My husband and I will be traveling to Spain for 11 days at the end of May. We have round trip tickets to Barcelona and are wondering if renting a car and driving to the north is a good idea or should we take a train to Madrid or preferably Seville?
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
It's really hard to answer. It depends on what you like to see and do. Eleven days isn't long so you don't have time to see everything, you will have to focus your trip on an area. Tell me more about what you are hoping to see or do in Spain and I may be able to give more ideas. In General, Barcelona is the heart of Catalonia. The language is a French-Spanish hybrid, Catalon. Madrid is fairly new but has the Prado, one of the best museums anywhere and green space that should be nice when you're there. Around Madrid are some great medieval towns and castles, particularly toward the northwest. The northern coast is Basque. May might be a little early to get great weather along that coast. May should start getting hot in the South. The Costa del Sol is all resorts and golf courses, not what I'm into. Costa de la Luz is more sparsely populated. The main stops are Seville, Granada, Cordoba, and the White Towns - which are great places to see the Moorish past and what many think of as traditional Spain.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
All of these are "good ideas," depending on your interests (although Seville in May may be hotter than you'd like). Start by looking at Rick's travel videos on these areas (they're available on Hulu.com and Youtube), as well as by looking at other videos and guidebooks. See what calls to you.
Posted by
St Petersburg Florida
951 posts
What ever you decide, I would land in Barcelona and get on a train to your next destination and then do Barcelona in the end. I wouldn't even waste a night due to jet lag...just get on a train to the place you want to see. The problem with spain is that it is big and some trains are not as efficient as others. To get to Andalusia and back to barcelona is a long train ride. So maybe this time leave the south of spain off your list and consider north of Barcelon, maybe then Madrid and the surrounding medieval cities, and then back to Barcelona to enjoy for a few days and off you go back home.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
I was in Sevilla during the second week of May last year. During my two days there, one day it was 100 degrees and the other day it was 102. The locals said it was a little early to be that hot, but it could be. Madrid should be beautiful at that time, and you could easily visit Toledo and Segovia from there.