Suggestions for Barcelona/Madrid
We are planning our 5th Tauck tour - to Spain this time. We expect to arrive a day early in Barcelona and leave a day later from Madrid. Any suggestions on what to do and see and what tickets need to be bought in advance? Any cooking class recommendations? Also the hotel in Seville was changed from the Alfonso to the Gran Melia Colon - anyone stay at either of these?? Thanks.
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I have been on several of Tauck's other Spain and Portugal tours, but not this one.
Barcelona - My least favorite city due to the influx of cruise ship passengers (my comment is not disparaging, simply truthful.) Las Ramblas has a circus-like atmosphere but is beloved by many. The market is a highlight in my opinion. There are many wonderful nearby neighborhoods to explore.
Madrid - Known for its museums--all within walking distance of the Westin Palace (I don't know if your tour stays there.) We always return to the Plaza Mayor area for the tapas bars and the wonderful market. It is a great area to just explore.
Seville - My favorite Spanish city for its beauty. It is immaculate! I hope Tauck does the horse-drawn carriage ride for your group. It takes you all around the city--stunning architecture everywhere. The Hotel Alfonso is equally gorgeous and has a lovely and very generous breakfast offering.
I have no experience with cooking classes in that region.
Have a good trip!
You can also just google, Things to see and Do in Madrid/Barcelona and then home in on your areas of interest. You will find ticket advice too. In Madrid, I toured the Prado and the other famous art museum…whoops sorry, middle of night here and the name escapes me, also the Palace and just walking around looking at the architecture. Don’t forget to see the Mona Lisa in the Prado without the crowds. When we were there, a Tauck group was visiting it, you need way more time than Tauck allows. We visited Seville last year and endorse kfnknfzk’s opinion of the city. It’s almost fifty years since we were in Barcelona, so we look forward to the Spain and Rioja area and Madrid later in the year.
British is referring to the Golden Triangle of Museums--The Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia, all outstanding and well worth seeing if time permits.
British - I look forward to more updates of your family's African adventure.
https://forums.tauck.com/discussion/17144/a-week-in-spain-suggestions
This discussion should help.
Perhaps the hotel concierge can help you find a cooking class or check Tripadvisor.
in Barcelona: any Gaudi sights and Park Guell do need to book tickets from US.
at Park Guel, you will have to pick a time for your entrance- here is great site:
https://visitbarcelona.com/visitac/
https://www.esmadrid.com/en
https://www.getyourguide.com/-l46/?cmp=bing&cmp=bing&ad_id=78340388472845&adgroup_id=1253443852380266&bid_match_type=be&campaign_id=377864126&device=c&feed_item_id=&keyword=things to do in madrid&loc_interest_ms=164580&loc_physical_ms=83762&match_type=e&msclkid=a177a5648e81162f1677c3fb51db91de&network=o&partner_id=CD951&target_id=kwd-78340576035446:aud-806416224:loc-190&utm_adgroup=lc=46:madrid|fn=f3|ci=937:things to do&utm_campaign=dc=21:es|lc=46:madrid|ct=core|ln=29:en|tc=us&utm_keyword=things to do in madrid&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_query=visit madrid spain&utm_source=bing
Buy tickets for everything you want to see here in the US- as Europe it's limiting the sales per day, to control crows.
Hope these helps.
Note Spain is in anti-tourist mode at the moment. Protests most visible on Mallorca, though Barcelona also has been in the news. I read Park Güell bus has been removed from Google Maps to keep away crowds. I'd suggest doing whatever you can to look like a local.
To anyone who travels to Madrid, we highly recommend taking in the dinner Flamenco show at Corral De La Moreria. This was beyond words. Two highly skilled dancers performing true Flamenco, and the food was incredible. Well worth it if you have a free night.
Thanks, mil. Beyond bad behavior, there are also issues with housing and Airbnb. Lisbon and of course Venice have been dealing with these problems for years. No easy solutions. I've even heard people implicating Rick Steves' success. Lots of discussion about overtourism on RS Forum.
British must be Very Tired as the Mona Lisa is in the Louvre in Paris.
But do try and see the Guernica at the
Reina Sofia in Madrid.
Having recently come through COVID and with respect to tourism (or over-tourism), much of Europe and other top tourist destinations, e.g. Machu Picchuy, etc. now fall in the "be careful what you wish for" category!
Ah, British is correct! While “the” Mona Lisa is in the Louvre there is a beautiful, startling Mona Lisa in the Prado. The Prado should not be missed. It is huge but you can see the masterpieces in 2 hours if you have the right guide. And the cafeteria and gift shops are top notch.
Thanks Folsomsoc! And yes, the gift shop was excellent when I went
Yes, British was absolutely correct. The replica, painted in parallel with the original, resides in the Prado. I also agree about the excellent gift shop.
Regarding safety, I am far more vigilant here in the U. S. than abroad.
Sorry, but I do not find the replica as interesting as the original but agree on the lines being much shorter.
It is still not known for sure who painted the one in the Prado. I just loved that I could stand right next to it by myself. I have a pop art copy at home which is fun
Barcelona was great and the highlight was seeing La Sagrada Familia. Highly recommend getting tickets ahead of time and preferred this over Parc Guell. We stayed at the Barcelona Edition which was fantastic and ate on the property for all meals. They have a fantastic roof top lounge/bar with great views that serve small plates/bites and wonderful Asian influenced food among other things. Dinner in the 1st floor restaurant was great, cocktails fabulous, and delish Pan con Tomate. We were able to see Parc Guell, Sagrada Familia, and Montserrat (by train) in 1 day. It was long but so worth it.
Madrid was another wonderful city and we stayed at the JW Marriott. It was brand new when we stayed and the service was phenomenal. Did day trips to Segovia and Toledo as we lost a day for Madrid sights due to flight from US being delayed.
The Alfonso in Seville was nice, old, very authentic, but less my style. Rooms were a good size, beds comfortable, and the food was great as well. Seville was actually our least favorite city of the 3 and may be due to the fact it was 110 the couple days we spent there.
Granada was a fabulous city if you ever get the chance and seeing the Alhambra was amazing! A highlight of our trip.
If your cruise includes Majorca, I would skip Palma and head to Valdemossa. There is an Olive grove (Son Moragues) that goes back to the Roman times and is simply stunning. We did a tour of the olive grove with a tasting in the shepherds cottage at the end with an olive oil sommelier. Walking into the cottage was like stepping into a magazine. The whole experience was a highlight of our 3 weeks in Spain. Highly recommend. We have friends who rented sunbeds in Palma and toured the area which they said was a mistake.
Safe and Happy Travels!
We just returned from a tour ending in Madrid where we stayed at the Westin. It is undergoing extensive renovations. The rooms have been completed but they have now moved onto the public rooms and the outside. While the hotel is superbly located, the breakfast room with the big stained glass dome is not available. You enter by a side entrance and need to take two separate elevators to get to your rooms.
Also if you get assigned a room which has scaffolding outside the window, ask to get another room. The air in those rooms has dust and smells like you're in the midst of a construction zone.
We were told that the construction is expected to last for another six months.
Given a choice of Madrid or Barcelona, I would definitely take Barcelona. Madrid is a big city with great museums and a beautiful park but Barcelona gives me a more European feel. There is so much connected to Gaudi that you do not find anywhere else in the world. The one week tour of Spain appears to have an entrance into the Sagrada Familia included. You could pick another Gaudi building to get another perspective of his work. According to the hotel's website you are close to a number of them. The Mercado just off the Ramblas is worth visiting.
If you are going soon, be prepared for hot weather in Madrid. We returned yesterday. Highs were above 100F every day. Air conditioned museums are welcome. If you want to explore outside on foot, go in the morning. The temperatures start out comfortably, reach highs in the early afternoon and peak around 5PM.
I would skip the Royal Palace. While it is referred to as Spain's answer to Versailles, it is not nearly as well decorated. Many of the rooms do not have much furniture and they are generally not air-conditioned.
If you have not yet made your choices, I would recommend the Spring or the Fall to avoid the potentially high temperatures in the Summer.
We took the Northern Spain & Rioja Valley tour in early May with an extra day in Barcelona where we stayed at Le Meridien hotel. In Barcelona we toured two Gaudi designed buildings, La Pedrero and Casa Batllo. In the evening, we attended an opera at the Palau de la Musica which is a beautiful building worth touring even without going to an event there. We enjoyed eating at Tapa Tapa Rambla de Catalunya as well as Bar Lobo across the street from the hotel. All the attractions were within walking distance from the hotel and very worthwhile. Tickets were purchased in advance online in the U.S. A tour of Sagrada Familia both inside and out was provided as part of the Tauck tour. Hope this helps.
I prefer Barcelona to Madrid. The Palau de Musica is stunning. If you can attend a performance there, do it. And you could take a half-day trip to Monserrat. I booked my Monserrat trip through Viator. (I don't remember which one I booked.)