Spain this August - 10 days

Zaragoza will be very hot in August. As far as mode of travel, it would depend on what you and the children like to do. If you intend on staying in a larger city, then train is probably best. If you want to visit small towns, then a rental car might be best. Once you know how many nights you want to spend in Madrid and Barcelona you’ll have a better idea of what might be feasible with the remaining time.

Below is what we did on a memorable trip to Barcelona and Basque country in September, 2019. Though many here would say our itinerary was too rushed, it worked well for us and our traveling companions (all seniors).

Arrive Barcelona (from US), drive to Zaragoza, sleep Zaragoza

Drive from Zaragoza to Laguardia, lunch/tasting at Bodegas Baigorri then on to Vitoria-Gastiez, sleep Vitoria-Gastiez

Drive to Bilbao, sleep Bilbao

Drive to Guernica, then to San Sebastion, sleep San Sebastion

San Sebastian (go to Peine del Viento), sleep San Sebastion

To Hondaribbia, via Chillida Leku, sleep Hondaribbia

From Hondaribbia, to Sare, to Ainhoa, to Espelette, back to Hondaribnia to sleep

From Hondaribbia to St. Jean de Luz, to Bayonne, sleep Bayonne

From Bayonne to Carcassonne, sleep Carcassonne (hated Carcassonne, ugh)

From Carcassonne to Figueres (loved!), to Barcelona to sleep

Stay Barcelona

Stay Barcelona

Depart to US

Would think that the kids might especially love the Guggenheim in Bilbao, the Peine del Viento in San Sebastion, the Dali Museum in Figueres, and multiple sites in Barcelona.

Have a great trip!

We really enjoyed Zaragoza where we spent 3 nights. Firefighter museum, origami museum.

Consider Sitges.
Beaches, food, easy commute to Barcelona.
We loved it for 3 nights.

I would not go to Zaragoza in August. It gets just about as hot as Andalucía, 100F is not uncommon...
Valencia would be a better choice in that regard.
Or, yes, you could head from Madrid to Bilbao for maybe 3 nights, and then straight to Barcelona (skipping Zaragoza). San Sebastián accommodation is very, very scarce in August, especially during the Semana Grande (12-19 Aug), so I would stay in Bilbao.

I'm a big fan of the Basque Country, and it's usually a much more pleasant place to be in the summer, temperature-wise, than Zaragoza or even Madrid. However, in places across the northern coast of Spain, you have to accept the high possibility of overcast skies; there's no guarantee of beach weather on any particular day.

Barcelona's likely to be cooler than Madrid, but it can be humid.

The Pyrenees would be another good option. That area would definitely call for a car.

August in Spain is hellish and even Barcelona is pretty hot.

If you have to go to Spain then I would pick the Northern Coast of Spain-Galacia, etc.

I will just point out that many people in Madrid leave in August due to the hot, hot weather.

I love Spain but summer and particularly Madrid

A couple of highly influencing factors..........

All travel by train.

Unpack once in the Latina Quarter of Madrid and stay for five days. Madrid has relatively small old town area and wonderful museums which can be absorbed in three days. Add two day trips to locations of choice. Immediately adjust to locale culture time table of eating and recognize the benefits of strolling late evening to discover cooler fun activities.

High speed train to Barcelona, more competition means better pricing. Travel during high heat of day to enjoy cool relaxing transport. BTW: Madrid Atocha train station is a wonderful experience so donate 30 minutes for exploring prior to train. Do you tube search for Spain train travel to learn how easy and delightful t he experience can be.

Stay in Eixample district and stay remainder of trip using all public transport. Several day trip opportunities available for Barcelona area has VAST menu of opportunities.

Stay hydrated and plan daily itinerary to keep your meat out of the heat during late mid-day. Keep drinking throughout the day. Bring some favorite drink mixes, single packets, to add to your water.

Biggest difference between 2004 and 2023, the crush of tourists. Pre-book on-line entries to avoid long lines of trading sweat with your fellow travelers.

Bring swim wear and take a half day vacation at the Barcelona beach so your family can cool off in the Med. How many kids get to swim in the Med? Cool memory. BTW: only take towels to the beach. Buy two cheap inflatables and donate to the beach after use.

I really appreciate all the thoughtful responses! I'll have to go through each one carefully, and more than likely post follow up questions and a tentative itinerary for review. Thanks to everyone for your help!

Some follow up questions: We will have 3-5 nights in Madrid, and 4 nights in Barcelona. In between, in order to go less out of the way, would folks recommend going to Valencia for 2-3 nights? Is there enough of interest there? My concern with going to Bilbao in between is the distance to be covered by train from Madrid, and then likely requiring a flight to Barcelona. Speaking of Barcelona, when should we start booking the sites for our time there, and what would a suggested itinerary be for 3 full days? We will be there during the last week of August.

I'd choose Girona over Valencia, but there's nothing wrong with Valencia if its sights sound appealing to you. I agree that the time required to travel to and from the Baque Country is an impediment to a short visit to that region.

Other than the Camp Nou Experience, I'm not aware of sights in Barcelona that sell out far in advance. It's more a matter of horrendous ticket lines if you buy on site--and of course the equally horrendous crowding, but there's less to be done about that problem.

However, the first time slot(s) of the day seem to be exoecually popular, so you'll have to buy tickets considerably earlier to snag those as opposed to just any old entry time. With so many sights requiring timed entry, it's important to make one of those your first stop each morning so you don't have to guess when you'll finish a previous activity and manage to travel to the time-ticketed sight.

I'd check now to see what ticket availability looks like for the days you'll be in Barcelona, and I'd continue to monitor the situation to be sure I didn't miss out on the opportunity to grab a ticket for each morning. The problem tickets are those for La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, Casa Mila/La Pedrera, Casa Batllo, Picasso Museum and Palau de la Musica Catalana (whose English tours can sell out). Other sights (Sant Pau modernista site, MNAC, Miro Museum, other art museums) have not been an issue for me, though my most recent trip to Barcelona was in 2019.

I’m not a huge Valencia fan and think a full day there is sufficient. With only 2-3 days, I’d deal with the heat and just go to Zaragoza. Check the train schedules to see which would work best for you. Valencia could be the better choice.

I love Valencia and high speed train service is less than two hours. Incredible rapid velocity of growth has changed one of my favorite Spanish destinations.
Encourage consideration of what defines a more rewarding journey, covering more geography/cities or ability to immerse family into large menu of opportunities of a region. Please forgive my being annoying, but the menu of opportunities adjacent to Barcelona create excellent opportunities to experience.
Regardless of your choices, enjoy a wonderful family vacation!

I was just in Valencia and it was great, a far cry from the over touristed, dirty, pickpocket infested Barcelona. Zaragoza is also a good option but know it's been dreadfully hot in Spain, I can only imagine August is going to be worse, and I'd rather be somewhere on the coast than inland.

PS: Not sure when in August you are going but know that August 15–21 is the Gràcia Street Festival in Barcelona. This is a must see if in the area, colorfully decorated streets, traditional cultural music and events like the correfoc, and family friendly atmosphere.

Carlos,

Please chuckle with me.............

Is there a ban on over crowded tourism and pickpockets during the festival you recommend attending in Barcelona?

Please, just chuckle.

Thanks

Steven

Carlos, Please chuckle with me.............

Steven I've no clue what you're asking of me 😅 must be the Florida colloquialism

Yes the Gracia festival is probably the only island of local culture in Barcelona during August.

@steven - leave your valuables at your hotel. During Mercè, some places like Plaça de Sant Jaume can get so crowded you literally can barely turn around. I’m sure it’s much more crowded now than it was in 2006 when I was there for the festival. We had no problem. I did chuckle.