Hi - we are heading off on Monday for an exciting trip to Spain. My BF is attending a conference in Barcelona - so he will be at the conference while I do some touring in Barcelona for a few days. Then, we planned an itinerary that has us 1 night in Girona, 2 nights in Cadaques, and 2 nights in Taüll. We’re trying for some seacoast, some old town and some hiking/walking. Suggestions for our last 2 nights? We leave from Barcelona late in the day. Suggestions needed! And, we are a healthy and active couple in our early 60’s. Still adventurous!
Posted by
Barcelona + Sweden
4180 posts
Taüll is quite a ways north of Barcelona, deep in the Pyrenees, so the question would be where to spend 2 nights between Taüll and Barcelona, but close enough to get to Barcelona the day of your flight?
Firstly if you are not spending a min of 4 nights in Barcelona, definitely add those nights to Barcelona, it's a big city with much to see and many attractions requiring timed tickets.
If you have Barcelona covered, you could spend those 2 nights in Tarragona, south of Barcelona, it's about 3 hrs driving south of Taüll. Along the way you can stop at the fortified Royal Monastery of Poblet, a UNESCO Site and Pantheon of the old Kings of Aragon.
Tarragona itself is a nice port town with 2000 years of history, including some of the best Roman Ruins in Spain, which are also UNESCO Heritage Sites, a great Antiquity Museum, large Gothic Cathedral, and a quaint twisting medieval quarter with shops and restaurants.
Posted by
Washington DC
28085 posts
I consider Girona to be worth 2 nights. That would give you a full day and perhaps some extra hours. I like Cadaques as well, but there's really no comparison in terms of what there is to see.
Posted by
Barcelona + Sweden
4180 posts
Plus, Cadaqués can be quite cold and windy in Oct/Nov. I was there one November, 3-4 years ago and it started to rain sleet!
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6485 posts
I love Girona. I could spend at least 3 nights there, especially if you were considering some day trips. One I'd recommend is Besalu. Do you intend on going to Montserrat? I consider that Barcelona, but it is essentially a day trip. I would call Montserrat a "don't miss".
Posted by
Chicago
78 posts
Have you considered Tarragona? Very interesting Roman and Early Christian remains. Not far from Barcelona.
Posted by
27 posts
I am considering staying in Tarragona for two nights. Any recommendations on hotels for a two night stay. I will not have a car.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you - we’ll look at Tarragona - or maybe just head back to Barcelona. Very helpful!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
"Barcelona, it's a big city with much to see and many attractions requiring timed tickets."
The last part of that sentence is very important. It's not just that Barcelona has a lot to see, it's that coordinating all the sights in a short time is very difficult, since more and more of them require advance timed tickets. And, the tickets are expensive (often €15-30). It can be hard to know how long you want to spend at a place; you don't want to have to run out of a place that you paid a lot of money for before you're ready, just so you're not late for your next expensive ticket.
For those with a lot of time, a good plan is one timed sight in the morning and one timed sight in the afternoon, with free time then filled in with other sights that don't require advance timed tickets. But that's hard to make work if you're only there a short time. Another plan is to skip some of the timed ticket sights and see other things instead (such as MNAC, a wonderful and huge museum that is relatively lightly visited).
Just agreeing with others that Girona is very nice and interesting.