Vacationing in Spain

[Vindicated]

Hi all!

My wife and I are taking a trip to Spain this summer.  We will be starting in Madrid for a few days, and have most of that planned out, including taking a train to Valencia on day 3.  Then we will be in Valencia for the remaining 4 days.  We don't have any rooms or plans in Valencia yet but are hoping to find fun ideas that won't cause me too much heartache about spending.  We will be there during the Festival of San Juan, which sounds fun, but I know very little about the actual activities taking place.

We have the money set aside for the trip, so I am not concerned with spending money we don't have.  However, I just know my personal enjoyment of the trip will be enhanced by finding ways to reduce costs on unnecessary expenses.

Does anyone have much familiarity with Spain, and can offer suggestions for things to see?  Specifically around Madrid and Valencia, or anywhere in between.  My favorite part of traveling is seeing castles and historical sites, so any suggestions for those would be great.  We are already planning to see Castle Segovia, but would love any other recommendations.

Does anyone have experience at the San Juan festival around Valencia?  I understand that it involves lots of fireworks, bon fires and parades, but I'm not sure exactly where the best places around the city to stay would be to experience it fully.

We'd also be interested in any hikes near or within the cities, as we both enjoy immersing ourselves in nature trails in new locations.

Any other suggestions are welcome!

[zhelud]

Toledo, which is about an hour by train from Madrid, is AWESOME, especially if you like castles and historical sites!

[Vindicated]

Toledo, which is about an hour by train from Madrid, is AWESOME, especially if you like castles and historical sites!

We’ll actually be going to Toledo too.  We have a guided 12 hour tour that includes Madrid, Segovia and Toledo.  I’m afraid we likely wont have time to wander around on our own for fear of missing the bus though. 

What was your favorite part of Toledo?  I’ll make a note to try to check it out.

[chrisgermany]

Last year in Valencia we took a 3 hour tuck tuck tour to start with.
It was touristy but gave us great input "what is where"

Than we rented e-bikes on 2 days. V. has a wonderful park area in town with great bike pathes. You could easily bike down the coast south to a nature reserve and spend some time there.
Have fun!

[2Birds1Stone]

We just spent 8 nights in Valencia last month, some observations;

The metro system is excellent and cheap right now, they are offering 50% through July, a 10-ride pass is 4 Euro
Accommodation was not expensive, we were in a working class neighborhood on the metro line (200 meters from the stop)
Bike rentals are a great way to explore, 7 Euro per bike for the whole day, (https://www.ruzafabikerent.com/en was great and they have multiple locations in the city)
The beach is wonderful, easy to get to by metro + short walk
Turia park wraps around the north side of the city and is a great and cheap way to spend the day
Walking around the old quarter and enjoying the cafes and street art cost almost nothing and fun way to spend a morning or afternoon.
The museums are mostly free or cost 1.5 Euro to visit
There are a lot of public restrooms and things to do for little to no money

Enjoy!

[Fomerly known as something]

I don’t have specific recommendations but I’ve done well with finding travel ideas by looking at various guide I get from my local library even if they are few years outdated.

[Sandi_k]

I love the Trip Advisor forums for cities to give me an idea of local spots.

The best restaurants we've found in traveling nationally and internationally have been due to the Location Expert's posts and knowledge in the forums.

[Vindicated]

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions!

We’ll likely take advantage of the bike rentals and explore the city that way.  I really like the idea of hanging out around the old quarter and seeing the shops and art mentioned.  Maybe that area would be a good place to look for a hotel or AirBnB for our time there.

We’ll likely want to spend some time on the beach as well.  I just wish we knew where the celebrations for the San Juan festival will be taking place so we can experience that.

[jrhampt]

If there's any way you can take the high speed train (3.5 hrs?) from Madrid to Granada to see the Alhambra, it is totally worth seeing.  It would be a long day trip but the Alhambra is amazing.  You have to book ahead of time, though, if I remember correctly. 

The only time we were in Spain we were based out of Malaga in the Andalusian region and did trips to Granada, Gibraltar, Morocco, Marbella, and Rhonda (also a great city for interesting architecture and geology).

[Vindicated]

The only chance we'd have to fit Granada in would be during the time we're going to be in Valencia, but that's a 6 hr train ride from Valencia.  I think it'll just have to be on the list for next time.

We did book a 3hr bike tour around Valencia with Ruzafa.  We'll probably get a hotel nearby the tour start location so we can continue to rent bikes to get around throughout the trip.

That will be our first day in Valencia, so we'll get a nice tour of the city and learn where everything is located.  At this point in the trip, we'll have 4 days more in Valencia.  So it should help us plan out things we want to see.

[Samuel]

I was in Spain in March. Mostly in Andalucia but flew in and out of Madrid. With a 12 hour day trip to Segovia and Toledo from Madrid you'll get a good dose of historical sites and architecture right off the bat. If you have only 1 more full day in Madrid don't be afraid to just walk around (and/or hop around on the comprehensive Metro system) and take in the incredible liveliness of the city. If you're into art maybe pick either the Prado or Reina Sophia museum to spend a couple of hours in hitting the highlights. Make sure to do some tapas bar hopping in the evening (the La Latina neighborhood is the classic destination).

I haven't been to Valencia so I can't speak to that city or the festival, but if a quick google is accurate you'll primarily want to plan to be on the beaches the evening of June 23rd.

I'd probably secure lodging sooner than later if a notable event is happening when you'll be there.

If there's any way you can take the high speed train (3.5 hrs?) from Madrid to Granada to see the Alhambra, it is totally worth seeing.  It would be a long day trip but the Alhambra is amazing.  You have to book ahead of time, though, if I remember correctly. 

The Alhambra is great (I was just there), but that sounds like it might be too long of a day trip for a trip this short. And yeah, definitely buy tickets well in advance, especially for a day trip where timing is critical. The key attraction, the Nasrid Palaces, has timed entry and the most convenient times for day trippers sell out a month or more in advance.

[FireLane]

The Jardines del Buen Retiro in Madrid are a pleasant green stroll. When I was there, I also saw the Palacio Real, which is open to the public for tours, and Almudena Cathedral. (Lots of cathedrals in Spain, in general, if your architectural tastes run that way.)

In Valencia, the City of Arts and Sciences is definitely worth a visit.

[Vindicated]

The Jardines del Buen Retiro in Madrid are a pleasant green stroll. When I was there, I also saw the Palacio Real, which is open to the public for tours, and Almudena Cathedral. (Lots of cathedrals in Spain, in general, if your architectural tastes run that way.)

In Valencia, the City of Arts and Sciences is definitely worth a visit.

We've been tasked with going to a Cathedral to get my Wife's Aunt some sort of rosary or statuette for her collection.  I'm hoping we get to stop into a few during the big tour, as well as at the Royal Palace.  The 12hr tour is our second day there though, so we'll have the first day to recover from the flight and take in the area near our hotel (central Madrid).

I've seen images of the City of Arts and Sciences and wondered what it was called.  We'll definitely need to check it out.

[merula]

If you're eating in restaurants, stay away from the ones with pictures on the menus. Look for ones that offer a prix fixe lunch (called Menu del Dia, typically around 1-3pm), usually €10-20 for a multicourse meal including wine.

For even cheaper eats, basically every bakery you pass will have premade sandwiches (bocadillos) or empanadillas for a couple of euros.

Be aware that a lot of cafes have three prices: counter, table and terrace. If you want to sit and people-watch, the terrace price is worth it, but if you just want a cheap coffee and pastry, go to the counter.

In Madrid, go to Plaza Mayor on Sunday and walk around El Rastro flea market. Definitely spend time in El Retiro.

Do not eat paella in Madrid if you're going to Valencia anyways. If you're looking for a daytrip from Valencia, the old Roman capital of Hispania, Tarragona, is about 2 hours north by train and has some really amazing ruins.

It's not cheap, but Alhambra is an amazing place and definitely worth a visit. (Fun fact, al means the in Arabic, so Alhambra is "the red one". In Spanish, it's often "La Alhambra", or "the the red one", and while I was in Grenada I heard multiple people say "The La Alhambra".) I would put Alhambra above Segovia on my list any day.

I'm going to Barcelona and Donostia this summer and did research on eSIM cards for local data. I used to travel with a dumbphone and buy a SIM at the airport, so that looks like it's going to be way easier, although tbh I haven't tried it myself.

[Samuel]

The Jardines del Buen Retiro in Madrid are a pleasant green stroll. When I was there, I also saw the Palacio Real, which is open to the public for tours, and Almudena Cathedral. (Lots of cathedrals in Spain, in general, if your architectural tastes run that way.)

In Valencia, the City of Arts and Sciences is definitely worth a visit.

We've been tasked with going to a Cathedral to get my Wife's Aunt some sort of rosary or statuette for her collection.  I'm hoping we get to stop into a few during the big tour, as well as at the Royal Palace.  The 12hr tour is our second day there though, so we'll have the first day to recover from the flight and take in the area near our hotel (central Madrid).

You'll almost certainly visit the Toledo Cathedral as it's the biggest attraction in the city and one of the best in Spain. Perfect place for that kind of souvenir.

[Vindicated]

The Jardines del Buen Retiro in Madrid are a pleasant green stroll. When I was there, I also saw the Palacio Real, which is open to the public for tours, and Almudena Cathedral. (Lots of cathedrals in Spain, in general, if your architectural tastes run that way.)

In Valencia, the City of Arts and Sciences is definitely worth a visit.

We've been tasked with going to a Cathedral to get my Wife's Aunt some sort of rosary or statuette for her collection.  I'm hoping we get to stop into a few during the big tour, as well as at the Royal Palace.  The 12hr tour is our second day there though, so we'll have the first day to recover from the flight and take in the area near our hotel (central Madrid).

You'll almost certainly visit the Toledo Cathedral as it's the biggest attraction in the city and one of the best in Spain. Perfect place for that kind of souvenir.

Good to know!  We'll keep an eye out for that.

If you're eating in restaurants, stay away from the ones with pictures on the menus. Look for ones that offer a prix fixe lunch (called Menu del Dia, typically around 1-3pm), usually €10-20 for a multicourse meal including wine.

For even cheaper eats, basically every bakery you pass will have premade sandwiches (bocadillos) or empanadillas for a couple of euros.

Be aware that a lot of cafes have three prices: counter, table and terrace. If you want to sit and people-watch, the terrace price is worth it, but if you just want a cheap coffee and pastry, go to the counter.

In Madrid, go to Plaza Mayor on Sunday and walk around El Rastro flea market. Definitely spend time in El Retiro.

Do not eat paella in Madrid if you're going to Valencia anyways. If you're looking for a daytrip from Valencia, the old Roman capital of Hispania, Tarragona, is about 2 hours north by train and has some really amazing ruins.

It's not cheap, but Alhambra is an amazing place and definitely worth a visit. (Fun fact, al means the in Arabic, so Alhambra is "the red one". In Spanish, it's often "La Alhambra", or "the the red one", and while I was in Grenada I heard multiple people say "The La Alhambra".) I would put Alhambra above Segovia on my list any day.

I'm going to Barcelona and Donostia this summer and did research on eSIM cards for local data. I used to travel with a dumbphone and buy a SIM at the airport, so that looks like it's going to be way easier, although tbh I haven't tried it myself.

I don't think we'll make it to Alhambra or Tarragona this trip.

You do bring up phone usage which I hadn't really considered.  I went to Iceland last year and didn't have to do anything special with my phone.  It worked fine.  I guess I should look into any special requirements to use it in Spain.