Traveling in mid-June to Valencia for a wedding. Have a week on both sides of the date and wanting recommendations. Have been to Barcelona and Madrid in past and wondering where else to go. Would also maybe like to include Southern France in our travels. Any ideas of places we should not miss in Spain?
Posted by
Sapulpa, OK, USA
6531 posts
Granada is worth a trip. We spent 3+ days there and never lacked for something to do.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Seville-Cordoba-Granada before.
San Sebastián-Pamplona-Bilbao after.
Posted by
Wynnewood, PA, USA
275 posts
If your previous travels to Spain have been primarily to the large cities of Madrid and Barcelona, then you are in for a real treat. With a car (my preference) you might consider flying into BCN and heading to Girona, the near bye Dali sites, Costa Brava, and slip over the border to enjoy a couple of nights in Collioure. After the wedding in Valencia, and I do hope that you have sufficient time to enjoy Valencia and the neighboring sights (I spent two weeks in Valencia in 2016 while taking Spanish classes) might consider a jaunt NW to the Basque region - Zaragoza, Pamplona, into the foot of the Pyrenees in St. Jean PdP, or to the coast in San Sebastián/Biarritz/Bilbao. And, you might want to consider an open Jaws ticket, flying back to the States via MAD.
If you’d like more details, let me know with a PM.
Buen viaje.
Posted by
Valencia, Spain
18 posts
Hi ksgrubbe,
We are expats living in Valencia, and doing our best to travel all over Spain while we're here. If you need specific recommendations in Valencia, let me know.
For other places in Spain to visit, in June... The weather should be great all over Spain at that time, so not too much of a factor.
I'll second the recommendations for Girona, I really liked that city. If you are going north, then Girona, Bilbao, San Sebastian, and dipping into France to see Biarritz and maybe up to Bordeaux, even Bretagne, should be an amazing itinerary.
If you are going south, I second the recommendations for Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada, and Ronda. We were there over xmas/new year's for 2 weeks and loved all of them. The food in Andalucía, in my opinion, is the best in Spain.
We've done longer trips across the northern coast from Pais Vasco, Cantabria, Asturias, to Galicia, and another coastal trip north of Barcelona (Costa Brava), and loved both of them. If you do the Costa Brava trip, you could keep going into France and see the south of France.
I wish I could tell you about the Andalucían coast, but we haven't been there yet. We are researching a trip to see that part of the country in August. So far it looks amazing too.
Whatever you choose, you can't go wrong!
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7160 posts
A lot depends on if you’re driving or taking public transportation. What you like to see might help people come up with suggestions. When you say a week on either side, is that a full 7 days, or fewer. I’ll throw Soria, Teruel, and Cuenca in as suggestions. If you enjoy castles, there are a number in that part of the country, but would require you to have a rental car. Along the coast south of Valencia is Benidorm. It’s a touristy area, but if my memory serves me correctly, it has a nice beach. Not much noteworthy in Cartagena or Murcia, so skip them. Others have already mentioned the more obvious choices. In southern France, Carcassonne is very popular. As an addition to Craig’s post, St Jean Pied du Port is a nice, yet very small, town and the French beginning for the Camino de Santiago. Plenty of pilgrims there, but the town itself is only worth a couple hours visit. If you’re near there, then you may want to visit Lourdes. The grotto and church are nice, but I found the town to be overly touristy.