We are planning a 3 week trip to Northern Spain including flying into Barcelona. We will spend 4-5 days in Barcelona, then head north to Girona, on to Cadaques area, then to San Sebastian, Bilboa, and Vitoria. We will fly out of Barcelona. Any suggestions on if we should rent a car for our travels once we leave Barcelona or take trains, buses, etc. Your suggestions? Thank you!
Posted by
Washington DC
27166 posts
What time of year is your trip?
Are you interested in wine? The La Rioja irea isn't too far from Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Is "we" two people?
I ranged widely across northern Spain last summer, depending on public transportation. No worries about where to park the car, whether my insurance coverage was adequate, how long it would take to pick up or return the car, etc. But a car will get you from Cadaques to San Sebastian much faster than a bus/train combo. It doesn't look like it will be of much benefit for the run between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Barcelona.
Do you have slack in your schedule to allow side-trips, or do you just anticipate getting to the places mentioned in your post?
Posted by
OP
19 posts
Thank you for your reply! We, my husband, adult son, and I leave on July 24th and return on August 18th
We wanted to do lots of walking/day hiking - combining downtime on the beach with city sightseeing. We thought a car would be easier to get around in the Basque Country so we could visit the cave paintings, do the wine country, and get off the beaten track.
We are going to do side trips and we are wondering about not having a car, and just doing a couple of tours like the wine tour and perhaps a Costa Brava tour when we want to travel to a place more out of the way.
What time of year is your trip?
Are you interested in wine? The La Rioja irea isn't too far from Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Is "we" two people?
I ranged widely across northern Spain last summer, depending on public transportation. No worries about where to park the car, whether my insurance coverage was adequate, how long it would take to pick up or return the car, etc. But a car will get you from Cadaques to San Sebastian much faster than a bus/train combo. It doesn't look like,it will be ofmuch benefit for the run bete
Ween Vitoria-Gasteiz and Barcelona.
Do you have slack in your schedule to allow side-trips, or do you just anticipate getting to the places mentioned in your post?
Posted by
OP
19 posts
Thank you so much for your suggestions. Yes, we will have time for side trips based on suggestions we get along the way, too.
Posted by
Clifton Park, NY
95 posts
Ikbrenner, I am in the very early stages of planning a 2 week trip to Barcelona and some similar areas. I hope you consider posting trip report of your travels. Have fun.
Posted by
8 posts
I'd recommend a car. Although public transport is great, it doesn't always align with your schedule and get you where you exactly want in the time you want. Car driving was much easier than we expected. We landed in barcelona, but then took a train to San Sebastián which is fine but we had to rent a car in San Sebastián to get to where we wanted for our side trip otherwise it would be a crazy long bus ride. We also drove to Girona and around Costa Brava. We wished we had rented a little more vs train. It also depends on the number of people. You do not need a car in Barcelona. The metro is great.