Hi all,
We are in the planning phase of our first trip to Spain in September. We were able to get a "screaming" deal on business class air to Paris non-stop from Vancouver (Air France - only $500 more than economy in each direction - look into it This means we will book a connecting flight from Paris - probably to Madrid, and then work our way back to Paris over 12 days total including travel. We're looking to keep the trip kind of simple (i.e. minimal amount of moving around) and efficient. Here's a rough sketch:
Day 1 (Sat) - Travel from Vancouver to Paris
Day 2 (Sun) - Arrive Paris - Travel to Toledo via Madrid (thinking that Toledo would be a good "jet lag" pillow)
Day 3 (Mon)- Toledo
Day 4 (Tue)- Toledo to Madrid
Day 5 (Wed) - Madrid
Day 6 (Thu) - Madrid
Day 7 (Fri) - Madrid to Barcelona
Day 8 (Sat) - Barcelona
Day 9 (Sun) - Barcelona
Day 10 (Mon) - Barcelona
Day 11 (Tue) - Travel to Paris - One day/night
Day 12 (Wed) - Fly home
We've been to Paris a few times, so we're good with a single day there (although two days would be better).
To add a little color to the conversation, here are a few things we're looking to do.
- Eat good food
- Enjoy Art (Gaudi, Dali, Picasso)
- Take in a Football (Soccer) Game if Barca is in town
- Walking tours/People watch
- Maybe a bullfight, if we think we can stomach it (when in Rome, as they say)
- Enjoy open markets, outdoor bars/nightclubs (older, chill crowd)
- Catch a performance of some kind (music (rock, jazz), dance, opera)
Here's the ask:
- Does Time allocation make sense?
- Is there any merit to staying in one of the small towns outside of Barcelona for a night?
- What's your Favorite neighborhood to stay in, eat in, for each town?
- Specific recommendations for Hotel, B&B, based on your amazing experience?
- Specific "can't miss" Restaurant recommendations?
- Do any of the activities listed above make you say "oh yeah!" or "on no!"?
- If you had our time, what would you suggest?