Hello We are planning a trip to Spain and Greece Sept 2024 for 3 weeks (20 days) for my daughters 15s. WE have been to Spain many times and absolutely love the South. WE have visited Madrid, Jerez, Cadiz, Granada, Sevilla, Alhambra, Cordoba. WE have also been to Barcelona and the Girona area however we have not explored the north (Pamplona is on our list) We are looking to fly into Barcelona from Miami (cost efficient party of 4) WE want to do the North and then fly to Greece. We can finish our trip in Barcelona and also fly home from Madrid. Price for our tix to Greece from Miami are super expensive compared to Barcelona so flying from Barcelona to Greece makes it a lot more doable. What are your thoughts on itinerary?
Posted by
Washington DC
27112 posts
To my mind Pamplona is a very secondary destination. In the north, I think Bilbao, San Sebastian and Hondarribia are more interesting than Pamplona. Zaragoza, which is on the AVE line between Barcelona and Madrid, is an excellent destination as well. If you get as far south as Madrid, Toledo (quick trip via fast train) just to the south is wonderful.
Northern Spain near the coast (not including Pamplona) tends to be cooler and wetter than the rest of the country, so if you want to include that area on this trip, I think your plan to start in Spain and then go to Greece is smart.
Make sure it's significantly financially advantageous to return from Greece by way of Spain rather than buying a multi-city ticket into Barcelona and home from Athens. You really should pad your return schedule very generously to reduce the risk of missing the transatlantic flight home from Spain. I'm conservative about such things and would be planning to spend a night in Spain on the way home, so there would be the cost of hotel room(s) for 4 people as well as the transportation from the airport to the Spanish hotel and back. Plus the non-quantifiable loss of a day of your vacation time in Greece. Flight schedules are in flux, with things getting cancelled and rescheduled willy-nilly. If you miss the flight home from Barcelona or Madrid, you'll be buying very costly last-minute one-way tickets home for 4 people. That cost will swamp whatever you save by not just getting the US-Barcelona/Athens-US multi-city ticket.
Posted by
NC
241 posts
Not sure how much time you have allocated to Spain but, in 2019, we did this loop before ending with Barcelona:
Day 1 - Drove directly to Zaragoza from Barcelona
Day 2 - To Laguardia, tour/lunch at Baigorri, (lots of wine so maybe not teen friendly but excellent), on to Vitoria-Gastiez
Day 3 - To Bilbao, Guggenheim, Casco Viejo
Day 4 - Bilbao to Guernica, then through coastal towns to San Sebastion with stop at Chillida Leku
Day 5 - San Sebastion, Peine del Viento
Day 6 - To Hondaribbia, old city
Day 7- From Hondaribbia to French Basque towns - Sare, Ainhoa, Espellette - back to Hondaribbia
Day 8 - To St. Jean de Luz, then to Bayonne via Biarritz
Day 9 - Bayonne to Carcassonne (in retrospect, would never stop in Carcassonne)
Day 10 - To Dali Theatre Museum, on to Barcelona
Would expect that 15 year olds would especially enjoy: the Aljaferia in Zaragoza, the Guggenheim, Chillida Leku, Peine del Viento, pinxtos in Hondaribbia, and the Dali museum. Plus, of course in Barcelona, Sagrada Familia, Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau and Park Guell. Then, there is Greece…. You will have an awesome trip.