BootsnAll Travel Community

A few nights ago I booked a ticket, DLH - BCN (Duluth, MN - Barcelona, Spain) roundtrip, departing on 05/13 (arrive in Barcelona the 14th) and leaving on 06/09. My goal is to do a trip through Spain and into Morocco, and fly back to Barcelona from Morocco, probably Marrakech.

Here's a rough sketch (not a strict plan) of what I want to do:

Barcelona - 3 days
Zaragoza - Stay there 1 night
San Sebastian - 2 days
Bilbao or Bermeo - Stay there 1 night
Salamanca - Stay there 1 night
Madrid - 3 days
Granada - 2 days
Sevilla- 2 days
Cordoba - 2 days

(By now it's the 31st or so)...take ferry from Algeciras to Tangier

Tangier - 1 night
Chefchaouen - 1 night
Meknes - 3 or 4 nights, visit Fes and Volubilis during this time
Marrakech - 2 or 3 nights, maybe visit Essaouira

Does anybody know a good place not too far off my path to get an "authentic" taste of Berber life and the edge of the Sahara?

Also, would it be safe to fly from Marrakesh to Girona the day before I leave? RyanAir has a $95 ticket (incl. taxes) from RAK to GRO, which arrives in Girona at 11:00 pm or so. I can take a bus from Girona to Barcelona and to the airport there...but would this be too much of a risk?

That sounds like a decent itinerary, although I'd personally rather do fewer cities but spend more time in each.

As far as the ferry goes, I've taken it from both Tarifa and Algeciras, and I liked Tarifa a lot better (it is a pretty little city on its own, and since fewer people take that ferry, everything seemed to go much faster). Also - is there is a reason you are staying in Meknes? I would think it would be more interesting to stay in Fes - the old medina is amazing.

For the Sahara, Ouarzazate is probably the easiest town to take a quick trip out, or you can head further south to Merzouga (this will take a couple days though).

In terms of the flight back to Barcelona, that sounds okay - when is your flight back home? If I remember correctly, it takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to get from Girona to Barcelona, so if your flight is the next day you should be fine time-wise.

Hope that helps!

I second the recommendation to cut out a city or two. You are covering a lot of ground in Spain...depending on how you're getting places, you'll be in transport quite a bit of the time.

You can cut some of that by taking the RENFE from Madrid to Sevilla. That only takes 1.5 hours (vs ~6 or so via regular train). Or, Madrid to Corodoba also has a RENFE. Then hit those two cities (which are about 1.5 hours apart) and then head to Granada.

But...again, that's a lot to cover in such a small span of time. It looks like we'll be there around the same time!

Thanks for your help.

Flight lands in Girona around 11:00 pm. I leave Barcelona at 9:45 am, I think. I just worry about RyanAir cancelling or delaying a flight, but Morocco and most of Spain usually have pretty clement weather, don't they?

What cities would you recommend cutting out? I like getting to know the culture of the region, languages, architecture, history (especially Roman), urban design, landscapes, and food. Museums are cool too. I don't care much about nightlife or partying. I'm thinking about maybe axing Zaragoza or Salamanca. If I do that I can do something more like (again not a strict plan):

Barcelona - 5/14 - 5/17
San Sebastian - 5/17 - 5/20 (base for visiting Hondarribia and Bermeo)
Madrid - 5/20 - 5/24 (day / evening trip to Toledo)
Granada - 5/24 - 5/27
Cordoba - 5/27 - 5/29
Seville / Tarifa - 5/29 - 5/31 or 6/1
Morocco - 5/31 or 6/1 - 6/8

Tarifa sounds interesting too. Apparently it has the southernmost point in continental Europe.

About your flight, there are other airlines that fly that route. I usually check www.harefares.com for discount flights options, so when I put your route into the search engine, it returned 3 other airlines all of which fly from RAK to BCN. Click Air was one of the airlines and they had a flight for 30 Euro including taxes. Flying into BCN instead of GRO might help alleviate some of your worries. Hope that helps.

thanks penny55 what a great site!

I forgot to include this awesome website in my first post - www.exploreseville.com. It has lots of information about Seville (not to be all Captain Obvious here) and elsewhere in Spain. If you are interested in Roman history/historical sites, there are some cool side-trips you can take from Seville and Madrid (and of course Volubilis in Morocco like you already mentioned).

Also - I would probably do Cordoba as a day trip from Seville (once you see the Mezquita and wander around the city for a while there isn't a whole lot else to do, in my opinion) - it's pretty quick on the train.

Also, if you're interested in history, you might want to stop in Cadiz (the oldest city in Europe!) on your way down to Tarifa/Algeciras and Morocco.

One of the first lines in my Spain guidebook says, "Don't try to see the whole country in one trip." And, from reading your previous posts Jacob, I think you would like slowing down and really getting to soak in a particular area.

That said, you are flying into Barca, so it is worth checking out for sure. (it is one of my most favoritest places) I may suggest booking a cheap flight down to Sevilla, and exploring Andalusia on your way down to Morocco. This includes Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada, Cadiz, and a variety of smaller towns...perhaps even Ronda. You'll get to see a lot of ruins, and be able to contrast that with what you see in the more cosmopolitan Barca.

Making decisions on Spain is difficult. I am having a similar hard time figuring out what I want to do.

you cant cut out Bilbao its the nicest city there is! its only a couple of hours away from donastia and as your going there why not take a day trip to bilbao? (personally I reckon you should stay in Bilbao and take a day trip to Donastia personally I preferred Bilbao. also you must go to santiago de compostela thats well worth a visit, make sure you catch a bullfight too! its not all that bad and a real experience!

after flying back from marrakech last night
I can whole heartedly recommend it

I really enjoyed my 5 days, the people where friednly enough. I didn't feel intimidated once, i was sensible offering money (5 dirham) for a picture with the water man, the teeth extractors.

the food was good and dirt cheap, all the usual smells of sewers and rubbish everywhere, and lots of pregnant cats everywhere, cows and sheeps heads, goats legs, whole cow carcusses hanging at the butchers in the street, exhaust fumes from the millions of mopeds and donkey poo from the many carts


over whelming at first but really enjoyable

quote:

Originally posted by anniebanannie:
One of the first lines in my Spain guidebook says, "Don't try to see the whole country in one trip." And, from reading your previous posts Jacob, I think you would like slowing down and really getting to soak in a particular area.

That said, you are flying into Barca, so it is worth checking out for sure. (it is one of my most favoritest places) I may suggest booking a cheap flight down to Sevilla, and exploring Andalusia on your way down to Morocco. This includes Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada, Cadiz, and a variety of smaller towns...perhaps even Ronda. You'll get to see a lot of ruins, and be able to contrast that with what you see in the more cosmopolitan Barca.

Making decisions on Spain is difficult. I am having a similar hard time figuring out what I want to do.

Talk about it.

I think I've slowed my pace down enough...but I don't know. Obviously I can make decisions when I'm there, my "itinerary" is just a rough idea of what I want to do / see. But the most important for me is getting up to Basque Country and down into Andalucia, and with Madrid in the middle I figure I ought to spend at least a couple days there.

What I'd really like would be if anybody'd suggest some small towns in Andalucia or Morocco that are interesting and not overly touristed. I don't like the idea of only seeing major cities (San Sebastian and the Basque towns I want to day-trip to aren't too big).

As for Bilbao, I looked at a map of Wikipedia and noticed that where Bilbao was (or at least where I think it was) didn't even have a Basque-speaking majority! I want to walk out into the streets and hear Basque everywhere (while still being able to use Spanish, haha).

To visit a small town use Tarifa instead of Algericas for getting the ferry, and spend a day there. Tarifa has a picturesque coastline and a pleasant town, plus the ferry is 3 times faster. Algericas has nothing.

In Andalucia: I liked Ronda a lot - it's a cool little town and the gorge is amazing. There are also a bunch of pretty little mountain towns around Granada; the area is particularly good if you are into hiking/rock climbing/outdoor stuff. Carmona is another little town that has a Roman necropolis you might find interesting. Tarifa is also a gorgeous little town with a beautiful windswept coastline, so I would definitely spend some time there before you hit Morocco.

In Morocco: Chefchouen is very pretty and relaxing, and Essaouira has a small town feel (and wonderful seafood).

The trip you are planning looks very nice.

After having read the posts I would suggest you to stay 1 or 2 nights in Zaragoza. This year they organise an event called EXPO ZARAGOZA (http://www.expozaragoza2008.es). If you decide to stay there, then think of booking accommodations as soon as possible.

Also visit the tapas bars and restaurants in Sant Sebastian and or Bilbao. They have probably the best cuisine I have tasted up to now.

From Madrid it is best to go to Seville (check the AVE train; it is the high velocity train). I would not spend a night in Cordoba as it is only an hour’s drive from Seville. You can visit it in a day and see everything.

If you are in Seville and you have time then visit a restaurant called LA VENTA and order some PRINGA. Pringa is a small piece of bread with meat. LA VENTA restaurant actually invented this plate. The restaurant is located in a small town called LA ALGABA and it is situated next to a small hotel called TORRE DE LOS GUZMANES. It is just 10 minutes from Seville Center.

You should definitely visit Ronda. This is one of the most beautiful towns you can find in the south of Spain. Nerja (http://www.nerja.org/) is also worth the visit.



Hotel Barcelona
Hotel Zaragoza
Hotel Madrid
Hotel Sevilla

How about something like this?

AGAIN, this is NOT a strict itinerary, just an idea!

May 14th Arrive in Barcelona

May 15th Barcelona

May 16th Barcelona

May 17th Barcelona to San Sebastian

May 18th San Sebastian

May 19th San Sebastian, trip to Hondarribia

May 20th San Sebastian, trip to Bermeo and Guernica

May 21st San Sebastian to Madrid

May 22nd Madrid

May 23rd Madrid

May 24th Madrid to Granada

May 25th Granada

May 26th Granada to Ronda

May 27th Ronda, side trip to Montejaque

May 28th Ronda to Sevilla

May 29th Sevilla

May 30th Sevilla to Tarifa

May 31st Tarifa, ferry to Tangier

Looks good...you won't need but a day in Ronda, it is pretty small. Make sure to visit the Church...it is pretty awesome in its gaudiness. (it is beautiful nonetheless, but the alter, oh my, the alter!)

I'd recommend skipping the night in Tangier, and moving straight to Chefchaouen upon arrival in Morocco. Most people find Tangier to be an unpleasant place, and if you have no reason to stay, it's best to move on quickly. You can catch a shared taxi (grand taxi / taxi kabir) and arrive in Chefchaouen in little over an hour.

Also, I'd give more time to Fes, less to Meknes. Both are old imperial cities, but Fes is more impressive. Also try to spend a day or two based in Ouarzazate, as this is the departure point for all kinds of tours into the desert/Atlas.

quote:

I'd recommend skipping the night in Tangier,

Seconded.

quote:

Originally posted by static:

quote:

I'd recommend skipping the night in Tangier,

Seconded.

Thirded. Take an early ferry and get right to Chefchaouen.

I would skip Cordova or just make it a dy trip as an intermediate stop between Seville and Madrid. Add time to Madrid so you can do day trips to El Escorial/Valley of the Fallen and to Toledo. Work in a "Puelo Blanco" between Granada and Seville. Ronda is my favorite. Bilbao is not a tourist town unless youa re very interested in the Guggenheim. From Barcelona make sure you go to Montserrat.
You are covering a lot of ground in Spain. Good luck to you.