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Instead of Barcelona

We’ll be traveling for 22 days, and the last four days of our trip will be based in Barcelona, since that’s where we’ll be flying back to Miami from. We’ve visited Barcelona several times before, so we’re hoping to explore somewhere new nearby.

We’ll be there in December, so we’re thinking a coastal destination may not be ideal. We had considered Zaragoza, but we’re not sure there’s enough to do for a few days.

We’re looking for a place within a reasonable driving distance from Barcelona where we could spend about three nights—somewhere with a more authentic Spanish feel, good food, and a nice atmosphere, especially around the holidays.

One important consideration is that my mom occasionally uses a wheelchair if she’s walked too much, so we would prefer a destination that is relatively flat and easy to get around.

We would really appreciate any recommendations.

Posted by
8297 posts

We were in Girona at the beginning of January. It was idyllic. Authentic, great food, nice holiday atmosphere. A beautiful city, but far from flat. It did feel more Catalan to me than Spanish. A fabulous day trip from Girona was Besalu, also not flat.

Posted by
944 posts

Tarragona is about 100 km. Originally Roman port with amphitheatre still remaining. lovely old town. Spain's original submarine base.
Town is above the beach, but is fairly flat apart from that.

Posted by
1598 posts

Girona. A good place to end the trip, as it's easy to drive to BCN from there. You could also give up the car on arrival in Girona and take a car service to Barcelona airport.

Posted by
4306 posts

Well, firstly I think that Zaragoza is a perfectly fine option here for what you're looking for. Definitely a different vibe than Barcelona... a more authentic Spanish (as you say you want) feel rather than a Catalan feel which is what you'll find in Barcelona/Girona/Tarragona.

The sites in and around Zaragoza can certainly fill a few days, it has more than 2,000 years of history including Roman ruins of the city walls, forum, and amphitheater, as well as the Aljafería; an 11th-century Moorish palace and UNESCO heritage site. It's also the home of the famous pilgrimage site of Nuestra Señora del Pilar Basilica, housing the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary of Pilar. Zaragoza is relatively undiscovered as far as major Spanish cities go. Zaragoza is also a flat city.

You mention driving there, I think that's OK if you don't mind navigating a major city with a car. It will give you the freedom to make stops along the way and there are a few good daytrip too from Zaragoza that a car can give you access to. However I think most would say the most efficient way is jus take the direct high speed AVE train to Zaragoza, it's also faster as it's 1.5 hrs with the AVE vs 3 hrs with a car.

Posted by
1758 posts

I spent three full days in Zaragoza last year and had plenty of things to do and see. It’s a beautiful city, full of history. And there were no crowds!

Posted by
578 posts

I spend 3 nights in Zaragoza and liked it and I think it's very flat.