Spain in August

[SpallaCamiccia]

Originally Posted by Xericx

love hot weather.

san sebastian looks nice. Will look into Andalucia. Trying to keep it as simple as possible centered around going to Madrid then Barcelona.

Any fun activities besides drinking and tapas? Soccer games going on? Probably check out a bullfight or something similar. Any cultural shows to recommend?

Ordering the DK "Eyewitness" book...maybe will help plan it out with a map.

In August there is the pre-league , so you could see some trainings or some friendly international matches. League starts first week of September.

 

[whenwe]

Originally Posted by Xericx

I'm planning a trip to Spain in August.

Going with my cousin and my brother. Primarily explore cities, have good food, drink, party and meet women. Honestly don't care about that much about tourist stuff...maybe while walking around stop in a cathedral and take a pic or something.

Not sure I want to deal with Ibiza or not. seems like a hassle.

However:

1. During that time is WORLD YOUTH DAY in Madrid. I'm not big on seeing all the religious stuff but it might be cool to see the pope and probably a lot of young people so it might be a good vibe?

2. La Tomatina is around that time. I think its Aug 31st...may not be able to make that as my cousin already put his time request in. Its also probably going to eat 2 days of vacation time.

3. Thinking Madrid first (to coincide with world youth day) then Barcelona and maybe one more place...2-3 days each.

4. Would like to go to a Spanish resort town where other europeans vacation. Beach, yachts, etc...any good places to go? Mallorca any good? Basically where I can see beautiful spanish women in bikinis.

Suggestions?

Madrid-->BCN-->Ibiza
That should be your itinerary based on your plans.
Tomatina is pretty awesome, but it's a bit out of the way, however now the ave is connected to valencia you can do Madrid-->Tomatina-->BCN.

Mallorca is nice, but i'd say it's geared toward an older, more family friendly crowd. Ibiza is where the party is. Let's be honest, there will be british/german douches at most places, but Ibiza in the summer is a must see. Good luck with Madrid in August, most people will be out of town at the beach, and it will be hot as balls, but still worth it. Spain is definitely the best place to party in all of Europe. Fact.

 

[wootx]

Spain in august is awfully HOT. I'd go earlier (may, june) or later (mid-september). You would even avoid the youth thing, with crowds of people everywhere.

 

[Xericx]

Only time my cousin can go.

Don't mind the crowds for a day or two really, it'll be an interesting experience to say the least.

 

[Lusitano]

Forget Ibiza!

Only Douches and Pimps (and drunk and stoned germans/english, hard to differentiate because they' re all red like cooked lobsters) especially in august.

I second Andalucia and San Sebastian.

 

[Xericx]

I'm thinking Ibiza only because I'm still relatively young (or young thinking) and would have fun clubbing and getting sloppy drunk or something. Don't think I would enjoy it in the future, where chillin' on yachts with models will be more my "steez" versus giving roofies to drunk australian chicks.

 

[SpallaCamiccia]

Originally Posted by Lusitano

Forget Ibiza!

Only Douches and Pimps (and drunk and stoned germans/english, hard to differentiate because they' re all red like cooked lobsters) especially in august.

I second Andalucia and San Sebastian.


Prepare for 50 euros for a Pacha entrance and 20 for each drink surrounded by all the megadouches of the world.

Go to Andalucia or Madrid that is great as is empty on August.

 

[Xericx]

ok...looking at this schedule: Thursday-Monday- LAX to Madrid: includes one travel day from Los Angeles and 1/2 travel day from Madrid to Barcelona on Monday (via Train). Monday-Thursday: Barcelona Leave on Thursday to Ibiza Friday-Sunday: Ibiza. Leave Sunday back to US (from Barcelona?) Going from Barcelona to Ibiza, better to take ferry or a plane. Looking online it appears to take 8 hours or so? Checking online for a random weekend for ferries, look to be about 100 euro roundtrip on a boat? Is that about right? I'd rather fly, but how's the cost of flights like? How are the trains in Spain like? Are they pretty efficient?

 

[Guero]

Originally Posted by StephenHero

San Sebastian?

+ 1 million

 

[culverwood]

Very fast train now from Madrid to Barcelona. Try Vueling for flights http://www.vueling.com/EN/?language=EN

 

[Xericx]

flights booked. trying to figure out plans.

Going to Madrid-Barcelona-????-Valencia (La Tomatina).

I might skip ibiza due to the crowds and douche factor.

any recommendations or a beach city/resort between Barcelona (or outside Barcelona) and Valencia or anything interesting I can burn 3-4 days?

 

[Kent Wang]

Any of the islands worth doing? Either Balearic or Canary Islands. I'm going in July and have about 5 days to choose between Seville, Cordoba, and Grenada where it looks like it'll be 90F, or 80F in Canary Islands.

I'm not interested in clubbing, just nature, food, and modern architecture.

 

[mrap]

Last summer I spent 2 weeks (early Aug) between San Sebastian, Barcelona, and Ibiza (San Antoni). Here are my thoughts:

1) I found San Sebastian to be like Disney Land. A lot of families, and a wealthy ring to it. The beach was nice, as you can see from the photo posted earlier, but the novelty quickly wore off. Partying was ok, if you like small clubs where you can't move and which are packed with Brits who chain smoke. Getting a bus out of this town was difficult, the schedule isn't frequent, so I would plan ahead. During my trip I enjoyed this leg the least. Good tapas though.

2) I enjoyed Barcelona the most, it is a fantastic city. I should mention I did not spend much time seeing tourist sights, my days consisted of beach, walking the city/groceries, dinner & drinks, party; rinse and repeat. Stayed in both a hostel and an apartment; hostel is great if you need an easy avenue to meet people, we also rented an apartment 4 minutes from Las Ramblas and it was amazing. Cooking fresh food everyday was fun, and the rooftop terrace was spectacular. Cost was 400 euros for the week, 2 double beds. I highly recommend making a day trip to Sitges, its about 30 min south on the train and a return ticket is...11 euros? Being from Ontario, Canada where liquor isn't the cheapest I thoroughly enjoyed buying what would be considered here expensive wine for cheap - find a good liquor store right away.

3) Ibiza had all the douches people here referred to but it was still cool to see. You made the point that you are young, and this is key - I'm glad I did it when I did, because I would have trouble keeping up when I'm older. What a poster said about the costs of clubbing is true - expect 60+ euros cover and 12 euro+ drinks. You can have a great time in Ibiza without blowing all your money at the clubs though; many of the smaller clubs/bars in the towns are not nearly as expensive; sunset at Cafe del Mar is a must; and though I was unable to get there, I hear Formentera has some of the nicest beaches on the Med. Its a day trip, and it is a regret I did not go. I think staying in Plaja del Bossa is a better option, and you can rent a scooter/car to tour the island - there are many fantastic hidden beaches to be found. But beware - the stereotypes about Brit tourists being the worst are true. I didn't feel unsafe in Ibiza but was more mindful than usual. Drunk Brits are aggressive and like to fight.

All in all Spain was great, I found the locals to be friendly and make an effort to play along with my poor Spanish, the food excellent, always felt safe, and would go back in a heartbeat.

Hope this helps, have a great trip.

 

[Xericx]

6 days sounds like an eternity. Will I get bored of Barcelona that quickly if I just forego Ibiza?

I'd probably end up doing the same...try to find an apartment with a kitchen and some cookware, hit up La Boceria and cook some fresh food. drink and hang at the beach and do some shopping and slow paced life.

 

[dmash]

mrap was pretty spot on with his Ibiza description. i was in Ibiza last year in August......a lot of dudes.......A LOT of dudes......THERES A LOT OF DUDES Ok, so now that you're aware of that, I mean it was still a fun time. I was with my girl so I didn't have to worry about chasing tail, but a lot of 'wannabe ravers' if you ask me.....people that knew nothing about music but just wanted to get sloppy drunk and go crazy. definitely stay in playa del bossa if you can, it's relaxing to wake up and just go to the beach all day. also, big +1 to finding smaller club/bar one night....there's where locals/spanish girls will be. definitely hit up pacha and amnesia just to say you've been though. Armin at Amnesia was the best show I've ever been to......absolutely phenomenal. Also, just like mrap said, everything is SUPER expensive.....a total tourist trap, but it is what it is. You want a REAL party clubbing experience, you gotta hit up Berlin

BTW, throw me a PM if you have any questions about Ibiza. EDIT......doesn't easyjet fly barcelona to Ibiza? You wanna do that for sure over a ferry homie. also....you're spending like 3 days in each city....that's a bad idea. how much have you traveled? you're not adequately incorporating airport time, travel time to and from airports, your tiredness factor after all this.....seriously. 3 days sounds nice on paper but in reality thats NOTHING in real life travel time.