's hostals (different than hostels). A decent double in Madrid or Barcelona will cost at least 150 euro per night while a cleaner, quieter, quainter double in Toledo can be had for 65 euro per night.

The only other avoidance that comes to mind is avoid Barcelona during Easter week. Not because of prices or crowds but because Barcelona celebrates Holy Week less that any city in Spain. You're better off going elsewhere and enjoying the festivities.