Matt
Although the majority of travelers embarking on trips to Spain have less than two weeks to explore, it is tough to truly experience the country’s incredibly diverse landscape, culture, architecture, and cuisine in such a short space of time.
There is so much to see – from specialty tapas and tasty Spanish food served in the Basque Region, to Barcelona’s cosmo-Calatulian vibrancy, and beautifully quaint beach towns on the Southern Coast. Ultimately this means that a well rounded Spain trip requires a fair amount of city-hopping.
Fortunately, like most European countries, Spain is small. Shorter driving distances between cities make including several cities on your Spanish itinerary a viable option, but still requires the same amount of detailed planning.
Although planning your own trip can be exciting, a complicated itinerary can be too much for many travelers, and it’s easy to see why. With a full-time job, it can be hard to find time to research and plan a trip. You have to decide which cities you want to visit, how many days you will need at each stop, where you will sleep, and if you are going to hire a car or stick to public transport.
Traditionally, visitors unable or unwilling to plan such detailed trips stick to just a couple of destinations. Besides reducing planning, a slower trip such as this can be more relaxing. It also provides you with more time to really enjoy and explore the places you visit.
However, there has also been an increase in pre-planned coach tours and holiday packages like the Madrid to Avila day tour. Previously, these types of tours targeted a younger (18 yr – 24 yr) party crowd. However, this is no longer the case.
Specialist European Coach Tour companies such as Expat Explore cater to a more sophisticated crowd. In just one week, their Spanish Coach Tour whisks travelers around Spain, stopping in 10 locations for a rounded experience.
Ultimately, you are left with three options, each with their pros and cons. You could stick to just a couple of destinations, take the time to plan a city-hopping trip around the country, or book yourself a spot on a pre-planned Spain trip.
