Tell me about Spain and Portugal

[Fuzz]

If you go to Montserrat it is a little confusing, but there is a ticket office in one of the stations that can help you buy the right combo. You want the train + cable car. There are also 2 funiculars that you can buy with a combo ticket. For us the must do would be to go up, see the basilica then duck into the cafe for coffee and a small bottle of wine for the top of the hike. Hey, it was my birthday We brought a picnic lunch as well. Take the upper funicular and hike to the peak area off to the right. We skipped the second funicular that goes down a ways from the main area as we ran out of time. This is a very good page for all info Barcelona and has details on the train:
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.c...ontserrat.html
If it sounds confusing(which it was for us!) I can clarify.

Oh, get the earliest ticket you can. It get's f'n busy up there, and it is nice to arrive 30 min before all the tour buses show up.

[bluejays]

Thanks everyone! I don't think I'll have time to go up North to San Sebastian, but I'll look into going to Seville, and maybe Lagos too. I don't want to continuously be moving, as it is a bit of R&R, sightseeing and party, but all in all I think I want a good balance. More time on the road takes away from enjoying it. As for AirBNB, I don't think I'll go that route as it makes it harder to meet others around. I'm a bit weary of this solo travel (though I did central Europe and Thailand solo), as the pickpocket thing seems rampant, but I think I'll just be extra vigilant. From the sounds of it, safety wasn't a concern for anyone?

[nik-]

When I went to Spain I did it solo, it's fine. The pickpocket thing is a little overblown, but just be aware and present yourself as aware and you'll be fine. No wallets in back pockets and keep your hand in your pocket that has your wallet in it on the metro.

Also, when the ladies try to hand you sprigs of whatever it is, don't take it

[Fuzz]

Ya, didn't have an issue with pickpockets, just be smart. If you are a seasoned traveller you will be fine.

If you do go to Seville you can take a 4-5 hour bus to Lagos. There are no trains. We rented a car in Lagos to go see some other areas then drove to Lisbon. There is no train there, either so you need to either car, bus or fly.

[nik-]

I rented a car when I went to do the loop from Madrid into the south to Valencia and it was totally worth it. Beautiful drive, fantastic roads and it was like 250 Euro for two weeks. Get to the city, park the car in an parkade for a couple days and go get it when you're ready to leave.

The trains are great between the big cities, but having the car for the other places is pretty sweet.

[Amethyst]

No issues with pickpockets. Just use reasonable precautions. If you're moving around, a money belt for important things like passports and credit cards is a good idea. Just keep what you need for that day in your wallet.

[heep223]

Warning: Unpopular Opinion Puffin incoming.

I didn't like Spain or Portugal. There are far better places to go in Southern Europe.

Just my personal experience. Italy, Greece, Croatia, Southern France are all miles ahead of Spain and Portugal. One reason being that I felt like the locals hated tourists more in Spain, and felt like there was more crime, and that we were being targeted to get ripped off more. It's not that it's dangerous per se, I wouldn't be worried travelling solo, but it was more just really annoying to feel like I had to be "on guard" even moreso than other places and couldn't really relax. Also culturally doesn't even come close to comparing to others.

IMO! *dives for cover*

[Fuzz]

It's funny how you can have totally different experiences than others, and perhaps a few negative events colour your view. Lisbon, which lots of people loved, we didn't like much for a few reasons that kind of snow balled.

I've been everywhere you mentioned, except Croatia, and I'd still say my time in Spain/Portugal compares very well to them.

[nik-]

I think what I find the oddest about that experience is that you felt the locals hated tourists. I never once got any feeling of that and my Spanish speaking ability is basically a war crime.

[burn_this_city]

I hated Italy and felt under seige there 100x more than Spain.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Loved Barcelona...we stayed in the Gracia neighbourhood right by the Fontana subway (great area) and be sure to check out the Catalonian Museum of Art.

[Radio]

We (me, the wife, and 2 teens) spent 4 days in Barcelona in early January of 2014 and we really liked it. We preferred Barcelona to Paris where we had travelled from.

I enjoyed the food and the weather and the people much better than Paris.

We stayed in an apartment (used VRBO) in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. Right behind the Post Office, on the shortest street in Barcelona, basically the door to the apartment and a shop front. Very cool, it was the first time I had used that sort of service and I don't think there's any going back to hotels. The experience was so much better, our apartment was in a tiny plaza with some shops and cafes on the ground. There was a portion of a Roman wall just outside the window. We went for a walk around the neighbourhood and found an area where they were excavating for a building and unearthed some Roman ruins.

I went to a Barca game at Camp Nou, a La Liga game versus Elche...very cool.

We went to Montserrat as well. I booked a tour through a company and because of a scheduling mix up we basically got a private tour at group rates. The tour was Montserrat in the morning to see the Black Madonna, tour guide got us there early before the huge crowds. Then lunch at Bo Dos in the town, highly recommend it. Then a wine tasting and vineyard tour. Our tour guide said we were there in the low season so most of the pick pockets had gone back to Romania...hey he said it not me!

I am with the OP about RnR. We didn't do all the things that we could have done (Sagrada Familia, Mountjuic, Tibidabo). We just spent a day hanging out at the beach one day, rented scooters and blasted up and down the boardwalk. My teenage daughter seen her first nude sunbather that day...some old guy standing there with his arms behind his back naked as the day he was born.

Would love to go back some day. Maybe Malaga and/or Seville, then do a day or two in Morocco.

I am sure I didn't give you any pearls of wisdom on where to go or what to see but I am also sure you'll really enjoy it.

Happy and safe travels.

[BigRed]

I agree with others saying your stay in Barcelona is too long. You are wise to avoid the south of Spain – the Costa Del Sol is just massive overdeveloped crap for British tourists. That said, the southern mountain regions are quite incredible – Granada to the east and Córdoba and Seville to the west. Along the way there are incredible hilltop villages all through the mountains that will be some of the most beautiful things you ever see. Look up Grazalema de la Sierra for starters. You probably need to drive for these places though so it depends if you're into that kind of adventure.

I think Portugal is very underrated. We were there in March so not high tourist season but we found it very peaceful and beautiful. The West Coast of Portugal is insanely gorgeous in the south. There's a little town right at the southwest corner called Sagres which is an international surfing destination. Nothing much exciting there beyond that but it is gorgeous.

Also Lisbon is cool but I really found Porto to be a much more interesting city. depends what you're looking for I guess – Lisbon is young and has a big party scene, Porto is a bit more grown-up and culturally sophisticated.

Anyway, I'm jealous! I would go back to both places tomorrow




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[heep223]

Originally Posted by nik-

I think what I find the oddest about that experience is that you felt the locals hated tourists. I never once got any feeling of that and my Spanish speaking ability is basically a war crime.

There were protest marches in Barcelona against tourism and Airbnb. Banners and stuff hanging from balconies telling tourists to go home and stop polluting the city.

I literally caught a kid with his hand in my pocket.

Maybe we were just there during 'anti-tourism week'....

[Fuzz]

Oh, if you do want to go in Sagrada Familia you need tickets ahead of time. If you are going next month I'd check now and see if you can get them, you may be to late. If available, I highly recommend the extra to go up one of the facades. It is really cool o see the insides and the view, and the detail up close.

[Bill Bumface]

On Portugal, I'd also recommend Porto:



And trickier to get to, but near Lisbon, Obidos:



And I never made it, but many people recommended Caiscais while we were there:



The south is basically like heading to an all-inclusive in Mexico with more scenic beaches, and Brits instead of Americans and Canadians. Tons of fun if young and single, but not really worth it if looking for more cultural experiences.

[GomerPile]

Well, just got back from Porto and Northern Portugal - Penada/Geres National Park. Food, people and experiences were all a 10/10. I think the whole thing with travelling is do what you want to do and not what you are supposed to do.

We loved the city of Porto. We also loved the beaches, mountains and lakes of Northern Portugal. Two very different "trips". The rental car was cheap and the roads/infrastructure was all excellent. The times we've been in Spain we found the infrastructure, outside of the major centres of tourism, a tad lacking.

One thing - my lord the portion sizes were big (and delicious) in Portugal! So eat up!

[DiracSpike]

I went to Spain and Greece last summer, stops in Spain being Barcelona Valencia and Ibiza. I would agree with others that say Barca is a bit overrated, definitely something to see but you don't have to spend too much time there. I went to the sagrada familia and a barca soccer game, both of which were awesome. Also awesome is the nightclub scene there, best I've ever seen. Negatives were that it's a pretty dense grimey city, I spent three nights there and it was enough. I don't think Valencia gets talked about enough, cool little city with an ancient medieval core and waaaay better beaches than Barca. They've also redirected the river there so the old river bed is this windy greenspace that we rented bikes and rode through, really nice.

I'm glad you didn't say Ibiza because I was going to try and talk you out of it. However if the south of spain is as lousy with obnoxious Brits as Ibiza was it might be best to limit your time there.

But yeah, the food in Spain is awesome, especially paya-a or however you spell it in Valencia. I'll also echo what a few others have said in that Spain is pretty friendly tourists, much moreso than France and especially Italy in my opinion.

[nik-]

I think people should clarify that it's the south coast of Spain that's got the obnoxious Brits problem, not the south of Spain.

[troutman]

Cave of Altamira:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Altamira

UNESCO - World Heritage sites, Spain:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/es