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Spain

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This was my second trip to Spain and our first trip here together. My first trip barely counts though, since I spent it on the beach and in the bars in Torremolinos. I meant to see some of the sights in Andalucía but couldn’t drag myself away from the sand. This trip focused on cities and architecture. We planned to fit in some hiking where we could but that didn’t happen. We did do lots of walking nonetheless.  

We loved the architecture, which was our main theme. So much of it and so interesting. The food was interesting too. The culture was a contrast to the more informal, relaxed, beachy Spanish-speaking locations we’ve been to in the western hemisphere. It required some adjustment in expectations. That’s why we travel, right?

  • 27 days
  • 2022 Spring

Food and Beverage $26 per day*

Average per person per day. We typically ate one meal around midday and sourced breakfast from bakeries or supermarkets when it wasn't provided at our hotel.

Lodging $75-$128 per night

Córdoba was least expensive. Our second stay in Madrid was the most expensive and was a deliberate splurge. For us at least.

Transportation $312 per person

We took trains from city to city, used public transportation, and walked a lot. And took a couple of cabs after I injured my knee!

Entertainment $703 per person

Entertainment included entry to all the different sights plus a tapas tour in Barcelona and a multimedia tour in Seville.

* In US dolllars at time of trip

Days 1-6: Barcelona

Planned Activities

  • Sagrada Familia
  • Park Guell
  • Other Modernista sights
  • Barri Gotic, La Ribera, El Raval
  • Hiking at Montserrat

Actual Activities

  • Sagrada Familia
  • Park Guell
  • Barri Gotic, La Ribera, El Raval

The Plan: I really thought about leaving Barcelona off this trip altogether, saving it for a future trip to northern Spain. In the end though I decided I REALLY needed to see Sagrada Familia sooner than later. And while we’re here we might was well take in some more sights. I allowed extra time since we’ll be jet lagged.

The Reality: So glad we came here. This is a place I could come back to. Sagrada Familia and the architecture in general was interesting. The city too felt relaxed and comfortable. It was more compact than expected; we hardly used public transit at all since we could walk most places. On our last day we decided to just wander around town rather than make the trip out to Montserrat. 

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Fly from home

Stay at Eco Boutique Hostal Grau

The rooms look just like the pictures. Airy, homey, great location for sights and transport.

Get around by public transit

We actually did more walking than public transit, other than to Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, and Sants train station.

Days 7-12: Madrid

Planned Activities

  • Art museums
  • El Rastro market
  • Gran Via
  • Segovia day trip
  • Toledo day trip
  • Hiking at Cercedilla?

Actual Activities

  • Art museums
  • El Rastro market
  • Gran Via
  • Segovia day trip
  • Toledo day trip
  • El Retiro Park

The Plan: Madrid is about the art. Tackling three art museums in one trip will be a lot for us. We’ll probably spread them out over a couple of days to avoid museum fatigue. Since I love a good street market, we’ll also hit El Rastro. 

The Reality: We did spread the art museums over two days. Having lunch in between two of them recharged us. We opted not to take a third day trip to hike, heading to El Retiro park to walk instead. 

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Train from Barcelona

We went with Ouigo. It was super fast and cheap.

Stay at OK Hostel

Great location and a nice with a terrace at a great price.

Get around by walking

Supplemented by a 10-ticket strip for public transportation. We used the Metro.

Days 13-17: Seville

Planned Activities

  • Cathedral
  • Giralda
  • Real Alcazar
  • Metropol Parasol
  • Cadiz day trip

Actual Activities

  • Cathedral
  • Real Alcazar
  • Metropol Parasol
  • Cadiz day trip
  • Past View Tour
  • Palacio de las Dueñas
  • Iglesia Colegial del Salvador

The Plan: I’ve been wanting to come to Seville, and Andalucia in general, for years. Outside of the major sights we’ll likely wander older neighborhoods and take a day trip to the coast. It probably won’t be sitting-on-the-beach weather, but we hope for walking-on-the-beach weather. And at some point in Andalucia we’ll take in some flamenco. 

The Reality: We did the major sights and then some. We didn’t get any kind of beach weather the day we went to Cadiz, and didn’t go to a flamenco show, but we did visit a flamenco museum and caught some street performers at Plaza de España.

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Train from Madrid

Stay at Hotel Murillo

Great location for sights and restaurants, with a great view from the roof terrace.

Get around by walking

Days 18-20: Córdoba

Planned Activities

  • Mezquita
  • Old Jewish quarter
  • Ronda day trip

Actual Activities

  • Mezquita
  • Old Jewish quarter
  • Alcázar
  • Palacio de Viana

The Plan: While it sounds like you can do Córdoba as a day trip from Seville, I liked the idea of being in what sounds like a smaller, more laid back area. It sounds challenging to get to Ronda from anywhere, though Córdoba sounded a little less complicated.

The Reality: This is where the trip went a little sideways, thanks to me injuring my knee. Ronda didn’t happen because of that. Now that we’ve been there I would actually recommend visiting Córdoba as a day trip from Seville, unless you plan on a day trip, as we did.

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Train from Seville

Stay at Soho Boutique Atalia

Great location about 3 minutes from the Mezquita and near restaurants.

Get around by walking

And by taxi, after a knee injury.

Days 21-25: Granada

Planned Activities

  • Alhambra
  • Albayzin
  • Hiking in the surrounding area

Actual Activities

  • Alhambra
  • Albayzin
  • Other churches and monuments

The Plan: The highlight is of course the Alhambra and other old areas of the city. We’d like to fit in some hiking in Las Alpujarras or possibly El Caminito del Rey. That may depend on public transportation or the availability of tours. 

The Reality: Actually the hiking ended up depending on my ability to walk. In this case not much. So we did our exploring in town. I could see returning to Granada for it’s proximity to mountains and the sea. 

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Train from Cordoba

Stay at Hotel Posada del Toro

A gem of a hotel that was kind enough to postpone our reservation twice due to COVID.

Get around by walking

Days 26-27: Madrid

Planned Activities

  • None

Actual Activities

  • COVID tests
  • Temple de Debod

The Plan: We found ourselves with an extra day in order to get a cheaper flight. Rather than spend our last night in Spain near the airport as originally planned, we decided to stretch it to two nights and splurge a little on our lodgings since it’s only for two nights.  

The Reality: It worked out well and we were able to get a last urban walk in. Loved the palace view and people watching. 

Train from Granada

Stay at Hostal Central Palace Madrid

Beautiful, centrally-located hotel with the wonderful views that were promised.

Get around by walking

Resources

Spain book cover