Zaragoza or Valencia?
 

Taking a vacation trip late May on an open-jaw into Barcelona and returning from Madrid. We'll be spending a few days in each and making our way between them by train. We'd like to spend a day and night in another city to break up the travel and just to see someplace else. Zaragoza and Valencia seem like workable choices. Any opinions/suggestions one over the other? Or someplace else altogether?

I've not been to either, but I've heard great things about Valencia.

Could you post your dates in May?

There might be a festival in an easy to reach location you could go to.

Out of Zaragoza and Valencia (both of which I've been to) I'd definitely suggest Valencia. Great buildings - old and new, wonderful markets, and an unbeatable atmosphere in the evenings and, especially, at night.

Zaragoza is certainly a pleasant city, but a real highlight there would involve travelling by car for the 70 miles it takes to reach the magical Monasterio de Piedra. http://www.monasteriopiedra.com/defa...px?info=0000D5
Not so easy to do if you're travelling by train.

LapLap - Thanks for the ideas. We'll be there 18-25 May. A festival would be great if the dates worked out.

Over the years, I've made a point of being in Spain at Easter, or in June (for the Hogueras festival in Alicante). May isn't a time where I've done much travelling in Spain, so I have no first hand experience of these:

Major festivals when you are there are

Madrid - festival of San Isidro, 14th - 18th May
Basic info in English

Alicante region, Petrer - Moors and Christians, 14th - 18th May
Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos (also called festival of Saint Bonifacio)
http://www.petrer.es/portalPetrer/fd...o=6&nivel=1400
(dedicated festival website for Petrer here)

Gerona region, Ripoll (to the North of Barcelona) - Wool festival, 17th May
Fiesta de la Lana/Festa de la Llana
http://www.ajripoll.org/ciutat/vila5.htm
I can't guarantee the date is correct, if you are interested in going please email the tourist office first - http://www.ajripoll.org/ciutat/vila5.htm


I've included Petrer even though it is a bit of a detour because the Moors & Christians festivals in the Alicante region are so celebrated. I've not been to these ones in Petrer, but the ones in Alcoy and Crevillente are hugely enjoyable and very spectacular. They are also VERY NOISY!!!

^^^ The Monasterio de Piedra is well worth a visit. But, as stated, does require a car

There are bus tours that come here (which is how I visited) but finding one might prove difficult.
Can be done. However, would involve some effort.

I too am making this trip, into BCN and out of MAD although it will be in Sep for my tenth anniversary.

Itoo ahve considered breaking up the two with Valencia. But i wondered if people would suggest Valencia over flying to Seville or Granada or somewhere else within Spain? Thoughts?

It really does depend on who you are and what you want to get out of your trip.

And again, you've offered no dates in September, so I've no idea where there might be a festival on during your stay. If it's between the 18th and 24th then I'd suggest a few days in Tarragona for the Santa Tecla festival.

Goodness knows I love Granada, but nothing trumps the experience of a great fiesta as far as I'm concerned. Tarragona is located between Barcelona and Valencia and has excellent links with both, particularly when using the high speed Euromed trains. It's also a lovely destination in its own right with a highly visible medieval heritage.

Thank you very much. Our dates are Sept 10 to 21 (didn't have much choice on dates as i booked my award tickets only 7 months in advance!:confused:)

I would have loved to attend a festival and should have attempted to plan a little better but unfortunately i did not. I had generally planned to spend the first few days in BCN and the last in MAD. However, I am intrigued about the Tarragona festival and will look into it but to make it work, i would have to travel from BCN to MAD (as I still want to see MAD) then to Tarragona for the festival and back to MAD to fly home. So question is whether the extra travel back and forth from MAD is worth attending this festival as opposed to visting Seville of Granada in between BCN and MAD?

Being from the Valencia region, my taste in festivals is biased towards those that heavily feature fire and gunpowder. The Santa Tecla would be an irresistible draw for me, but it's likely that the festival will reach its peak after you've departed.

The festival of Cardona near Barcelona would suit your itinerary
Check the website nearer the time for the dates - it might be the 18th Sep to the 22nd Sep this year... maybe (if those dates are right I doubt there will be any sort of climax to the festivities after the 21st)
http://www.cardona.cat/ca/vila/fires...jor-de-cardona
Or just send an email to the 'oficina de turisme' and enquire directly
http://www.cardona.cat/en/contact

Won't be on the scale of the Tarragona festival, but should be a memorable experience none the less.

Alternatively - I'm not clear on the dates for 2009, but the festival of Segorbe in Castellon/Valencia, the region to the South of Catalonia, might be on during your visit. Again, if interested, contact the local tourist office to find out: turismo @ segorbe . es
http://www.segorbe.org/?go=9caf66fcc...6571dd251a9e2f

Laplap thank you for your help. I am intrigued by the thoughts of attending a festival. Years ago i attneded a festival in my mom's tiny hometown in Italy and it was wonderful so i can just imagine how great a larger festival would be.

I looked in to dates and from the Spain tourist board site it appears Santa Tecla will be Sept 13 to 23, 2009; Segorbe will be Sept 8 to 14, 2009. Found less info on Cardona but i saw somthing that suggested Sept 12 to 15.

So given my dates and the fact that I will probably be in Madrid for the last few days any thoughts on which of these festivals would be the best from say, Sept 10 to the 17th?

It sounds like Santa Tecla is the largest festival but it will not reach its climax until after we are gone. Segorbe and Cardona, if my dates are correct, may be smaller but we could be there for their climaxes (assuming we can find hotel rooms). So the decision would appear to be attend the more impressive Santa Tecla at the beginning or the smaller Segorbe or Cardona but be there during prime time. Any suggestions?

Given your dates, and assuming that you have the correct dates for Segorbe, this would be my suggestion. Segorbe's might not be as 'big' as Santa Tecla but it is still a major festival, so if it appeals to you at all I strongly recommend you go for it and start making plans on where you can stay immediately.

Please do check the Cardona festival - I'm not convinced it is the 12th to the 15th. If it really is, then ignore what I said about Sergobe as the 12th to the 15th are absolutely perfect for you.

I also really hope you'll report back, I'd love to hear about your experiences there. You'll be seeing so many wonderful buildings and monuments in Barcelona and Madrid, this is a wonderful chance to absorb a whole other side to Spain.

As I looked more closely, the Segorbe dates per the Spain website are tentative as it says "pending confirmation"a nd Sept 8-14 are simply the 2008 dates. The Segorbe website says the festival is usually the second week of Sept Mon to Sun which would suggest Sept 7-13 this year.

I have found little on the 2009 Corre Del Bou dates in Cardona besides one minor reference to the dates i previously mentioned so those dates are uncertain

So, dates aside for now, between the two festivals which would you select?

Thanks again

Segorbe is the more famous of the two festivals. There's generally good reason.

My suggestion is Segorbe if you get the choice. Sorry I didn't make that clearer in my last post.