We are going on an 8 week trip to Spain and besides the Alhambra, what sites are best done with a guide (as opposed to an audio guide, guidebook, tour app). We're not usually tour guide people but we also don't know a lot about history in the places we're visiting.
We will be in Toledo, Cadiz, Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Salamanca, Segovia, Burgos, Bilbao, San Sebastian, Zaragoza, Valencia.
I appreciate any suggestions!
How exciting!!!! I have not been to all these cities, but I can tell you that you don't need a guide for Salamanca and Burgos. Both are pretty small.
Thanks, I probably should have been a little more clear that I meant sites within the places. like the Alhambra vs a guide for seeing Grenada.
It’s a personal preference question. We never get guides because we prefer to move along at our pace and only see what we want to see. Also, the chances of remembering any part of what a guide says after a couple days is slim.
More to your point, it depends on which sites you want to see in each place. Visits to some places might be enhanced with a guide, such as, Mezquita, Burgos cathedral, a few places in Toledo, Alcázar and cathedral in Sevilla, Salamanca’s University.
I have used the audio guide in the Burgos cathedral twice and found it enough. For a city tour, it is nice to have a guide that you can ask questions, find out local events, or places to eat.
At most sightseeing attractions you can continue your exploration after your time with the guide ends. The situation at the Alhambra is different. The most beautiful part of the complex, the Nasrid Palaces, is single-entry. Once you leave the Palaces, you cannot re-enter. I believe the same is true of the Charles V palace, which houses a museum. Keep this in mind before committing to a guided tour. The Nasrid Palaces tend to be packed, making photography challenging. Those who want photos not filled with other visitors may need to spend extra time in that part of the complex and might prefer just to use the audio guide. Alternatively, I'd seriously consider asking the guide to end the tour inside the Palaces so I could revisit areas where I wanted more time.
