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Spain/France Trip question
Posted on 4/20/16 at 9:37 am
Posted on 4/20/16 at 9:37 am
Wife and I's 20th anniversary next year. Never been to Europe before, so I have a lot of questions. Could this trip be done in about 12 days? Fly into Madrid, then move on to Barcelona, the up to Bordeaux, then to Paris to fly out....is this too much traveling for the 12 days? Thanks
5
Posted on 4/20/16 at 9:41 am to Scoobahdoo
I've said this numerous times - don't try to do too many countries in 1 trip. Go to Spain. Enjoy Spain. Take in the culture and the beauty. Visit famous sites and do road trips in a convertible through the countryside. Visit some Spanish vineyards. Stay at a local's AirBnB in a small town.
Instead of trying to cram a bunch of countries just to say that you did and on top of that, wasting a bunch of time (and money) commuting, take in 1 country.
Thats my style at least.
Instead of trying to cram a bunch of countries just to say that you did and on top of that, wasting a bunch of time (and money) commuting, take in 1 country.
Thats my style at least.
This post was edited on 4/20/16 at 9:45 am
Posted on 4/20/16 at 10:23 am to Scoobahdoo
I did Bordeaux last year and was somewhat underwhelmed (especially compared to the wine tourism in Napa). If I were you I'd consider Barcelona, Madrid, and Lisbon.
Posted on 4/20/16 at 10:31 am to foreverLSU
Andalucia region, Palma, Ibiza..
Posted on 4/20/16 at 10:34 am to Scoobahdoo
I agree with this. Bouncing all over Europe is fun if you're going after college and looking to drink, see as much as possible, and meet tons of people. I wouldn't have changed that experience for anything, but the hustle of it could make something like an anniversary very stressful.
Spain and France wouldn't be bad as they are close. You lose 2 days to travel, so really you're looking at a 10 day trip, 5 in France 5 in Spain. That's as low as I would go and I really don't think it allows you to be immersed by a country. Maybe take 10 days and just do France or Spain.
Like AmeriKop said, rent a car and just go. The best experiences usually come at the most unexpected times. My gf and I drove all over Italy one day and found a winery on the side of the road that sold red wine for 2 euros. We stayed so long the owner cooked us dinner and showed us the property. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
Spain and France wouldn't be bad as they are close. You lose 2 days to travel, so really you're looking at a 10 day trip, 5 in France 5 in Spain. That's as low as I would go and I really don't think it allows you to be immersed by a country. Maybe take 10 days and just do France or Spain.
Like AmeriKop said, rent a car and just go. The best experiences usually come at the most unexpected times. My gf and I drove all over Italy one day and found a winery on the side of the road that sold red wine for 2 euros. We stayed so long the owner cooked us dinner and showed us the property. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
This post was edited on 4/20/16 at 10:36 am
Posted on 4/20/16 at 10:55 am to LSUShock
Well, that just what I needed! So I think we are gonna stick to Spain. Barcelona 2-3 days, Madrid 2-3 days and countryside the rest of the way! Thanks for all of the advice!!
Posted on 4/20/16 at 11:00 am to AmeriKop45
quote:
I've said this numerous times - don't try to do too many countries in 1 trip. Go to Spain. Enjoy Spain. Take in the culture and the beauty. Visit famous sites and do road trips in a convertible through the countryside. Visit some Spanish vineyards. Stay at a local's AirBnB in a small town. Instead of trying to cram a bunch of countries just to say that you did and on top of that, wasting a bunch of time (and money) commuting, take in 1 country.
completely agree
I did like 5 countries in 35 days and was worn out. ill probably do one more trip like that but when im older I will stick to just one country and really take it all in.
For example in Spain we only saw Madrid and barca, not even enough time go to Toledo or any of the smaller cities. Plus I still feel like I didn't see enough in those cities.
You could probably spend 12 days just in Paris, with day trips to surrounding areas (Versailles, wine country, and Normandy)
Posted on 4/20/16 at 11:01 am to Scoobahdoo
Think you are spending way too much time in Madrid. I'd do Madrid for maybe a day. Barcelona for 1-2 days as well. The bigger metropolitans, although cool, tend to lose some of the local/cultural feel.
Try Coruna, Malaga in addition to some of the places I mentioned above.
Start here. Then build on from there.
Try Coruna, Malaga in addition to some of the places I mentioned above.
Start here. Then build on from there.
This post was edited on 4/20/16 at 11:03 am
Posted on 4/20/16 at 11:15 am to AmeriKop45
quote:
Upcoming 2016: WN MSY-LAX; AA J MSY-MIA-LHR-MXP; TK Y MSY-IST-ATH-JTR; WN MSY-LAS
Is this all because of CC rewards? I need to get my shite straight soon. I need my CSP 50,000 before next summer
Posted on 4/20/16 at 11:17 am to MLSter
For the most part 
Its a marathon not a sprint. Take it easy and you'll win guaranteed.
Its a marathon not a sprint. Take it easy and you'll win guaranteed.
Posted on 4/20/16 at 11:59 am to Scoobahdoo
I'm biased to Madrid because my parents lived there for the last 3 years. It really is an awesome city. You can get off at the Sol metro in the middle of the city, walk in any direction and find great little spots.
Some places that I recommend are:
Trattoria Malatesta- Great pizza and pasta. Almost has an Italian feel, but very good. It's maybe a 10 minute walk from the Sol station.
Cervaceria 100 Montaditos- I think it means, 100 Mountains haha. Either way, they have like 20 menu items that are 1 euro. Most of them aren't very appealing, but the 1 euro beers and sangria can't be beat. I was also in college while I was there, so very economical.
San Miguel Market- At least walk through here. It has everything you can think of food wise. Very cool place and will be very busy. It's similar to Chelsea Market in NYC
La Venencia- It seems like every city has a Hemingway Bar, which erodes some of the allure, but this place is cool. Apparently Hemingway used to drink Vermouth in here, so that's exactly what we did.
Some places that I recommend are:
Trattoria Malatesta- Great pizza and pasta. Almost has an Italian feel, but very good. It's maybe a 10 minute walk from the Sol station.
Cervaceria 100 Montaditos- I think it means, 100 Mountains haha. Either way, they have like 20 menu items that are 1 euro. Most of them aren't very appealing, but the 1 euro beers and sangria can't be beat. I was also in college while I was there, so very economical.
San Miguel Market- At least walk through here. It has everything you can think of food wise. Very cool place and will be very busy. It's similar to Chelsea Market in NYC
La Venencia- It seems like every city has a Hemingway Bar, which erodes some of the allure, but this place is cool. Apparently Hemingway used to drink Vermouth in here, so that's exactly what we did.
This post was edited on 4/20/16 at 12:00 pm
Posted on 4/20/16 at 12:18 pm to AmeriKop45
quote:
Think you are spending way too much time in Madrid. I'd do Madrid for maybe a day. Barcelona for 1-2 days as well. The bigger metropolitans, although cool, tend to lose some of the local/cultural feel. Try Coruna, Malaga in addition to some of the places I mentioned above. Start here. Then build on from there.
Thanks for pointing this out. I'm thinking of flying into Barcelona then headwind south with stops in Valencia, Granada, and even to Gibraltar. Then to Cadiz, Seville, then to Madrid and fly out from there. These stops are just examples of the advice you are giving me!
Posted on 4/20/16 at 8:30 pm to Scoobahdoo
Headed to Barcelona, Madrid, and Lisbon in Portugal next summer myself.... looking at 13-15 days
Posted on 4/20/16 at 11:57 pm to AmeriKop45
I did a week in Spain over New years 2015 split between Barcelona and Seville and that was pretty truncated.
Flight schedules made us spend last night in El Prat. Had pretty much the whole airport to ourselves. I just played with the people movers all night because they turn on only if people get near.
Flight schedules made us spend last night in El Prat. Had pretty much the whole airport to ourselves. I just played with the people movers all night because they turn on only if people get near.
This post was edited on 4/20/16 at 11:59 pm
Posted on 4/21/16 at 6:51 am to Scoobahdoo
Barça of course but consider Valencia too.
Traveling between them on the Med. Coast takes you through wonderful scenery & towns (Peníscola for one, no shite).
The good train system in Spain makes coordinating it with car travel complicated.
Check online for some itineraries but you definitely need to drive some to get the rural feel.
Possibly two separate car rental periods might even work with train travel between them.
Traveling between them on the Med. Coast takes you through wonderful scenery & towns (Peníscola for one, no shite).
The good train system in Spain makes coordinating it with car travel complicated.
Check online for some itineraries but you definitely need to drive some to get the rural feel.
Possibly two separate car rental periods might even work with train travel between them.
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