Best 14 day itinerary, September timeframe. Would like to go to/from Barcelona and Madrid. Trains ok or do we need to rent a car? Which ones are a "must see"? Thanks
Posted by
Los Angeles/Madrid
14 posts
AVE (high speed trains) run on the hour from Barcelona-Madrid. Summer fare for a one-way ticket: roughly 125 euro (didnt look for any deals though, could go as low as mid 70's). If you want to get quickly between the two cities, this is the best option. If you are visiting many cities, you may want to consider a railpass or renting a car.
Some highlights of Barcelona: La Sagrada Familia, Barceloneta (beach area near Port Vella), Las Ramblas, La Placa de Catalunya, y Montjuic (where the olympic stadium and museum of Catalunian art reside).
Some highlights of Madrid: Puerta del Sol, El Parque del Buen Retiro, Prado Museum, La Reina Sofia Museum, Gran Via stroll, tapas crawl, Palacio Real (Royal Palace)
Google any of these to find out more about them- I especially recommend Retiro- rent a rowboat and enjoy a magical experience in the warm madrileno heat.
Que disfrute su tiempo en Espana.
Enjoy your time in Spain.
Posted by
OP
San Jose, CA, USA
20 posts
Thanks for the reply. I'm actually looking for more info and recommendation on Paradors between Madrid and Barcelona...do you have any?
Posted by
San Leandro, CA, USA
632 posts
Three web sites you can try. I used the first one when we went to Spain in 05. Since it is run by the Gov't it is not as commercial as some of the other sites. I can tell you from our experience that you will not be able to book any rooms in the popular paradors near any of the major cities, as these are sold out by now for the September time frame.
http://www.parador.es/en/portal.do
http://www.paradores-spain.com/
I think if you are willing to go off the beaten track, you will find one, but that would probably best be accessed via a car...we rented a car in Spain and loved the roads and the ease of driving there...