I recently came back 8 glorious days in Spain with my two babies. I call them babies but they really are young men. My boys are 17 and 21 years old thus traveling with them is soooo much fun. I am writing this blog with the intention to help you plan your trip to Spain or really anywhere in Europe because the tips are applicable to most cities although I will include specific tips for the places that we visited.
I love summer trips with my sons especially as a single mom, these trips are a priceless way of reconnecting with my boys away from our normal world including our own friends, commitments and distractions. It really provides an opportunity to bond and reconnect with each other when it’s just the three of us. It also creates opportunities to have some honest and uncomfortable conversations and work things out because we can’t walk away from each other exactly since we are all stuck there so to speak.
But back to trip planning. I always start any trip planning by
a) Doing my research by talking to friends and coworkers who have travelled to a specific place I am considering.
b) Next I continue my research by watching YouTube videos on travel to that country. This in my opinion is an excellent way of prepping and planning your dream vacation. Last summer, I planned a trip to Costa Rica and I did the exact same thing as I’m telling you now. But a trip to Europe is different and I learned to plan it by watching the YouTube videos.
Once I decided I was going to Spain, I needed to figure out where in Spain I wanted us to visit and how I was going to get there. Europe has an excellent infrastructure thus one has many options to travel within Spain unlike the United States. Sure you can always fly from one city to another but Europe has these amazing speed / bullet trains that travel almost as fast as airplanes. They also have an excellent bus service and of course you can always choose to drive a rental car since the highways are perfectly safe.
I was told about this website called ROME TO RIO.com by a coworker physician who is an avid traveler. I started by looking at the map and learning where the various cities were located in relation to the others so I could figure out our itinerary. Once I knew our dates, I had to decide how much time I wanted to spend in each city and also how many cities I could cover.
Not understand that there are few different approaches to travelling. One is to go to a city/destination and spend some time exploring the main tourist attractions and having a meal or two and then on to the next city. The other approach is to go to a city/destination and really exploring the area like a local. Sure one can hit the historic/ tourist spots but also going off the beaten path by living and dining in the not so touristy parts of town but instead going out of the general area and meeting and mingling with the locals and getting a feel for the real day to day culture of the place.
Now the trip we planned was a blend of the two. Europe with its excellent infrastructure of transportation provides reasonable and practical and easy options to travel all across Europe via the buses, flights or the bullet trains. I chose to rent a car and drive across Spain for several reasons:
a) It was cheaper to drive with the 3 of us vs get 3 tickets for all the different places we went to.
b) Driving gave us more flexibility to leave when we wanted to vs a pre-determined schedule
c) Driving also gave us the flexibility and freedom to stop when we wanted to to spend more time to explore perhaps a waterfall or a scenic spot (which we or grab a meal at a local gas station cafeteria or explore a small town grocery store to grab a few snacks and in that interacting with the locals.
But the cons of driving were:
a) Gas is expensive in Europe. It is sold in liters vs gallons.
b) European cities especially the central historic parts of town have very, very, very narrow cobblestone pathways because they don’t qualify to be called roads. Some of these are literally so narrow that you could not get an SUV in through it. We were renting a Kia Niro and even in this midsize car, we had at some points, maybe 6 inches on each side.
c) Unexpected speeding tickets (if you speed which I did since I was getting honked at for going under the speed limit). I didn’t get pulled over there but received a speeding ticket via email through my rental car company and had to pay the fees which was a generous $75 if I paid within the early grace period or I would have to pay the $120 if I chose to wait. Needless to say, I paid.
d) You have to deal with the issues of having a car such as a flat tire or worse an accident. Now we didn’t have an accident (Thank God) but we did have to change our tire. But I called the rental car company (unfortunately, they don’t have toll free numbers and thus I had to pay international calling rates since I opted out of initiating the international plan.)
e) Renting a car and getting rental car insurance. It is advisable to get complete coverage when renting a car because you never know the road conditions you are going to encounter, possible accidents or damage. But if you rent with a credit card, many credit card companies will cover the insurance for rental cars. It is advisable to check with your credit card company before deciding.
Planning your detailed itinerary per city.
I would advise watching a few or more YouTube videos and taking notes of key places or sites that you are interested in visiting. Also, I would suggest researching a city on the internet and once again taking notes on what you might be interested in attending.
I totally nerded out when planning this trip but it absolutely paid off. So I planned out a certain number of days in each city based on how much there was to do and realistically how much we could do per day given the summer heat wave etc. Then I added in the time needed to drive from once city to another and included an hour or two extra to allow for bathroom/gas/meal stops along the way.
Also if you are planning day trips to other cities, you are not spending any time in the city you are based in so make sure you allow yourself enough days / time to explore and enjoy the city you are based in.
Also as much as I love day trips, I really like the idea of spending an evening/night in a certain city. Every city has a very different look and feel at night that you may not get to experience it if you are only there during the day.
I also got my self organized by taking a blank journal and dividing it up in the different cities we were planning and then adding all my detailed notes including the key places to hit in each city, the various tours we were committed to attend and the details regarding the airbnbs etc. I even printed out our car rental agreement, our tickets to the various tours/ sites along with our flight itinerary. I used washi tape to secure it all in the book. Like I said, I totally nerded out and it was definitely worth it since I had all our travels/trip info secure in one book. When we got to a particular city, I would simply open up the secured washi tape section and I would have all I need to go on without any hiccups. You can always come up with your own system but make sure you are organized with contact phone numbers, emails, addresses etc so that you are prepared.
Airline tickets
I used Cheapo Air although there are many other websites that you can use. Understand that the best deals unfortunately are not offered on the website but you have to call the toll free number and speak to a representative.
You may also want to use points to pay for a part of or all of your ticket.
Hotels vs Air BNBs vs Hostels
Hostels:
Let me start by prefacing that I have never used a hostel but have spoken to many who have travelled across Europe and have stayed in hostels thus the little I share is from their experience. So a hostel is basically an apartment or a house where there are multiple beds in one room and you share a common bathroom/ kitchen/ living room etc. These are preferred by students or travelers on a budget since it gives you a bed to sleep in and a shower but understand that what you save in money, you sacrifice in comfort and privacy. Also, hostels like hotels or Air bnbs vary in quality and price so I would suggest you research online and read the reviews before committing to one.
Air BNBs:
I personally prefer Air BNBs when I’m travelling especially with family since I have the option of renting the entire home/apartment that usually comes with a kitchen and basic amenities. On Air BNB, one can search for specific number of bedrooms, bathrooms, parking spots, elevators, airconditioning, washer/dryer etc so that you can find a place that works for you. I have also used Air Bnbs in the United States when travelling for meetings etc and I find it to be quiet affordable and preferable to staying in a hotel. Air Bnb’s also tend to be available in the historic / central part of town which makes it very easy to get around without a car.
My learnings from Air BNBs are
a) Air-conditioning: Read the fine print and the list of amenities. In Europe, air conditioning is NOT a standard feature thus make sure you confirm that the apartment has it especially in the summer when temperatures can be in the 90’s – 100s in the daytime and in the 80’s at night. I like my air-conditioning and cannot deal with fans and an open window to be comfortable but it’s up to your personal comfort level.
b) Washer/dryer - I also preferred to have a washer /dryer when in Europe since I tend to travel light and need to wash my clothes every few days. Dryers are also not a standard feature in most of Spain. And even when there were dryers in the home, they were too small and did not dry the clothes, so I would just hang /lay the clothes out all over the apartment and they would usually dry in a few hours. Take a small zip lock bag with enough detergent to do a few loads. I have realized that I use way too much detergent anyways so I have now started using about ¼ of what I use to use. Although some places will provide detergent, don’t assume they do. Just take a cup of detergent with you and you are usually good for 3-4 loads of laundry.
c) Breakfast- Europe is not big on breakfast and thus most places are not open for what we as Americans like for breakfast. I usually will pick up a few things from the local grocery/convenient store (eggs, milk, bread, cheese, butter) and will cook a breakfast at home. We not only save money this way, but we also make sure we start the day full so that we don’t need to stop to get food first thing out the door and can usually wait till lunch. Most apartments/homes also have Keurig machines but make sure you are getting the right size/shape of the cups. I also prefer to take my own instant chai/ coffee packets with me thus saving money and having my favorite on hand when out.
d) Cooking meals – when we travelled to Costa Rica last summer, we didn’t care too much for the food, so I ended up cooking a few things and we saved money and had a delicious meal. Some suggestions are pasta, salads, fresh fruits, granola, frozen pizza that we baked in the over etc.
e) Also you can always reheat your leftovers if you have any. This is really helpful when travelling with teenage boys who are ALWAYS HUNGRY.
f) Also if travelling with a baby / young child, most places accommodate by providing cribs, play pens etc. Make sure to read the list of amenities before signing up for an Airbnb.
Hotels:
Hotels are great and have amenities like having your room cleaned daily with fresh towels etc. Most hotels will also have a restaurant / bar that you can eat a quick bite if you are not keen on leaving after a long workshop.
Ways to See a City
a) Every city has free walking tours available. I was told about this by fellow young travelers who have used this all over the world. Apparently if you google, “free walking tours”, you’ll be able to find someone who is willing to give you a free walking tour of the city.
b) Red Bus – these are double decker buses that are available in most cities. They go around pre-determined route that stops at the key places in the city. You can hop on and hop off or simply stay on the bus.
c) Group Tours - in a small group setting which include a few historical sites. Usually its one tour guide to up to 25 or so visitors. Sometimes you get a little device with headphones that allows you to listen to the tour guide clearly without having to be within earshot.
d) Private tour by a local tour guide – definitely more expensive but more convenient if you are travelling with family and want a private tour guide to show you around. We had one in Istanbul when traveling there a few years ago. This worked for our 3 generations travelling together. The tour guide was very accommodating for our family. I also used this to hire a tour guide for the Alhambra.
TOURSBYLOCALS.COM is a great website to find someone.
e) Biking tours – so these are good. You meet in a designated spot and are assigned a bicycle and follow the group leader from one location to another stopping to learn about the various sites.
f) Electric bikes/ segways – this is super cool!!! Since very minimal energy is needed to ride these and they are a lot of fun. We rented electric bikes in Sevilla and absolutely had the best 3 hour tour of parts of the city that covered a good couple of miles. Walking it would have been too much. This was especially good with my boys since it broke the monotony of yet another tour in a group.
g) On your own – so another way to do it is to just do it on your own. Walk around, hop on and off a red bus or just invest in a guide book and /or do your research before you go. Most sites also have Audio guides that you can listen to as you explore various parts of the location be it a museum or a historical site.
h) The boys also rented a scooter that was just leaned against the wall. I thought it belonged to someone, but they were smarter than me and knew that they could rent it using whatever app was printed on the scooter. I actually got on it and then wouldn’t give it back to them since I was sooo tired of walking and the scooter was cool, fast and fun.
i) We used google maps to get around but this was not always effective.
MOOVITis an app that a friend recommended that I wish I had downloaded. It is very helpful since it has local train and bus routes.
Tip: Student ID – Most museums etc will offer a discounted entrance fee for students but you MUST have your valid student id with you. That is a considerable savings.
Packing Light
The best thing you can do to help make your trip successful is to pack light. I spent a lot of time watching Rick Steve’s packing videos, reading articles and printing out packing lists and it definitely paid off. I also didn’t like the idea of paying $40 - $60 for a checked bag. We each had a roll on bag along with a backpack. We did not carry the backpacks around when we were sightseeing due to the pickpockets that frequent the touristy parts of town and instead left them at the apartment. I also packed a cloth carry-on bag that folded into my backpack but opened up big enough to either check in or carry on. We used this bag to hold our dirty laundry between the cities and ended up folding it up and carrying it back home in my backpack. I also left open the option of checking in a bag if I had shopped excessively but was able to get it all in in our normal luggage thus saving money in checked bags fees.
So here is my suggestion to packing light. Remember to take a small zip lock bag with enough detergent to do a few loads
- Pack enough clothes for 2-3 days which includes usually 2 outfits per day and something to sleep in. Also make sure the clothes are light weight and easy to pack and you can mix and match the clothes to create multiple looks. Since I like to stay in Airbnbs I made sure I rented places with washers and then simply did a load or two of laundry between the three of us and we were good to go. But you can always hand wash clothes and hang them to dry.
- Pack extra clean undergarments/ socks to keep you going.
- I ordered these packing cubes (again from Amazon although I believe Walmart/Target sell them too). I really like these since it helps me stay organized.
- Also I followed the suggestion to pack my bag a few weeks before my trip. This allowed me to go back and take away /replace things I didn’t really need. Most of us overpack and this allows us to pack right.
- Make sure you take a hat/cap and sunglasses. Makes a big difference when spending hours out in the sun.
- I usually take no more than 2-3 pairs of shoes including a pair of walking shoes, sandals and a semi fancy pair to wear to a nice dinner although NO ONE cares what shoes you have on.
Pickpocketing
- Pickpocketing is extremely common in Europe. I saw video after video warning me about not having my valuables in a backpack. Not to mention, even our cab driver immediately warned us about this. I was prepared. I had a cloth messenger bag that I had bought from Walmart for under $15 which I used throughout. I also ordered a passport wallet/pouch with RFID protection from Amazon. You can get one for under $20.
- RFID is an acronym for “radio-frequency identification” and refers to a technology whereby digital data encoded in RFID tags / credit cards are captured by a reader via radio waves. I had our passports, credit cards and cash all with me safety tucked in the zipper pouch and slots in the passport wallet. I carried this wallet in the messenger bag and wore in in the front of my body ensuring safety.
Electronics/chargers
I don’t like to travel with my laptop or any electronics except for my phone and a battery pack.
But my 21 year old son had his laptop which he used to unwind once we were back in the apartment.
As far as chargers, make sure you order your European (round ) plugs from Amazon or eBay. I ordered the basic ones that had the option of a regular plug and 2 USB charge input slots. These were perfect.
I also ordered a more expensive multi-prong/plug option plug since it gave me the option of using it either in the States or anywhere in the world. Unfortunately I was unable to use this since every apartment we stayed in only had the round insert plugs.
We also had 2 battery pack recharges which we used between the three of us all day when out to make sure our phones were charged. Just remember to recharge at the end of the night so that you can use it again.
TAPAS
- Tapas literally means small plates. Spain is famous for i TAPAS. Avoid the touristy restaurants in the plazas and find the busy ones in the small cobble stone streets.
- Also, pork is a very popular all across Spain so make sure to ask if a dish has pork even if it shows to be a meat/chicken or fish dish. We were surprised how much pork was on everything.
- And eating vegetarian is a bit tricky since there are a lot of carbs and fried vegetables. Also just ordering a vegetarian sandwich or salad doesn’t mean it will be all vegetables. It usually comes with a serving of shredded tuna which makes it challenging to pick all the tuna out. We just learned to ask questions and order specifically without any meat / tuna etc.
- We went tapas hopping for dinner which was awesome. So basically we would stop in a café/bar/ restaurant and order one tapas each. We would all get a taste of it and then move on to another restaurant and order another tapas until we had covered 4-5 places including desert. I also recommend watching a few YouTube videos about tapas in each city and then go check those out.
- Horchata milk – made of some kind of nuts was also quite delicious. Usually available in desert places.
- Try the Salmorejo – it comes in different varieties and is quiet refreshing.
- I also really enjoyed ox tail, calamari, and variations of patatas bravas – their version of French fries.
Souvenir shopping
- I am not a big shopper so I tend to pick up magnets from the different cities I travel to. Also I like picking up postcards of the places I’ve visited since my own pictures never quiet capture the place like a professionally taken pic on a post card does. I also like picking up journals from the different cities that I then use once I’m back. Journals and magnets also make great gifts and are small and light enough to carry back. Other gift ideas are caps, coffee mugs, and placemats for kids.
- I also like to pick up things if I like it since usually I don’t go back to the same place again unless you actually have a few hours to go in and out of the shops.
- I also love stopping in the gift shops at the various sites and have found that they usually have the best quality and selection of souvenirs. I like picking up smaller pocket size books if I like the place. These have pictures and the history and are still easy to carry back in my carry on luggage.
VAT– is the tax that we pay when travelling all across Europe.
- For example, all restaurants charge a 10% VAT. Also you are NOT expected to tip the waiters in Europe because they actually make a decent hourly wage and the VAT covers the tip.
- You can always leave a Euro or two or less if the service was exceptional
- Also, VAT is refundable at the airport but it’s not as easy as I originally thought.
- So for larger purchases (I think 150 Euros or more), certain stores will give you forms to submit at the airport to get the 10 % VAT refunded. But you have to go to the airport early enough and have all your necessary forms/receipts on hand AND have the items you have purchased ready to show them in order to have the VAT refunded.
Getting around in Spain – Cabs vs Uber vs Walking
- Plan on spending money on getting around because it’s just faster and easier that way. I found that both cabs and Ubers were about the same price. If you plan on using Uber or Lyft, you’ll have to enter your passport info on the app the first time you use it.
- Another way to get around is using trains and busses – we didn’t use these so can’t give you any tips on these.
I love summer trips with my sons especially as a single mom, these trips are a priceless way of reconnecting with my boys away from our normal world including our own friends, commitments and distractions. It really provides an opportunity to bond and reconnect with each other when it’s just the three of us. It also creates opportunities to have some honest and uncomfortable conversations and work things out because we can’t walk away from each other exactly since we are all stuck there so to speak.
But back to trip planning. I always start any trip planning by
a) Doing my research by talking to friends and coworkers who have travelled to a specific place I am considering.
b) Next I continue my research by watching YouTube videos on travel to that country. This in my opinion is an excellent way of prepping and planning your dream vacation. Last summer, I planned a trip to Costa Rica and I did the exact same thing as I’m telling you now. But a trip to Europe is different and I learned to plan it by watching the YouTube videos.
Once I decided I was going to Spain, I needed to figure out where in Spain I wanted us to visit and how I was going to get there. Europe has an excellent infrastructure thus one has many options to travel within Spain unlike the United States. Sure you can always fly from one city to another but Europe has these amazing speed / bullet trains that travel almost as fast as airplanes. They also have an excellent bus service and of course you can always choose to drive a rental car since the highways are perfectly safe.
I was told about this website called ROME TO RIO.com by a coworker physician who is an avid traveler. I started by looking at the map and learning where the various cities were located in relation to the others so I could figure out our itinerary. Once I knew our dates, I had to decide how much time I wanted to spend in each city and also how many cities I could cover.
Not understand that there are few different approaches to travelling. One is to go to a city/destination and spend some time exploring the main tourist attractions and having a meal or two and then on to the next city. The other approach is to go to a city/destination and really exploring the area like a local. Sure one can hit the historic/ tourist spots but also going off the beaten path by living and dining in the not so touristy parts of town but instead going out of the general area and meeting and mingling with the locals and getting a feel for the real day to day culture of the place.
Now the trip we planned was a blend of the two. Europe with its excellent infrastructure of transportation provides reasonable and practical and easy options to travel all across Europe via the buses, flights or the bullet trains. I chose to rent a car and drive across Spain for several reasons:
a) It was cheaper to drive with the 3 of us vs get 3 tickets for all the different places we went to.
b) Driving gave us more flexibility to leave when we wanted to vs a pre-determined schedule
c) Driving also gave us the flexibility and freedom to stop when we wanted to to spend more time to explore perhaps a waterfall or a scenic spot (which we or grab a meal at a local gas station cafeteria or explore a small town grocery store to grab a few snacks and in that interacting with the locals.
But the cons of driving were:
a) Gas is expensive in Europe. It is sold in liters vs gallons.
b) European cities especially the central historic parts of town have very, very, very narrow cobblestone pathways because they don’t qualify to be called roads. Some of these are literally so narrow that you could not get an SUV in through it. We were renting a Kia Niro and even in this midsize car, we had at some points, maybe 6 inches on each side.
c) Unexpected speeding tickets (if you speed which I did since I was getting honked at for going under the speed limit). I didn’t get pulled over there but received a speeding ticket via email through my rental car company and had to pay the fees which was a generous $75 if I paid within the early grace period or I would have to pay the $120 if I chose to wait. Needless to say, I paid.
d) You have to deal with the issues of having a car such as a flat tire or worse an accident. Now we didn’t have an accident (Thank God) but we did have to change our tire. But I called the rental car company (unfortunately, they don’t have toll free numbers and thus I had to pay international calling rates since I opted out of initiating the international plan.)
e) Renting a car and getting rental car insurance. It is advisable to get complete coverage when renting a car because you never know the road conditions you are going to encounter, possible accidents or damage. But if you rent with a credit card, many credit card companies will cover the insurance for rental cars. It is advisable to check with your credit card company before deciding.
Planning your detailed itinerary per city.
I would advise watching a few or more YouTube videos and taking notes of key places or sites that you are interested in visiting. Also, I would suggest researching a city on the internet and once again taking notes on what you might be interested in attending.
I totally nerded out when planning this trip but it absolutely paid off. So I planned out a certain number of days in each city based on how much there was to do and realistically how much we could do per day given the summer heat wave etc. Then I added in the time needed to drive from once city to another and included an hour or two extra to allow for bathroom/gas/meal stops along the way.
Also if you are planning day trips to other cities, you are not spending any time in the city you are based in so make sure you allow yourself enough days / time to explore and enjoy the city you are based in.
Also as much as I love day trips, I really like the idea of spending an evening/night in a certain city. Every city has a very different look and feel at night that you may not get to experience it if you are only there during the day.
I also got my self organized by taking a blank journal and dividing it up in the different cities we were planning and then adding all my detailed notes including the key places to hit in each city, the various tours we were committed to attend and the details regarding the airbnbs etc. I even printed out our car rental agreement, our tickets to the various tours/ sites along with our flight itinerary. I used washi tape to secure it all in the book. Like I said, I totally nerded out and it was definitely worth it since I had all our travels/trip info secure in one book. When we got to a particular city, I would simply open up the secured washi tape section and I would have all I need to go on without any hiccups. You can always come up with your own system but make sure you are organized with contact phone numbers, emails, addresses etc so that you are prepared.
Airline tickets
I used Cheapo Air although there are many other websites that you can use. Understand that the best deals unfortunately are not offered on the website but you have to call the toll free number and speak to a representative.
You may also want to use points to pay for a part of or all of your ticket.
Hotels vs Air BNBs vs Hostels
Hostels:
Let me start by prefacing that I have never used a hostel but have spoken to many who have travelled across Europe and have stayed in hostels thus the little I share is from their experience. So a hostel is basically an apartment or a house where there are multiple beds in one room and you share a common bathroom/ kitchen/ living room etc. These are preferred by students or travelers on a budget since it gives you a bed to sleep in and a shower but understand that what you save in money, you sacrifice in comfort and privacy. Also, hostels like hotels or Air bnbs vary in quality and price so I would suggest you research online and read the reviews before committing to one.
Air BNBs:
I personally prefer Air BNBs when I’m travelling especially with family since I have the option of renting the entire home/apartment that usually comes with a kitchen and basic amenities. On Air BNB, one can search for specific number of bedrooms, bathrooms, parking spots, elevators, airconditioning, washer/dryer etc so that you can find a place that works for you. I have also used Air Bnbs in the United States when travelling for meetings etc and I find it to be quiet affordable and preferable to staying in a hotel. Air Bnb’s also tend to be available in the historic / central part of town which makes it very easy to get around without a car.
My learnings from Air BNBs are
a) Air-conditioning: Read the fine print and the list of amenities. In Europe, air conditioning is NOT a standard feature thus make sure you confirm that the apartment has it especially in the summer when temperatures can be in the 90’s – 100s in the daytime and in the 80’s at night. I like my air-conditioning and cannot deal with fans and an open window to be comfortable but it’s up to your personal comfort level.
b) Washer/dryer - I also preferred to have a washer /dryer when in Europe since I tend to travel light and need to wash my clothes every few days. Dryers are also not a standard feature in most of Spain. And even when there were dryers in the home, they were too small and did not dry the clothes, so I would just hang /lay the clothes out all over the apartment and they would usually dry in a few hours. Take a small zip lock bag with enough detergent to do a few loads. I have realized that I use way too much detergent anyways so I have now started using about ¼ of what I use to use. Although some places will provide detergent, don’t assume they do. Just take a cup of detergent with you and you are usually good for 3-4 loads of laundry.
c) Breakfast- Europe is not big on breakfast and thus most places are not open for what we as Americans like for breakfast. I usually will pick up a few things from the local grocery/convenient store (eggs, milk, bread, cheese, butter) and will cook a breakfast at home. We not only save money this way, but we also make sure we start the day full so that we don’t need to stop to get food first thing out the door and can usually wait till lunch. Most apartments/homes also have Keurig machines but make sure you are getting the right size/shape of the cups. I also prefer to take my own instant chai/ coffee packets with me thus saving money and having my favorite on hand when out.
d) Cooking meals – when we travelled to Costa Rica last summer, we didn’t care too much for the food, so I ended up cooking a few things and we saved money and had a delicious meal. Some suggestions are pasta, salads, fresh fruits, granola, frozen pizza that we baked in the over etc.
e) Also you can always reheat your leftovers if you have any. This is really helpful when travelling with teenage boys who are ALWAYS HUNGRY.
f) Also if travelling with a baby / young child, most places accommodate by providing cribs, play pens etc. Make sure to read the list of amenities before signing up for an Airbnb.
Hotels:
Hotels are great and have amenities like having your room cleaned daily with fresh towels etc. Most hotels will also have a restaurant / bar that you can eat a quick bite if you are not keen on leaving after a long workshop.
Ways to See a City
a) Every city has free walking tours available. I was told about this by fellow young travelers who have used this all over the world. Apparently if you google, “free walking tours”, you’ll be able to find someone who is willing to give you a free walking tour of the city.
b) Red Bus – these are double decker buses that are available in most cities. They go around pre-determined route that stops at the key places in the city. You can hop on and hop off or simply stay on the bus.
c) Group Tours - in a small group setting which include a few historical sites. Usually its one tour guide to up to 25 or so visitors. Sometimes you get a little device with headphones that allows you to listen to the tour guide clearly without having to be within earshot.
d) Private tour by a local tour guide – definitely more expensive but more convenient if you are travelling with family and want a private tour guide to show you around. We had one in Istanbul when traveling there a few years ago. This worked for our 3 generations travelling together. The tour guide was very accommodating for our family. I also used this to hire a tour guide for the Alhambra.
TOURSBYLOCALS.COM is a great website to find someone.
e) Biking tours – so these are good. You meet in a designated spot and are assigned a bicycle and follow the group leader from one location to another stopping to learn about the various sites.
f) Electric bikes/ segways – this is super cool!!! Since very minimal energy is needed to ride these and they are a lot of fun. We rented electric bikes in Sevilla and absolutely had the best 3 hour tour of parts of the city that covered a good couple of miles. Walking it would have been too much. This was especially good with my boys since it broke the monotony of yet another tour in a group.
g) On your own – so another way to do it is to just do it on your own. Walk around, hop on and off a red bus or just invest in a guide book and /or do your research before you go. Most sites also have Audio guides that you can listen to as you explore various parts of the location be it a museum or a historical site.
h) The boys also rented a scooter that was just leaned against the wall. I thought it belonged to someone, but they were smarter than me and knew that they could rent it using whatever app was printed on the scooter. I actually got on it and then wouldn’t give it back to them since I was sooo tired of walking and the scooter was cool, fast and fun.
i) We used google maps to get around but this was not always effective.
MOOVITis an app that a friend recommended that I wish I had downloaded. It is very helpful since it has local train and bus routes.
Tip: Student ID – Most museums etc will offer a discounted entrance fee for students but you MUST have your valid student id with you. That is a considerable savings.
Packing Light
The best thing you can do to help make your trip successful is to pack light. I spent a lot of time watching Rick Steve’s packing videos, reading articles and printing out packing lists and it definitely paid off. I also didn’t like the idea of paying $40 - $60 for a checked bag. We each had a roll on bag along with a backpack. We did not carry the backpacks around when we were sightseeing due to the pickpockets that frequent the touristy parts of town and instead left them at the apartment. I also packed a cloth carry-on bag that folded into my backpack but opened up big enough to either check in or carry on. We used this bag to hold our dirty laundry between the cities and ended up folding it up and carrying it back home in my backpack. I also left open the option of checking in a bag if I had shopped excessively but was able to get it all in in our normal luggage thus saving money in checked bags fees.
So here is my suggestion to packing light. Remember to take a small zip lock bag with enough detergent to do a few loads
- Pack enough clothes for 2-3 days which includes usually 2 outfits per day and something to sleep in. Also make sure the clothes are light weight and easy to pack and you can mix and match the clothes to create multiple looks. Since I like to stay in Airbnbs I made sure I rented places with washers and then simply did a load or two of laundry between the three of us and we were good to go. But you can always hand wash clothes and hang them to dry.
- Pack extra clean undergarments/ socks to keep you going.
- I ordered these packing cubes (again from Amazon although I believe Walmart/Target sell them too). I really like these since it helps me stay organized.
- Also I followed the suggestion to pack my bag a few weeks before my trip. This allowed me to go back and take away /replace things I didn’t really need. Most of us overpack and this allows us to pack right.
- Make sure you take a hat/cap and sunglasses. Makes a big difference when spending hours out in the sun.
- I usually take no more than 2-3 pairs of shoes including a pair of walking shoes, sandals and a semi fancy pair to wear to a nice dinner although NO ONE cares what shoes you have on.
Pickpocketing
- Pickpocketing is extremely common in Europe. I saw video after video warning me about not having my valuables in a backpack. Not to mention, even our cab driver immediately warned us about this. I was prepared. I had a cloth messenger bag that I had bought from Walmart for under $15 which I used throughout. I also ordered a passport wallet/pouch with RFID protection from Amazon. You can get one for under $20.
- RFID is an acronym for “radio-frequency identification” and refers to a technology whereby digital data encoded in RFID tags / credit cards are captured by a reader via radio waves. I had our passports, credit cards and cash all with me safety tucked in the zipper pouch and slots in the passport wallet. I carried this wallet in the messenger bag and wore in in the front of my body ensuring safety.
Electronics/chargers
I don’t like to travel with my laptop or any electronics except for my phone and a battery pack.
But my 21 year old son had his laptop which he used to unwind once we were back in the apartment.
As far as chargers, make sure you order your European (round ) plugs from Amazon or eBay. I ordered the basic ones that had the option of a regular plug and 2 USB charge input slots. These were perfect.
I also ordered a more expensive multi-prong/plug option plug since it gave me the option of using it either in the States or anywhere in the world. Unfortunately I was unable to use this since every apartment we stayed in only had the round insert plugs.
We also had 2 battery pack recharges which we used between the three of us all day when out to make sure our phones were charged. Just remember to recharge at the end of the night so that you can use it again.
TAPAS
- Tapas literally means small plates. Spain is famous for i TAPAS. Avoid the touristy restaurants in the plazas and find the busy ones in the small cobble stone streets.
- Also, pork is a very popular all across Spain so make sure to ask if a dish has pork even if it shows to be a meat/chicken or fish dish. We were surprised how much pork was on everything.
- And eating vegetarian is a bit tricky since there are a lot of carbs and fried vegetables. Also just ordering a vegetarian sandwich or salad doesn’t mean it will be all vegetables. It usually comes with a serving of shredded tuna which makes it challenging to pick all the tuna out. We just learned to ask questions and order specifically without any meat / tuna etc.
- We went tapas hopping for dinner which was awesome. So basically we would stop in a café/bar/ restaurant and order one tapas each. We would all get a taste of it and then move on to another restaurant and order another tapas until we had covered 4-5 places including desert. I also recommend watching a few YouTube videos about tapas in each city and then go check those out.
- Horchata milk – made of some kind of nuts was also quite delicious. Usually available in desert places.
- Try the Salmorejo – it comes in different varieties and is quiet refreshing.
- I also really enjoyed ox tail, calamari, and variations of patatas bravas – their version of French fries.
Souvenir shopping
- I am not a big shopper so I tend to pick up magnets from the different cities I travel to. Also I like picking up postcards of the places I’ve visited since my own pictures never quiet capture the place like a professionally taken pic on a post card does. I also like picking up journals from the different cities that I then use once I’m back. Journals and magnets also make great gifts and are small and light enough to carry back. Other gift ideas are caps, coffee mugs, and placemats for kids.
- I also like to pick up things if I like it since usually I don’t go back to the same place again unless you actually have a few hours to go in and out of the shops.
- I also love stopping in the gift shops at the various sites and have found that they usually have the best quality and selection of souvenirs. I like picking up smaller pocket size books if I like the place. These have pictures and the history and are still easy to carry back in my carry on luggage.
VAT– is the tax that we pay when travelling all across Europe.
- For example, all restaurants charge a 10% VAT. Also you are NOT expected to tip the waiters in Europe because they actually make a decent hourly wage and the VAT covers the tip.
- You can always leave a Euro or two or less if the service was exceptional
- Also, VAT is refundable at the airport but it’s not as easy as I originally thought.
- So for larger purchases (I think 150 Euros or more), certain stores will give you forms to submit at the airport to get the 10 % VAT refunded. But you have to go to the airport early enough and have all your necessary forms/receipts on hand AND have the items you have purchased ready to show them in order to have the VAT refunded.
Getting around in Spain – Cabs vs Uber vs Walking
- Plan on spending money on getting around because it’s just faster and easier that way. I found that both cabs and Ubers were about the same price. If you plan on using Uber or Lyft, you’ll have to enter your passport info on the app the first time you use it.
- Another way to get around is using trains and busses – we didn’t use these so can’t give you any tips on these.
- Most people I know never take a cab or an Uber to get around but simply prefer to walk. Now that is definitely an option but we were already walking 6-8 miles a day. Also, a 2 minute walk on the GPS usually ended up being a 10-15 minutes walk. We needed respite in the summer heat wave that was going through Spain and we were over it, thus we were grateful to have the option of someone else driving us.
Our itinerary was:
Madrid – June 29 – July 1, 2019
Toldedo – July 1
Cordoba – July 1 – July 3
Seville – July 3 – July 5
Granada – July 5 – July 7
Back to Madrid on July 7 to fly back home to Miami.
We didn’t have enough days to go to Barcelona so that will be another trip.
Sites to see in the following cities
Madrid: This is a really cool city kind of like New York or London but has its own vibe about it. There are so many museums to explore and so many art galleries, restaurants etc. Night life is quiet popular in Madrid and places are packed even at 2 in the morning. Definitely a place to go back and visit again.
- Plaza Mejor
- Plaza de Espana
- Puerta del Sol
- San Miguel Market or Mercado de San Miguel – great place for Tapas. You can go from stall to stall and order small portions of various foods. Absolutely loved this place.
All the above are within walking distance from each other and can be covered in one afternoon.
- Royal Palace –similar to our White House. You can get tickets and go inside. We chose to just hang out on the steps of the historic building across from it and listen to some street musician.
- Sabatino Gardens – we didn’t make it here
- Almedina Cathedral
- Museums – Prado Museum, Reina Sofia Museum and Thyssen Museum.
Each museum has its own entrance fee. We went to the Prado Museum. Also note that sometimes, they have special exhibits that need an additional ticket. Buy them at the front or else you will not be allowed to enter that part. The Prado museum had a special exhibit on a few artist including Rembrandt and unfortunately we were unable to enter and I did not have the energy to go back outside and stand in the long line to get in.
I recommend the audio guides that you can rent once inside if you don’t have a tour guide.
- Buen Retiro Park – is right across the street from the Prado Museum. I personally like tour guides to really understand the history behind each place but this is one park that you can just walk thorough. It has the Crystal palace in one part of the park. I would recommend you go in the early evening so that you can enjoy it all. We were there at 1 pm and it was way too hot to be outside. There is also an area where one can rent paddle boats etc.
- Salamanca – is the area of town that has the luxury name brand shopping stores
- Malasana – artistic area of town similar to Wynwood in Miami. We tried to go but the cab driver dropped us off at some random street and pointed us in some direction. After walking around in circles for 30 minutes, we took another cab back to the central part of town and went to dinner instead.
Tapas in Madrid
- One of my favorite places in Madrid was Rosi LA Loca– a cute little restaurant with fusion tapas that was literally the BEST food we had all across Spain.
- We also enjoyed MAJADERITOS CAFE– which happens to be just down from Rosi La Loca. Good food and good service.
- St. Ginnesis famous for its churros con chocolate and is open 24/7. We also stopped at a few other places that had excellent variations of churros con chocolate.
- We also had plenty of good and bad gelato icecream – go to a place that is busy. Those tend to be the better quality ones.
TOLEDO– The entire town of Toledo is considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is an absolutely beautiful city that can easily be explored in a day. Outside cars are not allowed in the city so you must park your car and walk in. I would recommend getting a tour guide or signing up with a tour group to be able to see the different sites. We didn’t do that and chose to explore it on our own and I have to admit, we just got lost and kept walking around in circles. We found a cathedral and paid the 4 euros per person to go in and climb their tower and were able to get a beautiful view of Toledo but we completely missed all the other historic sites. So don’t do what we did but instead invest in a tour guide and make it worth your while.
- Cathedral – there are several but this one is famous from the 13thcentury
- Museo del Greco – Greco is a very well known artist and this museum is supposed to be amazing
- Puerta – The Old Gate
- Alcazar de Toledo – with its army museum
- There are many little museums to explore including the Museum of Witchcraft (Brujeria)
- Mercado de San Augustine
Cordoba
I LOVED CORDOBA!!!
- The MEZQUITA – also known as The Mosque Cathedral was one of my favorite places in Spain.
- The Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos
- The Jewish Quarters
Definitely sign up with a tour to really learn about it all.
We signed up for a 3 hour tour that covered the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, The Jewish Quarters and the Mezquita. This was a very good experience to learn about these places wihin just a few hours.
- The Roman Bridge – we loved walking across it to get to the other side in the evenings. There is a children’s park and a workout park on the other side. The boys wanted to go explore there so we did. Also halfway on the bridge is a statue of Archangel Rafael – the favorite of Cordoba.
- Calleja de los Flores – The patios of Cordoba are famous and you’ll get a taste of this when on the tour.
- Medinat de Zahra – this is outside of town about an hour or so and has the ruins of one of the imams. I chose not to go there but it’s definitely worth it if you’re a history buff.
- Palacio de Vianna – didn’t make it here either.
SHOPPING IN CORDOBA
- I loved the souvenir shopping I did in Cordoba the best. I found the prices and quality to be good and reasonable compared to the other places we went to.
There is this store called BARAKA in the cobblestone / central part of Cordoba. This place has all kinds of really beautiful art by local artist. I was particularly drawn to the Islamic art they sold. The pieces ranged from 10 euros to 300 euros. I really wish I had picked up a few more things from there especially the ones that were framed and ready to be hung. I didn’t think I had place in our bags to bring it back but I totally could have pulled it off. Also they don’t ship. I asked. I bought 2 prints (one of the Mezquita and the other was from the Alhambra which I didn’t realize until I actually saw it with my own eyes when at the Alhambra in Granada). They were only 14 euros each but it cost me a lot more to have them framed once back home.
Sevilla - We loved Sevilla. We really enjoyed this beautiful city. We rented an Airbnb in the historic part of town but got to explore the rest when we went on our Urban bike tour.
Places to see and we actually saw it all.
- The Real Alcazar de Seville – must get a tour guide or the audio guides – this is also the home of the famous Game of Thrones Water Gardens of Dorne in the Mujedar Palace.
- The Cathedral and Giralda Tower which is located in the Cathedral. 35 small flights of stairs will take you all the way to the top and give you an awesome view of the city. – we used the audio guides but were also really tired at this time. Also in the Cathedral are the remains of Christopher Columbus – very cool.
- The Jewish Quarters – Barrio Santa Cruz
- Plaza de Espana
- Parque de Maria Luisa
- Espacio Metropol Parasol or Las Setas – this stunning architecture beauty that cost just a few Euros to get to the top but is definitely worth it. We ate dinner at one of the local plaza restaurants (which I don’t recommend since they are very touristy and the food is usually overpriced and not good). And we walked over the the Setas. Sunset is a good time to go and it takes less than an hour to enjoy the view.
- Flamenco Show – I recommend the MUSEO DEL BAILE FLAMENCO (the Flamenco museum) to really get a taste of the 4 different styles of Flamenco. We absolutely loved the dancers!!!
We explored Sevilla on electric bikes which we rented through URBAN MOTORS in Sevilla. If you google it, it will take you to Trip Advisor which is where I found this gem of a tour. We had the best experience with our tour guide. We also happened to be the only three people that had signed up for this and so had the tour guide all to ourselves. She was also sweet enough to let me stop and take pictures in front of a few pretty doors.
El Commercial– in Sevilla is a cool little spot to grab breakfast. We sat at the bar for breakfast and ordered the famous Spanish coffee (similar to the Cuban Coffee served all across South Florida). We ordered Churros con chocolate which was fresh and hot and is one of their breakfast items. We also ordered Spanish tortillas which is basically like a quiche made of potatoes and eggs. There are many different variations of these made with different vegetables and meats. It’s a thick very filling portion so plan on sharing.
GRANADA – I loved Granada and would definitely love to go back to visit again. We didn’t get to see it all since we really only had one full day there.
- The beautiful ALHAMBRA which includes the Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife Gardens.
You can purchase the Granada Card for about $40 which will give you an assigned time to see the Nasrid palace. But it also allows you access to the Cathedral etc.
If you chose not to get the Granada Card, go directly to the Alhambra website and buy tickets from there BUT make sure you have an allotted time to enter the NASRID palaces. There are some tickets that allow you into Alhambra but you cannot enter the Nasrid palace. That would be very very sad. Also it took us 3 hours with a personal tour guide to see all of Alhambra. I would NOT recommend you do this on your own or with audio guides. Make sure you get a private tour guide or sign up with a tour group. Unfortunately I waited too late and was unable to sign up with a tour group which were all full. So I ended up booking a private tour guide and it was absolutely worth the $300 I spent.
Also make sure you have your passports with you because there are multiple security check in places along with police dogs etc. You will not be allowed to enter without your passport and your id is not enough.
- The Albayzin Quarters – the Muslim Quarters – we walked around a bit on these hilly cobblestone pathways.
- Mirador de San Nicolas – which is the viewing point to get a beautiful view of the Alhambra especially at night so go there after sunset.
- The Alcaiceria market – which is similar to a souk with all these shops selling stuff from Morocco and India. I was not impressed because I found the quality to be poor and the prices to be too much. There are also regular shops which I actually preferred.
- The Granada Cathedral which was built on top of the mosque is the second largest in Spain. I wish we had gone to see this but unfortunately we didn’t and we definitely regretted it.
- The Royal Chapel which is right next to the Granada Cathedra. where Queen Isabel I and King Ferdinand II are buried.
- The Sierra Nevada – are the beautiful mountain ranges that are just a short hour or so drive from Granada. We didn’t go there either but it would be something to visit in winter.
- The Granada Baths – didn’t make it there either.
Travel is oxygen for our souls. It helps us get away from our daily routine so that we may explore a new part of the world and in doing so, we open the possibilities of meeting parts of ourselves that we didn’t know existed. One does not need to be rich to travel. You must simply have a desire to see the world and you will find a way. There are definitely ways to travel economically or to travel as luxuriously as you can afford and no matter how you chose to do it, Just do it!!!
I hope this is helpful!!!
Love, Light and Blessings.
Anita
Our itinerary was:
Madrid – June 29 – July 1, 2019
Toldedo – July 1
Cordoba – July 1 – July 3
Seville – July 3 – July 5
Granada – July 5 – July 7
Back to Madrid on July 7 to fly back home to Miami.
We didn’t have enough days to go to Barcelona so that will be another trip.
Sites to see in the following cities
Madrid: This is a really cool city kind of like New York or London but has its own vibe about it. There are so many museums to explore and so many art galleries, restaurants etc. Night life is quiet popular in Madrid and places are packed even at 2 in the morning. Definitely a place to go back and visit again.
- Plaza Mejor
- Plaza de Espana
- Puerta del Sol
- San Miguel Market or Mercado de San Miguel – great place for Tapas. You can go from stall to stall and order small portions of various foods. Absolutely loved this place.
All the above are within walking distance from each other and can be covered in one afternoon.
- Royal Palace –similar to our White House. You can get tickets and go inside. We chose to just hang out on the steps of the historic building across from it and listen to some street musician.
- Sabatino Gardens – we didn’t make it here
- Almedina Cathedral
- Museums – Prado Museum, Reina Sofia Museum and Thyssen Museum.
Each museum has its own entrance fee. We went to the Prado Museum. Also note that sometimes, they have special exhibits that need an additional ticket. Buy them at the front or else you will not be allowed to enter that part. The Prado museum had a special exhibit on a few artist including Rembrandt and unfortunately we were unable to enter and I did not have the energy to go back outside and stand in the long line to get in.
I recommend the audio guides that you can rent once inside if you don’t have a tour guide.
- Buen Retiro Park – is right across the street from the Prado Museum. I personally like tour guides to really understand the history behind each place but this is one park that you can just walk thorough. It has the Crystal palace in one part of the park. I would recommend you go in the early evening so that you can enjoy it all. We were there at 1 pm and it was way too hot to be outside. There is also an area where one can rent paddle boats etc.
- Salamanca – is the area of town that has the luxury name brand shopping stores
- Malasana – artistic area of town similar to Wynwood in Miami. We tried to go but the cab driver dropped us off at some random street and pointed us in some direction. After walking around in circles for 30 minutes, we took another cab back to the central part of town and went to dinner instead.
Tapas in Madrid
- One of my favorite places in Madrid was Rosi LA Loca– a cute little restaurant with fusion tapas that was literally the BEST food we had all across Spain.
- We also enjoyed MAJADERITOS CAFE– which happens to be just down from Rosi La Loca. Good food and good service.
- St. Ginnesis famous for its churros con chocolate and is open 24/7. We also stopped at a few other places that had excellent variations of churros con chocolate.
- We also had plenty of good and bad gelato icecream – go to a place that is busy. Those tend to be the better quality ones.
TOLEDO– The entire town of Toledo is considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is an absolutely beautiful city that can easily be explored in a day. Outside cars are not allowed in the city so you must park your car and walk in. I would recommend getting a tour guide or signing up with a tour group to be able to see the different sites. We didn’t do that and chose to explore it on our own and I have to admit, we just got lost and kept walking around in circles. We found a cathedral and paid the 4 euros per person to go in and climb their tower and were able to get a beautiful view of Toledo but we completely missed all the other historic sites. So don’t do what we did but instead invest in a tour guide and make it worth your while.
- Cathedral – there are several but this one is famous from the 13thcentury
- Museo del Greco – Greco is a very well known artist and this museum is supposed to be amazing
- Puerta – The Old Gate
- Alcazar de Toledo – with its army museum
- There are many little museums to explore including the Museum of Witchcraft (Brujeria)
- Mercado de San Augustine
Cordoba
I LOVED CORDOBA!!!
- The MEZQUITA – also known as The Mosque Cathedral was one of my favorite places in Spain.
- The Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos
- The Jewish Quarters
Definitely sign up with a tour to really learn about it all.
We signed up for a 3 hour tour that covered the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, The Jewish Quarters and the Mezquita. This was a very good experience to learn about these places wihin just a few hours.
- The Roman Bridge – we loved walking across it to get to the other side in the evenings. There is a children’s park and a workout park on the other side. The boys wanted to go explore there so we did. Also halfway on the bridge is a statue of Archangel Rafael – the favorite of Cordoba.
- Calleja de los Flores – The patios of Cordoba are famous and you’ll get a taste of this when on the tour.
- Medinat de Zahra – this is outside of town about an hour or so and has the ruins of one of the imams. I chose not to go there but it’s definitely worth it if you’re a history buff.
- Palacio de Vianna – didn’t make it here either.
SHOPPING IN CORDOBA
- I loved the souvenir shopping I did in Cordoba the best. I found the prices and quality to be good and reasonable compared to the other places we went to.
There is this store called BARAKA in the cobblestone / central part of Cordoba. This place has all kinds of really beautiful art by local artist. I was particularly drawn to the Islamic art they sold. The pieces ranged from 10 euros to 300 euros. I really wish I had picked up a few more things from there especially the ones that were framed and ready to be hung. I didn’t think I had place in our bags to bring it back but I totally could have pulled it off. Also they don’t ship. I asked. I bought 2 prints (one of the Mezquita and the other was from the Alhambra which I didn’t realize until I actually saw it with my own eyes when at the Alhambra in Granada). They were only 14 euros each but it cost me a lot more to have them framed once back home.
Sevilla - We loved Sevilla. We really enjoyed this beautiful city. We rented an Airbnb in the historic part of town but got to explore the rest when we went on our Urban bike tour.
Places to see and we actually saw it all.
- The Real Alcazar de Seville – must get a tour guide or the audio guides – this is also the home of the famous Game of Thrones Water Gardens of Dorne in the Mujedar Palace.
- The Cathedral and Giralda Tower which is located in the Cathedral. 35 small flights of stairs will take you all the way to the top and give you an awesome view of the city. – we used the audio guides but were also really tired at this time. Also in the Cathedral are the remains of Christopher Columbus – very cool.
- The Jewish Quarters – Barrio Santa Cruz
- Plaza de Espana
- Parque de Maria Luisa
- Espacio Metropol Parasol or Las Setas – this stunning architecture beauty that cost just a few Euros to get to the top but is definitely worth it. We ate dinner at one of the local plaza restaurants (which I don’t recommend since they are very touristy and the food is usually overpriced and not good). And we walked over the the Setas. Sunset is a good time to go and it takes less than an hour to enjoy the view.
- Flamenco Show – I recommend the MUSEO DEL BAILE FLAMENCO (the Flamenco museum) to really get a taste of the 4 different styles of Flamenco. We absolutely loved the dancers!!!
We explored Sevilla on electric bikes which we rented through URBAN MOTORS in Sevilla. If you google it, it will take you to Trip Advisor which is where I found this gem of a tour. We had the best experience with our tour guide. We also happened to be the only three people that had signed up for this and so had the tour guide all to ourselves. She was also sweet enough to let me stop and take pictures in front of a few pretty doors.
El Commercial– in Sevilla is a cool little spot to grab breakfast. We sat at the bar for breakfast and ordered the famous Spanish coffee (similar to the Cuban Coffee served all across South Florida). We ordered Churros con chocolate which was fresh and hot and is one of their breakfast items. We also ordered Spanish tortillas which is basically like a quiche made of potatoes and eggs. There are many different variations of these made with different vegetables and meats. It’s a thick very filling portion so plan on sharing.
GRANADA – I loved Granada and would definitely love to go back to visit again. We didn’t get to see it all since we really only had one full day there.
- The beautiful ALHAMBRA which includes the Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife Gardens.
You can purchase the Granada Card for about $40 which will give you an assigned time to see the Nasrid palace. But it also allows you access to the Cathedral etc.
If you chose not to get the Granada Card, go directly to the Alhambra website and buy tickets from there BUT make sure you have an allotted time to enter the NASRID palaces. There are some tickets that allow you into Alhambra but you cannot enter the Nasrid palace. That would be very very sad. Also it took us 3 hours with a personal tour guide to see all of Alhambra. I would NOT recommend you do this on your own or with audio guides. Make sure you get a private tour guide or sign up with a tour group. Unfortunately I waited too late and was unable to sign up with a tour group which were all full. So I ended up booking a private tour guide and it was absolutely worth the $300 I spent.
Also make sure you have your passports with you because there are multiple security check in places along with police dogs etc. You will not be allowed to enter without your passport and your id is not enough.
- The Albayzin Quarters – the Muslim Quarters – we walked around a bit on these hilly cobblestone pathways.
- Mirador de San Nicolas – which is the viewing point to get a beautiful view of the Alhambra especially at night so go there after sunset.
- The Alcaiceria market – which is similar to a souk with all these shops selling stuff from Morocco and India. I was not impressed because I found the quality to be poor and the prices to be too much. There are also regular shops which I actually preferred.
- The Granada Cathedral which was built on top of the mosque is the second largest in Spain. I wish we had gone to see this but unfortunately we didn’t and we definitely regretted it.
- The Royal Chapel which is right next to the Granada Cathedra. where Queen Isabel I and King Ferdinand II are buried.
- The Sierra Nevada – are the beautiful mountain ranges that are just a short hour or so drive from Granada. We didn’t go there either but it would be something to visit in winter.
- The Granada Baths – didn’t make it there either.
Travel is oxygen for our souls. It helps us get away from our daily routine so that we may explore a new part of the world and in doing so, we open the possibilities of meeting parts of ourselves that we didn’t know existed. One does not need to be rich to travel. You must simply have a desire to see the world and you will find a way. There are definitely ways to travel economically or to travel as luxuriously as you can afford and no matter how you chose to do it, Just do it!!!
I hope this is helpful!!!
Love, Light and Blessings.
Anita
