NBR:anyone ever been to Spain?

marrieditalian

There is a cheap fare out there to go to Madrid or Barcelona for travel in Sept/Oct.  DH said last night if I could find a sitter we could go!  I'm so excited!  Both grandparents live in town so I'm sure finding a sitter would not be a problem.  I just don't know where to start.  I guess I need to decide which city to fly to, Barcelona or Madrid.  any ideas?  Any recommendations on where to stay, go, do are welcome as well.

TIA!! 

 

andrea922

I have spent a lot of time in Spain, and lived in Madrid for a little bit when I was younger. I would absolutely, if it was my first trip, choose Barcelona. It is a fabulous city with so much to see. All the Gaudi stuff is amazing. See Sagrada Familia, Las Ramblas is their main touristy shopping street but it is a lot of fun, and there is a great food market off of it you have to go to, just to see some of the stuff they sell (pig faces come to mind). If you have time take a day and go on the train out to Sitges, which is probably 30-45 minutes and is a great beach town.

kep

My sister lives there, but she lives in Southern Spain, on the Mediterranean. We visited there back in 2003. It is beautiful. Have fun!

KSimone619

Yes I have been and it's beautiful! ?I definitely recommend Barcelona over Madrid, it's got much more culture and interesting history pieces (except Madrid does have the palace). ?ALso, we took an overnight train from Barcelona down the coast to Granada to see the moorish ruins and the gypsy's....Granada is BEAUTIFUL!!!

Blnd117

I traveled a few years back to Spain and went to both Madrid and Barcelona and would say that Barcelona would be the best place to go, there is so much culture there, tons of amazing sights to see, great food, you must visit Las Ramblas and there is the beach. my vote in Barcelona and if you happen to be a light packer and can fit me in your suitcase, that would be great too...hahahaha

Kazbax

I've been to Madrid a few times and lived in Valencia (southern coast) for a month, but have not been to Barcelona. That said, that is where I want to go next in Spain!  I think it depends what you want to see.  Madrid is great if you are into the art/museums, etc.

agmaso

I lived there for 10 years (near Madrid) and we are going back to visit in Sept (yay!!)?

Never been to Barcelona but no matter which city you choose, you will have plenty to see.

I like to say you need to experience Spain through your stomach . Even the simplest of bars has some amazing stuff.

If you stay in Madrid and aren't into the museum type things, venture out to the towns around it:

- El Escorial has a beautiful old monastery

- Avila has the it's old part of town surrounded by a wall that is deemed one of the best preserved in the world. You can walk up on top of it almost all the way around. Plus the city (like pretty much any city in Spain) has several beautiful churches. I went to HS there

You could do both of the above in one day and still have some time leftover

?

- ?Segovia- The Aqueduct of Segovia is one of the best preserved Roman structures in the country

- Toledo- there are several places worth seeing there plus you must walk the super narrow streets. You touch stretch your arms and touch one side with each .

?

If you choose to stick around Madrid some of the must-sees are:

- the King's castle

- Prado Museum?

- Retiro Park

- Consider taking a ride on the "Teleferico" an aerial cable car that takes you through the city and you get some amazing views

?

Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to help

aga10101@hotmail.com?

Mrs Manners

Ditto pps. Barcelona is beautiful and vibrant with lots of culture, great food, great historical sites, etc.

Do some winery tours (we loved Torres) and pick up some olive oil!