My friends want to spend a week in Tarragona for their honeymoon in February and take off-the-beaten-track day trips from there. Any ideas? They like little museums, cafes, pottery factories, that kinds of thing.

Also they think they can do a day trip to the Basque Country to sample the cuisine. I told them it's too far for a day trip. Is that true or can they do that?
Thanks

Assuming that your friends have a car, I would recommnend the Monestary in Poblet for one. It's very well preserved and they'll probably get a private tour if they go in February. Sitges is also nice. About an hour (by car) in the other direction is Tortosa, a medieval town.

As for a day trip to the Basque country, it's a day just to get there. Vueling flies to Bilbao from Barcelona, but I think the schedule makes it impossible to get there and back in one day. They could probably do it with Spanair, but it tends to be a bit more expensive.

hey jbarone, welcome to the board.

was about time you signed up. you are surely back into the swing of things in ny after your trip here in june/july.

well, i am with noia on the basque thang. there is SOOOOOOO much ot see and a week is SOOOOOOO little time.

i would say they should stick to one area or they will be very rushed.

saludos,
jer...

Hi Jbarone, I agree with Jeremy and noia, the Basque country is basically out of the question for day trips, but I would definitely recommend one to Barcelona to visit the museum in the vaults of La Iglesia de La Sagrada Familia, by Antoni Gaudi (Catalan Architect, and also to visit the Spanish village, as it has very good workshops, for glass, metal, and various other works of art, and also I would seriously suggest that they have a day trip up to the magnificent Montserrat, which takes less than an hour on the R5 from Plaza de España in Barcelona, during which they will get a ride up the mountain on the recently opened tram railway called "El Cremallera" which is fantastic.

I'll put some links in here later on, for them to have a look at the attractions that I have mentioned, but don't have enough time right now in my break, so check here again later for the links.

They really must go and see some Gaudi's little works of art in Barcelona, they'll never forget what they will see if they do, it's totally brilliant.

Cheers.......Santiago de Londres

As promised earlier, here are some links for you to explore.

La Iglesia de la sagrada familia...

http://www.sagradafamilia.org/

Home page of Antoni Gaudi...

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/9477/gaudi.htm

El Cremallera de Montserrat...

http://www.cremallerademontserrat.com/

Montjuic and El pueblo español...

http://www.bcninternet.com/es/touristinfo.php?contentid=516&directlnk=yes

http://www.poble-espanyol.com/pemsa/es/01-el-poble/historia.html

http://www.barcelonatourguides.com/sp/atpoble.htm

http://www.poble-espanyol.com/

If you don't read Spanish much, if at all, just look for the Language buttons/selectors at the tops of the main pages, and select english etc.


There are so many links that I could throw at ya, but I think that these will give ya a pretty good idea about just 4 things of interest, that should attract your attention, but in reallity, there is so much more that I could tell you about, in and around Barcelona and Catalunya in general, but I truly think that you should have a day trip up to Montserrat, there is a decent museum there, and it makes a phenominal day out, way up there on the Mountain, having a really decent lunch, good shops with some really very nice (and not too expensive)products on offer, and to be able to take the funicular railway almost all the way to the top, and then walk around up there on man made foot paths, (walk-ways) is abosolutely breathtaking, you just have to visit that place to know what I mean, I've been up there many times, and never get tired of going there for a much needed break from all the humanoid & traffic chaos going on back down below, it's great, do try it.

As for the Sagrada Familia, and the Spanish village, those too will simply blow you away, they are both awesome and not to be missed.

Good luck & cheers,

Santiago en Londres