Going to Spain - Tell me where to go

[DCDeac]

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I'm looking at Spain as a potential vacation destination this summer. I've never been before, and don't have anywhere I'd need to go or be. If you had 9-10 days to kill, where would you spend them?

Did a week long combination of Barcelona and Mallorca last summer. It was amazing. We got a great apartment in Barca at the Passeig de Gràcia and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes. Awesome location. Mallorca has beaches, wine, great food, a smaller town feel in places... Was really great. Went home thinking that if I ever were offered a job in Barcelona I'd probably take it and never come back to the States.

 

[Ralph Medlin]

In Madrid, go to La Plaza Major and have a coffee or a beer and people watch.


The Alhambra in Granada is spectacular.

 

[deacondamo]

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I'm looking at Spain as a potential vacation destination this summer. I've never been before, and don't have anywhere I'd need to go or be. If you had 9-10 days to kill, where would you spend them?

I studied for six months in Granada. Granada is a beautiful city sitting at the bottom of the Sierra Nevada mountains. As a history buff, you would love it. The Alhambra is a fortress located in the city built in the 9th century and added upon over the centuries. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Moors lived in Granada and ruled the city for a few hundred years (one can see the moorish influences throughout the city).

The Catholic kings expelled the Moors from the peninsula in 1492. In the exuberance following the "Reconquest," Isabel and Ferdinand sponsored Christopher Colombus' excursion to the Indies. I highly recommend a pit stop.

 

[Shorty]

If you're going to spend 9-10 days, I would try to find a way to work Lisbon into your itinerary. Amazing city! While there, spend one night cruising the Fado bars.

In Madrid, you have to do a tapas crawl one night. We hit a bunch of tapas places in the area of the Puerta del Sol that were great. Point, eat, and drink.. Order a different tapas and accompanying glass of wine or sherry at each stop.

 

[siff]

Loved both Seville and Toledo

 

[BarcaDeac]

Toledo can be easy day trip from Madrid by train or car

 

[mako1331]

Second the Toledo recommendations. Spent 5 days in the Madrid area in January, and only one of those days was dedicated to Toledo. I wish I had been able to spend more time there. The architecture was amazing, and the landscape and scenery surrounding the old walled city area was gorgeous as well. If you have a chance, take your time and enjoy the city. Also, Iam no art aficionado by any stretch of the imagination , but I really enjoyed my time in the Prado as well. If you have a limited time to spend there, skip over some of the early period stuff and catch dedicate some time to El Busco, and especially De Goya's stuff, with an emphasis on the room dedicated to De Goya's black paintings. I think I spent 45 mins in that room, just absolutely mesmerized. Look for lunch spots that are a bit off the beaten path and have something on their el menu del dia that your interested in. Lots of really solid seafood, and portions were ridiculous as well. Royal Palace was beautiful, and I'm sure that it's touristy as shit and most experienced European travelers will look at this with a touch of disdain, but I enjoyed the hell out of the Flamenco show that we went to. Also, if you're a fan of futbol, the Real Madrid stadium tour was pretty amazing as well. Madrid was a lot of fun. The only drawback was the fact that pickpocketing is rampant as any theft under 500 euros isn't prosecuted, so there's no real deterrent from law enforcement. Other than that, I don't think I've ever felt safer in a large metropolitan area than I did in Madrid. It's an amazing city.