If you were gonna go a tour of Spain holiday, where would you go ?

[OrangeCatKitten]

I know I like Barcelona, stiges, portaventura. But where else can I add ?

also I want to do this via public transport ideally train as don’t want to drive

happy to fly into one airport and back from another

does Valencia have a sandy beach ?
in thinking maybe Nerja too ? Any where else I should consider ?

I might even think of adding a mini cruise from maybe Barcelona
guessing that’s one of the main places to get a cruise from

Valencia is lovely and does have a sandy beach nearby. Other places I've been and would recommend are Girona (can do as day trip from Barcelona) and Seville (fast train link to Madrid) - but would not go there in high summer.

Nerja looks nice but I haven't been. Friends go there regularly.

If you want somewhere less touristy, the north west coast is lovely too.

Andalusia! Grenada, Cordoba, Seville, Malaga are all fab………I really want to go to Cadiz as well although haven’t made it there yet. Trains and coaches are fab in Spain from my experience.

But yes good point, I wouldn’t do Andalusia in summer. Esp not the inland places.

Andalusia in summer is gorgeous, the mountain air away from the coasts is fresher.

Er no. We've experienced 46 C in late summer in Granada. Unless you want to be virtually nocturnal like the Spaniards, I'd go there between September and May and even then it will be very hot a lot of the time.

OP Spain is a large country with lots to see and do. We've been to Andalucia around 50 times and barely scratched the surface. You could tour that area for a year and not see everything. If you're looking at a week or two, I'd perhaps go somewhere like Seville and take day trips to Jerez, Cadiz and Cordoba. Also the countryside and the city itself.

You could fill a week on the north coast between Bilbao and San Sebastian. Likewise using Malaga as a base, and visiting Nerja from there (I don't think it's that close to Valencia). The coast north of Barcelona and near to Girona is also amazing, but harder to do by public transport, but doable. I'd spend some time in Girona, see where you can get on the bus from there, also look at some coastal places and also Figueres is a good hub. Loads of places on the coast between Tossa de Mar and Empuribrava. Cadaques would be a good places to stay for a couple of days so you can visit the Roman ruins nearby.

Then you have Madrid, Segovia and Toledo. In addition all the above you can also add on smaller towns, little villages and countryside areas.

We go to Lanjaron in Las Alpuljarras a lot. Bit of a trek to get there but then there's a few buses a day to Granada, and also other local places, up into the mountains, loads of hiking, a small spa and a couple of museums in the village.

We love green Spain ( Asturias , Galicia) and havd loved touring that coast and then dropping down to Santiago de Compostela

We liked southern Spain - Cadiz, Seville, Jerez

DH had a conference a few years ago, so we did a mini trip. Flew into Barcelona, few days there. Train to Zaragoza for the conference, then train to Madrid and spent nearly a week there. 1 day trip, also via train was to Toledo which has the most amazing cathedral.

I also like Malaga- the town itself, not the beach resorts. A good day trip via train is the Rhoda to see the famous bridge.

If you are staying in Northern Spain, I'd include Bilboa or San Sebastian for the wonderful food- but we are yet to get there.

Andalucia especially interior can get insanely hot it's true - you have to alter your rhythm for sure, and build time in air-conditioned spaces into your schedule. Eg always get a central hotel preferably with at least a small pool in any city so when it gets to the point you're wilting on the pavement it's a quick trip back for long lunch, siesta and dip/shower. It's an amazing place though and I love it.

Granada is very pretty and of course has the Alhambra. You can (aircon) bus from there through sierra Nevada to lots of places, eg Almeria (wild fiesta), small Costa Tropical/towns and villages many of which eg Salobrena are very picturesque, Nerja, even Málaga, though there are trains to Málaga too. From Málaga you can easily get to Ronda (bus or one direct train a day), Seville (train), Cordoba (train) or a high speed train to Madrid to explore up there. Seville has trains to Cadiz and Jerez. There are local buses to explore roundabouts all the areas .

I find Spain pretty well connected in general - it's good quality public transport for much cheaper prices than in the UK, the high speed trains in particular are wonderful, and everything runs to time without fuss.

I have heard there are some great train journeys in the North, around the green area, that are very scenic. This would of course avoid all the hassles of high temperatures further south and you could take in Bilbao and the fabulous Guggenheim.

Wow thanks for all the amazing ideas
we could fill more than 6 weeks with this lot !

in thinking perhaps two bases laughter be best so there some relaxing time too

also gonna need to google a few of these places

many thanks

Balearics.

We went to Madrid and Valencia this August, spent a week in each. Visited Segovia when we were in Madrid as well. It was hot but not as hot as I expected. Valencia beach is lovely and the old part of town and the City of Arts and Sciences is great too. Loads to see and do. There’s a high speed train between Madrid and Valencia which is very efficient and well priced too.

Segovia is wonderful. I also love Seville.

Seville is one of my favourite places of all time. It has a genuinely special place in my heart. But, it is punishing hot in summer!

Grenada, cordoba, Saville, Mijas