I am thinking of visiting Spain, either Barcelona or Seville in mid-February. I have about six days to stay, so I thought about using one of those cities as a base - exploring the surrounding region on day trips. I have been to both, but only the cities proper, and do not need to revisit the most famous sites. I love to just wander and absorb local culture. Any thoughts?
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2788 posts
Do you have RS Spain Guide Book yet? If so, great. If not,
you should get it soon as it has lots of good information we used when we travel in Spain.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Neglecting the merits of the two cities, look at a map. Barcelona is hemmed in on one side by water and by nothing much but desolation of the other. That leaves only the coastal axis. Going south (or southwest, actually) is pretty much nothing. That leaves only heading up the coast toward France - - which becomes fairly uninteresting after Cadaques. If you made multiple trips, you'd be covering the same ground repeatedly. Draw a hundred mile circle around Seville and you have all kinds of things, especially in the eastern half.
Posted by
LaGrange, Ga, USA
1178 posts
Sevilla waoud be my choice....check the Moon Guide To Spain - amazon.com
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16329 posts
Seville would be my choice for a winter visit as well. You are close to Granada, Cordoba, and the white hill towns, for starters. Lots of good oppoortunities to wander in any of these. Next choice would be Madrid, with daytrips to Toledo, Avila, etc.
Posted by
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
80 posts
It'll still be pretty darn cold in Barcelona in mid-February so I, too, will choose Seville for this time. As mentioned, within 3 hours drive you can visit Málaga, Cádiz, Córdoba, Gibraltar, and MAYBE even Granada (the farthest at 3-hours away). Keep in mind that few of these can be considered a day-trip as more than 1-day should be dedicated to see them. Enjoy! Saludos, MadridMan - AND BarcelonaMan - @ you-know-where!