Hi! We are 2 girls in our 20's looking for some guidance in booking hostels and activities in Spain. We are flying into Madrid on October 16th and flying out of Barcelona on October 26th. We would like to visit Sevilla, Granada, Cadiz, and maybe Cordoba in between (other recommendations appreciated). Some of the things we definitely want to do are beaches, see a soccer game, try new food, see some museums, immerse ourselves in the culture, and of course some great night life. We are trying to figure out a timeline for each place and would greatly appreciate any advice or pointers on what to do and where to stay- FYI we are working on a budget and will most likely be staying in hostels. We have been trying to purchase soccer tickets for Barcelona or Madrid but after doing some research it seems the schedule doesn't come out until august? Is this true? Thank you for the help in advance!
- Meaghan and Alison
Posted by
LaGrange, Ga, USA
1178 posts
Madrid -- Hostal Acapulco in Madrid will be a good choice...centrally located, clean, well run. Restaurant in hotel a door or so down for light breakfast.
Train via AVE from Atocha station in Madrid to Cordoba and on to Sevilla...(two separate tickets mind you, one to Cordoba and a second to Sevilla...2 1/2 hours to Sevilla total. Check out the site the man in seat 61 for information on purchase, etc.
Beaches....Barcelona is on the beach...
Check out www.madridman.com for other hostal recommendations, not just in Madrid.
Posted by
Chicago
565 posts
10 days is not that much time and Granada and Cadiz are pretty far from Barcelona unless you plan on using one of those days to fly. Tip: think of your vacation in terms of nights. Lots of people forget how much time is involved in traveling from one place to another.
My recommendation? There's TONS of stuff to do in Madrid and Barcelona and the surrounding towns. Stick to those places and go back to Andalucia another time. You will get much, much more out of your trip.
If you have a strict budget, a soccer game will take a big bite out of it. But I do recommend it if it's something you really want to do. Tickets will not go on sale until very close to the actual game, but Camp Nou is massive and you should be able to get a ticket fairly easily.
Nightlife? No problem. El Born in Barcelona and Calle Cava Baja in the La Latina neighborhood and Malasana in Madrid.
Have you thought about AirBnb? Hostels are great but AirBnb might fit into your budget too. PM me with any questions.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Oct 16 Arrive Madrid (3 nights)
Oct 17 Madrid sights
Oct 18 Excursion to Toledo
Oct 19 AVE train (with a stop in Cordoba for the Mezquita) to Sevilla (2 nights)
Oct 20 Sevilla Cathedral and Alcazar
Oct 21 Bus or train to Granada (2 nights)
Oct 22 Book your Alhambra visit
Oct 23 Fly to Barcelona (3 nights) - check Vueling for cheap fares
Oct 24 Barcelona sights
Oct 25 Barcelona sights
Oct 26 Fly home
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
DJP's schedule above would work pretty good for a whirlwind tour. Note you would skip Cadiz - your initial list is not very realistic with only 10 days. And also note you will spend a good chunk of your limited budget (and time) on trains, busses and planes. Only you can decide if that cost and time is worth it or if it makes more sense for you to stick to a region. Madrid and Barcelona both have many, many daytrip options if you chose to focus just on those cities.
Posted by
San Francisco
1008 posts
The La Liga schedule should come out at the end of this week... not sure it is official then or not, but I believe it is expected on July 23. I know this because my son's soccer team is going to Madrid for training over spring break, and we are anxiously awaiting see which games might be on while we are there.
I think the games are mostly Saturdays, so you will need to plan to be near those when they happen - so if that is a priority you probably need to wait a bit to figure that out.
Here is the link I am watching:
http://www.totalsportek.com/football/la-liga-fixtures/
Have a great trip!
Kim
Posted by
San Francisco
1008 posts
Schedule is up:
http://www.skysports.com/football/competitions/la-liga/fixtures/
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you all who replied. After considering your advice and doing more research we have decided to narrow it down to just Madrid, Sevilla, and Barcelona. The one thing we are still having trouble with is purchasing tickets for the Real Madrid soccer game we would like to go to on October 18. I have tried the Real Madrid website and ticket master several times but they seem to only be selling tickets 225 euros and above. I have tried to look on trip advisor and several other sites reviews to see what's the best way to go about it. I saw bad reviews about viagogo, which has tickets as low as 30 euro! And says I can pick up the tickets at the stadium. I've heard scalping is a bad idea. And was also considering using cheaptickets.com and have them delivered to our hostel that were staying at but that idea is a little unsettling too. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
I would only go through the official website, and yes 275 euros seems to be the cheapest available.
http://realmadrid.entradas.com/sports-web/Real_Madrid/Futbol/2015-2016/LIGA_BBVA_2015-2016/REAL_MADRID_CF_-_LEVANTE_UD/
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15784 posts
The cheapest tickets for any of the games this season are the VIPs at €225. My guess, it's worse than trying to get, say, Lakers or Patriots tickets - the few that aren't season ticket seats are sold out way long before the season begins. Either bite the bullet and spend the big bucks, or maybe consider rearranging your itinerary and skipping Madrid and adding those nights to the more interesting places. Look for a lower league soccer game. It will be a great experience.
Posted by
Chicago
565 posts
Barcelona has plenty of tickets available for 50 to 60 euros a piece the day before you leave. Why not give that a try? I saw a game there and it was a great experience.