Spain in December 2015

At the moment you focus seems to be scattered. Just some random thoughts. Why RT to Barcelone? Have you thought about an open jaw tickets - say into Barcelone and home from Malaga? Save time and money. Seeing snow is one thing. If you have never skied, why not do a ski trip in the US -- far easier. A one day or two will not do much for you. You are chewing up valuable time plus complicating your clothing requirements. Assume you do not have a lot of cold weather gear. I would drop that part of your plan. A flamenco workshop in Seville would be very good location.

A couple years ago we spent ten days in Spain - Madrid-Cordoba-Seville-Granada-Malaga from Christmas through New Years. For the most part it was very cool and rainy. The dampness make the cold feel colder. We worn a heavy jacket most of the time. If you stick closer to the coastal areas it probably will be warmer but not like going to Florida. So I don't know how to give your a sightseeing route that doesn't include the potential for some cold weather. A lot of the important history is in southern Spain - Alhambra in Granada, Cordoba, Seville, etc. - but that is in the interior.

Is there a particular reason you chose December?

Opps, just noticed you are tagged as Singapore. Obviously an Am ski trip is out of the question. Goggle ski resorts in Spain to get a handle on what may be available. I am only familiar with skiing in the Sierra Nevada Mts between Granada and Malaga. My guess is that the snow in Dec could be iffy. Maybe a day trip to one of the resorts and just walk around a bit. Good luck with that subject.

When in December? If it's at the end, over Christmas holidays, it may be hard to find accommodations this close. Also long distance trains are expensive UNLESS you book early - like as soon as possible - for those big savings. Read this article which tells you everything about the Spanish train system.

My guess is that to see snow, you'd have to go to the Sierra Nevada, from Granada. Or go from Barcelona to Andorra (the country). Some of the ski resorts in Andorra have snow machines to insure at least some skiing even in December. I think you can get there from Barcelona by bus in about 4-5 hours. From Barcelona it will take you about that long to fly to Granada, then more time to get to the mountains and the snow.

Since snow is a must-see for you, you have to work that out first. Then we can help you plan the rest of your trip around that.

Thanks all. Am Travelling from dec 12-26. I read there are ski resorts close to Barcelona. Day trips to the Pyrenees. So that's more France than Spain. I haven't written to any as yet. In my head it was like a 2 day trip from Barcelona and then back to Barcelona and all the rest.

http://www.barcelonayellow.com/component/content/article/50-skiiing/75-skiing-near-barcelona

What do you think?

Dec 12 - Barcelona (for a cookery workshop, Gaudi and hiking on Montserrat)
Dec 17 - Andorra (for snow sight seeing)
Dec 20 - Madrid
Dec 23 - Seville (for flamenco workshop)
Dec 26 - Depart

I don't recommend skiing if you have never done it before. If you injure yourself then your trip is ruined.

Thanks for your kind advice and mostly for taking the time to reply. I agree that maybe skiing is a bad idea but maybe mushing? I like the idea of spending some time with the dogs too at the end of it. I think La Masella and La Molina are just day trips from Barcelona so maybe I will do one of them. Still not sure which place to pick. I've read La Masella is prettier.

Since I am flying out of Barcelona back home, I thought I should spend Christmas there and so return to Barcelona a little earlier. Like on the 24th.

So Dec 12 PM to Dec 16 AM in Barcelona. And Dec 24 Am to Dec 26 also in Barcelona before I fly out. That's about 5 nights and 6 days in Barcelona, including day trips I may do from here. One day trip I've roughly decided on is to La Masella to see snow. Any other suggestions?

Can you help me fill in the route for the remaining days? Like I said, Gaudi, Dali (?), contemporary art (guggenheim?), a cooking workshop, flamenco workshop, stay in an idyllic village, hiking, a little history, are some of the things I'd like to cover. I'm in the midst of researching all this but it's still very new and I'm trying to get my head around it.

Thanks so much.

Dec12 - Arrive in Barcelona PM
Dec 13 - Barcelona
Dec 14 - Day trip to Girona and Figurees (Dali museum)
Dec 15 - Day trip to La Masella (to see snow)
Dec 16 - Madrid
Dec 17 - Madrid
Dec 18 - Day trip to Segovia (castle)
Dec 19 - Granada
Dec 20 - Granada
Dec 21 - Cordoba
Dec 22- Seville (flamenco)
Dec 23 - Seville
Dec 24 - Barcelona
Dec 25 - Barcelona
Dec 26 - Barcelona depart at night

Your itinerary looks pretty good. After I wrote my suggestion, I came across the day trip to Grandalvira (looking for day trips for my visit in March). I didn't check the others. Just make sure the one you choose has snow cannons. Maybe you can decide on the spot whether to try the skiing after discussing the safety issues.

And when you get to Madrid, you can choose whether to do a day trip or not. I would choose Toledo over Segovia, but the weather may choose for you. Both are very hilly and may be hard to get around if it's snowing and/or the temps are below freezing and the streets are icy. (Madrid is flat.)

Ohhhhh, really? I mean re: snow in segovia and toledo. Hmm, then I'm not so sure anymore. Should I skip Madrid and surroundings? I don't want to as i've read it's amazing regardless of when you go. Also, someone recommended Val De Nuria as a snowy option from Barcelona. I looked it up and looks beautiful. FYI. I don't want to be in extreme cold weather throughout the trip.

Hello there turquiseblue75, I am planning my first trip to Spain for next spring, so I have very little information to add to this discussion. But, I just wanted to say, after reading mention of snow cannons, that if I had never before seen snow, I would want to be sure I saw real natural snow, not fake man-made snow. I suppose I'm just a purist.

Snow is snow regardless of the source. Snow from a gun, cannon - whatever you want to call it - is mixed with the regular stuff so you cannot tell the difference.

I am little concern about you constant reference to not being cold. You cannot have snow without cold weather unless you are at an indoor facility. And I don't know how you define cold. The interior of Spain at that time of year has the potential to be around 0 degree C or a few degrees below. Most likely your daytime temps will be between 4 and 10C. The probability of snow in that area is low and unpredictable. A few years ago we were in Madrid in March and it snowed lightly. The area around Seville will be a little warmer. But the humidity was higher than we were used to so the cold felt very cold because of the dampness when we were there in December. So tell me what you think is cold.

I would consolidate my stay in Barcelona at the beginning of your trip.
If your departure is at night you will have plenty of time to get a fast frequent AVE Train from Madrid to Barcelona on Dec 26th.

Dec 12 - Arrive in Barcelona PM
Dec 13 - Barcelona
Dec 14 - Barcelona - Day trip to Girona and Figurees (Dali museum)
Dec 15 - Barcelona
Dec 16 - Barcelona - Day trip to see snow
http://www.barcelonaskitours.com/b9_winter_day_tour_france_andorra_pyrenees.html
Dec 17 - Barcelona
Dec 18 - Fly to Granada http://www.vueling.com/en
Dec 19 - Granada
Dec 20 - Seville (flamenco)
Dec 21 - Seville - Day trip to Cordoba
Dec 22 - Seville
Dec 23 - Madrid
Dec 24 - Madrid - Day trip to Segovia (castle)
Dec 25 - Madrid
Dec 26 - AVE Train to Barcelona for departure at night

I would not go to see the snow 150 kms away from Barcelona..when you have the snow in Sierra Nevada just 45 kms away from Granada....that´s my opinion

Dec 12 - Arrive in Barcelona PM
Dec 13 - Barcelona
Dec 14 - Barcelona - Day trip to Girona and Figueras (Dali museum)
Dec 15 - Barcelona
Dec 16 - Fly to Malaga - like Barcelona 20 years ago
Dec 17 - Malaga - Picasso birthplace and museum
Dec 18 - Granada - Make reservation for Alhambra palace in advance
Dec 19 - Granada - Sierra Nevada to see the snow
Dec 20 - Seville - amazing cathedral
Dec 21 - Seville
Dec 22 - Cordoba - mezquita-catedral free from 8:30 till 9:15
Dec 23 - Madrid
Dec 24 - Madrid - Day trip to Toledo
Dec 25 - Madrid
Dec 26 - Barcelona for departure at night

I would not go to a Flamenco show unless I knew beforehand that it was really good, when you walk in Santa Cruz area there are so many false flamenco shows specially made for tourists that really surprises me that people pay that much to see something unreal and low quality show. So check online for a good Festival de Flamenco if not I would think to pay for a show, and never more than 10 euros.

Andalucia makes a fair point for Andalucia.
Vist the Sierra Nevada Ski Station from Granada for your snow experience - 31km by road.
http://sierranevada.es/es/c%C3%B3mo-llegar/

Leave Barcelona a day earlier, making 3 nights in Granada.

Hello all. Wow. And wow. All your comments and suggestions are so helpful.

I agree. No fake snow. So Sierra Nevada it is.

As for flamenco, a Spanish Friend said the real flamenco is in Jerez. So maybe a day trip from Seville. And can go horse riding too there she said.

As for my reference to cold weather. Yes I know it's December. It's winter. It will be cold. I've heard that Spain can be comfortable even in winter. So I want to do a day trip to see snow but for the rest of my holiday, I want to try and stick to places that won't be TOO cold. Which is why I am wondering if I should skip Madrid and Segovia and maybe go through Valencia as a stop gap between Seville and Barcelona.

I want to go to girona, figurees and montserrat from Barcelona.

I want to spend most of my time in the south- Granada, Córdoba and Seville.

I chose December, everyone, because it's my 40th then and I wanted to go somewhere I've been wanting to go for years: Spain!

Now what do you guys reckon?

Dec 12 - Evening arrival in Barcelona (5 nts)
Dec 13 - Barcelona
Dec 14 - Barcelona - Day trip to Girona and Figueres (Dali museum)
Dec 15 - Barcelona
Dec 16 - Barcelona - Day trip to Montserrat
Dec 17 - Fly to Granada (3 nts) http://www.vueling.com/en
Dec 18 - Granada - Alhambra and Albaicin
Dec 19 - Granada - Snow sightseeing in Sierra Nevada
Dec 20 - Train or bus to Seville (3 nts) - Flamenco show
Dec 21 - Seville - Day trip to Cordoba
Dec 22 - Seville - Cathedral and Alcazar
Dec 23 - AVE Train to Madrid (3 nts)
Dec 24 - Madrid - Day trip to Segovia
Dec 25 - Madrid
Dec 26 - AVE Train to Barcelona for departure at night

Sounds quite good. So I gather I shouldn't skip Madrid? And not go through Valencia instead?

At this point, you need to sit down at the computer and look up the train and plane schedules by yourself and see how much time you will have in each place for your various alternatives. Traveling between cities takes time, not just the actual flight or train ride, but also the time it takes to pack, check out, get to the train station or airport, then get to your hotel, check in and drop your luggage. Then you have to get oriented to the new place and figure out how to get around. If you are flying, allow extra time to check your luggage, go through all the security procedures and collect your luggage on arrival.

That's the only way you'll be able to choose your itinerary. Maybe it will help to make a calendar to visualize your trip. Leave the travel parts white and color in the parts of each day that you'll have for sightseeing.

You say you want to avoid colder destinations. But Granada, Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, are all higher altitude. If you want very much to see the Alhambra, then it makes sense to fly to Granada and see snow there. The high temperatures are generally between 10 and 19, it will be 5-10 degrees colder in the mornings until it warms up and then cool off as the sun nears the horizon. Madrid is usually a few degrees colder than Granada, Toledo and Segovia are higher elevation and probably even colder. This is based on looking at the actual temps between Dec. 16-26 for the past few years.

Lastly, everywhere you think about going in Spain will sound great. Almost all of it is. Don't think about missing a lot of fabulous places, think about the fabulous places you are going to see.

Yes ma'am/sir, Chani. You're right. That's exactly what I'm going to do now. There isn't much info on Spain in winter so it's hard to visualise. All the info sounds wonderful and I know the places will be. But it's all summer. I'll read some more and decide on places I must spend more time in and where to fly and where to take the train. Thanks for all your help.

Re: flamenco
You can catch good shows in Madrid and in any of the southern cities. All the great singers and guitarists have performed in tablaos in Madrid. Visit foroflamenco.com and ask for help

I wouldn't skip Madrid, and there is no need to travel via Valencia.
Trains to Granada are slow and currently disrupted - flying from Barcelona is a cheaper and quicker option.
You have more choices in a bigger city over holiday times so Madrid would be fine at Christmas.
Spain is quite religious so immerse yourself in the spiritual celebration.

Thank you thank you everyone. This weekend I'm going to have my hands full planning a proper itinerary. Would you advice booking train passes in advance or would it be alright if I did that once I land in Spain? I will book the airline tickets in advance though. Thanks for suggesting flying into Granada. At first I was thinking of flying into Seville. This route makes sense.

Will look up the flamenco website thank you!

Renfe offers a limited number of tickets on high-speed trains at various levels of discounted prices. The cheapest tickets are first-come, first-served. Tickets usually go on sale 62 days in advance. As the cheapest tickets are bought up, the price goes up. You can save 50% or more if you buy early. For instance, if you bought a ticket today to travel from Seville to Madrid, you would pay €75.50. If you bought a ticket today for Dec. 28, you could pay as little as half that. Even the more expensive tickets are around €50.