Hindsight is so 20/20: what are your regrets re: SPAIN travel

Great question but I have to say I have "no regrets" about our recent trip to Spain (May 2011). It was a wonderful trip and I would not change a thing. IF we had more time, I would have added a sidetrip to Ronda for 2 nights. But we had only 12 nights, so here is how we spent our time: Barcelona 3 nights Toledo 2 nights Sevilla 2 nights (During Feria de Abril which was fantastic!)
Granada 3 nights (multiple visits to the Alhambra, including a 6-hour walking tour of the waterworks) Cordoba 1 night Madrid 1 night (we had been there before so did not need more time there) It would be easy to add Valencia to that as it is linked to Madrid by AVE train, taking 1.5 hours. One thing I am really, really glad I did is learn how to purchase AVE tickets in advance on Renfe. We got Web fares (60% off) on all our tickets and saved several hundred euros. I did not mind being locked in to particular trains as our itinerary was set and not subject to change.

Lola, thanks so much for your money saving tips!!! Your travel pace seems suited to mine -- especially all that time at the Alhambra. Some places/sites I like to see in the daytime and then come back to again at night. Or time my visit so I can be there long enough to watch the sun set, the lights come on and the atmosphere to change...

My favorite "back door" in Spain was Girona, near Barcelona. One guidebook said it was "a world class city, patiently waiting for the world to notice." They were 100% right. My other tip will be controversial. I found less English in Spain than any other European country I've been to. So, brush up on as much Spanish as possible. Others say they have no particular trouble finding English speakers, and I'm not denying their experience, but my experience was quite different.

Harold, Girona is duly noted! As for learning Spanish, I've been telling my husband that is his job. I've been murdering the French language for several decades and that's my contribution....While traveling in Portugal, I had many opportunities to use my poor French. Perhaps in Spain, too?

My regrets? None, unless it would have been to stay longer! My husband and I spent 12 days in Spain this June and July and are still savoring all the great experiences. Twelve days is not all that long except that we were piggybacking our time in Spain following a Mediterranean cruise with 19 family members, and three weeks is about all the vacation time we have. We used Rick's book for all our accommodations and had delightful stays, including a night in Tangier. We spent 2 nights in Barcelona (before the cruise), then 3 nights in Madrid (after the cruise) with a day trip to Toledo and El Escorial, then 2 nights in Granada, 1 night in Ronda, 1 night in Tarifa (where we left luggage to take the ferry), 1 night in Tangier, and 2 nights in Sevilla. Wonderful people, fascinating history, beautiful scenery, yummy food. If you'd like more details or which hotels we stayed in, let me know.

Sandi, I'd especially like to know more about your time in Tangier. I keep changing my mind. We are not shoppers and I don't like being hasseled by vendors. Did you use a guide in Tangier? Where did you spend the night? Would love to know the names of hotels you stayed at or would particularly recommend, especially at Granada. Thanks!

I'll back up what Harold says -- I was quite shocked at the near-absence of English speakers the first time I visited Spain. Luckily I had a little Spanish, which you'll find really helpful.

I have been to Spain many times. There is so much to see and each time I go I come away admiring its beauty, people, history, culture and amazing sites. I certainly recommend seeing all of the places that tourists traditionally visit, my favorites being Granada, Sevilla, Toledo, Salamanca and Santiago de Compostela. The Alhambra is stunning. Try reading Washington Irving's "Tales of the Alhambra" before you go. I liked Barcelona but if I had to choose between the Barcelona area and the Madrid area I would choose Madrid. I have been back to Madrid and its surrounding cities many times but I have only gone to Barcelona once. While in Barcelona take a day trip to Montserrat or to Girona. If you have the time there are lots of pretty villages in the mountains and on the coast in Catalunya that you would like. In Andalucia you might enjoy a visit to Jerez de la Frontera. Since you are looking for some "backdoor" stops, I would like to suggest a visit to Extremadura. I particularly liked Caceres, Trujillo and Guadalupe. Guadalupe was fantastic. Merida, with its beautiful Roman ruins, is also over that way. If you go to Toledo and have a rental car or the time to use public transportation, try a visit to the windmills at Consuegra. In the north try Santillana del Mar or Cangas de Onis, Covadonga and the Picos de Europa. I realise that my suggestions are far from Barcelona and may not work out with your travel plans, but I think they are worth visiting and maybe you can see them on a future trip.

Regrets? We should have stayed an extra night in Valencia instead of just one. We were en route from Barcelona to Granada and did not know enough about this fine city at the time. Also, we should have stayed a few nights in Cordova rather than just taken a day trip there from Sevilla. On our 2010 trip to Spain we started with 10 days in Madrid (loved every moment) and then spent almost 3 weeks driving around the rest of the country. Two of the most important things that we learned on that trip are to stay a minimum of 2 nights at each location and never drive more than about 6 hours per day. Hasta la vista, Bob

There are always trade-offs, and I am not sure I would really have done anything differently on our 2005 trip to Spain. What I would do differently next time: We had five nights in Madrid, four full days. Three of those days were taken up by very worthy day trips to El Escorial, Toledo, Segovia. So only one full day in Madrid; not nearly enough. I love Madrid and next time we will spend three or four full days there. (Had spent 5-6 days there on my own in 2001, and familiarity in travel just makes one like a place more.) Barcelona is nice but I prefer Madrid. I would also make it a point to overnight in Toledo, and probably Segovia too. The choice not to do so on our trip was a conscious one, and was based upon limited time. I knew how highly recommended an overnight in Toledo is, we just had to make the tough choices. We visited Cordoba on a short stopover while taking the AVE train from Seville to Madrid. I would try and stay overnight for one night there next time, so as not to be rushed. Also, we only had two nights (one full day) in Seville - a town that is easily good for two full days and maybe more. It was my third visit, my wife's second, so no great tragedy. We went out of our way to rent a car for the specific purpose to visit Gibraltar (where we also stopped on our 1999 honeymoon cruise). I cannot say that I regret it, but it did cause us to not see as much of Ronda as we would have liked, as we drove from there. The point is, sometimes when you are going to Spain (or any country), you just need to go to Spain and not try to tack stuff on. It is so, so hard not to want to add one more thing. I struggle with this still after twelve or thirteen Europe trips in as many years. Over the years we have gotten less ambitious in the number or stops, enjoying fewer places for longer. I am always planning the next trip though, and as I mentioned I struggle with this..

Hi Trishia, I went to Spain in May some years back and was really bothered by the heat. It was late May. My main suggestion then would be to go to southern Spain at the start of your trip in the hope that it will not be hot yet. Of course if you don't mind hot weather, no problem, but if you are from Vancouver you might not be used to it! I am used to it but still hate it, and want to be indoors with a fan on (if not a/c), not out in the sun. I strongly recommend the Alhambra and would also spend time in the Albaicin, too (though reportedly after dark it may be somewhat unsafe, so better to go earlierbetter anyway since then you can enjoy the great views). I also love Seville. I like Madrid less, but if you are a big city person, you'll want to go there. I haven't seen Barcelona in many years but that clearly should be on your list too. I don't know France well enough to comment on it; you clearly know it better than I. Have a great trip. Marcia

Girona is beautiful and easy to get to from Barcelona by train. We spent a week there in November 2008. They mostly speak Catalan in that area. In the south, along the Costa del Sol, English is widely spoken- so many English ex-pats live there and it's a popular destination for British vacationers. Haven't been to Valencia for a long time (decades) but I do recall it as being beautiful.
Have a great trip!