In an earlier posting I asked about spending 10-11 days in Spain at the end of December, traveling by train from France with my daughter. I've decided to focus on Barcelona (first) and Sevilla, with a side trip to Cordoba, and forget the coast and Tangiers, but as we must train through Madrid to return to France, I'm wondering if that would be a nice city to spend New Year's Eve and Day in. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Ruth
'Any advice from more experienced travelers about what to expect during the Christmas-New Year season?'
If you query what you would want specifically from such a visit and time perhaps you will receive specific answers, but it is generally a very quiet family orientated time for many Spanish.
Sorry, let me try to be more specific. From past posts in late December 2015, it seems that one can find restaurants open in larger cities, like Barcelona, on Dec. 24-25, so it makes sense to stay there over Christmas. We're not beach bunnies & don't do water sports, but do like water, harbors, markets, small museums and decent weather. We hope to avoid overly touristed places (it looks like Costa del Sol is one of them), but don't want to pass up up someplace worth spending a few days in. Cartagena? Malaga? Cadiz? My daughter would like to take the ferry to Morocco, but Tangiers seems the place to avoid, and Chefchaouen earns high praise, but it would be quite cool in late December.
Thanks!
There's really nothing wrong with visiting Tanger and it's spruced up quite a bit in the past decade. You can also find some budget flights between the main cities, like Barcelona to Fes or Marrakech, Madrid to Marrakech, and of course more flights from France; see www.skyscanner.com. There won't be any xmas atmos in Morocco. Visiting Morocco is primarily about the people, culture, maze-like medinas, and perhaps a mountain or desert trek. For grand architecture, you will be well satisfied by the Moorish sites in Sevilla, Granada, and Cordoba, instead.
Barcelona won't have beach weather at that time, anyway. The average temp at that time is 51, not a whole lot warmer even in the south.
I'm not clear about your plan for the "southeastern coast" - it's too cold for beaches, so the villages are not very lively. Would you rent a car and drive?
Barcelona is a great city with lots to see and do, plus interesting day trips. Andalucia is an excellent destination in winter.
I was in Spain for Easter and though almost all the sights were closed in Andalucia (one of the most traditional, religiously observant areas), all the restaurants were open (it's a big day for eating out, so no one wants to miss the business). I was told that in Barcelona, you hardly are aware it's Easter Sunday. I mention this because Easter is much more important in Spain than Christmas.
Thanks for all the helpful information so far. Good to know that Christmas will not shut everything down.
Just out of curiosity, do people go to the southern Spanish coast in winter expecting to swim? Or are all the beaches too cool in December-January for dipping into by average folks (not cold water enthusiasts)?
We will be traveling by train (using passes), which will largely determine our route. A possible itinerary is Barcelona-Cordoba (or Granada)-Malaga (Sevilla?). I think three main stops will be all we can manage, so making difficult choices is now the task.
The latitude of Malaga is about the same as Nashville, TN. It's not beach weather in TN in late December, so it won't be in Spain, either.
It's not even a question of air temps. The water is cold. Heck, even here (a good deal farther south on the Med), only the hardiest of the hardy go into the water, never mind that there are no life guards at that time of year.
With 12 nights I would look at something like this ...
Sevilla - 3 nts (Cathedral, Alcazar)
Cordoba - 2 nts (Mezquita)
Granada - 2 nts (Alhambra)
Malaga - 1 nt
Barcelona - 4 nts (Sagrada Familia)
However, if you want just 3 stops then look at ...
Sevilla - 4 nts (with day to Cordoba)
Granada - 3 nts
Barcelona - 5 nts
