SQUEEEE moment! Spain HM booked! Need recos.

theartistformerlyknownas

Booked our flights and hotels last night and I'm SO EXCITED! 3 nights on the beach in Barcelona, train to Madrid, 4 nights of art museums and flamenco shows there. Any Knotties have any recos on what to do there, what to pack, what not to do, etc?? Thinking about a day trip to Toledo or Avila from Madrid. We'll be there mid-September.

kla728

Congrats -- I was in Barcelona in November a few years ago and its such a fun city!  Sounds like you are into art so I suspect seeing La Sagrada Familia is already on your to-do list, but if not make it a priority.  Amazing.  There are tons of Gaudi structures throughout the city -- the only other one I got to see was the House of Bones (don't remember the actual name) which was also pretty cool.  Taking the funicular (like a ski lift) up Montjuic is worthwhile for a beautiful view of the city and to explore an old fortress.  The city butts up to a beach... didn't seem to get a lot of use in November but maybe it does in September.  Either way it was a great spot to walk and relax with a drink (many beach bars)!  Good food is easy to find throughout the city.

Kind of a random note, but an important one -- they speak Catalan in Barcelona, so if you're expecting pure Spanish just be warned it will not get you far  I forgot this until I arrived and tried to get a taxi, haha.  

Enjoy!

theartistformerlyknownas

Thanks @kla728! I speak very poor Spanglish anyway so I'll try to learn a few Catalan phrases so I'm not completely up a creek. Montjuic is absolutely on my must-see list because I LOVEDLOVEDLOVED the book The Shadow of the Wind. I'm not super into art, but was highly persuaded to go to the Prado museum (bestie's favorite painting is there). I like that they're an option for when I inevitably get sunburned and need to spend a day inside.

delujm0

Never been to Spain, but i can comment on the "what to pack" question...

 

It should be pretty nice weather in Septmeber there.  I would keep in mind that many churches/cathedrals in Europe will not allow you in unless your knees and shoulders are covered- so if that's on your itinerary make sure you have some clothes that fit the bill.  For the most part, you should be fine in jeans, and a light cardigan perhaps at night (a raincoat that packs really small would also be helpful just in case).  I usually bring one dress in case we go out to a nice dinner.  It needs to be wearable with flats, which are the only kind of shoe i ever bring to Europe.  There is just too much walking on non-flat surfaces (cobblestones, etc) for heels.

 

Your goal should be to not over pack - especially if you will be traveling by train and public transportation.  It's not the US - at a lot of stations you will have to lug your bags up/down stairs, and you'll need to haul them up on the train, etc - you will be a lot happier with the smallest bag you can take.  Backpacks are also good.  Bring clothes that match with a lot of other stuff, and bring some of those laundry sheets that have detergent and fabric softener in them to do some wash in the hotel sink if you need to.  For example being 2-3 pair of jeans/pants and 5-6 shirts that would go with any of them so you can mix and match.  I've been to Europe 3 times for 2+ weeks at a time with only a carry on bag.  it can be done and it makes life a lot easier!

 

The main crime to worry about is pickpocketing - i never do any of that crazy stuff like wear a wallet under my clothes, but i do typically bring a cross-body purse and wear it in front of my body.  As long as you are generally aware of your surroundings, and not walking around aimlessly staring at a map like you have no idea what's going on, you should be fine.  I usually rest my hand on the top of my bag when standing on subway trains, etc.  You may want to have your hubby give you his wallet to put in our bag so it's not in his back pocket, just to be safe.

 

As i said I've never been to Spain, but i would LOVE to see the Alhambra when i finally do go...don't know if it's close enough for you to day-trip there, but if you can arrange it i would!  i think you need advance reservations to go though, so keep that in mind.

majesty318

Spain is my favorite place ever - I studied abroad there and adore it. I am so jealous! We are not going for our HM only because we want to go somewhere neither of us has been...

Do you have hotels picked out already?

Try to see a football (soccer) game in either of the cities. The Spaniards are serious about their football and a game is a fun experience.

Barcelona: yes, Catalan is the main language, but everyone speaks Spanish. Catalan is likely just their first instinct. I recommend taking the hop on/ hop off bus because you can see a lot of attractions that way plus they narrate while you are on the bus. Definitely do Parc Guell and Sagrada Familia. Eat tapas at Ciutat Comtal. There will be a line but it's worth it. Walk around the Boqueria market.

Madrid: Go to Retiro Park, the Prado, Reina Sofia, and Palacio Nacional. The hop on/ hop off bus is not a bad idea in Madrid, either. Do a tapas crawl on Calle Cava Baja where there are a bunch of cute tapas bars. I ate at Botin the last time I was there - it is rumored to be the oldest restaurant in the world. It is pricey for Madrid and the food was good. I am a major foodie so I would not say the food was AMAZING but it was a cool experience. If you are into clubbing, go to Palacio Gaviria, It's a huge nightclub in a former palace and all the rooms play different music and are decorated like you would expect a palace to be. Do not expect a lot of English speaking in Madrid.

I have never been to Avila but Toledo is a worthwhile day trip. Wear comfortable shoes and get to the train station in Madrid early. Unless they changed things (which of course is possible), when we went in 2010 you had to wait in a giant line to buy train tickets. By the time it would have been our turn we would have missed the train.

PM me if you have more questions. I can talk about Spain all day!

theartistformerlyknownas

Yes @majesty318, we're staying at the Hotel 4 Barcelona and Senator Gran Via 70 Spa Hotel in Madrid. 

Good tips @delujm0, I've traveled abroad several times (England, France and Brazil) and definitely follow all of those points.

jsquared62009

We started our honeymoon is Barcelona and LOVED it....you guys are going to have a great honeymoon!

Like PPs have said...Sagrada Familia and the hop on/off bus in Barcelona and walking in the Boqueria market which is off La Rambla. Here are some tips:

Sagrada Familia: We are not into art/museums/etc and my husband is NOT into churches or spending long periods of time anywhere. With that said...we spent 2hrs at Sagrada Familia. It is truly unlike anything we've ever seen. We bought tickets online ahead of time through their website and went right in the morning when it first opened. We walked right in with no line (it was a Sat in July). By the time we got out the line was wrapped around the block. We also went up into the tower and it was a great view of the city but the walk down is not for the faint of heart...narrow/spiraling stairs. We were okay but some other people were having trouble. You can take the elevator back down I believe. We bought the Rick Steves pocket guidebook just for Barcelona and it had great information explaining the thought  process of Gaudi and the history behind Sagrada Familia. It was good info to have while looking at everything.

Hop on/off bus: These were super easy to take and the audio tour was actually pretty interesting. We bought tickets in Placa Cataluyna (sp?). All the routes are there and they have information kiosks that can help you with maps/tickets/etc.

La Rambla/La Bouqeria: La Rambla is fun to walk down (there are some gorgeous squares off of it where you can just sit and people watch). La Bouqeria was so incredible. It was packed with people and all types of foods. We ended up going every day we were in Barcelona to try out different foods and just to take in all the commotion.

Other things: The train system is really easy to use and pretty inexpensive. We went to the Magic Fountain at night one night and it was fun but not necessarily a "must see." We also took the tour of Casa Battlo (on of Gaudi's works). Casa Battlo is really cool on the outside and you will see it from the hop on/off bus. We could've done without the tour....the inside was cool but not what I would call a "must see." Also, we walked around the Gothic quarter which was really cool. It had a totally different vibe than the rest of the city.

If you are still looking for a hotel I'd recommend the Placa Cataluyna area. It's right at the top of La Rambla, is within walking distance to some places, and has the hop on/off busses and the metro. It was so easy to get anywhere we wanted from there.