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Need itinerary help - older seniors, 1 with limited walking ability, no car

Posted by (Denver) on

At this point, arrival in Barcelonaand departure from Madrid are etched in stone, everything else is flexible.
Present plan:
Arrive BAR Wed. Apr. 22 early AM by cruise ship. Reservations at Hotel Continental for Wed and Thurs nights. Buy 2 day Hop on/Off tickets. Wednesday and Thursday? Or Thursday and Friday?

Check out Friday.

Depart BAR 8 PM Friday by overnight train for Granada
Arrive Granada 8 am Saturday. Reservation at Hotel Macia Plaza for Sat. and Sun. nights
All day at Alhambra, Saturday or Sunday better? What to do the other day?
.
Monday morning depart by train for Madrid, arrive mid-afternoon
Monday, Tues, Wed, nights, stay at either Hotel Europa or Hostal Gonzalez. Opinion? Balcony room or quiet room? We both have trouble sleeping, although the balcony rooms sound appealing.
2 day Hop-on tickets, or 1 day hop-on, 1 day at the Prado
Depart MAD by air Thursday AM

. We looked into a tour, and decided we would not be able to commit to their daily schedule. Chose the overnight train to Granada, rather than flying and wasting half a day getting to airport, etc. Now I wonder what we’ll do all day in Barcelona that day (Friday)? Hotel will keep luggage for us.
Husband walks with a cane and needs to rest a bit every few blocks, but overall has energy and stamina—doesn't need a nap, for instance. He has a cane with a seat. At home in Denver, we can spend a half-day at the art museum, strolling and resting. At the zoo, we try to get a wheelchair.
We are good at sidewalk cafes and park benches, people watching. More interested in architecture than art museums. In past travels (albeit when we were strong walkers) we spent an entire day at Versailles, and 2 hours at the Louvre. All day at Petra was another treat, we skipped the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. This will probably be our only visit to this area.
Comments and suggestions would be much appreciated!

Posted by
5697 posts

For Granada, check when you can get reservations -- I had to switch plans so we could be in Granada on a day when we could see the Alhambra.
(We also took a bus from Granada to Madrid -- air conditioned, comfortable. )
Barcelona has amazing architecture -- Sagrada Familia, Parc Gueil -- and you can see it at your own speed.

Posted by
552 posts

For a 'non-Alhambra' day in Granada,... Amble around the traffic-free, pedestrian shopping area down by the Cathedral, in and around Plaza Romanillas. Get serious about your tactics around 12:30. Look at what all the locals are ordering for lunch. When you see what looks best to you, snag a seat at that restaurant before they're all gone.

Posted by
308 posts

I was in Barna last year with my mom. She is a senior with some mobility issues. We did this motorcycle tour http://www.ridebrightside.com. My mom rode in the sidecar and she had so much fun. Obviously, you cover alot more ground on wheels than on foot. We saw a lot of great highlights of the city in a short time and it gave me an idea of where I wanted to revisit. If you are interested in architecture, you can let them know and they can tailor the tour around that. Bon voyage!

Posted by
507 posts

Barcelona has amazing architecture -- Sagrada Familia, Parc Gueil . . .

Sagrada Familia is a cathedral that has been under construction for 100 yrs. The modernist architect Gaudi is responsible. Be sure to look for a sculpture of the nativity over one of the exterior arches.

Louis Montaner, Gaudi's teacher, was the modernist architect for the Hospital San Pau. It is currently a working hospital built in the early 20th century.

Purchasing advance tickets for the cathedral is a good idea. Both buildings are in the same neighborhood.

I wish you a good trip!

Posted by
1994 posts

The type of cane that has a collapsible seat on it it was really helpful when I traveled with an elderly relative. It allowed her to sit down and rest while the rest of us were standing (for example, while listening to a guide).

I also used taxis whenever possible, rather than public transportation. That allowed her to reserve the walking for actually touring, rather than walking to bus stops, walking through subway tunnels, etc.

Posted by
48 posts

Barcelona has the hop on,hop off busses too which make seeing the sites in a limited timeframe much simpler.

Posted by
25 posts

Thank you to everyone for your replies.
It's great to know about the bus, it looks like a much better choice than the train.
Also thank you for the reminder to book Alhambra tickets early.
Would love to hear from anyone else who has a comment.

Carol

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