First time to Spain
 

Planning a vacation to Spain for next month and am looking for som suggestions. I've got roughly a week to play with am not interested in a whirlwind sampling of the country. I figure a week in either Madrid or Barcelona including their surroundings will be perfect. Any suggested itineraries? sites? cities? lodging?

Thanks.


AZJ

Both cities are nice.
When you go to Madrid, you should see Toledo, which is nearby.
I found a cheap and fast (bullet) train from Madrid to Seville, which is also a very nice town.
Remember: Most shops a closed from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM or so. And the Spanish people eat late, very late (10:00 PM ..).

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...ML/000031.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...ML/000040.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...ML/000111.html

Madrid was fun. A good board for Madrid can be found at http://www.madridman.com/. When I was there I took a day trip, by bus, to Segovia. There are some aqueducts still standing there, and the Alcazar was interesting to tour. There was a self-guided walking tour of it in English when I went. Didn't climb the tower, though, as it was too twisty and claustrophobic for me.

Spain was my first international trip!

Madrid was terrific. I have not been to Barcelona, but those who have been to both cities recommend Madrid over Barcelona.

Latenight tapas and sangria (yum!!), cave crawling, the art (did not like the Prado, LOVED LOVED the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (Dali, Miro, Picasso))

Make sure to see some Flamenco dancing. One of the best known clubs and the one we went to is Cafe de Chinitas, calle Torija 7. You can have a dinner here then see the show or eat elsewhere and then come to view the show. I took some video and it is some of my favorite footage to watch of anywhere we've been.

Strolling through the Retiro Park is wonderful.

Maybe you will be there when the bull fights are in season. I was not.

A side trip to Segovia is neat w/sights like El Alcazar, Roman Aqueduct and various cathedrals. Slightly more than an hours drive from center of Madrid, renting/driving a car was a snap and I don't speak/read Spanish. There are numerous trains daily also, about a 2 hour trip.

Have fun!!!!!!!!

I was there in August. Here's a link to my recent trip report.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003022.html

Drop me a note if I can offer more information.

JP

Just got back from 10 days in Spain. We stayed in a small village near Granada (Montefrio) and just had the best time. Got down to Rock of Gibralter, the Alhambra in Granada and spent a weekend in Seville. Easy to rent a car, no problem driving.

Was traveling with my sister and her husband (their second trip outside US) and we had an excellent time.

Paella on the beach, several fiestas, etc.

Didn't spend more than 1 or 2 nights in any of the cities -- prefer the countryside.

Barcelona has far better clubs than madrid if you are in to that sort of thing. Montserrat near barceloan is also well worth a visit if you want to do a small hike up the mountain. If you would like to gamble in an old castle try Figueres and visit the Salvador Dali Museum while you are there.
Food in Madrid is much better that is true(especially if you like meat), though best seafood is in the small fishing villages near Barcelona. Barrio Gotico is worth a visit as is the Sagrada Familia and a paseo down Las Ramblas will give you a nice flavor of the locals. Place to stay in BCN is Hotel Arts if it is within your budget.

If you are mainly in to the fine arts then Madrid will be right up your street, more so than Barca. If you want more of a festive beach holiday with some very good cultural attractions (though not as many or as varied as Madrid) then Barcelona is your city.

Either way Spain is a great choice. Have a great trip!

[This message has been edited by Mvic (edited 09-22-2002).]

Spend your week in Barcelona and nearby Girona or along Costa Brava beaches like Tossa de Mar or Sitges.

BCN is like a Mediterranean version of Paris, without Parisian attitude. It's a very humane yet urbane city with a wonderful sense of style and creativity. It has great culture, beautiful architecture, fantastic food (Catalonian cuisine, French, Japanese, etc.), an active nightlife, and great shopping.

If you spend 4 days in BCN you can:
1. Stroll La Rambla;
2. See Sagrada Familia;
3. See Gaudi's La Pedrera aka Casa Mila and walk along the Modernisme Route (2002 is the International Year of Gaudi);
4. Tour the Bari Gotic (Gothic Quarter);
5. See the Picasso Museum;
6. Visit one of the many parks like Parc Guell or Parc de la Ciutadella;
7. Sit in a cafe and people watch on the Passeig de Gracia or Rambla de Catalunya;
8. Visit the waterfront areas of Barceloneta and the Port Olimpic;
9. Shop along Passeig de Gracia or on the Diagonal; and
10. Eat and drink at some fantastic restaurants, cafes & bars/bodgeas and party at clubs like Otto Zutz, Le Kasbah and Boadas.

You can also take a day trip to Girona and can then spend 2 days relaxing on the beach in Tossa de Mar, Blanes or Sitges.

Spending a week in Catalunya will give you a reason to return to Spain...to see Madrid.

MadridMan's ALL SPAIN Message Board is really an.. umm.. ALL SPAIN Message Board but it does center itself on Madrid.

With only a week to "spend", Madrid might well be your best choice for October. October is a fine month for central (and southern!) Spain. From Madrid, as others have said, you can visit such wonderful towns as Toledo, Segovia, Chinchón, Aranjuez, El Escorial, & even Avila or Salamanca as daytrips.

You could also easily spend that one week in Sevilla making day trips to Granada, Córdoba, and some of the "White Villages".

Here's a wild suggestion that I doubt no one would make: Go to Santiago de Compostela in Galica (NW Spain). YOU WON'T REGRET IT! Use it as a base and take daytrips to La Coruña, Combados, Corcubión, Noia, Fisterra, the Rías Baixas/Altas, and some of the beautiful fishing villages. If this is a long-shot possibility, read my 2002 trip's Daily Online Journal about it. You can also see my photos of same trip on ClubPhoto.

Have a GREAT time in Spain! And yes, don't try to do too much. Base yourself somewhere "smart" and make 1 or 2 daytrips while REALLY getting to know your "base". Of course, I can't say enough about Madrid but then I'm biased. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

Saludos, MadridMan

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Visit MadridMan's Yankee Home Page &
MadridMan's Spain Message Board @
http://www.MadridMan.com

[This message has been edited by MadridMan (edited 09-24-2002).]

Hi MadridMan - nice to see you on FT! (I post on MM as MAD for Madrid) It is a great site and quite helpful.

I live in Madrid (transfer from NYC) and love it! MAD is a great place to use as a base for day trips. You can take the bus/train to Segovia, El Escorial, Toledo, Sevilla (the AVE is great), etc.

Madrid also has a TON of things to do: Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia museums, tapas crawls - try the area down behind the Plaza Mayor (calle cava baja, etc.), Royal Palace, Parque de Buen Retiro (although there is currently a lot of restoration and construction going on in it), clubs, etc.

Feel free to email me for more details or ideas.

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I Love New York -- Viva España

So far, I second the Madrid suggestions. If you like seafood, I also recommend the paella.
We really liked the ice creams there. El corte inglés is a big department store in which you can buy almost anything that you could need and souvenirs ( They had god prices). I haven't been in Barcelona yet but I have my next Spain trip planned for the summer so I can benefit from the Barcelona tips too.

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...um/biggrin.gif Viajera, in no way do I mean to slam, my spelling is atrocious (sp?)!!!

I just thought for a few moments how much God would pay.

El Corte Ingles is also in Barcelona, and can supply you with anything you should forget (like socks http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...m/rolleyes.gif ). They did have a very good gourmet grocery in the downstairs.

And, MadridMan, welcome! Your board was indispensible in planning my trip this summer!

JP

WOW - I'm getting more info that I ever dreamed of getting here! Thanks. But both cities sound so great. The problem is that I don't really know what I want to do. I have been all over Europe and have realized I am not a huge fan of museums - except the Rodin in Paris of course. I'm not really into the club scene anymore but am into the bar scene - like a quaint tapas bar where i would have fun struggling with the Spanish. Thankfully, I speak French and my buddy speaks Spanish (parents are from Argentina). I also want to be as least tourity as possible. What I really want to do is soak in the Spanish culture as best as possible given my short time frame. I want to eat, drink, eat, drink, drink, drink and eat. I am all about gastronomy (on a tight budget) and trying new things. I want to basically explore a new culture.

Will the beaches be worth it in October? Won't it be a bit cold?

Thanks again for all the suggestions... but honestly, I'm not sold on either city! They're running neck and neck as for which one to see. I thought for sure there would be a hands down winner - but I guess both cities are amazing.

Instead of nonrevving I think we're going to buy tickets as they're all about $500 from the east coast - and can't beat that! Though $250 standby in business class would be nicer.

AZJ

Based on your last post I would also recommend Madrid. Far fewer bars of the sort you want in Barcelona where the club scene predominates. Infact if you want something really interesting in terms of gastronomy and local culture you may even consider the Austurias region.

Check out this article (sorry lost the link):

Spanish Highs: What's Cooking in Spain

In Asturias, a rural corner of northern Spain, a handful of chefs are staging a culinary revolution

By Anya Von Bremzen

I was having lunch in a windswept fishing village in the middle of nowhere. Laundry snapped furiously in the breeze while seagulls circled over gaggles of fishermen tending their nets by tatty white houses. Viavélez—population 80—is so insignificant that even the most detailed maps fail to acknowledge it. And two years ago, the chilly Cantabrian Sea nearly washed away Taberna Viavélez Puerto, the restaurant where I was eating a meal that, in L.A. or London, would have critics leaping with excitement. I took a slow slurp of tea-and-chocolate soup, then broke the gossamer band of bitter chocolate encircling a tart tomato gelée and Szechwan pepper ice cream. It was the sharpest dessert I'd tasted all year. And this wasn't even the best restaurant I'd discovered on my trip to Asturias, the misty and remote region east of Galicia in northern Spain.

Having roamed Spain for almost a decade to report on its astounding gastronomic developments, I've stopped being surprised at the edgy inventiveness that flourishes in unlikely places. But Asturias? Spain's answer to the Scottish Highlands, this is where Spanish lovers of agriturismo come to hike in the Picos de Europa, Europe's last great mountain wilderness, go white-water rafting, and explore the cliffs and beaches on the 200-mile coast. The population is puro y duro and so is the food: mountain cheeses like the smelly blue cabrales, dense charcuter’a, never-ending beans. The regional masterpiece is fabada, the Asturian cousin of cassoulet, and the local tipple is sidra, a diabolically acidic apple brew consumed in dim taverns called chigres. Sidra is poured at arm's length into wide-bottomed glasses; you swallow your aerated inch, splash the rest onto the sawdust-covered floor, and start over. The average Asturian male consumes about 10 liters of the stuff a day. Napa Valley this isn't.

And yet. Madrid restaurant critics had whispered to me about a quartet of Asturian chefs who were cooking up a revolución conceptual among the pig farms, cornfields, and shepherds. I packed my bags.

First on my list was the village of Arriondas, at the foot of the Picos de Europa. Why this drowsy pueblo is home to not one, but two, Michelin-starred avant-garde restaurants is anyone's guess. Queasy after the previous night's intake of sidra, I walked into El Corral del Indianu and found it unexpectedly sleek—thick stone walls painted an electric Bermuda blue, white tablecloths set with Modernist tableware. José Antonio Campo Viejo, the chef-owner, has raven hair and an impenetrable mountain accent. I tasted his soup. One just-cooked clam floated in an iridescent purée of peas, releasing sweet-briny perfumes of the sea into the concentrated sweetness of early summer. It was heartbreakingly lovely. By the third course, I felt a rush of adrenaline: I've discovered a genius!

Whereas Ferran Adrìa, the guru whose Catalonian restaurant kicked off Spain's culinary revolution, operates in an abstract realm akin to theoretical physics, Campo Viejo constantly references the local vernacular: exploring its nuances of smokiness, rendering unctuous sausage-and-bean combos into crisp counterpoints, blurring boundaries between sea and woods, sweet and savory, high and low, liquid and solid.

Dusted in coarse cornmeal—an allusion to chicken feed—a little hunk of foie gras masqueraded as blood sausage in a pool of musky, hyper-reduced garbanzo broth; next to it was a chicken "bonbon" with a molten foie filling. Pote asturiano, a wintry extravaganza of cabbage and pig parts that normally cries out for Mylanta, was deconstructed into a Fabergé-pretty assemblage of porcine ravioli and quivery sausage mousses suspended in a diaphanous young cabbage purée.

This is food where each detail could be a star dish in itself—like the nuggets of lamb sweetbreads glazed with Pedro Jiménez (a raisiny sherry) accessorizing bream from the river Sella, in a play of sweet flesh against crisp skin. The pig in two textures was a study in altered states, the flesh "melted" in the oven to a smooth creaminess, the skin brittle—a savory crème brûlée from the fourth dimension. For dessert, Campo Viejo unveiled his latest experiment: a zany marriage of sweet peas and foie gras.

Save for a few master classes with Adrìa, Campo Viejo is entirely self-taught.

Before my second dinner in town, at Casa Marcial, I drove up to see the nearby mountain lakes. The serpentine road threaded beside plunging ravines and lookouts onto Kodak-moment alpine panoramas. El Cas’n, my lunch grail, turned out to be an idyllic shed with a view of glacial Lake Enol cupped by stony, primordial hills. Cowbells provided a Steve Reichean sound track to my meal of wild boar chorizo and baby goat, roasted until the meat fell apart into succulent shreds. When a monster cow approached and fixed its gaze on my wedge of pungent cabrales, I fled.

Casa Marcial, run by Campo Viejo's drinking buddy Nacho Manzano, is in an old farmhouse on a hill overlooking rolling foothills that are swathed in an eye-popping green. More green awaited me inside: an iced cucumber soup poured around a green pepper sorbet swirled with green olive oil. I went on to a silken-fleshed river salmon in a pool of melon gazpacho, and a backyard chicken braised a deep mahogany brown, its gizzards folded into one big raviolo. In retrospect, this was a fine meal. But after the bravura at Corral, Manzano's style felt a bit green.

My next restaurant, El Cabroncín, took me from the Picos to a weird suburb of Oviedo (the region's industrial capital, with a medieval core) that made the Jersey Turnpike look almost lyrical. My taxi driver—I would never have found the place if I'd been driving—circled around a car dealership and a cosmetics factory, then finally located the proper dirt road and deposited me in a suddenly pastoral patch by a stone house and an hórreo, one of those raised wooden granaries that are to Asturias what covered bridges are to Vermont. Before long, I was sipping Quercus—a new bubbly from boutique cava-producer Agust’ Torelló—and admiring a tableau of clams, berberechos (Cantabrian mini-clams), and percebes (Galician goose barnacles) arranged on a delicate fennel purée.

A fragrant sauté of wild mushrooms came next, crowned by a Day-Glo—orange egg yolk in a crunchy serrano-ham basket. It was exactly the kind of smart neo-rustic dish I wanted to eat here, beneath old wooden beams supporting a pitched farmhouse roof. Gilding the lily was a glass of elegant '96 Roda I rioja reserva recommended by Pepe Vega, Asturias's star sommelier. Pedro Martino, the practically teenage chef, makes a mean salmon in sidra, but his true calling is meat—whether it's an ibérico pig, as spoon-tender as good Memphis barbecue, or Castilian baby lamb shoulder, cooked to the same jammy softness and paired with tiny rare lamb chops. I adored the wooden box holding shot glasses of iced herbal infusions; the funky dessert wine from the Canary Islands; the cool sophistication of apple cannoli in a bittersweet licorice sauce. I also liked the ridiculously low bill.

I didn't particularly like the idea of driving 100 miles to the Galician border for lunch. On second thought, a slow trip to nowhere would be an excuse to explore Asturias's little-visited northwestern coast, gorge on fresh-off-the-boat seafood, and sleep at a casona de indianos, one of the extravagant turn-of-the-century mansions that appear like fantastic white elephants all over the region. Built by indianos—Asturians who returned home with fortunes made in Latin America—some are being converted into inns.

I found such a casona, Villa La Argentina, in the old whaling town of Luarca, and ate pristine shellfish at the restaurant Sport. The following day I went on to Viavélez for lunch at Taberna Viavélez Puerto (where our story began). I was the only guest. Paco Ron, the chef-owner, greeted me on a terrace tented in billowy fabric. Ron has lived and cooked in Madrid, Barcelona, and San Sebastián. He appeared disheveled and disillusioned. His food was quietly dazzling.

First came a martini glass filled with frozen goat cheese foam that melted into the warm ethereal sweetness of beet mousse underneath. An egg yolk stuffed with smoky salt cod peeped from a bowl of asparagus soup. A cardamom-scented sauce of sweet corn and a reduction of blackberries flirted with the dark, chocolate notes of squab. Once a year Ron prepares a banquet for the town's fishermen; they reward him year-round with their prize catch, such as the hake that he served with a silky potato emulsion and peppery young turnip greens sprinkled with sea salt. The dish was the essence of purity and refinement.

That night, in the Art Nouveau guest room of Palacete Peñalba (designed by a disciple of Gaud’), I tossed and turned in my bed, dissecting Ron's lunch. How can one actually stuff a poached egg yolk? Or produce ravioli out of cabbage—each the size of a bean!—that burst with a complex bacony reduction? And above all, how can anyone make a living cooking virtuoso Michelin-starred food in a windswept fishing village in the middle of nowhere?

THE FACTS

PICOS DE EUROPA
Base yourself at the Parador de Cangas de On’s (Villanueva; 34-98/584-9402, fax 34-98/584-9520; doubles from $93). Taste sidra, chorizos, and cheeses at the bucolic El Bodegón del Dobra (Carretera Cangas de On’s, Punto Pontón, Km 150; 34-98/584-9195). Have lunch at El Casín (Lake Enol; 34-98/592-2927; $25 for two) and dinner at El Corral del Indianu (14 Avda. de Europa, Arriondas; 34-98/584-1072; tasting menu for two $72) and Casa Marcial (La Salgar; 34-98/584-0991; tasting menu for two $69).

OVIEDO
Stay at the lavish Hotel de la Reconquista (Calle Gil de Jaz; 34-98/524-1100, fax 34-98/526-6380; doubles from $168). Dine at El Cabroncín (Carretera Paredes N1, Lugones; 34-98/526-6380; tasting menu for two $42). Consider visiting Gijón, the world's greatest repository of faded Art Nouveau architecture.

NORTHWESTERN COAST
Drive to Luarca for dinner at Sport (8 Calle Rivero; 34-98/564-1078; $45 for two) and overnight at Villa La Argentina (Villar de Luarca; 34-98/564-0102, fax 34-98/564-0973; doubles from $45). Drive west for lunch at Taberna Viavélez Puerto (Viavélez; 34-98/547-8095; tasting menu for two $69), and end the day with seafood paella at Marisquer’a Peñalba (Figueras del Mar; 34-98/563-6166; dinner for two $40). Sleep at Palacete Peñalba (Figueras del Mar; 34-98/563-6125, fax 34-98/563-6247; doubles from $56).

I've been to Madrid and Barcelona and find Barcelona to be more civilised, vibrant, stimulating and stylish.

Cuisine in Barcelona is much much better than in Madrid. My mouth waters when I think of the meals I have enjoyed at Principal, Botafumeiro, Senor Parellada, Tenorio, Ca l'Isidre, Cal Pep, Tragaluz, 7 Portes and Xampanyet....mmmmmmmm! The restaurant scene in Barcelona is booming with talent and creativity.

Prices for dinner for 2 without wine at the following:

Principal - about 65 euro
Botafumeiro - about 130 euro*
Senor Parellada - about 35 euro
Tenorio - about 30 euro
Ca l'Isidre - about 130 euro
Cal Pep - about 30 euro
Tragaluz - about 38 euro
7 Portes - about 60 euro
Xampanyet - tapas for about 1.25-3.50 euros

*Note that Botafumeiro specializes in Galician style cooking and is perhaps one the the top seafood restaurants in Barcelona if not all of Spain.

Principal and Tragaluz are part of a crop of modernist design restaurants akin to Terrance Conran's restaurants in London. The dining rooms showcase Barcelona's design talent and the kitchens showcase gastronomic creativity. Catalan cooking has its traditions and these restaurants highlight how it has also been influenced by Mediterranean and Pacific cooking.

Senor Parellada, Tenorio, Ca l'Isidre and 7 Portes will offer you traditional Catalan cooking. Other notables are Los Caracoles and Bilbao. I ate at Los Caracoles when I first visited Barcelona in 1975, and I'm so happy that it is still around!

If you love seafood, than Barcelona will fit the bill. The quality and variety of seafood is astounding. Make sure you eat at Cal Pep in the Barri Gotic for incredible scallops, prawns, cod, clams, sardines, calamares, etc. There are also numerous seafood restaurants in Barceloneta/Frente Maritimo.

For tapas, you won't be dissapointed at Xampanyet, Schilling, Opaqo, Amaya, Bar Pinotxo, Romesco, and Carballeira.

For really cheap eats, try Pou Dolc, La Garduna (near the Mercat de la Boqueria) and L'Estevet.

Keep in mind that in Barcelona, lunch is usually eaten around 2:00pm and dinner never really begins until 9:30pm. So for your gastronomic tour plan on l'esmorzar/desayuno (breakfast) at 9am, an aperetivo at 1pm, almuerzo (lunch) at 2pm, merienda at 6pm, tapas with beer, wine or sherry at 7pm, and sopar (dinner) at 10pm. You'll definitely get your fill of eating and drinking!

I think we've decided on Madrid - for the sake of it being centrally located in the country and close proximity to TOledo and Segovia. THis also leaves the door open for me to return to Spain sometime in the future. I spent a collective 3 months in Paris (one stint was 2 months in college) and haven't seen anything and I keep going back. I think I can adopt the same principle with Spain. In addition should I have to jumpseat out there MAD has all the nonstops from the US. ON a side note, we were thinking of just buying full fare tickets - running about $470 right now in coach. Our passes on NW/KL cost roughly $350 for standby business class. We can get 20% off positive space on any NW flight - but then have to buy ID95s on KLM and when it all workks out - the $470 is about equal. We're eyeing Air France from NY or BOS - anybody know if they offer free stop overs in Paris?

About hotels - we found a good deal at a centrally located MAD hotel called the Tryp Capitol - rates are about $76-100 depending on the days during our stay. A third friend has possibly joined this adventure so we can up the hotel budget as splitting it in 3 is a cost savings initiative.

Thanks again everyone,

AZJ

It has been mentioned briefly in an earlier post, but I think visiting some (or all) of Antonio Gaudi's work in Barcelona is definitely worth while. Be sure you don't miss La Sagrada Familia and Park Güell.
Even if you don't like architecture, these sights are so different than anything I've seen making it fun and interesting visiting them.
There are many routes that you can walk that will bring you to many of Gaudi's creations.

For food, drinks and just looking at people I would recommend the Ramblas in Barcelona.

Thanks everyone for your help. The trip has turned into an adventure of 3 people - so this will be exciting. We've decided on Madrid, got the tickets on AF for a great rate and have booked at the Hotel Plaza Mayor. It's a very small budget hotel very reasonably priced and from the looks of the website - very quaint with lots of character.

Can't wait for Tapas, architecture, great food and company of friends! I'm excited!!


AZJ

Just pulling your leg, but based on a collection of experiences from a fellow budget traveler! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...rum/tongue.gif Hope you have a great trip!

JP

Have a great trip. Madrid is a fab city and I hope you like it.



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I Love New York -- Viva España

J379PA - hahaha thanks for your worlds of er... encouragement. I have stayed at many budget hotels in Europe and nothing could be worse than the hotel/dump I stayed at in Nice. The only plus was that I got to share the bed with 3 other women... but that's a whole other story!

This place I am 97% sure is not how you mentioned... unless of course they were shooting these photos from a stage.

http://www.h-plazamayor.com

AZJ

We spent 10 days in Southern Spain (Costa del Sol) June 2001....INCREDIBLE! This included time in Madrid, Toledo, Cordova, Seville, Granada, Marabella. If you send me a quick e-mail, I can send you more details as well as some incredible photo previews! Just too much to try to put into one posting on FT.
Cheryl


(Might I add...I am extremely envious of your upcoming trip! I'm hoping to go back next May or June...can't wait!)

[This message has been edited by cawhite60156 (edited 10-01-2002).]