Spain Itinerary June 22 – June 30, 2019

Day 1 - Barcelona

Transportation: Bus
Hotel: Best Western Alfa

- Travelled from YYZ to BCN

- At BCN we purchased a sim card -> 10G for 20 €
o Tip: between terminal 2B and C is the bus terminal + hotel pick up spot
- From the we hotel went to Barcelona via bus -> took bus D21 -> dropped off right in front of
Port Vell
- Went to visit the Columbus monument in honour of Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to the
Americas
- Across from this is the La Rambla – a famous street lined with trees – it has many shops and
restaurants
o Tip: delicious food + snacks – Tapas – however it is more pricier than restaurants a few
blocks away; Really cool cobblestone alleyways
- Came across Placa Reial
o Fun fact: Lanterns present there are one of Gaudi’s first works in Barcelona
- After perusing the La Rambla, we walked along Ave. Paral-lel towards Placa D’Espanya
- Placa D’Espanya -> One of Barcelona’s most important Squares – connects various major roads
o Fun Fact: this was previously an execution site however this was stopped in 1715 when
the gallows were moved
- Right Across this was the Barcelona Center (plaza de Toros de las Arenas-> went to the top to
get a 180 view of the city (free)
- Across from here, we walked to the Venetian towers then to the Montjuic Fountain / Magic
fountain which is at the base of the Palau Nacional
o Visiting the Magic Fountain was def worth it -> has a light / water show every evening
- Bussed it back to the hotel

Day 2 – Barcelona to Seville

Transportation: walking, bus

Hotel: Eva Recommends

- Shuttled back to the airport – Flight to Seville

- Arrived to Seville -> took the Bus to our hotel/AirBnB -> Eva Recommends Gamazo (really good)
o The hotel was really good -> spacious and clean but more importantly close to all the
touristy sites
o Tip: Take the Tussam bus to City; stop at bus station – Prado de San Sebastian – and
walk from there; can buy a bus pass from there if needed however everything is
walkable in Seville; we did not purchase a pass although you can purchase a 1 Day or 3
Day pass if needed
 - Walked to Cathedral de Seville -> one of the worlds largest Gothic cathedrals
o Tip: I highly recommend this site as it gives an in depth look into the cathedral, also lets
you see the Giralda bell Tower
o Tip: can order tickets online in advance, can skip lines this way
- Climbed the Giralda Bell Tower – 180 view around the city; attached to the cathedral
- Continued to explore the narrow streets of Seville -> got gelato + snacks
- Explored Plaza Nueva -> This is the City Center of Seville -> City Hall is located here
o Lots of good restaurants + cafes
o Monument of Fernando III (Conquered Seville for the Christians)
- Continued our way through the Streets of Seville, went to a local Deli to pick up wine and cheese
- Walked along the Canal de Alfonso XIII -> nice water way
- Near by was the Torre Del Oro – Military watch tower that you can climb to the top
o Was able to go to the very top
o Tip: free on Monday, probably wouldn’t pay to go
- Made our way to the Plaza de Toros -> Bull fighting stadium
o Tip: Every Monday they give an in depth tour for free
- Returned back to hotel, got dressed and headed to dinner
o Went Habanita -> good local restaurant with tasty Tapas
- Walked around during the evening time, got dessert, ate at plaza nueva

Day 3 - Seville

Hotel: Eva Recommends

Transportation: walk

 Breakfast at a local cafe

 Walked around Plaza del Triunfo – nice square surrounded by historic sites
 Visited Royal Alcazar – royal palace in Seville; built by Castilian Christians on the site of a Muslim
residential fortress
o Can purchase tickets ahead of time or at the site; wear comfy shoes
o Massive garden present, built over the years
 Spent time at the hotel – enjoyed wine and cheese
 Explored Las Setas De Seville – a giant wooden parasol located at the Encarnacion square
 Dessert break! Really good one Amorino
 Explored Plaza de Espana – plaza built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929
o Can do boat rides here if interested
 Dinner at Bodega Santa Cruz – very good authentic Spanish food
 Flamenco Show - Tablao Flamenco El Arenal
o Authentic dancing -> combines, voice, guitar, clapping and stomping – very intense
o Tip: purchase tickets ahead of time, head there early so you can get good seats
Day 4: Sevilla to Madrid

Hotel: Agora Juan De Austria

Transportation: bus + train / Metro

 Took Renfe train from Seville – Santa Justa to Madrid – Atocha

o Buy tickets in advance
 Took cab to our hotel
 Walked to Puerta del Sol – famous and busy square, on route to Plaza Callao
 Walked to Plaza Callao – square located at the center of Madrid; tons of shopping centers and
restaurants
o Don’t have to spend much time here
 Close to this site was the Plaza Mayor – giant square, was previously the center of old Madrid
o Don’t spend too much time here, good for a few pictures
 Nearby was Plaza De La Villa – one of the oldest but well preserved squares in Madrid
o Good for pictures; surrounding buildings are cool to look at
 A few minutes away was the Cathedral de Santa Maria
o Can go in for free, really nice interior
 Beside this site was the Royal Palace of Madrid – this is one of the largest functioning Palaces in
Europe
o good for pics, can book a tour if interested
 Walked to Tempe de Debod – an ancient Egyptian temple that was dismantled and re-built in
Madrid
o Come early (Before 7pm) if you want to go inside; the surrounding park is also very nice
 Took train back to hotel
 Dinner – Vega

Day 5 – Madrid

Hotel: Agora Juan De Austria

Transportation: bus + train / Metro

 Went for breakfast at a cafe – Toma Olavide Cafe

 Walked through plaza de Olavide (just a fountain, don’t need to see this)
 Took the subway (metro) to Plaza de Cibeles – connects you to museum and gardens
 Went to Royal Botanical Garden
o Have to pay to get in; if you’re short of time, can skip
 Walked to Parque de El Retiro
o Free to enter park
o Has tons of fountains, lake around monument for boating; similar concept to Central
park
o Highly recommend boating at this site
 Walked to Prado Museum
 o Main Spanish national art museum; has some of the world’s finest master pieces from
the 12th century
o Half off tickets after 6pm during the week – if you’re not planning to spend a lot of time
there, could be worth going later
 Snack at El Cambalache
o Really good empanada; worth visiting
 Dinner at Albur
o Very good Paella; well worth it
o Another excellent paella place is Socaratt Valencian Food

Day 6 – Madrid to Barcelona

Hotel: Acta 47
Transportation: bus + train / Metro

 Woke up early, took Renfe train from Madrid to Barcelona

 Checked into hotel
 Lunch at Ramen place – Oh Ramen
 Purchased a metro pass – 10 ride pass
 Walked to Hospital de la Santa Creu Sant Pau
o Just see it from outside, built very well
o UNESCO world Heritage site
 Went to La Sagrada Familia – large unfinished Roman Catholic Church; designed by Gaudi;
UNESCO world Heritage site
o Breathtaking, worth visiting. You can purchase a ticket to go inside but I highly
recommend getting a tour -> it will teach you more about the site
o Book in advance as getting tickets the day of is impossible
 Took a shuttle to park Guell – giant piece of land owned by the Guell family which was
eventually transformed into a park
o We took a tour for this as well – taught us a lot about the site; highly recommend the
tour as you won’t get as much out of just visiting the site
 Train back to our hotel
 Snacked at Panens -> very good treats and empanadas

Day 7 – Montserrat

Hotel: Acta 47
Transportation: bus + train / Metro

 Took metro/subway to Montserrat (line R5)

o For full step by step instructions: https://www.barcelona-tourist-
guide.com/en/tour/barcelona-montserrat.html
 o Be sure to get the “trans Monserrat” ticket – this gets you a ride to and from Monserrat,
2 free metro tickets, tickets for the cable cart or train to and from the mountain; tickets
to cable carts if you want to go higher up; this option is much cheaper than buying each
individual ticket
 Train ride takes about 1 hr – be sure to bring lots of water; maybe even a snack
 Because of the heat wave, parts of Montserrat were closed off in fear of a forest fire
 We first went to visit the Monastery – this leads to the Placa of Santa Maria
o You can directly go into the Basilica to see hall – Do this first
o There is a separate line to stand in to see “Black Madonna” – Highly recommend doing
this
 Black Madonna: statue was hidden in Montserrat back in 718 by Christians
during an invasion by Islamic armies
 In 880, Sheppard saw light and heard singing from the cave – they contacted the
priest to investigate; he too saw the same phenomenon; this occurred for
weeks. They went to investigate and found the statue in the cave
 They tried to move it; but it was so incredibly heavy, they decided to build
around it (interesting because the statue is small!)
 Walked along the Passieg de l’Escolania towards the Memorial to Ramon Llull
o You’ll get amazing pictures of the mountain from here
 Unfortunately we did not get to do this but because of the heat wave / trails being closed, but
many people hike down the mountain (not strenuous), along the way they have a little picnic
 Back to Barcelona
 Dinner + drinks

Overall Tips

 Wear comfortable Shoes – you’re going to be doing a lot of walking

 If you’re looking for authentic food that’s not overpriced -> walk a few blocks away from touristy
sites
 Buy tickets for Renfe (speed train between cities) ahead of time to save money – even 2 weeks
in advance is cheaper than waiting until the week/day of
 Buy Tickets for tourist sites in advance so you don’t waste time ie: Sagrada de Familia and Park
Guell; you can buy it there for cheap but I suggest a tour
 Bus and Train System are really good for transportation, but prior to buying bus passes scout out
the area you’re staying – you may not require one
o If you do purchase one – the T-10 passes are better (10 ride passes)
 Bring lots of water! tap and fountain water is safe to drink
 Highly recommend going to grocery stores for water and snacks as eating out daily can get a bit
pricy
o Can get 1.5L of water for 20 cents at a grocery store (Lidle) as opposed to 1L for 1.30
Euro at some convenient stores