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First trip to Spain/need feedback on itinerary

My husband and I will be in Spain for three weeks (September 28-October 13). This is our first trip to Spain, and our first self-guided European trip (we did the RS Venice/Florence/Rome tour in 2016). Our interests include art, architecture, learning about other cultures, and history. We plan to hire local guides in some locations. We are very healthy and active, but enjoy a more relaxed pace.

I would like feedback on whether this itinerary 1. hits the highlights of Spain, given our interests; 2. is an efficient route; and 3. is realistic/not too exhausting. I think three weeks is our maximum stamina-wise, so if there are suggestions for additional places to visit, please let me know which places should have less time. Thank you for any input you can provide.

1-2. Barcelona
3. Day trip from Barcelona to Figuere (Dali Theater-Museum) and Cadaques (Dali House & Garden)
4-5. Barcelona
6. Day trip from Barcelona to Montserrat
7. Barcelona
8. Fly from Barcelona to Granada
9. Granada
10. Granada; evening train to Sevilla
11-13. Sevilla
14. Train from Sevilla to Cordoba
15. Cordoba
16. Train from Cordoba to Toledo, via Madrid
17. Toledo
18. Train from Toledo to Madrid
19-20. Madrid
21. Fly home

Posted by
7304 posts

This is overall a well-paced itinerary!
I would just remove skip the Montserrat day, and add it to Madrid at the end to give you time to visit either Segovia or El Escorial, which, depending on your historical interests, are both more interesting to me than Montserrat.

Posted by
28102 posts

I think your overall pace is good, but if you go all-in on the three major art museums in Madrid you won't have a huge amount of time for other sights in that city (which include other art museums). However, Madrid has--for me--the least interesting/unusual architecture of any of the cities you plan to visit.

The two Dali sights in Catalunya need to be booked ahead of time, though the Figueres museum probably doesn't sell out often. You just don't want to arrive and be told you have to come back in four hours or something like that. The Theatre-Museum ticket also includes the co-managed jewelry collection nearby. As of 2017 you were permitted to see the jewelry collection before the main museum; the time on the entry ticket was for the main museum. The Port Lligat home definitely does sell out; I don't know how early you need to get that ticket or how much time you might want to spend there because I've never been closer than Cadaques itself (which is picturesque).

These sights in Barcelona need to be pre-booked: La Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila/La Pedrera, Casa Batllo, Parc Guell, Palau de la Musica Catalana and tje Picasso Museum. I don't know whether there are capacity restrictions in play now, but prior to the pandemic you could usually get into MNAC, the Miro Museum and the Sant Pau modernista site after going through a very short ticket line. In addition to its art and sculpture, MNAC has some very impressive frescoes rescued from churches in the Pyrenees (this is a rare opportunity) and a collection of modernist jewelry, furniture and decorative arts. There are other art museums in the city beyond those I've mentioned.

I also like the smaller art museum in Girona. There's a tiny art museum in Cadaques, but I consider it totally skippable unless there's something special going on that interests you.

What sort of transportation do you plan to use for the Figueres/Port Lligat day-trip? This will be a challenge if you depend on public transportation (train to Figueres, then bus to Cadaques, then a considerable walk. The walk is posted at 20 minutes from the Cadaques port, and the bus station is some distance from the port. There are combo bus tours, but I'd be concerned that a tour wouldn't allow sufficient time at the two sites that are important to you. The Theatre-Museum itself is larger than you might imagine; it won't be just a one-hour stop. I know I spent over two hours there, maybe over three hours, plus about 30 minutes for the jewelry collection. A French tour group arrived at the Dali Theatre-Museum while I was there. Those folks spent less than half the time at the main museum that I did (and I bet they skipped the jewelry collection), and I am not a fan of surrealism or Dali. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the museum.

I haven't been to Montserrat myself, having opted (twice) for Girona instead. I see nothing wrong with choosing it, though; it may well be the right decision for you.

Posted by
15791 posts

LIke acraven, I haven't been to Montserrat, though I've spent over 2 weeks total in Barcelona. Girona combines nicely with Figueres as a day trip by train and is well worth seeing. As she points out, it's tough to get to both Dali sights in a single day unless you plan a private tour. I haven't been to Cadaques so I can't offer an opinion on it. Check out the official tourist site for more information on sights and tours. Click on the "buy tickets" link to look for tours and concerts. The TI runs a number of good walking tours and they also list others that are equally good. Also look at Runner Bean Tours which are generally excellent - and may not be listed on the TI site.

In addition to acraven's point, you may want to take a day from Barcelona and add it to Madrid because October 12 is a very big holiday in Spain, which is likely to put a wrinkle or two in your sightseeing. Other than that I like your itinerary very much. Note that Andalucia can be quite hot in early October.

Posted by
120 posts

balso, acraven, and Chani: Wow, great feedback! So helpful; thank you.

I will research Segovia, El Escorial, and Girona as a possible replacement for Montserrat. Montserrat looks beautiful, but I'm open to leaving it out if there is a better fit. Also, I think we would enjoy spending time in a (relatively) less populated area. One of our favorite times in Italy was the post-tour trip we did to Orvieto, just wandering and exploring a very charming and beautiful town.

Regarding time in Madrid: It looks the least interesting to me, so I may not have given it enough time. My plan is to focus on the Prado and Reina Sofia museums (unless I hear that is a big mistake). We love art, but if we do too many places it all starts to run together and makes it less special. I didn't know October 12 was a big holiday; knowing that is super helpful. I will likely break my 3-week maximum rule and add a day or two to accommodate the holiday.

acraven--The Dali sights are must-sees for us; he is one of our favorite artists. I was planning to take the train to Figueres and then hire a RT driver from there to take us to Cadaques/Port Lligat. The RS Spain guidebook indicates a driver can be hired RT for a little over 60 euros. Expensive, but it seems worth it because (I think) it will enable us to see both sights. With this in mind, and assuming tickets would be pre-purchased, does it seem doable?

Again, thank you for your time and sharing your expertise. :-)

Posted by
120 posts

I just noticed I wrote the dates wrong in my original post. We will be there September 28-October 18 (not October 13). So we will be in Cordoba during the 10/12 holiday.

Posted by
28102 posts

I have not looked at that private-transportation info in the Spain guidebook, so I don't know how it is phrased, but 60 euros seems cheap. I bet that's one way. And round-trip might be more than double, depending on how long you need for the driver to wait. ViaMichelin.com gives the distance as about 24.5 miles and estimates the driving time at 40 minutes.

Time-wise, this sounds doable if you get an early start. Cost-wise, I don't know what you're going to run into. I'd be inclined to schedule the Port Lligat stop first, because if you arrive late at your second stop, I suspect you'll find the Dali Theatre-Museum more flexible about still letting you in outside your ticket entry-time window. (No guarantees.)

There's a bit of a complication in Figueres with respect to the train stations (note the plural). The fast trains go to Figueres Vilafant station, about 1 mile west of the Dali Theatre-Museum. There is bus service timed to the AVE schedule that will get you to what I took to be the center of town. I think there's a stop along the southern edge of the large green area you can see on the Google map. There may be a stop closer to the Theatre-Museum; I'm nearly certain that bus continues on to the regular Figueres train station, about 0.6 miles southeast of the Theatre-Museum.

However, if the AVE is more than a few minutes late, in my experience the bus doesn't wait and you'll have to hope there's a taxi still hanging around (don't stop to use the station toilet!), or you'll either have to walk or call a taxi. I think there's usually a taxi telephone number posted outside train stations, but I've never tried to summon a taxi that way. Figueres Vilafant isn't in a busy area, so there won't be random taxis cruising by.

The buses to Cadaques depart from right outside the regular Figueres station, or at least they did in 2016. That seemed a busier area.

I spent a few nights in Figueres in 2019 during the May flower festival in Girona, when Girona's hotel rates were unusually high. I walked around Figueres a bit and didn't find it particularly interesting compared to dozens of other places I've seen in Spain. I don't think you'll be missing much if you just see the Dali Theatre-Museum (and the jewelry collection if you have time) and then move on.

I have a suggestion: Consider spending your first two nights in Girona and relocating to a Barcelona hotel later in the day on your second full day in Spain. Doing so would loosen up the schedule a bit on the day you go to the two Dali sights (your first full day in Spain). If you can keep moving on your arrival day, you'd be able to see a bit of Girona before crashing. You could see more of Girona on your second full day before heading down to Barcelona.

The fast trains between Barcelona and Girona take only 38 minutes but require seat reservations and usually ticket purchase well ahead of time to avoid jacked-up last-minute fares. But there are also Media Distancia trains that take 70 to 80 minutes, which wouldn't be disastrous if you weren't rushing to hit two museums on the travel day. So you could wait until you arrive at the Barcelona airport to decide which MD train to take. You could even do that on the day you shift to your Barcelona hotel if you want to make a spur-of-the-moment decision about how much time to spend in Girona.

Alternatively, you could spend those first two nights in Figueres (normally with much lower hotel rates), but as I have said, I find it not all that interesting a city, whereas Girona is a gem.

Posted by
7162 posts

I wouldn’t replace Monserrat for San Lorenzo de El Escorial unless you also intend to visit the nearby Valley of the Fallen/El Valle de los Caídos too. Other than the Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, that is worth visiting for a couple hours, there’s little else of interest in the town. Segovia on the other hand has the Alcázar and the aqueduct, and the town is much more interesting. Monserrat itself is nice for a couple hours, or longer if you walk some of the trails. There are some great views from up on the mountain.

Regarding the Reina Sofía in Madrid, we found that a couple hours during the free admission time was sufficient to see the museum. The main draw was seeing Picasso’s Guernica painting.

Posted by
120 posts

Thanks again to all for the feedback.

acraven--I am going with your idea of starting with a stay in Girona; that is perfect. Not only does it help with the Dali logistics, it would be a great way for us to ease into Spain, instead of jumping right into a major city. So glad I ask for input on this forum...I would never have thought of that and it now it feels like the exact right thing to do. Thank you. :-)

Posted by
3230 posts

Day 3 – day trip to Figueres plus Port Lligate (Dali’s house). I would not do this the same day. Skip Dali’s house in Port Lligate (Cadaqués) and take a direct train from Barcelona Sants to Figueres-Vilafant and follow the crowd that will lead you to the Dali Theatre-Museum.
Port Lligate is a one-hour drive or direct bus ride from the Dali Theatre-Museum. The problem is getting back to Barcelona at a reasonable time. By bus it will take 2h 45m and by car 2h 30m.

Posted by
5697 posts

I did a Spain trip about the same time of year -- Alhambra was sold out (months ahead) for the day I had scheduled so I had to shuffle my plans to be in Granada on a day tickets were available. And yes, Andalucia is hot -- we wandered around at 10 p.m. in shirtsleeves.

Posted by
18 posts

I am living in Madrid, Spain right now and was actually also in Cordoba on Oct 12! One thing to note is that for the smaller Spanish towns (ie, not Madrid or Barcelona, but everywhere else) things are sort of shut down on Sundays. It's not clear via your itinerary which days are Sundays, but just be aware that hours will be reduced. People are out and about, some restaurants open, but otherwise stuff is shut. This is definitely true in Cordoba and also applies because of the holiday. I had tickets to the Alcazar in Cordoba on that day and it was great but you must get them online beforehand. Same with the Mezquita there. Palacio Viana is beautiful (buy a ticket in adv but not sure if you absolutely have to). And I've heard the Arab baths are great; definitely book ahead. Regarding the last part of the trip, why not use Madrid as your home base from 16-21 and use one of the days for a day trip to Toledo? There are lots of trains and buses, and you can see the sites in a day for sure. For Madrid - there are the three big art museums: Prado, Reina Sofia, and Thyssen. I would spread them out over your stay. Parque del Retiro is really beautiful, the lake has boats you can rent and row, and elsewhere in the park there's a cultivated garden with peacocks and cats!

Posted by
120 posts

Thank you for the info on Sundays in Cordoba. And some down time on the lake sounds like it would be a perfect break in Madrid!

Posted by
28102 posts

I don't believe there are any buses--direct or otherwise--from the Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres to the Dali House in Port Lligat. The best you can do via public transportation--as far as I know--is the public bus from Figueres to Cadaques. I caught the bus at the Figueres train station (not Figueres Vilafant Station) and assumed it originated there. I don't know whether there's a pick-up point nearer the Theatre-Museum. Rome2Rio.com estimates the walking time from the Cadaques bus station to the Dali House at 16 minutes. I remember seeing a sign at the port, indicating a 20-minute walk. It's possible the walk from the bus station is a bit shorter, though I would have guessed the opposite. I haven't checked Google Maps, whose walking times I've found to be very accurate, assuming your walking pace is about 20 minutes per mile.

Posted by
3230 posts

Port Lligate is a one-hour drive or direct bus ride from the Dali Theatre-Museum.

Didn't mean to give the impression that there were buses from Figures to Port Llgat. You have to take a bus to Cadaques and walk to Port Llgat.

Posted by
120 posts

Below is an updated itinerary based on additional research and the great feedback I have received on this forum.

In my original post I said three weeks was our maximum stamina wise; I am now just over five weeks. This will be our longest trip thus far. I added in some down time in Nerja, however, and we will be on a relatively relaxed pace overall...we'll see how it goes. :-)

Any final tweaks/suggestions?

Depart USA on 9/21.
Arrive in Barcelona on 9/22 and take the train to Girona.

1-3. Girona
-Includes day trip to Figuere for the Dali Theater-Museum.
4-6. Cadaques
-Travel by bus to Cadaques
-Includes day trip to Port Lligat for the Dali House & Garden.
7-13. Barcelona
-Bus to Girona; train to Barcelona.
-Includes day trip to Montserrat.
14-16. Granada
-Fly from Barcelona to Granada.
17-19. Nerja
-Drive rental car to Nerja.
-Includes day trip to Fragiliana.
20-21. Ronda
-Drive rental car to Ronda.
22-23. Arcos de la Frontera
-Drive to Grazalema and spend most of the day there; drive to Arcos in late afternoon.
24-28 Sevilla
-Drive to Sevilla; turn in rental car.
29-30 Cordoba
-Train from Sevilla to Cordoba
31-32 Toledo
-Train from Cordoba to Toledo, via Madrid
33-36 Madrid
-Train from Toledo to Madrid
-Includes day trip to Segovia
37 Fly to USA

Posted by
6713 posts

That revised itinerary looks very well organized and well paced for the long time you have available. You will definitely be tired at the end! You won't want to hear this, but I think Madrid deserves more time than you're giving it. I'd take a day or two from Barcelona and your other Catalan places, and give that to Madrid. But our interests may differ. ;-)

Posted by
1700 posts

You will not regret spending a lot of time at the Prado and Reina Sofia museums. They are both excellent! I enjoyed the Prado more than the Louvre, in fact.

You have a great itinerary! If I am reading everything correctly, it looks like you have 2 nights in Cordoba, which is what we did and I always recommend. Cordoba is awesome, especially at night.

Regarding weather and temps, we were in Andalucia from mid-September to October 3 in 2017. Seville was our last stop. Temps in most of the locations were mid-80's so very comfortable for us; however, temps in Seville (very early October) were in the low to mid 90's. I wore capris for most of the trip but switched to shorts for Seville.

Posted by
481 posts

FYI
There is a direct bus from BCN to Girona. We used it and it worked great. I was glad not to go into Barcelona and deal with a busy train station post trans Atlantic flight. It departed from right outside the front entrance, took about a little less than 2 hr.

Brad

Posted by
120 posts

Thanks to all for the feedback. brad--A special thanks for info on the bus to Girona. Great idea.