|
I will be leaving Montreal on June 29 for a 3 week long backpack trip in Spain and Portugal! It is also my 1st backpacking trip and my 1st time in Europe.
So my plan so far is :
MTL -> Barcelona on June 29
Barcelona -> Madrid on July 5 (taking night train and arriving on the 6th)
Madrid -> Granada on July 9 (night train)
Granada -> Seville on July 12 (night train again)
I will travel mainly by train and I have all my hostels reserved for the dates above. I did a little bit of research and here are the things I planned on visiting :
Barcelona:
-Ramblas, Parc de la Ciutadella + Passeing de Luis Companys, The Catedral, Gaudi Museumi,
Madrid:
-Plaza Major, Plaza Oriente, Parque del Buen Retiro, Calle de la Cava Baja
Sevilla:
-The Cathedral, Plaza d'España, Jardines Real Alcazar, Plaza mayor
Granada:
-L'Alhambra
As you can see, my plan does not cover my 3 weeks. For the first two weeks I will have a friend with me, but he only has 2 weeks on vacation. Since I will be near Portugal I plan to also visit it. My flight back home is from Lisbon on July 23. This means that I have not planned anything so far between the 16th and 23rd. I was planning to go to Porto before Lisbon but I am reconsidering it since all the in-country travelling is taking a toll on my wallet 
So I ask to people who have traveled and people living in Portugal and Spain, what would you advise me ? Should I skip Porto and go straight to Lisbon ? Any suggestions on what else I could visit in Spain ? What would you say is a must see in Portugal/Lisbon/Porto ? Any tips on backpacking and/or traveling in Europe in general ?
Thank you very much and if you have any questions do ask ! I will try post pictures once there.
|
I was going to say Porto doesn't have that much to offer. It's certainly a nice city and the wine is oh so sweet. But unless you're absolutely pressed for money, my advice is to just go. You never know when you'll have the opportunity to do so again.
You have pretty much everything covered in Sevilla. Depending what your interest are, I would suggest the nightlife in both Barcelona and Madrid. Two of the sickest cities in the world. And that's coming from someone who graduated from an American university that is consistently ranked in the top 5 for both top party school AND best looking student body. If this interests you I can give you some cool places to check out. If that's not your thing, check out Museo del Prado in Madrid or even Museo Reina Sofia.
If you prefer a bar scene to the club do check out 100 Montaditos on a Wednesday. It will be packed, the atmosphere will be great, and the food and drinks will flow for an incredibly cheap price.
|
you should go to the running of the bulls in Pamplona it in July 6-14 if im not mistaken and you would seriously be remiss to miss such an awesome event.
|
hostelbookers.com is a god send dude.....use it if your stuck
I stayed in Lisbon for a few days when I traveled...it certainly is amazing. Madrid however is a horrible city....I hated it. The palace is pretty cool....cept for that there is no need to go there......
I would recommend staying in Seville a while. The people are so friendly in bars and stufff...there will be flamenco dancing in the bars and singing....the streets are amazing to walk around and generally its a beautiful place (I fell in love with Sevilla)
|
This is so, so off topic but...
Holy shit I remember I played 3 practice games with you like the first month after Sc2 came out. I was protoss back then, and I kinda sucked, but we played each other on ladder (in platinum I think, maybe diamond) then afterwards we played a few practice games and you beat me in all of them ^_^
I just remember playing with a Terran named PizzaParty lol, this is the first time I've seen you on TL though. Well good luck on your trip!
|
Bon Chance mon ami! sounds like an amazing adventure you should blog with pictures when you return! Check out Gijon if you have the time!
|
On June 22 2012 10:46 GettingIt wrote:
you should go to the running of the bulls in Pamplona it in July 6-14 if im not mistaken and you would seriously be remiss to miss such an awesome event.
Do this. I did it. Once in a lifetime event. Even if you're not man enough to run, just watching the lunatics run away is insane. Plus it is also pretty much 24.7 party. You really don't need more than 2 nights there. I think it is like 2 or 3 hours from madrid by train. You're gonna pay out the nose for a hostel at this point though. I was thinking about going again this year and bailed, but it was about $70USD for the cheapest one I could find like 2 weeks ago, and I don't think it was really anywhere near the run site.
|
@Tippany
Thanks a lot for the tips ! Yes you can send me the info for all the spots by private message or directly in the thread. Yeah I keep hearing so much good stuff from Seville, it's really a place want to see. The main reason I want to go to Granada is for L'Alhambra. Still not decided if I'm skipping Porto.
@GettingIt
Oh will definitely attend the Running of the bulls ! I will be in Madrid by then so for sure I will be able to attend.
@OptimusYale
I used hostelworld.com for all the booking of the hostels. Sorry you had a bad time in Madrid, but I do want to take a look, plus it will be the running of the bull by then. About Seville, one of the reaons I might want to skip Porto is to spend more time in Seville.
@ClysmiC
I don'want to derail the thread but I think I do remember haha. Hope you are doing well !
@TheLastTemplar
Merci ! I'll look up Gijon.
|
madrid and pamplona arent anywhere near each other. it's like a 3hr train ride.
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
