SPAIN travel advice

it looks like i am going in early may! i need some basic advice. i am plotting out an itinerary and what i am thinking is fly into madrid, hang out there for a few days, rent a car (which is $15 a day i guess, cheaper than the train unless i'm really misinformed?) and driving up and down the mediterranean coast. we need to be in murcia for a few days for a music festival but have nowhere else specifically - we could either drive south along the coast and loop back or go up to barcelona.

does anyone have any advice on a good route to take/must see stuff? thanks!

i also need advice on stuff like affordable accommodations, where to stuff my face with jamon, etc.

please try to get yourself to san sebastian
that is my #1 suggestion

a little bit of advice on these old threads. I was in Madrid and the Southern coast a long time ago. Hmmmm let me think

Another reason among the many to visit Spain

Tell me what to do when I go to Spain for two weeks!

the trains are really expensive, unless you buy the tickets exactly two weeks ahead of time, when they release a limited number of discounted tickets. but it doesn't really matter cause the website for the trains is basically a black hole of frustration. the high speed trains are really nice though, and there is a digital display of the traveling speed in all the cars.
i was just in spain but not in these parts (except for a quick 2 day stop in madrid) but 2nd the suggestion of going to san sebastian.

murcia-alicante-valencia-barca is all along the coast and if driving's your thing then it's a slog but good times

i really don't mind driving! the high speed trains look crazy, but i am trying to be relatively frugal so the car rental seems like a good way to get around. is there a benefit to doing a southern route (down towards gibraltar) as opposed to northern?

they're just super different parts of the country, it's up to you what part you want to see. also if you're driving please budget a lot for tolls -- the roads are really really nice and well marked, but they have outrageous tolls.

and we might not need to go all the way up to barcelona but just hang around the murcia/alicante area (possibly up to valencia?), it might be too ambitious. it would be cool to take a ferry/boat somewhere, but i'm guessing ibiza is skippable!

good to know about tolls!

murcia-valencia is i dunno 3-4 hours

yes, tolls is a good point- though you can take the coastal roads and avoid some of them- it's slower but prettier imo

Renting a car will also cost more than $15 USD daily, or at least it did last year.

I would stan for Andalusia - Seville, Ronda - but only because that's the bit I'm most familiar with. Don't know the Blanca/Dorado/Brava bits that well. My parents speak highly of Northern Spain though - Leon, Oviedo, Bilbao, San Sebastián might make a good roadtrip?

Hiking in the Pyrenees in Torla was one of the highlights of my trip -- gorgeous medieval village in the middle of a national park/nature area. AMAZING.

la lechera otm, GO TO SAN SEBASTIAN.

and yeah Bilbao is lovely too, great people in both San Seb and Bilbao.

there are good pencions (spanish people using their flat/house as a guesthouse) in most places.

in fact if you go san seb i can recommend one, unless you intend to stay somewhere fancy. it was very very basic but safe, central, and clean, and the owner made us basque custard tarts and stuff, really fun.

san sebastian is like a food paradise.

toooootally a food paradise
easy to get around on foot too, amazing beach, bizarro amusement park on top of a religious monument

so bummed that the funicular was closed the day i tried to go to that amusement park.

this is but one of the amusements

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6134/5976905378_f43801484e.jpg

and the food was amazing. but honestly the food was amazing everywhere i went in spain.

yeah, p much

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6007/5976345131_803d18a734.jpg

was fuego negro open when you guys were there? a tapas bar up near the church in the old town but markedly different from the older bars, really swanky in a sort of naff way apart from the fact the food is this insanely good fusion type tapas, it was really incredible.

other than that it's nice having foie gras everywhere, and those squadrones of spanish men singing opera songs as they go from bar to bar. best way to get drunk ever...

we mostly went to local places, just kinda skipped around. there are a LOT of super fancy restaurants in spain, but i didn't go to any of them. i love the grazing aspect of spanish eating -- just kind of grab what you want, eat it, drink a little, go somewhere else, have something else, sit by the water a while, la ti da, eat/drink some more, etc.

i'll tell you what, if i disappear, san sebastian would not be a bad place to look for me.

now i really want to go to san sebastien but it seems on the opposite end of the country from where i need to end up (murcia)!

next time! i didn't make it south or west at all on my first trip; it's not a place you can cover reasonably in one short trip, i think.

btw if i disappear, please don't look for me.

this was the best tapas place we tried in barcelona. one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. cleaner and brighter than many, not too expensive. two long bars laden w/amazing jamon seafood etc. in the eixample area near ave diagonal, passeig de gracia and some cool gaudi buildings.

Cervecería Catalana
C/ MALLORCA, 235, 08013 Barcelona, Spain
+34 932 16 03 68 ‎

http://w.cdn-tonight.eu/214469.jpg

some of the tapas places were a little greasy/heavy; not here

http://w.cdn-tonight.eu/214370.jpg

please try to get yourself to san sebastian
that is my #1 suggestion

― La Lechera, Tuesday, January 24, 2012 2:24 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

YESSSSS

I wound up there sort of by accident and only for a day during a trip to France and it was amazingly lovely. I really want to go back. I have no other advice about Spain because S Sebastian is actually the only place I've ever been to there. LL otm though. If you can go there definitely try to.

now i really want to go to san sebastien but it seems on the opposite end of the country from where i need to end up (murcia)!

― bene_gesserit, Tuesday, January 24, 2012 3:43 PM (22 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Oh shit, only just saw that now. Bummer. I'm sure the rest of it is great too though.

well i can recommend cartagena as a beautiful town, heavy roman influence still v apparent, they're currently doing up the amphiteatre and the harbour area is spectacular

i live in madrid and know galicia, castilla y leon, extremadura, and andalucia pretty well, but nothing of the basque country or catalonia. how long are you going to be in spain, bene?

about 9-10 days! i'm definitely spending some time in madrid, and flying in/out of there, so madrid recommendations are welcome!

No-one repping for Lanzarote? It's great.

I don't know the eastern side of the country at all, but if you head south-then-east you can visit some superb towns - Toledo, Cordoba and Granada are all excellent, and places like Seville and Malaga would be just about within reach too. Gibraltar's really interesting and spectacular.

Stay in a ye olde parador if you can afford it. They're converted historic buildings and some of them are really amazing. Jaen (east of Granada) is a castle perched on a crag above the town.

I loved driving in Spain because it's big and empty, like a mini-America. This may be less impressive to an American, granted.

Gibraltar's really interesting and spectacular.

really? my parents have an apartment about an hour from malaga and a trip to gibraltar is always an option when i go with friends, but all i've heard about it is that it's one of the worst shitholes in the universe.

The bay and the rock and the view of Africa are incredible. Historically and politically it's pretty interesting. There are apes. No doubt it's full of tat - but I didn't really notice tbh.

God, yes, Gibraltar is awful. We hare down there, pick up cheap fags and booze and get the hell back out. The caves and that are ok, I guess, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to visit it.

my tip is: avoid Gibraltar

go to the rock, get out

a few days in and around madrid then visiting a couple cities in andalucia (i second cordoba and granada!) before ending up in murcia sounds awesome. not sure renting a car would be much cheaper or worthwhile though. you're going to have to pay for gas and parking and will be driving around half the length of the iberian peninsula. you don't necessarily have to take the ave everywhere--if you like seeing the countryside then the avant trains are a lot cheaper and go through random towns. and there's always the bus. you could also just rent the car in granada and drive to murcia. cabo de gata natural park is between them (on the coast) and a car would be handy there.

in madrid i highly recommend you visit goya's tomb.

i went to goya's tomb, it was cool

rip

thanks craigorio that is all really helpful! i'll look into costs of train/bus from madrid to granada. cabo de gata looks lovely!

alsa will be the bus line you want. it's about 20 euros, 5 hrs across la mancha, and there will be a bus leaving pretty much every hour all day long from madrid.

ok, i've just worked out some of the details, and i think we are going to take the bus to granada as you recommended! is there a specific town on the coast between granada and murcia that you would recommend spending a night in? we definitely want to spend some time in cabo de gato and take are time going up the coast.

alright - i've fully booked all my hotels so i could use some itinerary specific advice:

days 1-3 madrid - staying at a pension in the the universidad neighborhood, i definitely want to visit the prado but otherwise i could use advice on what to see/eat!

day 4 granada - staying in the downtown area but closer to the alhambra. definitely want to visit the alhambra but not sure what else. planning on renting a car here for the rest of the trip.

days 5-6 - cheaping out everywhere else on hotels, but splurged a little and booked two nights at parador de mojacar (http://spainparador.com/parador-mojacar.htm) which was still not all that expensive (came out to ~$70 per person per night) this is close to cabo de gata but could use advice on other towns to explore in the area)

days 7-8 - murcia - we will probably be at the music fesitival (watching PULP) most of the time

day 9 - need to find a budget accommodation near the madrid airport for an early flight home

Jely

I'm considering going for a week in March. I was going to do Madrid and Barcelona, but my friend is trying to convince me to concentrate on one city, and not try to do too much. Thoughts? I am leaning toward Madrid. Also, is it an okay place to travel alone in?

you should come in march instead and hang out with me!

i mean may

I wish I could; your trip sounds amazing.

xpost if you have a week that should be sufficient for two cities... but I say that as someone who's generally happy with a few days per city when I travel, guess it depends on your own travel style!

Personally Barcelona was far more memorable for me than Madrid but either of them will be okay for solo travel.

It takes 8 hours to get from Madrid to Barcelona by bus

my travel advice is eats lots of food because it will be delicious

my advice is take the train.

I have never been to madrid but I suggest you don't miss barcelona

it is cool

Thanks for the advice. I just jumped the gun and went for both Madrid and Barcelona, with a high-speed rail connection in-between. I'm going to start fasting now so that I can eat way through.

^^although San Sebastian sounds like my cup of tea

I was underwhelmed by Madrid (and never made it to Barcelona)

Flying out this week for a 2-week sojourn that will include Madrid, Rioja, Barcelona and points between. Happy for any/all recommendations. We won't make it to San Sebastian or Bilbao sadly, the itinerary just won't stretch that far

Important advice: book in advance to go to the Alhambra, otherwise you won't get in.

The Reina Sofia art gallery in Madrid is well worth a visit, particularly the civil war section.

Lots of things close on Mondays, museums an ting.

how far in advance do you need to buy alhambra tix?

i think really far in advance? like months iirc?

The Prado is pretty amazing, too.

I also highly recommend this museum:

http://obrasocial.lacaixa.es/nuestroscentros/caixaforummadrid/caixaforummadrid_es.html

I ate here a couple of times:

http://www.mercadodelareina.es/ENG/index.html

ASAP for the Alhambra tickets.

Estamos practicando el espanol? Dejo este sabado.

i'm leaving friday!! beyond excited. any recommendations for 1) cheapish eats in madrid (specifically near universidad neighborhood)?

2) translator apps for iphone?

1) Underground chino (Chinese restaurant) in Plaza de España is incredibly cheap and tasty and pretty close to the Universidad. Just go down the stairs next to Calle Princesa/Gran Via. As for actual Spanish food, I'll get back to you when my friend reminds me the name of this one amazing spot.

2) Haven't tried this one, but looks pretty useful: http://lifehacker.com/5903847/sayhi-translate-turns-your-iphone-into-a-multi+lingual-universal-translator

Here's that great Spanish restaurant: El Lacón Not exactly cheap but wonderful and a good value. I would recommend going for the tablas (platters of a wide variety of fish, seafood, veggies, etc) if you'll be with several people. 2 tablas and the complimentary bread was more than enough food for 4.

Boy you werent kidding bout alhambra tix huh

I can't wait to see that thing. I've booked a ticket for next month.

Does anyone have tips on other stuff to do in Granada? I have two days. It looks like some of the Alhambra grounds don't require tickets, so maybe there'll be more than enough to see once my hours there are up.

http://dickschmitt.com/travels/spain/granada_province/granada/images/2008_09_23_Spain_Granada_Alhambra_sala-de-las-dos-hermanas-cupola-of-mocarabes.jpg

Hotel I'm staying in is pretty cool, I guess:

http://i.imgur.com/o4OmD33.jpg

Had a terrific two days in Madrid and was sorry to leave. The Prado is a delight and going early on a Monday morning meant I had the best part of an hour with a dozen Raphaels and Goya's black paintings to myself. Also really loved the Reina Sofia, which seemed like a model of how a challenging contemporary art gallery should be curated - much more engaged politically than the Punta Della Dogana or the Centre Pompidou, which are amazing in their own way but feel more like a repository of stuff most of the time.

Idk why I have been to Moldova and Venezuela but it has taken this long to come to Spain.

In May and June I will be residing in San Sebastián as a writer in residence. I'm beyond stoked, and ever since the news got out I've been given plenty of tips about what to see, what to do. According to the Lonely Planet of Bilbao/SanSeb there are 17 (SEVENTEEN!) Michelin starred restaurants in San Sebastián alone. That's just crazy, and impossible to choose between.

I won't be traveling outside of the Basque Country a lot (I need my time there to write) but please give me some tips on things outside the obvious, to see, do, or where to eat. Looking at LG and LL especially since you both know the turf. (I've been to Spain loads - Catalunia, Almeria, Costa Del Sol etc) but never to Basque Country. Hit me up!

I've only spent a few days there but they were filled with the most amazing food.

wauwauwau congrats LBI

tytyty tracer :)

That's awesome, LBI! I still haven't been to San Sebastian, despite having a friend who lives there and everything.

Thanks Ailsa! :) You should come over!

Really looking forward to suggestions and tips here. C'mon people!

you're the one who will be there for months -- we are going to rely on you to give the tips! my trip there only lasted a few days.
you def gotta go to the haunted rollercoaster ride on the cliff over the ocean, i can't remember what it's called but there's a funicular that takes you up there iirc

Keep your eyes open for exceptional musician/English teacher Cecile Schott/Colleen!! https://colleenplays.org/my-studio/

here is one of her best most recent songs https://youtu.be/5XuAMyAcwwY

yes the roller coaster! bummed i didnt get to go on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TabWFox1whw

so i've been like 3 or 4 times - amazing place. i haven't been to any of the michelin star restaurants - i'd like to go back and do that sometime but the times i went in the past it wasn't really possible, expensive and also some are kind of remote, at least the famous ones.

ll is right about the rollercoaster, also climb up the other mountain and say hello to massive terrifying jesus. on the way up there are great views and also a british military cemetery which is interesting if you like cemeteries.

for food, you can't go too far wrong just wandering around the cobbles of the old town drinking txakoli everywhere, or the local cider, or just a tiny glass of beer (zurito!) , and eating what looks good. but some places definitely stand out.

some general advice:

imo most places have a few speciality dishes and it's best to wander from bar to bar having one thing in each, and a zurito or txakoli as you go. it's v tempting to stay in a bar and order a few more things but if you want to be really anal about it and get the best spread of stuff, move around more. also, the things on the bar are majorly tempting and even though they're great (what could be wrong with bread and cheese/meat/fish/peppers) a lot of the best stuff is made to order. check the blackboards.

with that in mind i'd say make a point of going to these bars, though you really can walk into almost anywhere and get a snack that would be worth telling your friends about in many other cities:

la cuchera de san telmo - slightly pricier than the other places at about 4/5 euro per plate, but the food here is incredible. it can be elbow-to-elbow busy, and a bit intense, and hot, but the food is memorable. the risotto is a signature dish i think, there's usually suckling pig also. i've never had anything bad there though.

borda berri - former la cuchera chef runs this - it's prob got more heart to it than la cuchera, not that the latter is without charm. also gets very busy. incredible canneloni and spider crab. i was sat at the bar here gawping at the menu with my basic spanish one time and this fisherman danny trejo lookalike just looked up and said "my freng, spider crab" in an ultra-deep spanish accent. i just nodded at the barman who brought a piece of bread covered in spider crab. "good, yes?" "very good, thanks!" "good spider crab"

bodega donostiarra - dunno if this area counts as the old town or not, it's about two mins away from old town across a bridge to the east. read about it in a cookbook by the chef jose pizarro - nice outdoor benches, it's a bit less like a bar if you get sick of standing while eating, which you prob will. great food - chicken wings is one speciality here for sure. everything is good though and they are friendly, it's on a lovely street also.

gandarias - very traditional, great bar pintxos if you go early while they're fresh. nice made-to-order stuff too. they open very late and there's a good buzz here late on as a result.

la vina - famous for baked cheesecake. i recommend it :)

a fuego negro - kind of trendy in sort of 90s way, they play jazz and it's a bit more muso than other places. the food is a bit conceptual and silly at times, like "fish and chips" in a little box or something. but as bad as that might sound there is great stuff to be had here. it's also nice for a drink early evening, good tunes and friendly staff.

zeruko - they do normal pintxos here but also some kind of ludicrously presented things. it's all very white decor-wise and less homely than some of the bars, but not insufferably ritzy. the food is great. the main thing i got here is they do this weird lobster infusion thing in a shot glass with what looks like dry ice pouring out of it. it was delicious and also a bit lol. three other people ordered when i chanced upon it. think it's called rosa di bogavante all the pintxos are nice here.

other general stuff: go to the beach! it's really nice and the atmosphere there is incredibly friendly and fun when the waves get big.

things i'd advise not to do: vomit into a metal bin in a hostel after a lengthy day of eating and drinking, moments after listening to steven gerrard trod on the ball and slip against chelsea, throwing away liverpool's best chance of the league title in 20 years. i mean not unless you need a key scene for a fever pitch type novel about being a liverpool fan : /

dunno if you like cooking but this book would prob be a good companion for you while there even if you never cook a thing from it. it has a lot of background and cultural info, and he'll casually recommend a restaurant many times throughout: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Basque-Spanish-Recipes-Sebastian-Beyond/dp/1784880264

or more generally this is good, and might inspire further trips: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Late-Dinner-Discovering-Food-Spain/dp/0747593809

i prob have some bilbao recommendations too if i have a think about it.

i forgot bar nestor - that's the best tortilla place. they have some system where they only make one per sitting so you need to get there on time, if you care about such things. i actually had a better tortilla at a place in london but don't tell them that :)

Jesus man how do you remember this stuff so clearly

i had to open google maps but it was a pleasant trip down memory lane. as i say though i've been 3/4 times and once was for nearly a week so i know it fairly well.

AHHHH Colleen lives there? Holy shit! She's one of my musical heroines! Oh man... Ok I will try and make a meeting happen. I'm a total fanboy but that is seriously amazing.

xxxxxxxp OMG so many replies God yes

Ronan you are a god! Amazing. Bookmarked and printed.

(apart from throwing Stevie G in this, goddamnit, don't taint my Donostia experience!)

Seriously amazing though, will keep you all posted on going to these places. Bless.

Ostia! The spider crab at Borda Berri did not disappoint. Amazing place. Ty LG. Just been here for a couple of days, but already I do not know how other people resist the pull of all these taverna's with their lush food lined up straight on the bar. The hosting organisation has taken me out for pintxos (and wine), and pintxos (and more wine) during lunch hour. They go to work right after, nbd. Wine in the early afternoon makes me sleepy, but I'm going to work hard on that.

As an aside for Ronan and the ILF cru: the guy who's in charge of my stay here, played in Basque youth teams for three years when he was young, playing alongside Txiki Begiristain and the likes. He ultimately didn't make it to pro football, but will make sure I will see Sociedad's last home game - against Malaga, with an EL place on the cards and v high finish (6th in La Liga) - from premium seats :)

Le Bateau Ivre, I live here and would be happy to meet up some time if you fancy it.

I keep meaning to put together a document of my top advice for visitors, but I haven't go round to it yet.

I have had the honour of accompanying Ronan on his adventures a couple of times.

The best (so far unmentioned) place is http://dabadabass.com/ and also the adjacent park. I live just beyond the far side of said park.

My email is pjmiller68 AT gmail DOT com

Hi Peter, thanks so much for your generous offer. I'm here for two months, and the organisation (Donostia Kultura) really front-loaded my visit; ie. I've meetings every day for the first two weeks probably. After that things ease, giving me time to do what I'm here for, writing, and to enjoy myself. I would def like to take you up on your offer second half of May or in June, thanks for your email, I will be in touch!

(got vip box tix for the Sociedad-Málaga match on Sunday :D )

OK, good stuff.

I will be opposite you and to the right at the football. I hope it goes well.

earlier this month we were walking through the basque country doing the first seven days of the camino de santiago, which took us from the french side of the pyrenees to logrono via pamplona. had a really great time and would recommend getting out into the country for walking and visiting some of the smaller towns. so many pelota courts, even in very small villages, plenty of basque nationalist graffiti, lots of rolling hills covered in corn and dotted with poppies. pamplona is definitely worth a day trip to wander round the old town, the walls of the citadel, the cathedral. like everyone else we were v charmed by bilbao, had lots of great food, and of course the guggenheim is amazing, was v struck by the richard serra sculptures that you can wander into, and they've got a great abstract expressionism exhibition on atm

That sounds like a wonderful trip Ogmor! Not too far from where I'm residing right now. You are damn right about the graffiti, the many flags, the pelota courts. I have been inland a bit already (cider farms, Rioja country), but still have Iruña and the Guggenheim high up the list.

(Can the camino be done in more than one way? Bcz I'm in an old fisherman's town just outside Donostia, and this is also part of the camino to Santiago, but you describe a different path?)

It's been a dream, so far. Really, *really* easing into the rhythm here of two/three hour lunches and in the evening just a small dish, makes me feel better and more fit working all day, too. Preferably when the sun is shining but it works even when it rains, too. Wish I could bring that into Northern Western Europe but know that can't happen. Just feels so much more pleasant.

very jealous!

Are you in residence close to Deba? I spent a lovely week there a few years ago.

Not close-close, though Deba is certainly not far away from Donostia (55km). I really want to go to Bilbao along the coast one day, preferably by bike if that can be done in a day, otherwise taking my car, so will def come across it. Any Deba things I need to know on forehand?

View from my balcony two minutes ago:

https://i.imgur.com/iEd4jW1.jpg

No, nothing particular about Deba, just a village with a lively centre ville, where the wine is 0,50€ a glass.

sounds heavenly. there are indeed lots of camino routes though the one we did - 'the way of st james' - is the most popular

http://www.caminosantiagodecompostela.com/images/elcaminodesantiago.jpg

you get to stay at some rad places such as roncesvalles, which has meters-thick walls and was a v welcome sight after our very stormy first day: http://gotravelaz.com/wp-content/uploads/images/Roncesvalles_25465.jpg

Are you staying in Pasajes San Juan? Heavy!

The Santiago path here is the "coastal route".

"The way of Saint James" is just a translation of "el camino De Santiago", encompassing all the different paths. The most common route, dark red in the map image above, is usually called the French way.

I've been living in Catalunya this academic year and I'm planning on doing the Northern (coastal) route when my work finishes 3 weeks from now. Starting in Asturias and going to the end. Looks incredibly beautiful and will be my first time in that part of the peninsula.

Cadaqués is enchanting. At least it was years ago, last I was there. The "coastal route" was not so straightforward though.

xp this is obv right, I was getting muddled. it does indeed look gorgeous up there and hopefully you'll have some good weather for it too. everyone seems to say the last bit to finisterre is well worth it

Are you staying in Pasajes San Juan? Heavy!

Yes, well spotted! It's great.

Peter, can I ask you a question? I find that there are surprisingly few bars/cafe's suited to do some work (ie. writing on laptop). The small taberna's obviously aren't suited for this. I have been working in Tabakalera a couple of times which is nice, but do you know of any good cafes with ok coffee and wifi who are not Starbucks to get some work done? Doesn't matter if it's in the old town or in Gros.

Try the bar/café at San Telmo Museum.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Bokado+San+Telmo/@43.3246424,-1.9844947,18.29z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0xd51affe3b68fe15:0xe43ec55994864649!2sSan+Sebasti%C3%A1n,+Gipuzkoa,+Spain!3b1!8m2!3d43.318334!4d-1.9812313!3m4!1s0x0:0x178723f034036ead!8m2!3d43.3253148!4d-1.9848266?hl=en

It's usually quite quiet inside, and there is wifi from the library upstairs. Said library is also quite good, although it might be a bit too quiet, and is not open in the afternoons. A good procrastination resource though.

Not sure about wifi, but Café Artess just across the square is usually quite quiet in the mornings. It used to be "atmospheric" but they've modernised it, stripping it off all character in the process.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Cafe+Artess/@43.324797,-1.9842142,19.29z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0xd51affe3b68fe15:0xe43ec55994864649!2sSan+Sebasti%C3%A1n,+Gipuzkoa,+Spain!3b1!8m2!3d43.318334!4d-1.9812313!3m4!1s0x0:0xa6794037d659e930!8m2!3d43.3249567!4d-1.9838865?hl=en

This café is OK, but can get quite busy and is popular with people with small children, so it might not be ideal for work. I suppose it depends on the time of day:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Gogoko+Goxuak/@43.3200873,-1.9849102,19.54z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0xd51affe3b68fe15:0xe43ec55994864649!2sSan+Sebasti%C3%A1n,+Gipuzkoa,+Spain!3b1!8m2!3d43.318334!4d-1.9812313!3m4!1s0x0:0x5005eacf58a0c1c2!8m2!3d43.3198384!4d-1.9841594?hl=en

Café Oquendo might be useful:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Oquendo/@43.3220458,-1.9814774,19.54z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0xd51affe3b68fe15:0xe43ec55994864649!2sSan+Sebasti%C3%A1n,+Gipuzkoa,+Spain!3b1!8m2!3d43.318334!4d-1.9812313!3m4!1s0x0:0xde30cfaf9441a23c!8m2!3d43.3223166!4d-1.9817025?hl=en

In Gros, I like this place:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Bar+Restaurante+Moto+Club/@43.3228267,-1.9780686,19.04z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0xd51affe3b68fe15:0xe43ec55994864649!2sSan+Sebasti%C3%A1n,+Gipuzkoa,+Spain!3b1!8m2!3d43.318334!4d-1.9812313!3m4!1s0x0:0xa09622af220f4300!8m2!3d43.3233211!4d-1.9785268?hl=en

Again not sure about wifi. Nothing much to recommend it other than relative quiet. From the look of the photos, it might have undergone renovations too.

Just around the corner, this place certainly has nice coffee, but I don't really like the place:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Sakona+Coffee+Roasters/@43.3230457,-1.9783972,19.79z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0xd51affe3b68fe15:0xe43ec55994864649!2sSan+Sebasti%C3%A1n,+Gipuzkoa,+Spain!3b1!8m2!3d43.318334!4d-1.9812313!3m4!1s0x0:0x97917281c703a3cb!8m2!3d43.3233108!4d-1.9788802?hl=en

Tables are low, and it seems to attract BLOGGERS.

Also popular with BLOGGERS, this place might be suitable if you can find a quiet corner:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Koh+Tao/@43.322011,-1.9815327,20.54z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0xd51affe3b68fe15:0xe43ec55994864649!2sSan+Sebasti%C3%A1n,+Gipuzkoa,+Spain!3b1!8m2!3d43.318334!4d-1.9812313!3m4!1s0x0:0x7d24b6af8adb4424!8m2!3d43.3219795!4d-1.9815765?hl=en

Bit of an oddball choice, but I like the café in the bus station. Plenty of space (usually) and about the right level of distraction:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/De+Norte+A+Sur/@43.3172307,-1.9774043,20.92z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0xd51affe3b68fe15:0xe43ec55994864649!2sSan+Sebasti%C3%A1n,+Gipuzkoa,+Spain!3b1!8m2!3d43.318334!4d-1.9812313!3m4!1s0x0:0xfb4138a4de273448!8m2!3d43.3172098!4d-1.9774874?hl=en

Dabadaba has wifi and big tables, but I'm not sure about its suitability as a workplace:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Dabadaba/@43.315627,-1.9761317,19.92z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0xd51affe3b68fe15:0xe43ec55994864649!2sSan+Sebasti%C3%A1n,+Gipuzkoa,+Spain!3b1!8m2!3d43.318334!4d-1.9812313!3m4!1s0x0:0x871976c5077fefff!8m2!3d43.3155042!4d-1.9763408?hl=en

(By the way, I am hoping to see MOON DUO there next Sunday, if you're interested.)

This place is nice, especially if you get a window seat:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Restaurante+Narru/@43.3163943,-1.9894213,17.92z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0xd51affe3b68fe15:0xe43ec55994864649!2sSan+Sebasti%C3%A1n,+Gipuzkoa,+Spain!3b1!8m2!3d43.318334!4d-1.9812313!3m4!1s0x0:0xebb373a97008260e!8m2!3d43.3156461!4d-1.9877107?hl=en

Thanks so much man, will update you about my findings!

I miss a lot of things Euskal Herria, but what I miss the most is probably the Txakoli. Joder.

Any hotel/pension/airbnb recs for San Sebastian? I am trying to pull of trip for 4 nights to see La Femme at Dabadaba.

Hey, a ('merican) girl can dream, right?

Mid September, would be nice to be in Old Town I suppose? Need not be fancy, just comfortable and well located to great food/drink.

Flights to/within Spain is another matter. Need a friend with a Gulfstream, really.

Dabadaba, nice! :D

Old Town, Gros, or even Antiguo, it doesn't really matter because "everything's a 20 minute walk away" as they say over there, and it's true. The great food and drinks are everywhere.

For flying, Bilbao is obv your best bet, but there probably aren't (m)any direct flights from the US? Otherwise you'll end up having a stop at Barcelona or Madrid. Bordeaux could be an option as well.

Oh I had forgotten that Bilbao may be an option! I need to find a good balance between cheap/time-efficient as I am dealing with a short frame of time I can get off work.

I have been dreaming of San Sebastian since I visited in 1997 or '98? It made a huge impression on me, the food in particular but really everything about the place was just enchanting and so, so fun.

You are still there, LBI? If I can pull this off I hope to meet you in person!

I'd love that and I wish I was, Quincie, but I'm back home again... It's been three weeks since my return and I've still not re-adjusted to life at home. I cannot get back into my rhythm here. Never thought it would affect me so severely, but still long for that city and life every day.

From Bilbao airport it's just one hour by comfy coach to San Sebastian. When it comes to time efficiency you can't beat that, really.

Also you must be La Femme's biggest fan in the whole world to fly over for their concert there! :)

Well La Femme is an excuse, also I have two vacation days that I have to use between now and Sept 30; the world is a big place and it is hard to decide where to go when, so sometimes I have to just create tight boundaries and work within them!

Any hotel/pension/airbnb recs for San Sebastian? I am trying to pull of trip for 4 nights to see La Femme at Dabadaba.

i've stayed in a few of the pensiones in the old town - they vary from v basic and cheap to quite fancy for a little more cash. i wouldn't distrust any of them, if you're in the old town you're surrounded by pintxo bars.

I’m reviving all he Spain threads because we’ll be there for two weeks starting Friday. We’re going to Barcelona for the end of the Bowie exhibition and then???

You'll be there at a truly historic moment. So jealous.

Are you planning on staying in and around Barcelona or will you be able to travel around more (rental car?)?

barcelona is the best. can drop a few restaurant recs in if that appeals. how far are you willing to travel in your two weeks? i am not so familiar with the places in the immediate vicinity of barcelona, more with the north or south. depending on what you're into, i would try to see madrid as well, personally. barcelona gets all the hype but madrid imo is not to be missed. many spanish cities have a very distinct character and culture though - that is what makes it such a great country in which to travel.

Our habit is to just rent a car and take off somewhere... Definitely would like to go to San Sebastian and then loop around through Portugal and Andalucía and back up into Barcelona but really we're just letting ourselves wander around for a couple of weeks.

i've travelled that route before, i'd recommend it. vigo is v nice. a coruna too and gijon. it's quite a big gap from barcelona to san sebastien so you might want to think of stops along the way. never been to zaragoza but i'd be curious enough. same with pamplona. i dunno, i've ended up really enjoying some places others say are more backwatery, in spain.

biarritz across the border might be worth a day after san sebastien. it's a bit glitzy but it has its charms. bilbao is nice and v close to san seb. guggenheim etc. santander kind of boring imo but you would be passing through if you go along the north coast.

possibly not great weather this time of year, the north coast can be kind of rural and green, reminds me of ireland a little. there are some beautiful and affordable hotels on the cliffs outside gijon, with amazing views and nice paths along the sea into the town. (maybe a few miles' walk)

if you make it to porto the douro valley wine tours can be really good, a boat up the river and a lot of nice little stops along the way.

the pamplona old town is lovely to walk about and impressive with the citadel and cathedral, definitely worth a stop, and bilbao is obviously classic

Yeah, Pamplona, Bilbao (Guggenheim) and obv San Sebastian are great. Popping over to Biarritz is a good idea. Following the north coast from San Seb to Bilbao/Bermeo is a delight, wonderful scenery.

Ronan otm, it does look like Ireland at times. The climate makes it one of the greenest areas of Spain. In stark contrast with the heartland around Madrid.

Not to contradict any of the above, because it's all good advice, but Seville is one of my favourite places in the world and I will never stop recommending it.

i love the south as well - can't disagree with that. and prob good weather in seville at the moment. malaga is underrated also, lovely little city.

Seville is beautiful. And so is Cordoba. And Ronda. Man, two weeks just isn't enough.

Absolutely love Bilbao. Santander is not too exciting from the little I've seen. My partner's family live nearby but we never go there. Smaller interesting places in that coastal vicinity that I'd personally recommend, moving east to west from Bilbao through Cantabria to Asturias... Castro, Santillana del Mar, San Vicente de la Barquera, Llanes, Ribadesella.

The “no” demonstration outside our hotel right now isn’t nearly as big as it looks on EuroNews. Probably should have read more Graham Greene books...

Not to contradict any of the above, because it's all good advice, but Seville is one of my favourite places in the world and I will never stop recommending it.

― Tim, Wednesday, 20 September 2017 11:07 (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yes

Video of La Femme at Dabadaba for mom tossed in kimchee:

https://vimeo.com/234219516

^^^god I would have loved to have seen that show! Alas, I could not make San Sebastian logistics work out :( Did a long weekend in Montreal instead, so no La Femme but at least *some* french!

Not to contradict any of the above, because it's all good advice, but Seville is one of my favourite places in the world and I will never stop recommending it.

― Tim, Wednesday, 20 September 2017 11:07 (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yes

Went to Cuchara de San Telmo today. I had been dreaming of pulpo all week while in Spain and hadn't had the chance to get it. They delivered. I realize that I have never really been in Europe in July (at least not in a while). Throbbing with tourists. It kind of ruins it when people are shouting in english everywhere. We took the train from Barcelona (coming from Toulouse) and did a stopover in Haro/Rioja. Which was kind of oddly a ghost town.

I will go to Figueres next month, for Dalí but also for the vibe (we’ll be nearby in the south of France for a few week).

We thought about Figueres but already were side stepping train strikes in France for the previous two weeks and totally got our train from Toulouse to Barcelona canceled the night before. Luckily, I guess you just get on whatever train and stand or hang out in the dining cart when this happens. Instead of going to Bilbao though to go back to Paris we are being tired and just doing the bus/train route through Hendaye.

The buses between Bilbao and Irun are lovely fwiw

We're going to be in that neck of the woods in a couple of months (Santander - Bilao - San Sebastian), I haven't been for the longest time and I'm really looking forward to it.

I went to Santander once maybe over a decade ago? I keep thinking it's not worth a revisit but I can't really remember much? We drove from Madrid and I got carsick.

We drove from Bilbao to Santiago a few years ago but skipped Santander for the Picos de Europa and Oviedo, both terrific.

This was my second time in Barcelona and it is seriously one of the most pleasant cities to get around. Walkable, easy/quick transport, abundance of small streets with residents out and about. I kept saying, "why can't more spanish speaking cities be more like this?" Prolly me being annoyed that I live somewhere that is too sprawling and far from swimmable water.

glad to hear cuchara was good but yeah can imagine san seb would be p oppressive with other tourists in july. bad enough any other time.

I will go to Figueres next month, for Dalí but also for the vibe (we’ll be nearby in the south of France for a few week).

i was in figueres earlier this month, tho only on the way from girona to roses. i liked roses a lot btw - a tiny bit trashy but a beautiful compact seafront and a good beach. spent a night in portes-vendres across the border also, i had been in collioure up the road which is prettier but i enjoyed the working port feeling of vendres. a thing i noticed for the second time in these parts is how beautiful the train journey from spain into france on the east side is, you go through some lovely marshland, then fields on the other side. different strike but similar to yerac my flight home from toulouse got cancelled and i ended up getting a train to bordeaux and then paris, and then paris to london, but that was actually a nice way to spend a day in a weird way. another earlier fuck-up meant an afternoon in narbonne watching france beat argentina. narbonne was a bit non-descript but i still enjoyed arriving there and walking around. i love the feeling of disembarking the train, the place doesn't have to be too nice. even getting off the eurostar in london i felt like i was visiting my own city and stayed around bloomsbury for a bit.

xpost santander is boring imo. gijon or a coruna much nicer.

xxxpost i was also in barcelona before girona - each time i visit there i like it more, from a low base of my late teens visits when i never saw daylight cos we went to razzmatazz all night doing drugs and stayed in hostels on larambla with people walking dogs on strings and offering you more drugs.

i stayed in el born this time and i loved everything about it - i love how it combines such a cavernous old town with a gridded metropolis. and the food is obv completely amazing.

we could go to Barcelona this summer too but I don’t really feel like dealing with another giant European city, we live in on already and that’s enough, Europe’s real charms are in smaller charms imo

Narbonne is actually where we’ll spend most of our time next month, close to the sea with good Gascogne cuisine. Plus we’ve found a house with a pool...

i presume the city itself isn't the point of narbonne.

tho that was all i had time to see.

No not really, it’s more its location and house availability (for nine people without a car but who want to get about)

what was strange was how few people were watching the football. i mean i know that is deep into rugby country but i still would have expected it to be say, shown in bars, or to even notice it was on. had to actively seek it out.

Could you hear the drums Fernando?

on our last trip there we rented a small villa on a vineyard about 45 mins out of barcelona in the Penedès region , it was super affordable and awesome . A nice break from the city or our usual Costa Brava excursions .

you were in Catalonia they dont care much about the spanish national team or the world cup in gerneral xp

xpost Ha! I had to spend an afternoon in Narbonne too.

This time around in Barcelona we stayed between Gracia and Diagonal (have stayed before right across from Casa Mila). The best place that we went to was Bodega Lo Pinyol. Super lowkey wine bar and I had the most amazing dry beef tube things with foie mousse inside. I think the only touristy thing we did was walk up to Montjuic. Oh, and I guess using the bathroom at the Joan Miro museum should count. After Haro we stayed in a weird town called Miranda de Ebro.

Yeah, we didn't even mean to go to Paris this trip except to fly out but we got tired and just decided to do something easy at the end (meaning we have been enough times to not need to do anything besides eat and loiter).

you were in Catalonia they dont care much about the spanish national team or the world cup in gerneral xp

i mean in narbonne! that said there were plenty of people watching spain when i was in barcelona.

I think we are trying Borda Berri tonight and then trying to catch the game at Bar Sport. I have a bunch of rioja I have been lugging in my bag so we have to drink two bottles while here.

We took the train from Barcelona (coming from Toulouse) and did a stopover in Haro/Rioja. Which was kind of oddly a ghost town.

About 5 in the afternoon? I have had this experience. It gets a bit more lively on Sunday mornings.

iirc most (all?) Spanish towns are dead from 3-6

We were there almost all day. Ghost town. We were the only people to get out at that stop and even most of the big wineries were pretty empty. Except the Muga tasting room. Party going on in there.

I will be going to Bilbao and San Sebastian for about a week in March. I have time to go to a third place, and was thinking of going to Logrono, but that might be boring? What about Pamplona? Is it best to split my time between Bilbao and San Sebastian and take day trips?

We visited SS, Rioja, and Bilbao in about ten days in 2017. One of my favorite trips. You can definitely spend a week between SS and Bilbao alone, so I am not sure you need to add a third location, depending on your preferences for running around versus relaxing. But if you want to, a visit to the Rioja area is incredible.

If you have a car, I highly recommend staying in LaGuardia, a very small hill town west of Logrono. You can walk from one end to the other in ten minutes, but it is very handsome with amazing views in all directions. Very cool painted wood portico (one of only a couple in Europe) with the original paint intact).

Another amazing town is San Vicente de la Sonsierra, which has a fortress and church with commanding views. 1100 people in the commune and 21 wineries; my kind of ratio.

Let me know and I can dig out some restaurant reservations. Lunch in Rioja starts around 2pm. We finished one lunch about 5pm.

Day trips from SS: Getaria is an old fishing village 20 minutes away. Definitely worth a half day. Great restaurant for whole roasted turbot is Elkano; one of my favorite meals anywhere ever.

^^ quite possibly my favourite thing about Basque country, the 2-5pm lunches.

There's loads of recommendations itt already. I didn't really rate Logroño. Pamplona is nice, but personally I like to stay closer to the coast. Bilbao and SS will keep you busy for a week, no trouble. Beautiful places in between are Zarautz, and further west Bermeo (with the San Juan de Gaztelugatxe rock out in the sea, that you can climb up to), Mundaka (a surfer's haven), Getaria, Guernica, Zumaia etc etc

logrono has a nice little old town but pamplona is much better, fantastic square and fortress, feels very basque. it's an incredible part of the world though and you will find loads of great places.

Spent a month in andalucia a couple years ago. Completely awesome. Never even made it to the Alhambra! The Sierra directly south of Ronda are big mountains with trail systems great for running and hiking from town to town. Same goals for the hills/mts between Aracena and the PT border. Jamon is a big deal there.

Spent about 2.5 weeks in the Alameda de Hercules neighborhood in Seville. Full of hipsters and killer food and an easy walk to the touristy stuff. Highly recommended but I think any of the cities in that corner of Spain have a lot to offer. Just be careful about the heat. We were there in September and it was barely bearable.

Do we have any more general threads for Spain or any discussion of today's election that I'm missing elsewhere?

any granada tips ? going in november for a week, so have time for daytrips etc. might rent a bike...

I was there last week, it is extremely awesome.

Book up immediately to go to the Alhambra, I spent one of the greatest days of my life in that incredible place. I was honestly in tears at times, overwhelmed by emotion at the beauty of it. If you haven't booked yet, look for tickets RIGHT NOW, it sells out far in advance. If it is booked for the dates you are there then honestly, log in after midnight and keep refreshing the page every fifteen minutes or so, because that is when they release returns. I nabbed a ticket for the dates I was there around 2am the night before but don't wait until the night before, keep trying this in the period leading up to your trip. This might seem extreme advice but you will truly never regret it. You will need the full day. I was in there from 10am untl 7 pm and didn't manage to see everything within yhe walls. My one regret is that I never managed to get tickets to the night time tours of the Alhambra. I'm going back next year to do exactly that.

Also, Granada is one of the few places in Andalusia where getting a fairly large tapa every time you order a glass of wine has not died out as a tradition. In the Few days I was there I didn't buy an evening meal at any time because you get to eat delicious food every time you ask for your glass to be refilled.

Have you booked your accomodation? I stayed at a good place called Pension San Jose which, bizarrely, turned out to be owned and run by a mad Scottish guy called Frank! It's cheap but stylish and really clean - you may want somewhere fancier but I was solo and it suited me perfectly. It's also right in the centre.

There's another Pension called San Jose Alhambra, it wasn't that one, it was this one here:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/San+Jos%C3%A9+Guest+House/@37.1712984,-3.6010769,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xaec0727e675464a4?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjBjuzYgaflAhWzURUIHUxIB3cQ_BIwC3oECA4QCA

You may think a week is too long for such a small city but it really isn't. If you tire of the city then there are guided walks around the Sierra Nevada montains on the doorstep of the city. I didn't manage to do this but I intend to next year.

Malaga is one hour away by bus (longer by train because the train goes inland then doubles back, the route is not direct) and Malaga is really beautiful as well (not as breathtaking at Granada) but there are less tourists. you can visit the Picasso Museum, The Gibralfaro (castle/fort on the hill, very VERY steep walk up if that is an issue) and The staggering Cathedral. You won't get free tapas there, btw! book the bus in advance on ALSA for the cheapest seats.

If you need to know anything more then post back here or send me a webmail here (goes to my gmail) I'm just crazy about this city now!

I really want to spread the word about this place but not too far, if you know what I mean!

If you're flying to/from GRX there's a 3 euro bus from the airport. It's quite far out of the city so a cab will actually cost about 30 e. depends how many of you there are, I guess.

check this oot ffs! took this on my first night feeling all sad because I'd fucked up by not booking for the Alhambra in advance but then lucked out with that returns thing I told you about.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6ws8r2n3r6ap379/72266062_10156745294591909_5657546731512922112_o.jpg?raw=1

We did nighttime Alhambra and I think we went back in the day to see the gardens. I can't really remember much else besides TAPAS!

I think Cordoba is close enough for a day trip, I recommend that. The great mosque/cathedral and the old village area are highlights.

Wow my wife and are planning a Spain trip for January and jed’s posts have got me hyped!

Glad to hear it!

The Alhambra booking period seems to be three months in advance, so I'd advise checking soon for availability for January.

(for the Alhambra)

(sorry, I'm drunk, I already said that)

Will do, thanks for the tip!

@jed_ wow - thanks ! sorry, I had completely missed this. it subsequently transpired that my boss is being really pissy about signing off on this holiday so think I had sublimated the fact I'd even posted in this thread. will bookmark now though. only hope I can actually get my annual leave signed off - not least because I have already booked flights and you make it sound amazing !

Want to hear a crazy Spain story? We have friends (a couple and their three kids) that went to Spain last year, I think Barcelona. On their last day they had to check out of their place, but decided to kill time at the beach. When they got back to their car they discover they'd been robbed, all their bags, all their belongings (save their money and passports, fortunately, which they had with them). Otherwise, it was just them and ... their swimsuits and coverups. I think most people in the family had enough to wear to fly, but our friend was only in her swimsuit and there was no way she was going to fly home in a swimsuit (assuming they would even let her). This occurred to them only after a long time at the police station, after the adrenaline wore off and they realized they had to get her some clothes. Problem was it was the end of the day, and most stores were closed or closing. She eventually found someone at a shop locking up, banged on the window and begged and pleaded her way inside, where she was fortunately able to buy some wildly overpriced designer clothes. I can't even imagine.

josh... thank,s

Nae bother, I hope you do get it signed off!

Josh if your pals were robbed I'd say it's about 95% likely that it was Barcelona.

Cordoba is fantastic and has really awesome food.

Granada is all about the Alhambra - def try to book in advance, if you don't get a place then you can either queue up early morning *or* you can try to get tickets through your hotel. The receptionist at our hotel went into her super secret booking system and got us tickets for the next day even though it was sold out on the public site. One cool food thing was http://www.laoliva.eu - it's an almost domestic set up ("WE ARE NOT A RESTAURANT") where the host guides you through different kinds of local olive oil, local wine and local dishes.

fuck, that looks great thanks for the tip (for next year!)

My hotel was obv. too low on the pecking list to have a secret-system!

sean, Is Cordova the same as Granada with regard to free tapas? (priorities!)

i"m using too many exclamation marks.

Barcelona is basically now just an almost disney-level tourist destination with a major sideline in robbery/theft/ pickpocketing/scams.

I'm sure there's an actual real Barcelona where people live and work but it's hard to find. My friends (and their boys) got their bag stolen while they were eating lunch. The bag had a macbook and all of their passports. story/short it cost them a few grand and long delays which, I dare say, they got most of back through insurance but it doesn't make it any better at the time.

Another friend had his phone stolen out of his hand WHILE I WAS TALKING TO HIM.

I don't want to put people off Barcelona, if that's your dream, but I've really heard too many bad experiences now.

i was just in barcelona for 4 days and had heard the stories but never felt remotely at risk of that shit. idk, i don't think we were doing anything special but it didn't strike me as a place where you needed to be more vigilant than you do in any big city that you're not familiar with.

i also wasn't on la rambla at 2 a.m. or anything so i'm sure that matters in anyone's personal calculation

I'm sure it works out well for most people. I honestly don't want to put people off - Catalonia Solidairty.

I love Barcelona so much and would live there. Although it has gotten a shitload more crowded. I went to the nudist beach last year. It was kind of gross. But at least you aren't stuck with a wet bathing suit.

you can fly home in the nood.

it is definitely a great city, for whatever reason i was expecting more of a mediterranean glam vibe but the places i spent time in were much more grimy medieval winding road neighborhoods. despite the appreciable number of tourists it is very much itself and i came away with a lot of respect for the city and the people.

posted my adventure getting out on the first day of protests on a different thread but that wouldn't stop me from going back.

People have tried to pickpocket me multiple times in Barcelona and I've seen people be pickpocketed there. Just awareness and like put your wallet in your front pocket. Most of the stories of victimhood ive heard are pretty silly tbh. Like, you're an obvious guiri, dont leave a bag or phone sitting out on a table,pay attention to your surroundings on the metro,it's not hard.

oh yeah. I am always way careful at the beach about people stealing stuff. And in general. The only time I have ever gotten something stolen was when I used to work in a record store in brooklyn. Someone took my laptop that I always brought right off the counter ( I got too comfortable). Although I was standing with a friend in Lima when someone took her huge ass backpack. There were three of us (irish, swedish and american) standing there that didn't even see it happen. I even get paranoid when anyone approaches us to ask for directions or something. I step away and stare down the person to make sure they aren't attempting a diversion.

dont leave a bag or phone sitting out on a table,pay attention to your surroundings on the metro,it's not hard.

but that's not holiday-times-vibe either and it's impossible to always do that. the friends i mentioned who had a bag with computer and passports stolen are seasoned travellers, not innocents.

It's not easy either. you are on holiday living your life and enjoying yourself.

saying you're in a notorious city for crime and therefore you should just know and it's silly if you don't is quite a privileged take. tbh.

besides, the people I'm referring to aren't daft and it doesn't even matter if they were daft!

idk if it's privileged to say that you should have a general understanding of your surroundings

oh, jesus christ.

privileged was a stupid word for me to use

it's not "not hard" - how's that? people are on holiday with their kids. it's pretty fucking hard.

and of course, it's not hard to not have your phone stolen from your ear while you're talking to someone (me)

Sometimes when people talk about going to a tapas bar I think they are saying topless bar and I have to mull it over why they would suggest it.

Taps Aff Bar.

well played, Yerac :)

in buenos aires multiple locals came up to me to warn me about theft, what to do and not do, where to go and not. it was thoughtful...i guess? kept me on edge the whole time though

They were all probably trying to rob you.

I was sitting outside a café in Paris and a guy warned me about dodgy looking character who'd just sat behind me and the guy scarpered. Not that he'd have got anything other than my £1 reading glasses.

Taps Aff Bar.

Excellent LOLz there which only people from the West of Scotland would understand.

... Paris, last month, that is.

Barcelona is basically now just an almost disney-level tourist destination with a major sideline in robbery/theft/ pickpocketing/scams.

i know you qualified it but come on.

I haven't been to Andalucia in 20 years but I'm planning a trip there this spring, thinking Sevilla->Granada->Córdoba. a one week trip. I've been to the first two, Sevilla in fact several times, but never Córdoba. I've been to Morocco too and think the architecture in the south of Spain is yet more beautiful (I think the Moors valued it more than Morocco even). I remember being a bit let down by the Alhambra after having spent all day in the Alcázar of Sevilla, but tbh I was "backpacking through Europe" at the time & was getting burnt out.

Just more personal opinion to add to the pile, but I've not had any problems in Barcelona the couple of times I've visited, and didn't feel it anything like as sketchy as is often portrayed. I'd be as cautious with my valuables in almost any big, popular city as I would be there.

Córdoba definitely worth a visit. Mezquita is incredible and one of a kind, a mysterious mashup of mosque and cathedral. Alcazar gardens are beautiful, though Alcazar itself a little underwhelming. The old whitewashed section of the city is wonderful to walk through with interesting moorish and Jewish sites. Modern city has a bit of grit but is a real place not a tourist trap. Good tapas, drink Montilla Moriles sherry. Fried shrimp, ajoblanco.

Seville and Cádiz are both fantastic. worth visiting Vejer and the beach and roman ruins at Tarifa if you get down to Cádiz.

Never had a problem in Barcelona though it’s undoubtedly busier than it used to be.

tbh I dont think i've been to Barcelona in the August/July in over 10 years and i'm sure it can be a lot more crazy those times.

I’ve been to barcelona 5+ times and only lost my passport to pickpockets once so make of that what you will

I was there in July last year. I hadn't been in several years (maybe 5-6?). Some parts were definitely throbbing, like the beach and around Las Ramblas. But most other parts were totally normal.

I've only been to Barcelona once, and had a fine time, but I find the focus it gets from tourists annoying and I've spent much more time elsewhere in Spain for that reason. Probably people feel that way about Paris too though...

I like this piece about tourism and Barcelona a lot. https://roadsandkingdoms.com/2018/the-battle-for-the-boqueria/

Nobody remembers who was the first to sell smoothies at the Boqueria. Or if they do remember, nobody seems eager to take credit for it.

The idea, undoubtedly, came from a very simple realization: Tourists don’t buy vegetables. They don’t buy fish or pork chops, snails or mushrooms. They sure as shit don’t buy monkfish or mollusks, chicken or chickpeas or chicory. They need something they can hold in their hands, consume in the moment before they move on to the Sagrada Familia or the sands of Barceloneta. Sure, savvy travelers know that a market is the perfect place to build a picnic of local products, and an ideal spot to find gifts for friends and family, but most visitors aren’t thinking beyond their next bite. For them, smoothies gave them a simple way to connect to the Boqueria.

Today, much of the Boqueria runs on liquefied fruit—an ever-growing army of plastic cups that paint the market a psychedelic swirl of orange and green, pink and purple. At Sprimfruit, near the market’s main entrance, they sell so many smoothies that they run them through giant plastic tubes like some marginally-healthier version of the Wonka factory. Some have bet the entire farm on pulverized produce; others have tried to keep selling fresh apples and bananas and strawberries alongside their fluid counterparts, but with diminishing returns. I’ve watched over the years as the fruit itself is subsumed by its byproduct.

More than replace much of the market’s supply of fresh fruit, the smoothies set off a chain reaction across the market. Vendors, already suffering from a lack of local clientele, looked for ways to transform their raw staples into processed profit. At first it happened in small doses: charcuterie stands sold skewers of jamón and chorizo, a few fish stalls offered oysters ready to be shucked and slurped. But the economics are such now that if you don’t have something to offer the tourist, your days in the Boqueria are probably numbered.

Fizzles OTM - Cadiz definitely worth a visit, Seville is one of my favourite places in the world.

Visits to Andalucía were always a total delight but have become even more pleasurable since I developed a taste for sherry.

My wife's family are Catalans that have been in the city for generations so i have a pretty deep appreciation for the town and territory. They are very understanding of the importance of tourism and even though they live in the center of the city it's not too hard to avoid the more insane places .

sorry for being bolshy about Barcelona etc. I dunno what's going on with me. Barcelona is a nice place to visit. Put that on TripAdvisor.

sorry if i came across wide yesterday, jed

No problem Jim! I do know what's wrong with me, tbh, in spite of what I just said. It's alcoholism...

happens to the best of us!

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

alhambra is good

YASSSS

All I can say is that we spent one night in Merida on our way back from Portugal and it was a total delight. Merida has it all: A Roman aqueduct and stone walking bridge, multiple archeological sites, a Roman amphitheater, a coliseum, army barracks, a pre-Roman fort with an unforgettable subterranean well, and a fancy hotel that's a converted Moorish palace, with a rooftop pool right on the utterly charming main square. Where you can sit at your choice of cafes and watch the storks perched on the peaks of the town hall and the cathedral, nests silhouetted against the sky.

The hotel had a small fenced courtyard off the plaza, so I took my wine and my book and read late into the night. It probably doesn't need more than 2 days to see the sights but I could have stayed at that hotel forever.

don’t half ply you with food in granada

had a nice conversation with a taxi driver in french today tho so that was a highlight 👍🏻

Ronda is killing me, my god. Hard to get your head around the fact that it actually really exists.

You should get a load of Setenil de las Bodegas!

Wowee! It's only 15 minutes away by bus...

Madrid then, what nice areas would you recommend for air bnb/staying at?

We stayed in the Lavapiés neighborhood. It was a good location, close to the Prado, Reina Sofia, Retiro Park and Atocha train stationWe walked nearly everywhere from there -- covered ~70 miles over five days -- and it never felt far from what we wanted to see.

We're going back in late October. Thought this thread bump would be about this article: Locals in Spain, Tired of Booming Tourism, Say ‘Stay Away’

Catalans aren’t your average Spaniards

Thanks looking at Lavapies now

seems like kind of a first world problem to be asking for advice about traveling in spain?

we stayed at the hotel Principe Pio - it was clean, centrally located, but there was a loud nightclub out our window that stayed open basically all night

seems like kind of a first world problem to be asking for advice about traveling in spain?

― budo jeru, Wednesday, 17 July 2024 bookmarkflaglink

Just asked about Paris too. A lot of 1st world problems tonight

jelly ;)

I painfully threw my back out in Barcelona and had to learn how to say "No homeopatico! No homeopatico, por favor!" because the pharmacies kept trying to pawn that shit off on my

We caught a terrific deal at the Hotel Europa next to Puerta del Sol Square. It's a big old retrofitted pile of a building, but good enough if you're going to be there for a few days and just need a place to crash while you're sightseeing.

those floods looks absolutely apocalyptic

pretty bad - talking to people in our seville office today (obv far from the affected areas), most of them know people in that region and area, and there's been a lot of concerned phoning around. understandably preoccupied. it's just not set up for this sort of inundation afaict.

yeah, just heard a spanish weather guy and he was pointing to how well-prepared the U.S. was for that last hurricane, and that maybe they should start paying attention

Huge power outage throughout Spain and Portugal ...

Thanks for the recommendation, will check it out

^^^Presumably not addressed to JiC

I would presume the opposite

Lol
Thanks Josh i checked it out. Apart from a bit of absolute chaos crossing roads to get back to the apartment (what the fuck is happening and why are the lights out?) it was a nice simple afternoon reading and sleeping. Came back in time for cooked food at 830.

Others not so lucky obv.

But ... Two whole large countries without power is crazy.

Yeah was just joking about the power outage as a must-do

Most people see Spain with the power on, it's a rare opportunity to see it with the power off!

They are blaming a "rare atmospheric phenomenon." Zombies can't be far off.

sunspots?

swamp gas

My friends in Portugal mostly reacted by grilling up some sardines and opening up the wine, no electricity meant no work to go to.

But there have been more dramatic situations - hospitals obv, but also on a more mundane level old ppl who couldn't get back home because all the lifts were turned off.

Daniel, are the Azores affected?

Thankfully no, so my mum's all right. Dunno about Madeira and Spain's islands but would assume the same.

Not traveling abroad this year (and maybe not next) but went down a rabbit hole of looking at some pretty great paradores that are not really that expensive. Our one parador experience in Hondarribia was excellent.

Can anyone recommend good jazz and classical record stores in Barcelona?

Jazz Messengers (their distribution arm, Distrijazz, handles my releases in Europe).

Also https://www.jazzrecordsbarcelona.com/

I didn’t know they had a brick and mortar—are they the fresh sound guys too?