Planning or trip for next Spring. Starting I Switzerland with family and then moving on from there.
We have never been to Spain. I'm thinking 5-6 days in Barcelona and then possibly Seville. But what I'm really looking for, after Barcelona, is a smaller town - something about the size of Bruges, Belgium. I think after almost a week in Barcelona it would be nice to stay in a smaller town. I loved Bruges - so looking for something like that.
I would appreciate your help/suggestions.
Thank you.
Will you be relying on public transportation or will you have a car?
Sorry - we will be taking public transportation. I've been reading about Toledo. Would that fit my description?
What about a short 40' journey on a high-speed train to Girona?, it's a much smaller town (96.000) merely 60 miles from Barcelona in the middle of the popular Costa Brava region. Girona is considered the unofficial second capital of Catalonia, after Barcelona. It has a wonderful cozy medieval quarters as well as a very interesting Jews quarter from the 12th century and it's in the middle of an area that allows you to do DAY ESCAPADES to other nearby breathtaking places, from the fortified village of Besalú, to Figueres and her precious Museu Dalí, to the wetlands and natural park of the Aigüamolls de l'Empordà a sanctuary for birds and other animals, to the Greek ruins of the colony of Empúries dating from 575 BC or the imposing medieval monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes built on top of a mountain, or one of the many lovely picturesque coastal villages, like Cadaqués... and many more... and it's also a stone throw away from the Catalan Pyrenees mountain range.
And all that without having to waste time traveling hundreds of miles from Barcelona.
Just sayin'...
My first thought was Girona also. Lovely and lively old towwn. Smallish but very worthwhile museum of art.
Toledo is fabulous if you don't mind going beyond Madrid. It has more official sights than Girona--it would be easy to spend two or more.days there. It would be a shame to miss Toledo if you have time to fit it into your schedule. It's hilly, though; be prepared for some exercise.
A third possibity, probably significantly slower to reach, is the Aragon town of Teruel. It's known for its mudejar architecture and has a very picturesque old.town.
Thank you enric and acraven for your replies. Both towns sound just like what we're looking for. I think we would rather stay in Toledo and visit Madrid as a long day trip. After Cinque Terre we're going to Rome. So - would this make sense:
Fly Rome to Madrid. Train to Toledo. Stay in Toledo 5 nights and include Madrid as a day trip.
Train from Madrid to Girona. Stay in Girona 3-4 nights.
Train to Barcelona. Stay in Barcelona 5- 6 nights.
Fly from Barcelona to Brussels.
Is this enough time in each place? Since we haven't purchased airline tickets yet, we can add or subtract days to each city.
Thanks again for your help.
That's more time than most people feel they can devote to those cities, so you're lucky. Whether the allocation of the days is ideal depends on what you want to do while srsying in each place. There are multiple good day-trips from Girona, but really only Madrid from Toledo. Do you plan to go into Madrid only one day? It has a lot of museums, several of them large. And in Barcelona, will you want to see a bunch of the modernista sights? A number of those (plus the Picasso Museum) can have long lines, so buying a ticket in advance is often recommended. Those tickets are often timed, meaning you don't have total freedom to wander at will. I'm finding it hard to be efficient in my sightseeing in Barcelona because my schedule is peppered with places I have to be at a specific time.
Since you're going to have a good bit of time in Toledo: The Tourist Office sells a wristband that provides admission to 6 or 7 sights, for four of which a tour is included. I really enjoyed those tours, but they are not conducted frequently, so it's hard for the one-day visitors to take advantage of them. One wrinkle is that they schedule two tours back-to-back, sometimes with different guides, and you may have only 5 minutes or so to get to the starting point of the second tour, which is quite a challenge, given the labyrinth that is Toledo. An electonic map is advised.
Toledo is a great place and it's well worth spending a night, but you are doing Madrid a great disservice by only allotting it a single day! There is just so much to see and do there! I have now been there four times and still have not gotten all the way through my "list".
I agree that you are short changing Madrid. Toledo would leave you well and truly satisfied after 3 nights, and Madrid is really the only day trip option from here. I would spend 2 (or even 3) nights near the station at Madrid Atocha, giving you the option for a day to Segovia. Lavapies and La Latina are great areas close by for night time eating, drinking and wandering.
I loved Toledo, went to the El Greco muesum (that is decades ago), but a night is quite fine.
On our last trip we did Barcelona and Figueres (as we like Dali), this time we headed to Cadaqués (which is precious - like a forgotten village by the sea) tough a bit coplicated to reach whithout own car.
In Andalucía you will only do Seville - have you tought about Granada? Cordoba?
I have to admit I loved Seville, but was amazed by Cordoba, as by the time we used to travel there were hardly any tourists in Cordoba.
When in Spring are you coming? Around Semana Santa? If you hit Semana Santa spend it in Andalucía.
After Barcelona you can of course as well go further south and take in 1 night in Tarragona, Valencia (Fallas take place in Spring) or Alicante.
It sounds like you have a travel time that allows you to really settle into a place. I assume you also enjoy that kind of time. This is quite a bit different than the typical advice and manner in which people here travel, hence the suggestion for only a night or two in Toledo. I on the other hand, think the ability to spend 4-5 nights there would be fantastic. It is the kind of small city where you can really relax and explore at your leisure if you enjoy that. It has several smaller museums and sites that are worth seeing if you spend more time there. The restaurant scene there is not as good as I have found in other places, so be warned if you also enjoy good food. Madrid is a short ride away to enjoy some of the highlights there.
Girona would be a good option outside of Barcelona. It would afford a few daytrip options too, such as Figueres to see the Dali Museum.
Cordoba is another small city, like Toledo, that can really be settled into for several nights. Another city with lots of winding Medieval streets to explore and some smaller, off-the-beaten-path museums that daytrippers and one-nighters don't see.
But be forewarned that none of these options are small towns and Toledo and Cordoba can get very crowded (like Bruges). There are plenty of small seaside towns along the Costa Brava outside Barcelona - Cadeques has been mentioned and Sitges is another. Cadeques is better with a car but has some beautiful scenic areas nearby. Sitges is on the train line with links to other places like Tarragona (Roman ruins).
Thanks to all for your wonderful suggestions. All of them sound like great choices. We have a lot to think about!
Thanks again.
