SPAIN TRAVEL GUIDE

February 1, 2020

The land of the siesta, daily life in Spain moves slowly and runs late.

Everyone here is just enjoying life.

Which is why traveling and backpacking Spain is so much fun.

Spain is a beautiful, interesting, and dynamic country with a lot of regional uniqueness and variety. Madrid and Barcelona are hip and energetic cities, Granada has a Moorish touch, Basque Country up north contrast itself to Southern living.

Tour Of “Spain: Barcelona to Valencia Drone 4K Travel Video Vilius & Erika”

SPAIN TRAVEL GUIDE

Last Updated: January 17, 2020

The land of the siesta, daily life in Spain moves slowly and runs late.

Everyone here is just enjoying life.

Which is why traveling and backpacking Spain is so much fun.

The Spaniards love visitors, hosting strangers, drinking good wine, laughing at a good meal, and enjoying life. People aren’t in a rush here.

And, as an added bonus, Spain is super cheap. It’s a very inexpensive country to visit.

I’ve been visiting Spain for over a decade and have been throughout the country.

This budget and backpacking travel guide to Spain can help you figure out what to see, do, how to save money, stay safe, and everything in between!

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1. Join the Running of the Bulls

Held in July in Pamplona, the Running of the Bulls attracts both the brave and the stupid. While I’d never do the actual running, the multi-day celebration is still a good place to go drink sangria, eat good food, wear a red scarf, and celebrate the way only Spain can.

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Spain Itinerary

source rick steves websites Park Güell, Barcelona, Spain travelanycountry — Barcelona, with its beachy beauty and whimsical Gaudí flair, makes for a great start to a Spanish adventure.

By Rick Steves

So much to see, so little time. How to choose? To help you get started, I’ve listed my top picks for where to go in Spain, and outlined my plan for your best three-week trip.

Depending on the length of your trip, and taking geographic proximity into account, here are my recommended priorities:

3 days: Madrid and Toledo
6 days, add: Barcelona
10 days, add: Sevilla, Granada
13 days, add: Nerja, Ronda, Tangier (Morocco)
15 days, add: Salamanca, Segovia
17 days, add: Santiago de Compostela
21 days, add: Basque Region (San Sebastián and Bilbao)
25 days, add: Camino de Santiago (by car)

Rick’s Best Three-Week Trip to Spain

This recommended itinerary gives you an idea of how much you can reasonably see in 21 days, but of course you’ll want to adapt it to fit your own interests and time frame.

Day 1: Arrive in Barcelona (sleep in Barcelona)

Day 2: Barcelona (sleep in Barcelona)

Day 3: Barcelona, evening train to Madrid (sleep in Madrid)

Day 4: Madrid (sleep in Madrid)

Day 5: Madrid, or day trip to El Escorial and/or Valley of the Fallen (sleep in Madrid)

Day 6: Madrid, late afternoon to Toledo (sleep in Toledo)

Day 7: Toledo, evening train to Sevilla (sleep in Sevilla)

Day 8: Sevilla (sleep in Sevilla)

Day 9: Sevilla, late-afternoon bus to Arcos de la Frontera (sleep in Arcos)

Day 10: To Tarifa (sleep in Tarifa)

Day 11: Day trip to Tangier, Morocco (sleep in Tarifa)

Day 12: To Gibraltar, then on to Nerja (sleep in Nerja)

Day 13: Beach day in Nerja, evening to Granada (sleep in Granada)

Day 14: Granada (sleep in Granada)

Day 15: Travel day to Segovia (sleep in Segovia)

Day 16: Segovia, afternoon visit to Ávila, evening to Salamanca (sleep in Salamanca)

Day 17: Salamanca (sleep in Salamanca)

Day 18: Travel to Santiago de Compostela (sleep in Santiago)

Day 19: Santiago de Compostela (sleep in Santiago)

Day 20: Travel to San Sebastián (sleep in San Sebastián)

Day 21: San Sebastián, side-trip to Bilbao (sleep in San Sebastián)

Day 22: Fly home

Build your own itinerary to match your interests. Trendsetters linger in Barcelona, and art lovers are drawn to Madrid. If you like flamenco, Sevilla will shake your castanets. Historians travel back in time to Granada’s sprawling Alhambra or to Toledo, with its concentrated mix of art and history within small-town walls. Pilgrims pay homage at Santiago de Compostela and Montserrat, while sun worshippers bask at coastal Nerja and San Sebastián (a city fun for foodies, too). If you’re fond of quiet hill towns, get a good dose (or doze?) in Andalucía. For an exotic excursion, it’s Tangier. Photographers want to go everywhere.

If you’re a fan of Salvador Dalí’s art — or want to make a pilgrimage to the holy site of Montserrat — allot an extra day in Barcelona for side-trips. If you want more Moorish sights, stay another day in Sevilla to make a quick trip to Córdoba (on the AVE high-speed train). To allow time to explore Gibraltar, add an extra day between Tarifa (or Ronda) and Nerja. If Tangier isn’t on your bucket list, skip Tarifa and go to Ronda instead.

This itinerary outlined above is designed for public transportation, but can be done all or partly by car. The best areas to rent a car are for Andalucía’s hill towns (Arcos, Ronda, and more, in southern Spain), Camino de Santiago (east–west route in northern Spain), and Cantabria (chunk of north-central coast with beaches, mountains, and prehistoric cave replica), where sparse public transportation limits the efficiency of your sightseeing. If doing the Camino by car, reverse the itinerary and start in San Sebastián.

My recommended route assumes you’ll fly into Barcelona and out of San Sebastián. To return to Barcelona or Madrid from San Sebastián, figure it’s roughly a six-hour train ride or a one-hour flight.

Shorter Itineraries

If you have less time, you could end this trip in Granada or Salamanca and fly out from Madrid. (With the exception of the Basque Country, the north is less rewarding per mile and day.)

Another fine, short itinerary could start in San Sebastián, continue to Barcelona, Madrid, Granada (could add the beach village of Nerja here), and Ronda, and end in Sevilla

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Average cost of food – Pick up some ingredients at one of the many bread, cheese, and meat shops and have a picnic in the park. If you’re looking to cook, a week of groceries will cost around 40 EUR (they’ll be way less if you get them at a discount grocer like Aldi or Lidl). Eating pre-made sandwiches and fast food will cost between 4-7 EUR each sitting. A nice restaurant dinner will cost around 27 EUR including a glass of wine. To save money, try doing a “prix-fixe” meal. It’s a set menu that offers you a deal on a 2-3 course meal. At lunch, you’re looking at about 15-20 Euros.