Rick's Spain Itinerary

You might want to include Oviedo when you are near Gijon. The cathedral there has a museum where they keep the Camara Santa, the "crown jewels" of Asturias, particularly the Cross of the Angels and the Cross of Victory, two gold and jewel-encrusted crosses that are symbols of Asturias and Oviedo. It's also a nice university town with some interesting public art - and if your timing is right, you might actually spot Woody Allen, who lives there part of the time. At the very least, you could have your picture taken with his statue.

I don't know if this helps you out or not, but you could consider skipping Santiago de Compostela because of its location (maybe even Salamanca) and instead just head to Bilbao or San Sebastian from Madrid (or Salamanca)? Segovia can be done easily as a daytrip by train or bus from Madrid. You can avoid a car this way if that's important.

It's a piece of cake in a car. The whole loop, including places you haven't mentioned, is only about 1200 miles which averages out to something like three hours of driving per day - - probably less. The longest single day will be returning to Madrid from San Sebastian - - that's three hundred miles, and it'll only take about four hours since that's the fastest highway of the whole trip. You really ought to get another guide, maybe the Michelin Green, since there's a heck of lot on that loop that RS never mentions. It would be a shame to pass it by.

It would certainly save time to skip Santiago de Compostela. The problem is that Santiago is by far the most interesting of those northern Spain destinations. Just my opinion! Also - we did all these places by car & I agree with Ed that driving was fun and easy.

Thanks Ed. Given the 8 days/8 nights, would it look something like this: Segovia, stay one night Salamanca (stop in Avila on way), stay two nights (?) Drive to Santiago (one or two nights?), stay somewhere in Cantabria (one or two nights?)
San Sebastian (one night) Our flight leaves Madrid at 12:35 on a sunday. Is it possible to drive from San sebastian to catch this, or is it best to arrive the night before?

That's not the way I'd do it. You can drive Madrid, Segovia, Avila, Salamanca in an easy four hours. You need not more than two hours to see the aquaduct and walk the lower square at Segovia. Avila might take three hours (a lot less if you don't take forever for lunch and try to walk the whole wall). I'd spend that first night and a bit of the next day in Salamanca. Santiago is five hours down the road. You need almost four hours there. To me, it would mean leaving after an early lunch on the day after you arrive. The next day would include a stop in Coruna enrout to Gijon for the night. The next would be a stop in the Picos de Europa enroute to Santillana. I'd catch a cave painting the next day and have time to spend the night in Bilbao after looking around the museum. (The whole drive's only an hour and a half hours.) The last night on the loop would be San Sebastian, but I'd go through Guernica (the essence of all things Basque) and then along the coast road - - the whole drives about two hours. I think that was only six nights, leaving you plenty of room to pad or slow down. You've got to get back to Madrid the night before you leave. Anything else is going to put your guts in a knot and give no leeway for anything to go wrong.

ok while we are at it, this is our itinerary for the first 2 weeks of the trip (modified slightly from on Ricks trip linked above): Day 1: arrive in Madrid am, sleep Madrid Day 2: Day trip to El Escorial/Valley of Fallen, sleep Madrid (Easter Sunday) Day 3: Madrid, sleep Madrid Day 4: Toledo, sleep Toledo Day 5: AVE train Cordoba, on to Sevilla, sleep Sevilla Day 6: Sevilla, sleep Sevilla Day 7: To Arcos, sleep Arcos Day 8: To Tarifa, sleep Tarifa Day 9: Day trip to Morocco, sleep Tarifa (plubic holiday) Day 10: To Nerja via Gibraltar, sleep Nerja Day 11: To Granada, sleep Granada Day 12: Granada, sleep Granada Day 13: Barcelona, sleep Barcelona (fly to BCN from GRX, in a.m.) Day 14: Barcelona, sleep Barcelona
Day 15: To Segovia, sleep salamanca (fly to MAD from BCN in a.m., pick up car and drive) It is based on what Rick recommends, but is it do-able?

It might be doable, but I think it's stupid. I also have not the least little bit of tact. Toledo and El Escorial would better be done as you leave Madrid on the northern loop. Dashing in and out of Madrid leaves you virtually no time there. The day trip to africa is about as dumb as it gets. Sometimes you can't even get across the straits due to rough water. Tarifa itself isn't worth the time. Tangier isn't Morocco, save that country until you can spend a few weeks, or at least get down to Fez and Marrakech. I detest Barcelona, but you can't do it justice in the wee amount of time you have budgeted. I don't know why two nights are set aside for Granada - - you can see the whole alhambra in four hors - - it must be due to movement logistics. Arcos and Nerja, while interesting, are fifth-tier attractions - - to much time is devoted to them. They're more something to see as you pass by, not a destination of themselves. What I'd do is drive out of Madrid, spend the night in Toledo. Stop in Cordova on the way to Seville and spend two nights there. Leave Seville, stop briefly in Arcos then press on to Gibraltar (four hour stop) and head for Granada. See the alhambra the next morning and head north to Ciudad Real for the night. Go to Segovia the next night and press on with a slighly modified version the northern loop from there. Barcelona would be axed. Save it for a trip to catalonian France where it fits in better both culturally and geographically. Again, I'd urge picking up a Michelin Green for Spain. It'll give you a better idea of what has merit in all of Spain instead of what Frommers/Fodors/RS/LP covers. Obviously I'm spent a lot of time in Spain, not just a couple of trips that hit the tour-book highlights, so I have my own prejudices.

If your travels take you to Cantabria, plan to stay at least one night at the Palacio Sonanes...check out its website... Fantastic Palace circa 1719, redone in 2001. Seville - Patio de Santa Cruz in the old Jewish quarters. Not sure how fast you drive, but the estimates on some of the other posts leave no time for pit stops, much less sight seeing -at least my opinion...Take it slow and enjoy the countryside!

' but the estimates on some of the other posts leave no time for pit stops.........'' I wasn't clear I guess. No estimates, actual experiece over a bunch of times. And they were labeled as driving times for a segment -- who can estimated the number or duration of stops, let alone sight-seeing? Cantabria is a good-sized province. It'd be helpful to know in what city/town this hotel? is located.

I've ordered the Michelin Green for Spain ... does it outline a suggested tour like R.S. does? For our trip I have 22 days (not including flight days) and here is what you have suggested thus far: Day 1: arrive in Madrid am, sleep Madrid Day 2: Madrid sleep madrid Day 3: Madrid, sleep Madrid Day 4: Drive to Toledo, sleep Toledo Day 5: Cordoba, on to Sevilla, sleep Sevilla Day 6: Sevilla, sleep Sevilla Day 7: To Arcos, Gibraltar, sleep Granada Day 8: Alhambra to Ciudad Real Day 9: to El Escorial, segovia, sleep salamanca day 10 drive to santiago sleep santiago day 11 Coruna enrout to Gijon for the night day 12 stop in the Picos de Europa enroute to Santillana day 13 drive to Bilbao
day 14 drive to San sebastian. I have 8 more days...what warrants more time? Traveling end of Aril through mid-may - should we book all lodging in advance? Thanks!

With the new plan, you can't get from Ciudad Real to Salamanca in one day if you want to see Segovia, El Escorial, and Avila along the way. I'd call it quits at Avila. That way, it's an easy run into Salamanca and you can finish it off before nightfall. Green Guides don't plot routes. They rank most everything in the text (and their rankings are darn good, not just want one or two people think). The good part is that they also have a map of the whole country with the rankings coded so that you can link it up in a way that suits you. I refuse to visit a country without a Green Guide if one is published for it. It's just too handy to have for something that pops up along the way if you need to kill a bit more time. Advance reservations depends on the time of the year. I have no problem running the whole country without them, even in the summer - - I'd probably make you nervous as hell, however. When are you going? I'm going to quit for a day or two and let others chime in with their ideas. It's wrong to go entirely with one idiot's opinions. I'll get back with maybe a bit or sorting or trying to balance one over the other so you can decide what's best for you.

Bump. For more ideas.