Help Daughters Masters graduation in Barcelona

I just googled "stay in castle in Spain" and got many possibilities. The word for such accomodations is "Paradores". Also try tripadvisor. Looks like you all could stay in a different castle every night of your trip and not run out of more possibilities!

Spain has some high-class hotels called "paradors". They are mostly converted historic buildings--castles and the like. You can explore the parador website for possibilities.

Spain is a very large country. You have about 17 full days, enough time to see quite a bit but by no means all of the top sights. You need to visit a library or book store and pick up at least one guidebook. Do some reading to see what appeals to you most. And your daughter: Has she been studying in Spain for a year (or more)? Surely she has heard of some interesting places she hasn't yet had time to visit?

The classic first trip to Spain might include Barcelona (possible side trips to Montserrat, Girona, etc.), Madrid (side trips to Toledo and Segovia, plus possibly Avila and Cuenca), and Andalucía (Seville, Cordoba, Granada, plus some smaller towns as time permits). But you could also have a wonderful trip without touching Madrid or Andalucía. Check some guidebooks, look at some pictures, and talk to your daughter to develop a sketchy idea of what you might like to do, then we can suggest some additional possibilities in the same areas. You don't want to be zigzagging all over the country, seeing most of Spain through a car/bus/train window.

Look at http://www.parador.es/en.
Lots of options there, including the one in Granada, within the Alhambra complex, that's supposed to be terrific.

You may choose your castle stay here

You may consider staying at the Parador de Granada located on the beautiful grounds of the Alhambra.

Enjoy!

LOL, I love it, "stay in castle in Spain" had not occurred to me, thanks. Computers are great. I have looked at books, the problem is I hate the sun, heat, not interested in museum, art gallery, architecture. I am there just to see my daughter graduate, she will have travelled while she is finishing her Masters. She loves museum, etc. and will have done that before I get there. I am just interested in driving around seeing the geography, eating different foods, and sleeping in castles.

Thanks everyone, I just checked out the parador sight and it is fabulous. You have given purpose to our adventure.

Dk,
Congratulations on your daughter's upcoming graduation!

You mentioned that you don't like the sun or heat, however, since you'll be traveling in July, you will encounter both of these in Spain.

You may want to check the average weather for July, in different regions of Spain, before deciding where to go on your trip.

If you need to send some of your daughter's belongings home, to avoid lugging around excess luggage, look for a,'Mail Boxes, Etc.', for best deals.

Enjoy!

That additional information is helpful. If you really want to avoid hot weather, you might consider staying in northern Spain. Much of that area stays pretty cool throughout the summer, which cannot be said for Madrid and Andalucia. There are many interesting cities stretching from Catalunya in the east to Galicia in the west. Both the Pyrenees (near the French border) and the Picos de Europa mountains (in Cantabria and Asturias) are beautiful. A rental car would make it possible to really enjoy the dramatic scenery in the Picos de Europa; bus service is sketchy there.

There are cute coastal towns (typically former fishing villages that now attract tourists) along Spain's northern coast, and the inland cities, including Burgos, Leon and Santiago de Compostela, have glorious cathedrals.

Both Catalunya and the Basque Country are known for wonderful food, and there's seafood--especially shellfish--all along the northern coast of Spain.

If you'd like to see a bit of France, you can do so north of Barcelona, in the Pyrenees, or from the Basque Country.

Edited to add: Please tell us where you're from. That can help us interpret your comment about avoiding hot weather.

If you would like to sleep in what used to be a castle right there in Barcelona, I can highly recommend Hotel Neri, which is absolutely beautiful. It is not inexpensive, but would really make a lovely, memorable overnight for your daughter's graduation. We were there March two years ago, and at that time it included a full breakfast, which was a combination of buffet offerings and special orders. While it was chilly when we were there, so we did not use it (not really open then so early in the season), there is a little roof-top area for an evening drink or just enjoying views. You can take a look at photos on their web site http://www.hotelneri.com/en/hotel and also www.tripadvisor.com

Something fun while in Barcelona might be to take the FoodLovers tapas tour. Small groups of fun people, two tapas stops, then a third stop for a full dinner, wines/drinks all included, while a local guide explains the food and traditions of the area. You can look at some of the food, typical people who take the tours, etc. on www.tripadvisor.com

Others have already recommended the parador in Granada, and it is supposed to be the nicest parador among the lot. Be sure to get a room with the little French-type balcony overlooking the gardens. You mention you are not into architecture, museums, etc., but The Alhambra is one of the key sights in the world and definitely worth visiting. But, as others have already mentioned, July will likely be very, very hot. But, staying in the parador, which is within the grounds of The Alhambra, allows you to take a mid-day break without having to reenter the Alhambra. But, even though you will be super-close for the Generalife gardens, when we were there, it was not just come/go thru the gardens. Once you enter, you really need to see the gardens vs. ins/outs. The dining at the Parador is very good, and our room (which was booked on a senior special) included a bountiful breakfast both mornings. It was a nice, quiet location away from the hustle/noise of downtown Granada, but it was also easy for us to catch a shuttle to see the sights in Granada.

How wonderful your daughter is graduating with her masters, and how very kind of you to arrange a special mother/daughter adventure.

If she has not been to the Greek Isles, perhaps you could arrange a 7-night cruise to take in the sights there....it will still be hot, but you would have the ocean breezes to help a bit. Silversea and Seabourn are both brand I would recommend.

You got me curious, so I checked out the other paradors.

Haven't personally been to this one, but it appears to be somewhat near Barcelona, and it definitely looks like a castle:

http://www.parador.es/es/paradores/parador-de-cardona

I might have to return to Spain someday, just to check it out :)

After your trip, please make a post telling us all what you did and where you stayed, etc.

Enjoy!

This is a tough table to get in Barcelona but worth the trouble http://www.ticketsbar.es/en. We were in Spain in July and the further south you go the hotter it gets. Morning and evening activity only. Most afternoons sitting in the shade at a sidewalk cafe drinking cava which is not altogether a bad way to spend time. Congrats to your daughter!!

As others have said, consider the weather. Temps around 100 are not unusual in the south and even in Madrid. You may want to head north.

Will your daughter be doing any sightseeing while she's studying?

As everyone else has said, with your (very understandable) desire to avoid hot weather, you will want to stay north. Rick's Spain book covers some attractions in this area in his Basque country, Camino de Santiago, and Santiago chapters. He doesn't cover the Pyrenees or Picos de Europa, or other towns in Galicia besides Santiago, so you'd need other books for these.

You could drive round trip Barcelona to Santiago (seeing different towns on the way there and the way back), or drive one way and fly back from Santiago to Barcelona. Since you'd be returning the car in the same country you picked it up, a one way rental shouldn't cost more than a car picked up and returned in Barcelona, but check to be sure.

Yes, she will be doing a lot of sightseeing and she buzzes around visiting families of students in her course, also traveling on her own. She also consumes museum (6 hrs at a time), art galleys, cathedrals and all that other stuff I just don't care about, so I am not worried about her travels, she will consume Barcelona. Her first year was in Budapest. She had a blast and straight A's. I on the other hand, am where I want to be, in paradise, Victoria, BC, CANADA, sorry USA, actually so sorry. I love the rain, and trees, hiking (she doesn't) overcast skies and 15 degrees C as a high, so I am not looking forward to 40 C and sunny in Spain high season. BUT I want to be there for her graduation, and have saved diligently for this. (Grandpa is helping her.) I have a limited budget but want to do something incredible that she will remember. She will need internet access to defend her thesis (I thought wouldn't it be cool for her to remember defending her thesis in a castle) sometime during our time together and since she has plans on staying abroad, yes we are losing another one, I am not worried about her luggage, since I am going over with a carry on and will take her excess back with me. She mentioned that she wanted to stay one night in a castle, and I thought OK lets go castle hopping, not realizing that it's actually expensive. So I am now thinking: One night castle, drive, one night hostel, drive, one Michelin restaurants, (drool and drive), grocery store, drive, castle, drive hostel, picnic, drive drool and pay, drive castle, say buy, cry, go home and miss kid. She is busy with her studies and asked me to plan this time. Love the idea of going north to cooler weather and Basque sounds great. (She actually mentioned Basque) Both Love sea food, neither one of us are drinkers so wine country would be wasted on us. Anyone good at planning road trips. I am an excellent driver and will be renting a standard with AC.

I've only driven in Andalucia but I found the roads quite easy to drive. Cities are another matter. GPS will be your good friend. It's hard to know in advance where your daughter will visit during her stay, so it's hard to plan places to visit that she won't already have been to. Northern Spain sounds like the ticket - aside from cooler temps, much of it is fairly remote - not served by the fast trains that connect the center and south, so she is less likely to get there before your trip.

Each driver needs an International Driving Permit (IDP). They are issued for one year. If your daughter is still at home, she can get one before she goes if she's going to do any of the driving. In the U.S. the easiest place to get one is AAA. My guess - CAA does them too. autoeurope.com is where I start when looking for a car. They are a consolidator, so also check out the rental company websites too. Sometimes Autoeurope is a better deal, sometimes Europcar may be cheaper. Do read the fine print - see what's included in the price and what charges will/could be added. gemut.com is a great resource too. Read their guide to driving in Europe. They are also competitive so you may get a better quote from them. They are a U.S. outfit, so you can also phone them if you have more questions.

For the car, in addition to checking the car rental companies themselves (like Hertz and Europcar), and Auto Europe and Gemut, also check Kemwel. It's a sister company to Auto Europe, but can have better prices.