We are traveling to Spain on a tour in February. It begins in Madrid and ends in Barcelona. Today I got the rather last minute idea to perhaps travel to the very south of Spain to relax for a week before we begin our tour. Where should I fly into? Where should we go to see some sights, but get more of a coastal experience? We are open a car rental. Then we would need to get to Madrid by February 26.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7157 posts
Spain has a lot of coastline, so where you go would depend on what type of coastal experience you want (rocky, sandy beaches, cliffs, etc.). In February you won’t be spending much time at the beach. Additionally, many of the smaller coastal town’s essentially are shuttered outside of the tourist season, so pick a larger town or small city to visit. If heading south, consider Cádiz.
Posted by
Cleveland
351 posts
My wife and I spent a month in Malaga in the Costa del Sol in Jan/Feb a few years back and loved it. While the beaches are open, few if any are swimming. We walked or biked along the beach every day, took classes, and had a great time. We were fortunate to find lots of sun and temperatures routinely hitting 70 (normal temps are circa 63 though). If you want real beach experiences, you'll have to head further south (e.g. Tenerife). Still, we loved it. It doesn't match a Seville (or even come close) but it has some nice things -- museums, garden, architecture,etc.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8058 posts
/For most of Southern Spain, still fly into Madrid if that is economical, fast trains make access to the coast easy. Malaga would be the main airport option if you really wanted to fly, or check out as a comparison.
As for where, Malaga or Cadiz would be two good coastal towns, then there are maybe a dozen smaller towns that would do. My opinion would be though, if you are interested in some history and culture, Malaga or Cadiz would be better, plus offer good connections to places for day trips (Malaga: Ronda, Granada; Cadiz: Seville, Cordoba). A car would not really be needed.
Malaga is 3 hours by direct train, Cadiz closer to 4 hours, with likely a change in Seville. Edit: From Madrid
Posted by
Washington DC
28082 posts
If you truly want to relax, I agree that Malaga or Cadiz would be a good choice. They have stuff to see and some decent transportation connections to smaller towns nearby.
But I struggle to imagine going to Spain for a tour that doesn't (it seems) include Andalucia and not spending my extra time in some combination of Seville, Cordoba and Granada. And I wouldn't try to see them from a base in Malaga or Cadiz; they all have more than one day's worth of sights. Seville deserves at least 3 full days (4 nights). If the tour does include those three cities, heading down toward the coast is what I'd do in February, too.
Possible side trips from Cadiz: Jerez, Vejer de la Frontera, and perhaps (via Jerez) Arcos de la Frontera.
Posted by
NC
397 posts
This September, the best airfare from NC to Spain was to Malaga. Malaga is a lovely, comfortable, small city that is easy to walk, fun to explore and has good food. Plus, there are a lot of nearby things to do if you have have a car. The El Caminito del Rey was a highlight for us.