SPAIN travel advice

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

¯\_(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...