KeithViva Espana
23rd January -15th February 2023
Spain is such a fantastic place to explore, the people, the sites, the food. Each region has something different to offer, be it building architecture, or food variations, it has many diverse cultures, but a central theme runs through the country as a whole.
Hints & Tips
- The Spanish people are very friendly and helpful, but in some regions especially in the North and the less touristy places very little English is spoken, it wasnt a problem for us as we enjoy trying to learn a few words while we are in a different country.
- The transport system is very easy to navigate, but make sure you do plenty of research on routes, and times, try different apps to get the information you need.
- Allow plenty of time at the main stations, you need to buy tickets and find the platform or stop for your bus or train, there is plenty of information but not in English.
- The bus stops aren’t always shelters, sometimes just a post in the middle of the street.
- Buses only take cash and small denominations, make sure to have some change.
- Some places especially in the north will give free tapas if you purchase a drink
- Tapas dishes range from £1.50-5.00 depending on what you have.
Vienna
Hotel Kolping wien zentral a nice hotel, fairly central, room nice, bathroom spacious and modern, all you need for overnight stay, breakfast was included, and was more than adequate, choice of bacon, scrambled egg, etc, or continental with all the usuals. (€59)
We were going to do the hop on hop off bus tour, but decided it was too much of a rush, however, if you do decide to, then book tickets online, they were €24 online €37 at the bus stop.
Gumpendorfer Stube, a lovely traditional restaurant, just around the corner from the hotel, on entering it looks like the set of “Allo Allo” but a little gem of a place, the service was warm, friendly and attentive, the food was delicious, and prices were very reasonable, we had one goulash soup, two original schnitzel all excellent, plus drinks €62.
Naschmarkt is only a 5 minute walk from the hotel, it’s the largest market in Vienna with stalls of foods, spices, meat, fish, souvenirs etc etc, definitely worth a visit, we only spent an hour or so there but would have liked to seen it in the full flow.
We decided on the train back to the airport, very easy to navigate, and used the CAT (city airport train) €12 pp you can navigate your way to the CAT terminal from other stations, we got a local train link which cost €4.80 for two adults.
Barcelona
Arrived at our first Spanish destination, Barcelona airport, it’s very large and busy, so expect a bit of a hike, the main train station was about 6 min walk, once you get outside of the airport.
At the automated ticket machine, we weren’t sure which tickets to purchase, the information person was very helpful, and advised us to purchase a family ticket for €10, which covers all journeys on the Renfe and metro.
We arrived at the hotel Roma reial about 40 minutes later, an amazing location, however the hotel itself was very basic, and could really do with a facelift.
The large square it is set in, is very picturesque, especially in the evening, the trees being decorated with lights, and with an array of restaurants, mostly with an Italian theme.
We took the hop on hop off bus it cost €29 each, the highlights for us were the
- Sagrada familia,
- Olympic stadium,
- Marina,
- FC Barcelona stadium although not football fans it is quite the spectacle.
The rest of the tour/city is amazing, if you enjoy arts, architecture, and cultural sights, but as we were on a time limit we concentrated on what was best for us.
We also disembarked at the Montjuic stop and here you can take the cable car for superb views across the city, it takes approximately 10 minutes to get to the top where there is a fort, you can walk back down or take the bus, we purchased round trip tickets online €10 each.
Zaragoza
We took the train from Barcelona Sants, an excellent trip, however expect to queue at the station for 30 mins or so depending on what time you arrive, this is for security and baggage checks.
Zaragoza central is a little isolated, but the bus station and stop are right outside the main exit, €3 for both of us,
The driver was very helpful, and guided us to the hotel, from the nearest stop, it was approx a 15 min walk.
The Hotel Tibur, was again at a fantastic location right opposite the stone bridge, and adjacent to the Cathedral de saviour, the city is amazing filled with bars and restaurants and very reasonably priced.
you can wander through the narrow cobbled streets which have a slight medieval feel and a great vibe.
Bilbao
Only an overnight stop, it was wet and windy when we were there, but again a lovely city, with cobbled narrow streets, and a huge market, transport was very easy, the buses are well labelled, and the times and destinations and stops are very easy to navigate.
Santiago de Compostela
It was cheaper and quicker to fly here from Bilbao, flight time approximately 1 hr.
Again just an overnight flying visit, we hired a car from the airport and drove to our hotel, again this worked out cheaper than a taxi, and the airport is quite remote so the public transport was sparse.
The hotel Universal again was perfect, a fantastic location central to everything we wantsed, a car park right oppposite which was a bonus, the room was lovely and spacious, modern, clean and facilities excellent.
Outside a 2 minute walk and we were at a café/bakery that did an amazing hot chocolate, on further investigation and a little wander, we discovered a little maze of narrow cobbled streets, lined with tapas bars, cafes, and souvenir shops, a little further on and we came across the cathedral.
The cathedral Santiago de Compostela, is set in a vast square, (Plaza de Obradoiro), the square and the cathedral are well worth a visit. opposite the cathedral is an imposing government building (Rajoy’s palace), along with the hospital of the Catholic monarchs and San Jeronimo school on the other sides.
The walk through the narrow cobbled streets, the cathedral (the “train”), the square and the tapas bar in the night made it a perfect day for us. Im sure if we had more time, we would have discovered even more history and little gems.
Cafe bar Gaiola
This place was fab, the food, the atmosphere the wine all exceptional, when we arrived it was packed but they managed to squeeze us in, the service was tremendous seeing how busy it was, we sampled a few dishes from the raciones menu, the place was mad busy but really enjoyable.
Madrid
Santiago de Compostela -madrid, flight time approx 70 minutes
Seville
Cadiz
Gibraltar
We stayed just outside Gibraltar itself, as accommodation tends to be very expensive. we walked to the border crossing, which is a simple process of showing your passport. Once inside the border, there is a bus stop immediately outside, this takes you into the centre, here you can pick up other routes to visit different areas of the rock.
We chose the cable car, for our trip up to the top of the rock, on reflection, we should have used one of the many tour cars., which were waiting at the cable car entrance.
We queued for over an hour, for the ride up, and it was over in minutes, and rather unspectacular, (the wife said it reminded her of something else!!!). The tour cars are cheaper, and they drive you to the sites, instead of having to walk miles, they are well informed and run at your pace.
If you want to see all of the advertised sights on the top of the rock, be prepared for some serious walking, and in our view not really worth the effort.
The barbary macaques on the rock are friendly enough and don’t really bother you, however you still need to keep your wits about you.
The views are spectacular, and are probably the highlight of the visit.
We visited the far south of Gibraltar, this was accessible by the many buses that run across the rock, it is a most enjoyable journey and takes you through the narrow winding streets of the city, the scenery is stunning and wildly rugged.
At the southernmost point, is the Europa point lighthouse, the 100 ton gun, which used to guard the mouth, of the med and the view of the Northern coast of Africa. A very pleasant morning out, and also the bonus of a lovely little café to have a coffee and soak up the sights, whilst waiting for the return bus.
Marbella
Ronda
What an amazing place, by far our favourite town, in Spain.
The people are warm and friendly, the place itself is buzzing, with tapas bars, restaurants, souvenir shops, hotels, oh and McDonalds.
You can get to Ronda by car, bus or train, we found the public transport, a little limited, as to places to embark, and times etc. We caught the bus from Marbella, the journey was great, very quiet and fantastic scenery, having arrived at Ronda we booked into the hotel Don Miguel.
The initial landmark (that is awesome), is the bridge right outside the hotel, this bridge spans the vast gorge below, and links the old town with the new and is known as El Toje.
The history of the town is awesome, but by far, the most interesting historic place, is the bull ring, Plaza de Toros de Ronda, built in the late 1700’s,
It is open daily (10.00am-18.00/19.00 depending on time of year) and there is a self guided audio tour, (entrance and tour 10.50e) which is well worth the money, also once inside, there is a very well presented video display, which explains the history of the building and the surrounding area.
Granada
