I'll be taking the train from Paris to Girona in early May. I plan to stay in Girona a couple of days, do a day trip to Barcelona to see Sagrada Familia, then on to Zaragoza via train for a couple of days. I'm thinking about heading up toward Logroño to take in some of the wine country there. Any suggestions after Logroño, or something different besides Logroño? I need to end up in Madrid to fly back to USA. Between Zaragoza and Madrid, I'm looking at about 6-8 days of where to go. (so, a total of about 10-12 days in Spain). I'm a solo traveler, 60's, more interested in less busy, walkable places, sightseeing, history, wine, local culture. I'm not interested in shopping. I think I would only like to stay in Madrid a maximum of 2 nights, just because I think I'll feel intimidated by the size, getting around. I would be using the train and/or bus for transport around the county. I appreciate any suggestions.
Posted by
Irving
2965 posts
There’s a direct train from Logroño to Bilbao-Abando (2h 45m) and a direct bus from Bilbao to San Sebastian (1h 15m). To get to Madrid you can fly nonstop from San Sebastian or take a train that will require a connection.
From Madrid you can take a direct train to Toledo (45m) for the day. To get from Toledo’s train station to the town center follow the crowd and hop on the bus and get off with the others at Plaza Zocodover.
Posted by
Denver, CO USA
413 posts
Skip Logroño.
More time in Barcelona, Zaragoza, Madrid.
Add 10 days to your trip. I would.
Posted by
Barcelona ☀️ Sweden ❄️
3907 posts
I agree with above, with only 10-12 days in Spain I would be hesitant to add more than Girona, Barcelona, Zaragoza, and Madrid. You can find good wine regions around Barcelona. You're already maxed out:
2 nights Girona
5 nights Barcelona (day trip to Penedès DOP wine region)
3 nights Zaragoza
2 nights Madrid
Posted by
la rioja
532 posts
After reading your post and your interests, I will disagree some with what the other have said.
You wrote you preferred “less busy, walkable places, sightseeing, history, wine, local culture” Of course you could stay in Barcelona and fill up you days as you like, there is no shortage of things to do. But as you have expressed interest in Logroño and wines, I would suggest keeping it on your itinerary.
Based on your original post, I would go from Girona, through Barcelona, to Zaragoza. I think most would agree that Zaragoza is an underrated and is worth a few nights stay. There is good train and bus connections to Logroño.
Pros for visiting Logroño is that it is not busy, very walkable, some sights, wineries in the city, and good food. From Logroño you can get to Laguardia and Haro very easily by bus to visit some wineries during the day.
From Logroño, you might enjoy two days in Burgos. It is a city full of history and the Cathedral and the Cartuja are beautiful. The excavations at Atapuerca are fascinating if you like evolution and natural history. Again there are bus and train connections.
After Burgos you could get a train to Valladolid or Segovia. From there you can get on to Madrid easily.