Spain/Portugal

Arden

Arden

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Anyone live there or spent time there have recommendations?

I'm pretty flexible with my time/location. I was originally going to spend all my time in Spain, but several people I talked to said they absolutely loved Portugal.

Lagos, Portugal is the only set in stone spot I have in mind. I've been seeing round-trip tickets to Madrid for $400 from the states... not going to pass that up. Going to rent a car in Madrid and explore.

I don't mind doing worthwhile touristy shit, but I'm trying to avoid the traps. I tend to prefer off the beaten path type stuff and outdoor stuff, but would love to hit up some awesome restaurants and night spots.
 
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Alex

Alex

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It is a tourist destination but the Alhambra in Granada is amazing. Highly recommend. Granada is also a pretty great city. And while you're in southern Spain, you should check out Ronda. It's some Game of Thrones type shit. It's a city built on a canyon and the bridge to connect the two sides is impressive.

1909146_10152670864316218_2690567664849325493_o.jpg


I've also spent a considerable amount of time in Madrid if you have any questions about things to do there.
 
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Arden

Arden

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Alex said:
It is a tourist destination but the Alhambra in Granada is amazing. Highly recommend. Granada is also a pretty great city. And while you're in southern Spain, you should check out Ronda. It's some Game of Thrones type shit. It's a city built on a canyon and the bridge to connect the two sides is impressive.

View attachment 130942

I've also spent a considerable amount of time in Madrid if you have any questions about things to do there.
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Yeah, that looks like exactly the type of thing I'd like. I like off the path stuff but sometimes touristy stuff is popular for a reason.

Is there a good time of year to go (or avoid) and is Madrid worth spending more than a day or two in?
 
Alex

Alex

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I would avoid the summer. It gets very hot. And a lot of places don't have A/C there. As for how much time to spend there, that's up to what you're into. Madrid is a very big city with the typical city attractions. Fantastic world-class art museums if you're into that. The Reina Sofia is amazing. Worth it for the Dali and Picasso exhibits alone. The Palacio Real is also cool just to get an idea of how fucking rich the Spanish kingdom was at one point. Retiro Park is really nice too. And the food! So good. But you'll get that all over Spain. I've spent weeks in Madrid but I have friends that live there. A tourist could probably get their fill in 3-4 days.
 
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Hekotat

Hekotat

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Looks like i'm heading to Spain for work, any other tips a noob should know? I don't know where I'm heading yet and I've never been out of the USA, so I'm a bit nervous.

Kinda glad I bought a switch though so I can play it on the plane.
 
Alex

Alex

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Hekotat said:
Looks like i'm heading to Spain for work, any other tips a noob should know? I don't know where I'm heading yet and I've never been out of the USA, so I'm a bit nervous.

Kinda glad I bought a switch though so I can play it on the plane.
Click to expand...

Depending on where you're going you might need to brush up on common phrases in Spanish. Pretty much everywhere that's not a touristy area or Barcelona (almost everyone speaks English there) will require some level of Spanish. I was surprised how few English speakers there are in Madrid.

Don't leave your phone on the bar/table like a lot of people do here in the States. Lotta petty theft goes on there.
 
Hekotat

Hekotat

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Alex said:
Depending on where you're going you might need to brush up on common phrases in Spanish. Pretty much everywhere that's not a touristy area or Barcelona (almost everyone speaks English there) will require some level of Spanish. I was surprised how few English speakers there are in Madrid.

Don't leave your phone on the bar/table like a lot of people do here in the States. Lotta petty theft goes on there.
Click to expand...

I don't leave my phone out anywhere, even if just walking 10ft to a salsa bar.

I know enough spanish to get by as well as google translate, I don't think that will be a big issue. Just wondered about any other pitfalls, dangerous areas, etc.
 
Alex

Alex

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I never felt in danger in Spain. I feel it's very safe. Much more than most American cities.
 
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Alex

Alex

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Oh man - so much. Jamón ibérico is #1. There are a number of types of jamón - and ibérico is the most expensive - but it's absolutely worth it. Regardless, Spain is super cheap compared to US - even including the exchange rate. Get that with a plate of manchego cheese. Other favorites:

Croquetas (I prefer the seafood versions)
Chorizo (it's different than the Mexican version you usually get here, but still legit)
Robo del toro (oxtail)
Albóndigas (meatballs)
Champiñones al ajillo (garlic fried mushrooms)
Atún (tuna)
Pulpo (octopus)
Patatas bravas
Mejillónes (mussels)

Knowing the Spanish names is important because they don't translate anything for you. I know some of those above are just translated nouns, but the prep they use for some of those are legit. I'm honestly not a big paella fan, but you might be into that.

Note that any cervezeria will offer free tapas when you get a beer, but paid tapas are much better. I would also suggest finding a nice looking place and getting the menu del dia. It's typically a ~7 course meal and you never even know what's on it. A great way to try local cuisine. And they're rarely more than 20 euros/person.

If you end up in Granada, Madrid, and Barcelona I might be able to help you out with specifics as I've spent more time in those places than others.
 
Hekotat

Hekotat

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Alex said:
Oh man - so much. Jamón ibérico is #1. There are a number of types of jamón - and ibérico is the most expensive - but it's absolutely worth it. Regardless, Spain is super cheap compared to US - even including the exchange rate. Get that with a plate of manchego cheese. Other favorites:

Croquetas (I prefer the seafood versions)
Chorizo (it's different than the Mexican version you usually get here, but still legit)
Robo del toro (oxtail)
Albóndigas (meatballs)
Champiñones al ajillo (garlic fried mushrooms)
Atún (tuna)
Pulpo (octopus)
Patatas bravas
Mejillónes (mussels)

Knowing the Spanish names is important because they don't translate anything for you. I know some of those above are just translated nouns, but the prep they use for some of those are legit. I'm honestly not a big paella fan, but you might be into that.

Note that any cervezeria will offer free tapas when you get a beer, but paid tapas are much better. I would also suggest finding a nice looking place and getting the menu del dia. It's typically a ~7 course meal and you never even know what's on it. A great way to try local cuisine. And they're rarely more than 20 euros/person.

If you end up in Granada, Madrid, and Barcelona I might be able to help you out with specifics as I've spent more time in those places than others.
Click to expand...


This is a quality post here, thanks for the info. You'll be hearing from my lawyer if any of this shit sucks.
 
P

Picasso3

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Spent a few days in Lisbon, wish we had planned it better because we just stopped in random restaurants and most of them sucked. Had pretty good luck doing that elsewhere. People, prices, and culture generally seemed good, would go back.
 
Lanx

Lanx

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hitting up spain for xmas

barcelona train to
madrid train to
valencia

anything i should take note of besides having lots of paella? traveling w/ mexican friends so its gonna be an easy vacation (theyre also planning most of it)
 
Alex

Alex

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English is pretty much the first language in Barcelona and Valencia anyway. It'll come in handy in some situations in Madrid though.

Barcelona has some of the best cocktail bars in the world. Sips, Two Schmucks, Paradiso, London Bar, Pipa Club. Some fantastic places. Vinitus and L'Alcoba Azul are great tapas spots. Montserrat is a very scenic day trip.

Valencia is just ok. The City of Arts and Sciences is really cool. Even though it's the birthplace of paella I wasn't that impressed by it there. You'll find better places in Madrid.

Madrid will have great versions of everything. Massive city. La Mi Venta is a legit Spanish restaurant. Lot of grilled Iberian pork cuts. See a sick flamenco show at Tablao Flamenco Torres Bermejas. You'll need to make reservations, but Arrocería Marina Ventura has great paella.

Madrid has some amazing museums too if you're into that. Lot of Dali and Picasso works at the Reina Sofia. The Prado is world class (way too many Jesus paintings for me though). And the Royal Palace is cool to see to get an idea of how fucking rich the Spanish Empire was at its height. Segovia is a really easy day trip to see a nice castle and the Roman aqueduct. Can also look into Toledo and El Escorial.
 
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Arden

Arden

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Lanx said:
hitting up spain for xmas

barcelona train to
madrid train to
valencia

anything i should take note of besides having lots of paella? traveling w/ mexican friends so its gonna be an easy vacation (theyre also planning most of it)
Click to expand...

Had a blast on my trip to Barcelona, but I spent very little time in Barcelona itself. Check out the beaches in Costa Brava. My personal favorite was Platja de l'Illa Roja. Great for snorkeling and cliff jumping. Very cool medieval town named Pals worth a stop.

If I did it again though, I would allocate the most time for Girona. Can't say enough about how cool Girona is.
 
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