Hi All

My girlfriend and I are making our first trip to spain here in about two weeks. Our itinerary as of now is to be in Madrid for 5 days with a day trip to Toledo, Valecia for 2 days, and Barcelona 6 days with a daytrip to Girona.

I think we are pretty well set on sightseeing as far as the touristy museums, monuments, etc. Any other not so touristy activities that should not be missed? Also, we are definitely there to experience the nightlife. Any specific areas or places(restaurants, bars, clubs) that should be visited?

Regarding clothing, are shorts really a no go? What about jeans during the day and at night? Are collared shirts suggested?

Lastly, I have seen that there is PDA software for the metros. Where can I get a hold of this? Is there any other helpful software?

Thanks,
Chris

Hola ewos, what on earth kept you from coming to Spain until now

Oh well, better late than never I guess. Your itinerary is pretty good but one thing would make it better, change it to 6 days in Madrid and 5 in Barcelona. Aside from the fact thtat Madrid has more to offer the visitor in general, there are also more interesting day trips from Madrid than Barcelona aside from Toledo (ie. San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Chinch�n, Aranjuez, Segovia and even a possible looong day to Salamanca).

For original things to do in Madrid, see my OFF THE BEATEN "PASEO" forum, loads of great ideas for the non-touristy places you otherwise may not have found.

In my book, that Girona Definitely is something you should see and although 2002 is "Gaud�" year and Barcelona is celebrating starting this spring ( more at http://www.multimadrid.com/cgi-bin/jersbbucgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=16&t=000016 ) no trip to Catalu�a is complete without a Salvador Dal� route. The Dal� Museum in Figueras (1 + 1/2 hrs from Barcelona).

As a huge Dal� fan, I can tell you that most of Dal�'s work is at the "Dal� Theater Museum" in Figueras (Girona --> Catalu�a) which is part of the FUNDACI� GALA-SALVADOR DAL�.

Great website in Englsh, Spanish , Catal�n and French at www.dali-estate.org.



There are loads of threads on dressing in Spain on this board but if you want to get into the night spots, shorts are out! Jeans are ok as long as they are not the "holy" type and a collared shirt is a good ides, can't go wrong there.

For clubs, restaurants, etc... please see my PAINTING THE TOWN "ROJO" as well as the "TAPEANDO" EATING AND DRINKING forum. There are some threads there that will make your head spin so get your printer ready!

SURREAL Saludos & have a great trip,
jer...

Thanks Jer for the response! We are just in our mid 20s so we haven't waited too long. Actually I have wanted to go for several years now so I am counting down the days until we go. We have already talked about going back a second time, which would include Portugal and southern Spain.

As I mentioned before and being that we are in our mid-20s, we are definitely there to party. From what I have seen your site, Huertas, Malasana, Plaza de Santa Cruz and Chueca seem to be the spots for bars and clubs. Are there any other recommended areas or even specific places? I have heard there is a magazine called Guia del Ocio that comes out weekly and provides info on the nightlife. Do you know of this? Regarding restaurants, I am aware specifically of El Botin and Restaurant de Gamella. We know of the various areas, but are there any other ones specifically we should visit?

Oh before I forget, I hear that the Spanish are big fans of hash. Is it accessible to tourists? Just curious

We are arriving at the airport around 8am on a Thursday. What is the best mode of transportation to get downtown? As of now, I figure we will take a taxi due to the fact we will have suit cases. Once we are there though, I hear the inner city transportation (bus and metro)is quite nice.

We are staying at the Hispano Argentino on Gran Via. I really don't know much about it except for the fact it is centrally located. Do you know about it and the area? We are also staying at the Hotel Regina for a few nights. What about it and the area?

Lastly, do you know of any similar sites for Barcelona or Valencia?

Thanks for the assistance and for the most helpful site.

Chris

Hi ewos, I hear ya loud -n- clear, I made it here for the first time when I was 23 and never loked back.

Great choice of hostels I was at the Hispano-Argentino a few months ago doing one of my patented 360� room panoramics for my ACCOMMODATIONS SECTION which you can see at www.multimadrid.com/accommodations and the place is VERY nice inside. The hostel has a really nice atrium room for hanging out, eating breakfast, meeting other travellers, etc which makes it unique from many hostels. It is also on the 6th floor high above the Gran V�a which makes it pretty peaceful.

Hmmmmm... the PLAZA DE SANTA CRUZ is not a party area, I am pretty sure you meant to say the Plaza de Santa Ana which is righ near Huertas.

I honeslty think that with the possible addition of the Alonso Mart�nez area, the ones you mention are the best places for going out in central Madrid.

You hit the nail on the head, the Guia del Ocio is indeed the place to find out what is going on in Madrid. They have a website at www.guiadelocio.com which covers all of Spain and not just Madrid.

Also, pick up the very popular InMadrid newspaper for more great "what's on" info. InMadrid is monthly and can be found from the 1st of each month at the municipal tourist office in the PLAZA MAYOR as well as at many other places frequented by foreigners (English language bookshops, Irish/English pubs, etc...). Their website si at www.in-madrid.com but it is better to get the paper when you arrive.

There is a very nice Italian restaurant that I like on Calle Cava Baja (the extension of CALLE CAVA DE SAN MIGUEL & CUCHILLEROS called "Emma y Julia". It is at # 19 and thge phone # is (34)91 366 10 23.

Also, "La Toja" just off the Plaza Mayor is great.

Check out the LA CAMRANA on Calle Botoneras jus toff the Plaza as well for PATATAS BRAVAS and BOCADILLOS DE CALAMARES as well as the restaurnat in front of it called LOS GALAYOS for great food. Don't forget to order their CROQUETAS CASERAS (homemade croquets). the CROQUETAS at EL Bot�n are also AMAZING.

Duuude, I am getting hungry just posting this

On the record: skip the hash!

Off the record: skip thr hash!

Get the point? Seriously though, you can and should do without it for a while since you do NOT want to get into trouble with the authorities (ie. see Midnight Express ). Sure one can get it here (especailly at the Retiro Park) but who in their right mind would mess with that stuff on vacation when it could end up being a nightmare.

From the Airport with suitcases: go to www.aerocity.com and reserve a shuttle to your hotel. It is better than a cab for 2 people and you will not get ripped off by the driver since the fare is given ahead of time. Aerocity is a great service and comes highly reccommended by all who have used it.

The Madrid Metro RULES!!!! It is unrivaled by any of the other Metros of the world. Get a 10 trip ticket for the 2 of you that is good for Metro and Busses and GO, GO, GO! See my transportation section at www.multimadrid.com/practical_info/mad_transports.htm for al you need to know on this subject.

All modesty aside , there is nothing like this website on the WWW for any other city in Spain. The best site on Barcelona is at www.bcn.es (English version at www.bcn.es/english/ihome.htm ) anbd for Valencia go to www.comunitatvalenciana.com/english/indice/indice.html .

They are as good as you will find and are the official sites of those areas but are not as personal as

Saludos & have an amazing trip!
jer...

p.d. if you want to get together in Madrid for luch, tapas, etc... feel free to e-mail or private message me and I will send you my phone #.

Hi Jer

Thanks for all of the detailed info and suggestions. You were correct in assuming I meant Santa Ana and not Santa Cruz.

At least for now, we have a few more questions. Do you know if all or many of the hotels/hostals have 220V power? I am assuming they do. So, would you suggest getting a converter and the appropriate adaptor for items such as a hair dryer and electric razor?

What about bullfights? I haven't seen any thing on the subject in your message board. I understand there may be one on Sunday April 29th even though it may not be a top notch one. Do you know if this is true or not? If so, how easy is it to get tickets?

Regarding our day trip to Toledo, I am figuring the train will be the best mode of transportation. If you agree, is there a specific station we would leave from? Would we need to buy the tickets at that specific location and what is the approximate price?

Thanks for the offer to hang out. We would actually enjoy doing so if you are not busy. Again, we are arriving on the 25th and leaving for Valencia on the 29th. (Note, we are returing to Madrid on the 7th and flying home on the 9th). So we figure Friday or Saturday night would be good. I think we have tentatively planned our daytrip to Toledo for Saturday during the day. I imgagine we will be back my early to mid evening. If you provide us your number, we can give you a call. Feel free to email me directly as well.



Chris

Hola ewos (& galfriend ):

Jejejejeje (that's how you laugh in Spanish ), I was hoping you would ask about power. 220 is the norm here (double the "juice" of the U.S.A.

Please see the thread on "American electronics in Spain" started by "eron" at www.multimadrid.com/cgi-bin/jersbbucgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=8&t=000027 , it is a great one. READ IT THOROUGHLY.

Usually a search on this board gets good results.

A razor (if meant for travel) should show "100-240V , 0.95A-0.55A (A=Amperes), 50-60Hz" ont he power supply which means it is good for world voltage. Gadgets meant for travel (laptop PCs, travel shavers and hair dryers, digital cameras, etc...) usually are good to go without any kind of step down voltage adapter.

You will however need to get the appliances into a Spanish outlet so go to Radio Shack or any other electronics or department store and buy a few adapters (CLICK HERE FOR THE PHOTO ). They cost about $2 and if you forget them, any electronics store in Madrid (or Spain for that matter) will have them cheapooooo.

If you are bringing appliances that do not say "100-240V" on them, you will need to bring a step down tranformer to get the voltage from 220 to 110V. The best ones are the ones meant for travel, thye are lightweight and the better ones have a fuse so that if there is a power surge (commin in Spain, especially in older neighborhoods), the fuse will blow and cut the power to the appliance, hence not frying the appliance and only burning out the 25 cent fuse.

I have a monster one that I use for my waffle maker and it is menat to stay in one place since it weighs about 15 pounds That is NOT the kind you want to travel with.

The best thing to do is bring appliances that are meant for travel and that can handle world voltage.

Indeed there are not many threads on bullfights here but not to fear. There WILL be a "corrida de toros" (Bullfight) on Sunday, April 29th in Madrid. There is a bullfight every Sunday and in fact, I am pretty sure that the 29th is going to get you in just under the wire since May brings the Feria de San Isidro and more expensive (much) prices to see the bullfights.

If you can read Spanish, go to www.las-ventas.com and check it out.

Bullfights begin Sundays at 5pm and you can get tickets for as little as 3.5 Euros (special festivals excluded) at the bullring the day of the fight.

Last one I went to I got tickets at 4:30pm for the fight at 5pm. The bullring is right in front of you when you come out of the Metro at the "Las Ventas" stop (end of line #2 or line #5 also gets you there).

There are also a few authorized resellers around the city (not the guy with the long coat lined with tickets ) but buying from them is silly since it costs 10% more than it does at the bullring.

Train info to Toledo (and anywhere else) can be found in English at www.renfe.es/ingles and specifically at www.renfe.es/ingles/empresa/regionales/regionales_centro.html

I did a search on Madrid-Toledo and came up with the results at THIS PAGE - jam packed with prices, times, classes, etc... RENFE has a truly great website, spend some time there.

Ok, drop me an e-mail to jeremy@onspanishtime.com and I will respond with my phone #. You have chosen to hide your e-mail to other board members so it is best if you e-mial me and I can then get back to you.

Hope to see you soon.

Saludos,
jer...

Hi again, just went to the www-las-ventas site and consulted the calendar. One minor correction above, the 29th is Monday and the 28th is the Sunday when the bullfights are on.

Also, the bullfight on the 28th is at 6pm and is a "Novillada" which means that they are not "full size bulls" although you would never know it by looking at them

Also, the "toreros" (bullfighters) that participate in Novilladas are usually younger less experienced ones but it doesa give you the overall bullfight experience.

Thier is more info on that days fight at www.las-ventas.com/carteles2002/20020428/cartel.htm

Tickets can be purchased at the bullring on Friday and Saturday (26th and 27th) from 10am - 2pm and 5pm-8pm as well as on the Sunday of the fight from 10am up until the time of the event.

Saludos,
jer...

Hi Ewos ---

Check out my reply to your PDA question in this message.. Good luck on your 1st trip to Spain. I too am leaving in 5 days for Barcelona / Madrid and I can't wait.

Cheers...

Bubba