I'm going to be heading to Spain a week early - Sept 23 - Oct 1 and then heading over to Porto to begin a phenominal week of drinking...um I mean travel.
If anyone has any great suggestions for Spain - I'm trying to piece together an itenerary now.
:)
stewart
Spain Travel Suggestions
Moderators: Glenn E., Roy Hersh, Andy Velebil
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Derek T.
- Posts: 4080
- Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2005 5:02 pm
- Location: Chesterfield, United Kingdom - UK
- Contact:
Stewart,
It really depends what you are looking for. Spain has many different faces but here is my experience from a few trips over the past few years.
South East Coast - Barcelona to Gibraltar - this is the main tourist area of Spain and is almost entirely populated by UK families and large groups of 20 somethings on their summer holidays. I don't find this an attractive part of the world and it is too overcrowded for me. Worst of all it is almost impossible to find any trace of Spanish culture here as the service industry has done it's best to make sure all the UK visitor's can get everything they would at home. There are some exceptions to this rule such as Barcelona, Mijas, Marbella and Puerto Banus. Gibraltar is also worth seeing once due to it's history but again not a particularly exciting or attractive place.
Piranese Mountains - take your hiking boots! - I have not been there since 1980 but have flown over it half a dozen times since. Some beautiful scenery if that is your thing. Also worth a visit if you venture that way is Lourdes (actually in France but not far from Spanish border) which is a bizarre place where devout Catholisism meets commercialism head on. I worked in a hospital there 2 summers in a row as a teenager - what an experience
North East Coast I have visited Bilbao and Santander - one of these (sorry, can't remember which) has a town within a city which is worth a visit. The old town comprises a maze of very narrow streets full of little bars and shops, most of which seem to have raw meat hanging from the roof and sawdust on the floor.
Madrid Not to be missed - beautiful architecture, fabulous museums and a population that seem to sleep when the sun is up and party all night. Jo and I went there for 3 days a couple of years ago and I don't think I have fully recovered yet - no one came out until around 10:30 at night and then did not go home until 05:30 in the morning If you do go to Madrid or Barcelona you must check out the times of the football (soccer) matches. The Spanish go nuts about their football and Real Madrid and Barcellona are 2 of the top teams in Europe.
Derek
It really depends what you are looking for. Spain has many different faces but here is my experience from a few trips over the past few years.
South East Coast - Barcelona to Gibraltar - this is the main tourist area of Spain and is almost entirely populated by UK families and large groups of 20 somethings on their summer holidays. I don't find this an attractive part of the world and it is too overcrowded for me. Worst of all it is almost impossible to find any trace of Spanish culture here as the service industry has done it's best to make sure all the UK visitor's can get everything they would at home. There are some exceptions to this rule such as Barcelona, Mijas, Marbella and Puerto Banus. Gibraltar is also worth seeing once due to it's history but again not a particularly exciting or attractive place.
Piranese Mountains - take your hiking boots! - I have not been there since 1980 but have flown over it half a dozen times since. Some beautiful scenery if that is your thing. Also worth a visit if you venture that way is Lourdes (actually in France but not far from Spanish border) which is a bizarre place where devout Catholisism meets commercialism head on. I worked in a hospital there 2 summers in a row as a teenager - what an experience
North East Coast I have visited Bilbao and Santander - one of these (sorry, can't remember which) has a town within a city which is worth a visit. The old town comprises a maze of very narrow streets full of little bars and shops, most of which seem to have raw meat hanging from the roof and sawdust on the floor.
Madrid Not to be missed - beautiful architecture, fabulous museums and a population that seem to sleep when the sun is up and party all night. Jo and I went there for 3 days a couple of years ago and I don't think I have fully recovered yet - no one came out until around 10:30 at night and then did not go home until 05:30 in the morning
If you do go to Madrid or Barcelona you must check out the times of the football (soccer) matches. The Spanish go nuts about their football and Real Madrid and Barcellona are 2 of the top teams in Europe. Derek
Not to mention that Bilbao has one of the greatest art museums in the world, The Guggenheim.
If you go to Spain, you really should try to do a day in Jerez to check out Sherry production and also in Priorat. But that is just me.
If you go to Spain, you really should try to do a day in Jerez to check out Sherry production and also in Priorat. But that is just me.
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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D. Pirmann
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 6:03 am
- Location: Hoboken, New Jersey, United States of America - USA
Wellllll. I would suggest that the Guggenheim is definitely one of the greatest buildings in the world. It is really worth seeing for the architecture alone. But as for one of the greatest museums I think it doesn't quite stack up. Its permanent collection is very small. If art is your game, spend a few days in Madrid and fully explore the Prado, Thyssen-Bournemiza, and Reina Sofia.Roy Hersh wrote:Not to mention that Bilbao has one of the greatest art museums in the world, The Guggenheim.
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Frederick Blais
- Posts: 2710
- Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 10:07 am
- Location: Porto, Portugal
I've been only to the north east of the spain, close to Portugal borders. My suggestion are:
Santiago de Compostela : the old part of the town is really nice, of course the cathedral is fantastic.
http://www.frederickblais.com/pics/thum ... m=4&page=2
On the northern coast, there are so many fort and cap to just stop and look at the sea. Ferrol was a great one.
http://www.frederickblais.com/pics/thum ... m=5&page=1
Ourense : I did stop quickly, but about 15 min outside the city there is the Canyon of Syl, it has a nice suspended footbridge where you can see flora and fauna.
http://www.frederickblais.com/pics/thum ... m=5&page=4
Santiago de Compostela : the old part of the town is really nice, of course the cathedral is fantastic.
http://www.frederickblais.com/pics/thum ... m=4&page=2
On the northern coast, there are so many fort and cap to just stop and look at the sea. Ferrol was a great one.
http://www.frederickblais.com/pics/thum ... m=5&page=1
Ourense : I did stop quickly, but about 15 min outside the city there is the Canyon of Syl, it has a nice suspended footbridge where you can see flora and fauna.
http://www.frederickblais.com/pics/thum ... m=5&page=4
Living the dream and now working for a Port company