Holidays in Spain

Does it depend on weather at all? We were in Sevilla, Granada and Madrid in December 2023. Sevilla weather was lovely so could enjoy strolling, outdoor cafes, etc. I think San Sebastián is cold and possibly rainy in December if that matters.

We are thinking of Malaga or Cadiz — hoping for sunny and 60s.

If you’ve not seen Segovia, which is pretty close to Madrid, I’d recommend staying for a least one night. It has the most amazing ancient aqueduct, a castle with ties to Queen Isabella (of Ferdinand and Isabella/Columbus fame), and is the place for roast suckling pig. Easy to reach by bus or train, if you’re not driving at that point. If you’re staying in Madrid at the end of the trip, Segovia could also be a daytrip.

To the southwest a bit, which we did as a daytrip from Madrid, but could also warrant a stay on its own, there’s Toledo. It was the Spanish capital before Madrid, and a lot of it features the art of El Greco. There’s a museum (Museo del Greco), and Rick Steves’guidebook details other places around town to see his work.

Up north, Logroño is fairly close to Bilbao. Would you visit one, while staying in the other? We enjoyed a couple of days in Bilbao, and then headed to San Sebastián (Donostia in the Basque language). There’s a 3-Star Michelin restaurant just out of town, Martin Beresategui (that’s the name of the restaurant, and of the Chef) - the best restaurant meal we’ve ever had. The month we were there was an October, and it did rain lightly one day, and absolutely poured another. We spent that soggy day at the Donostia aquarium, which was quite good.

In all the times you’ve been to Madrid, have you ever attended a Zarzuela performance?

The neat thing about Spain is that there are no bad destinations. I would check weather averages for December in the places you would like to go. I would probably choose to not go to the towns I had previously visited. I like your plan of driving from Madrid to Logroño, since you know you do want to visit Logroño. Consider stops in Sigüenza or Soria on the way there. Maybe Burgos. Logroño is not terribly far from Zaragoza. Zaragoza is a lovely city. I spent Easter there and I was very impressed. Its historical center is very walkable, lots of plazas, great food, a huge castle to explore. The south will probably be warmer and less wet. Valencia is also great and not terribly far from Barcelona if you go there to visit your daughter. I have previously spent Christmases in Toledo and Jeréz de la Frontera.

Thanks all. I guess it really does depend on what we want weather wise. I do love the idea of strolling Sevilla or Malaga and Marbella in the sunshine. I think/hope we could do both Logrono up north and then go down south though I realize there'd be a ton of driving! We were recently in Granada as a family so don't need to go back there. But Sevilla was many years ago and we've not been to malaga or Marbella or Ronda. I think I will start investigating the Southern option a bit more!

The main factor is weather. If it is good, you will be able to travel more. If it is bad, you may not want to drive that much. To get to Logroño from Madrid you have to go over some mountains. If the weather is good, not problems. If it is bad some of the mountain passes can be closed. The best, for that time of the year, is after there has been a snow as there landscapes are white and very beautiful.

Logroño would be a good place to be on Christmas with your family. In general the 24th and 25th are spent with families here and it is rather peaceful.

Burgos is a great place to visit. It will be cold. The cathedral is great and the Cartuja is a must visit.

A place I like to visit, but have never been there in December, is Burgo de Osma, in Soria. From Burgo you could go on the Soria capital. Between Soria and Zaragaza there are few small places to stop at like Argedas, Tarazona, and the Monastery of Veruela (which also has a wine museum in it). Zaragoza is often over looked but a two days will be well spent. Then you could circle back to Logroño.

From Logroño to Burgos then back south to Madrid.

Unless visiting Bilbao is a priority, I would save the Basque Country and the coast for a different trip, and maybe better weather.

I agree with dlindstrom. One could easily spend the entire time in the Logroño / Burgos / Zaragoza area and not get bored. There are plenty of places one can visit that are within an hour’s drive. Just my opinion, but with so much to see in that one area I’d spend no time trying to cover the south.

I haven’t been to that area in December, so can’t speak to the weather that time of year.

If you’d like to see photos of many of the places dlindstrom mentioned, I have some on my website from my 2022 trip to that area.

http://jaimeelsabio.com/vac_pages/2022vac2.html

Just gotta decide how important weather is! I would not go back to the south just for weather reasons, but I have not delved into the stats.
I would not embark on anything more than an hour drive on arrival—been there, lived to tell the tale but would not do it again.

Great info! Just as we were starting to lean south, I'm now thinking north again! I will dig into the weather more (doesn't have to be sunny and perfect but expected daily rain could be a bummer). I agree that a four-hour drive to Logrono on arrival is a bit of a nightmare so maybe we'd try to get halfway there and spend the night somewhere along the way.

Interesting about saving the Basque Country for another trip. I was thinking we could do it all but of course it really doesn't make any sense!

Thanks again.

A lot of people sleep on taking the bus. It is much better than leaving the airport in a rental car.

Some of the advantages of taking the bus are, of course, you don't have to drive. You don't have to drive, nor do you have to look/pay for parking. General the next day you would want to explore Logroño, and that is done on foot. If you left on your second day, you could take the rental car from Logroño. Now you've saved two days rental, gas and parking and also probably airport fees.

As for a place to for Christmas, have you looked at staying in a Parador? Jaime always recommends the one in Olite, and they probably do a good Christmas dinner. My first thought was Sos. Santo Domingo could be nice. If you want to creep a little closer to Madrid, Lerma, Soria or even Siguenza.

A Parador is a great idea! I've only stayed in one, in Toledo a few years ago and it was lovely! Will look into all the places you mentioned.

Of course everything depends on what you ultimately decide to do.

If deciding to rent a vehicle right at the airport upon arrival a modern Parador about 30 minutes from it is in Alcalá de Henares, birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes. The town is worth a full day. An hour’s drive from the airport would get you to Sigüenza. Its Parador, the town castle, has more charm although I didn’t find the town overly special. Our room had a balcony overlooking the center courtyard.

The Parador in Olite is also in an old castle. Our room overlooked the plaza in front of the Parador. Parking for that Parador is in a free public lot about a five minutes walk away. The town is vehicle free except for loading and unloading. The town’s palace is very impressive and was lovingly restored. If you like wine tastings, there are a couple bodegas one can walk to.

The Parador in SOS del Rey Católico has plenty of charm as does the town. There’s little to do in it, but is in a good location for taking some day trips. Our room had a nice view of the countryside.

If you want to stay at Paradors, between the airport and Burgos is the Parador de Lerma. Also near Logroño is the Parador de Calahorra. I haven’t stayed at either.

I will add that if considering a Parador, join its free Amigos program. One benefit is a 5% cost reduction when reserving through its website. The benefit we enjoy is the free drink (beer, wine, soda) upon check in at every one. The wines are from the local region. If you have any questions, feel free the DM me.

https://paradores.es/en