Further to my recent post:
We will be driving at the beginning of June from Barcelona to the Pyrenees and from there to the Basque Country, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Pamplona, and Vitoria. In the Pyrenees, we would love to drive on scenic roads. As recommended by the forum, we intend to stay the second night in Jaca. My question is where would you recommend to stay the first night in the Pyrenees? Is Vielha a good idea or maybe somewhere else.
Posted by
Barcelona + Sweden
4180 posts
Hi, I have not been to Vielha specifically, but it is located in the Aran Valley, which is an interesting corner of Catalonia literally, as it is an autonomous region within an autonomous region, they even speak their own language distinct from Catalan, called Aranese. I doubt you will find someone on this forum who has been to Vielha, it's off the beaten path even for people in Spain.
From Vielha you are pretty close to the Vall de Boí though, which is a mountain pass with many early Romanesque churches, it is designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Personally I would just spend 2 nights in Jaca and radiate from there, rather and do two 1 night stays back to back with all the packing/unpacking and moving into new rooms it entails.
Posted by
Washington DC
28096 posts
If you're interested in the early churches of the Pyrenees, you might like to visit the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) in Barcelona, which has among its many exhibits the original frescoes from several of those churches.
Posted by
stevens point, wi, usa
1194 posts
Hola from Ronda Spain,
Well five years ago or so I drove that route. The closer you drive to the Pyrennes the slower the drive, the curvier, the more beautiful, but as I said slower. 25 or 30 mph.
And not far away from the mountains it is flat and boring. But fast and relaxing driving. We drove from Barcelona, north and then turned westerly onto a three number road or should I say roads. It was fantastic. But we only got as far as Talarn. Google that place and you get an idea of the speed we must have been going.
Our host that night at first did not believe the roads we took. We did day trips out of Talarn for a week and then headed for the Basque region near France. And on that segment we did flat and fast. Spain is a big country.
I forget exactly, maybe five Wisconsins.
Spanish drivers generally are much better drivers than we Americans. They know what the blinker lever is used for. Read up on how to drive in Spain. The roads are good, signage is mostly good, the drivers, with some exceptions, are excellent. I rented a car for $10 a day, with a dead head. Parking and gas will cost me more than that.
Wayne iNES
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12314 posts
I've been to your stops but only wandered the Pyrenees on the French side (as far as I know).
Just south of Pamplona is one of the nicest castle visits I've had in Olite. It's a medieval castle from the Kingdom of Navarre (included some of Spain and France).