Seeking suggestions: Granada to Valencia and points in between

[Steve Wright]

Friends,

 

We are beginning to plan our annual spring, 2-week trip to Spain.

 

We have seen nearly all of Andalucia, save for Granada, Jaen, Almeria -- that corner.

 

We also would like to get some eastern coastal time in around Valencia (but nowhere near as far north as Barcelona.)

 

We love walkable areas, where we can plant ourselves at hotel or apartment and stroll out to breakfast, stroll back for a nap, do our visiting without being reliant on a car (other than renting one for a few days to see the sights on the outskirts).

 

Our plan is to fly into Granada, spend 3 days there, then spend 4 in Valencia, 4 in Alicante, then 3 back in Granada -- so we're in the same city for the return flight to Madrid then back to USA.

 

We have a neighbor from Alicante who loves the place and says it is worth 4 days. Our other friends say the person is understandably biased and that we'd be better off spending 4 in Granada, 6 in Valencia (driving down to Alicante for a day and hitting some other day trips on 2 of the 6 days) then returning for 4 more in Granada to allow for jaunts to Jaen, Almeria, etc.

 

We know that every one loves different things, but with an emphasis on architecture, urbanism, walkability, food, culture, etc., what itinerary would you fellow Espanaphiles suggest?

 

Bear in mind we have never set foot in any of these places, so clearly a day or two for Alhambra, etc. in Granada is a given.  The rest, we cannot wait for suggestions.

 

Ah, one last request. Because my wife is a wheelchair user, we're not into the "stop at a different place to sleep every two nights. Her ideal is three moves total, 4 maximum.

 

Thanks

Steve Wright
2330 SW 13 ST Miami, FL 33145
305/776-3231 mobile    305/285-4830 fax

stevew...@yahoo.com

---

Do you Yahoo!?
Get on board. You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail Beta.

[JOHN CHAPMAN]

Hi Steve,

 

From my experience I can help you with Granada.

 

My suggestion is that 3 to 4 days in Granada is more than sufficient to see much of this glorius city. Al Alhambra, teh Generalife, the Cathedral, the Cartuja monestary are terrific places to visit.

 

Of concern will be the mobility of your wife's wheelchair. Getting around the Alhambra will be problematical with changes in elevation. I would say the Generalife visit would be difficult as there are stairs to climb, narrow entrances and a variety of elevation changes too. The fortaleza will also be difficult for you both.

 

Probably the highlight (at least for me) is the Albaicin. Due the the rocky and cobbleston roads, it will be a rough ride for her and a lot of pushing for you. Also it is on the hilly side.

 

That aside, staying below the Albaicin you can get around the city quite well. The shopping very accessible as are the Plaza Bib-Rambla and Plaza Trinidad (both great for Tapas - especially Bar Reca in Plaza Trinidad and the best tapas in town in my limited opinion). There are some nice walking areas down Puerta Real and along the Acera del Daro down to the river with the pleasant little park at the corner. Also great views of the Sierra Nevada here.

 

Finally, you could easily navigate the Realejo neighbourhood below the Alhambra. This is an old neighbourhood, but it has good sidewalks with many interesting shops to visit. There a couple of old interesting churches to visit as well.

 

Hope this has helped a bit.

 

Buena suerte

 

John

[sue james]

Hi Steve

I'd like to recommend Ubeda - it's smaller than any of the places you
mention but it is crammed full of Renaissance buildings and the Parador
there (itself a Renaissance place) is a wonderful place to stay.

Alicante has a castle - with a lift that gets your from the sea front to
close to the top - and a contemporary art gallery but neither merit more
than a couple of hours. It has a paseo with distinctive tiled pattern that
can make your head swim. You can take a boat trip to spend the day on the
Island of Tabarca and there are some nearby places for visits - the Huerta
at Elche for example, or Benidorm, where mass tourism from Northern Europe
to Spain started during the Franco era. On the whole though I think you
might feel short-changed by devoting too much time to Alicante.

Valencia and Alicante both have airports so you could avoid having to return
to Granada.

Sue

----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Wright
To: trave...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Friday, August 11, 2006 3:14 PM
Subject: [travelspain] Seeking suggestions: Granada to Valencia and points
in between

Friends,

Thanks

[brian glynn]

Hello Steve,

 

I was a student in Valencia in '67 and I spent 3 weeks there 3 years ago with my daughter who was a student in Valencia as well. It is a lovely city and very manageble. It doesn't have the intensity of either Madrid or Barcelona. It was quite "sleepy" back in the Franco era. I think you will enjoy it.

 

Plaza de La Reina is charming and the side streets that lead away from the back of the Cathedral are winding and full of charm. There is a wonderful Tapas place only a few blocks from the back of the Cathedral called La Cueva and there is a lovely little tile shop where the artist makes all the ceramic/decorative tiles by hand. It is a nice city for walking, but there is a good open air bus that leaves from Plaza de La Reina that will give you a good overview of the city.

 

Just north of Valencia there is a wonderful little town called Xativa with a delicious cafe only  a few steps from the railway station. Above the town there is a wonderful castle where you can have a glass of wine, beer or lunch. The casle is great and the views spectacular. But I'm not sure how you can get your wife up there. We walked, there is a road, and maybe a bus or cab is available

 

Further north on the coast, but south of Barcelona, is Peniscola de la Plana. There is a beautiful castle up on the tip of the peninsula. Some 14th century anti-pope resided there. It is quite a view from the beach and it is that beach that was used for the final scene of El Cid with Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren back around "60 when I was studying 1st year Spanish in highschool.

 

Don't forget to Google the places you hope to visit. Have fun planning, anticipating and doing your trip.

 

Brian Glynn

Basking Ridge, NJ

Steve Wright <stevew...@yahoo.com> wrote:

---

How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messenger’s low PC-to-Phone call rates.

[edw martinez]

I agree with John that three days in Granada is good enough.  And that would include "several" visits to the Alahambra.  Maybe three in Valencia. As most flights go through Madrid, you might investigate flying out from other city, Valencia to Madrid etc.  There is an early morning flight out to Madrid that would make the US connections.  You say, not as far as Barcelona?  My own trip would probably include, going north from Valencia by train and spending any "make-up" time there, and then flying back to Madrid from that point.  Barcelona is certainly worth three or more days.  Three years ago I did someting very similar, taking the AVE to Seville, train to Granada, then by bus slowly up the coast, to Valenica.  Train from that point.  I have taken the train from Barcelona to Madrid- as well in previous years, from Barcelona to the north Basque country and then west to Santiago- and back to Madrid again. But having been there and done that, now try to fly internally, if the ticket price is reasonable.  You will not need a car in Granada nor in Valencia.  And not in Barcelona (parking there is a national joke) if you get there.  Public transportations (city bus) is great as is the metro in Barcelona.  I would not anticipate any serious "access" problems or rolling along in either Valenica or Barcelona.  Good travels.   ewwwwwwwww

[LesterOR]

Sue,

I'm glad you suggested Ubeda. We stayed in the Parador a few years ago
and found it lovely. The whole town is urbane and interesting, though
more than a day or two is not needed. (And, Steve, we also visited
Jaen and found it wonderful, though very steep everywhere -- thus
expect wheelchair work.).

Ubeda is home to the best chocalate and churros I've found in Spain. I
don't know the cafe, but it is small and located directly across the
street from the main market entrance. I would take a morning detour to
taste that again -- better than I've found anywhere else.

Lester

[John Zumsteg]

I'm thinking of buying or renting a cell phone for use in our upcoming
trip (leave this Saturday). I recall some threads on this, but I can't
find them using a search on this or the old Yahoo group, so I'm going
to ask again.

This would be just for making calls within Europe (we'll be in Paris
and Spain); I'll use an MCI card for calls back to the U.S. if I need
to do that.

Can anybody outline my options for getting a cell phone that would be
a reasonable price for the five weeks we'd use it? We'd buy it in
Paris, our first destination, but I'm assuming any options available
in Spain would also be available in France.

Many thanks,
John

[Karen Sanchez]

I use a prepaid Amena phone.  The reason we chose them over other companies like Vodaphone or MoviStar is that the $$ on the card/chip is good for 13 months before it expires. Since we travel there regularly every 6mos/year - the funds are still on the phone when I get there.  Some companies have the funds disappear after 3 or 6 months unless you recharge it.  So I just re-charge before I leave and I know it's good until I get back.  And there is no minimum re-charge amount so this last time I just did 5 euros.  If you travel there regularly, it might be something to consider.

 

Karen

John Zumsteg <jzum...@DirectionsConsulting.com> wrote:

---

Stay in the know. Pulse on the new Yahoo.com. Check it out.

[John Salter]

Hi, If your phone is one that will take any card, You can buy a vodafone,
Amena or Movistar sim card for about 18 euros, It will come with 18 euros
plus 6 euros extra if you register with the company using their mailing card
which comes with the card. You can then make pay as you go calls to
anywhere. Make sure that yr phone is for any sim card and not locked to
your phone company.. I use my motorola v360 here and in the UK Regards
John

[Jude Nazareth]

If you have a world phone that uses a sim card, all you would have to do is go to a Vodaphone store in Spain and buy a sim card there.  You can recharge it at the smoke shops in Spain.  I don't know about France, but you can recharge as much as you think you would need for France.  You can also go to cellularabroad.com (based in Santa Monica, CA) to rent a phone, but see if you can do so without the sim card because they charge 3x the price I would have paid in Spain.  Hope this helps.

 

Jude

 

[JOHN CHAPMAN]

Hi John,

 

Can't help with the phone. but we are leaving for Spain of Friday.

 

Over the next 2 weeks, we will visit Valencia, Alicante, Murcia and Granada. Then my wife goes home and I move on to Sevilla for intensive language course and to indulge in 2 weeks of the Bienal de Flamenco.

 

Don't know what your itinerary is but maybe if we cross paths we could meet.

 

If you're interested, let me know.

 

Cheers and enjoy your trip.

 

John

----- Original Message ----
From: John Zumsteg <jzum...@DirectionsConsulting.com>
To: trave...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 12:15:10 PM
Subject: [travelspain] Buying/renting a cell phone for a trip

[John Zumsteg]

John,
It looks as if our itineraries don't cross -- this is the first trip
we've made that won't include Andalucia. Our itinerary, starting on
our arrival from Paris on Sep 14 is:

Toledo -- 4 nights
Barcelona -- 5 nights
Sos del Rey -- 2 nights
Leon -- 2 nights
Santiago de Compostela -- 3 nights
Zamora -- 2 nights
Trujillo -- 3 nights
Guadalupe -- 1 night
Madrid -- 3 nights

Can't wait. It's been four years -- way too long -- since we've been
in Spain.

On Wed, 30 Aug 2006 10:45:24 -0700 (PDT), JOHN CHAPMAN placed fingers
on keyboard and tapped out:

>> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You
>> received this message because you are subscribed to the
>> Google Groups "Travel Spain" group.
>> To post to this group, send email to
>> trave...@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group,
>> send email to travelspain...@googlegroups.com For
>> more options, visit this group at
>> http://groups.google.com/group/travelspain -~----------~----~-
>> ---~----~------~----~------~--~---

[Pete Clark]

In message <BAY110-DAV16B3720E...@phx.gbl>, John Salter
<toro...@hotmail.com> writes

>
>Hi, If your phone is one that will take any card, You can buy a vodafone,
>Amena or Movistar sim card for about 18 euros, It will come with 18 euros
>plus 6 euros extra if you register with the company using their mailing card
>which comes with the card. You can then make pay as you go calls to
>anywhere. Make sure that yr phone is for any sim card and not locked to
>your phone company.. I use my motorola v360 here and in the UK Regards
>John

The original poster will only have a US phone, and I don't think that
they are compatible with real <G> mobile systems like we have in Spain.

--
Pete Clark

Work from Home
http://www.hotcosta.com/workathome.php

[Roger Warwick]

> The original poster will only have a US phone, and I don't think that
> they are compatible with real <G> mobile systems like we have in Spain.

Any tri-band or cuadri-band phone (as virtually all recent ones are) will
work fine in Spain, although to be prudent it's always best to check with
your own operator first.

Roger.

[Karen Sanchez]

Only some phones in the US are GSM phones with sim chips that are compatible with the system in Spain.  I used to have one here in NY but the service was iffy at best in my area. So I switched back to the old system, .....but I still have my GSM phone for travel.  So now I have a US phone and a Spain phone.   *sigh*

 

Karen

Roger Warwick <ro...@gomadrid.com> wrote:

> The original poster will only have a US phone, and I don't think that

> they are compatible with real mobile systems like we have in Spain.

Any tri-band or cuadri-band phone (as virtually all recent ones are) will
work fine in Spain, although to be prudent it's always best to check with
your own operator first.

Roger.

---

Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo! Small Business.

[Pete Clark]

In message <00c301c6cc64$91677430$0202...@MADTO001.PASSAGE.LOCAL>,
Roger Warwick <ro...@gomadrid.com> writes

Is that the case with US phones? I thought that they were still US
only. (happy to be corrected, my friend is "not always correct")

[Roger Warwick]

> Is that the case with US phones? I thought that they were still US
> only. (happy to be corrected, my friend is "not always correct")
>

I think Karen makes the salient point - it has to be a GSM phone.

Roger.

[Elizabeth Duran Gessner]

It would probably be cheapest to buy a "disposable" phone when you get to Spain. These are rechargable phones - I have Vodafone (which used to be Airtel), but I believe Amena is owned by Telefónica and may be cheaper and have better coverage.  You can buy cards at phone shops, Corte Ingles, or even newstands.  The rate for a rechargable phone is higher than that for a subscription phone, but if you do not have a phone that works with the sim card system and are not planning on living in or spending a long time in Spain, this may be the best solution. 

 

I have had my phone for many years now, and I simply recharge it when I come back to Spain, which I do fairly often.  Bear in mind that pre-paid phones are limited usually to around 6 months or so - that is, if you buy the phone, go away for a year and come back, you will have lost any excess you have paid and will not be able to use the same number anymore.  If having the same number doesn't matter to you, just buy a phone when you get there.

 

If you are going to spend a lot of time - many consecutive months or years - there, check and see if  your current supplier wherever you live has the type of coverage that would permit this and what type of deal they could offer you.  A  number of US and other providers have gone to systems that permit you to use the number in Spain as well, but it may mean that you will have to buy a new handset - and pay more for calls. I am looking at other approaches now because international phone service has changed. So it's a judgment call.

 

In any case, the important point is connectivity, and you just have to factor that into your trip. Unless you live in Spain or go there a lot and need a permanent number, just buy a phone when you get there.

 

Elizabeth Duran

edu...@pipeline.com

Cell: 1-352-219-6401

Fax:: 1-646-349-1820

 

 

---

From: trave...@googlegroups.com [mailto:trave...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Jude Nazareth
Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 12:47 PM
To: trave...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [travelspain] Re: Buying/renting a cell phone for a trip

[JOHN CHAPMAN]

Enjoy your trip John. We went through Trujillo last year, spent some time thereand really enjoyed it. As well we went to Merida which has fantastic Roman ruins and is a must see.

 

Guadalupe was not our favourite although we enjoyed. The tour of the cathedral is spectacular but be advised (at least at that time) there were no English tours.

 

Travel well and be safe.

[John Zumsteg]

On Wed, 30 Aug 2006 13:55:14 -0700 (PDT), JOHN CHAPMAN placed

fingers on keyboard and tapped out:

>> Enjoy your trip John. We went through Trujillo last year,
>> spent some time thereand really enjoyed it. As well we went
>> to Merida which has fantastic Roman ruins and is a must see.

Trujillo has been about our favorite place in Spain (although
Segovia, Vejer de la Frontera, Toledo are not far behind). Just
a great place to enjoy Spain -- not much to do, no tourists
(except us, of course).

>>
>> Guadalupe was not our favourite although we enjoyed. The tour
>> of the cathedral is spectacular but be advised (at least at
>> that time) there were no English tours.
>>
>> Travel well and be safe.

You, too, John.

>> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You
>> received this message because you are subscribed to the
>> Google Groups "Travel Spain" group. To post to this group,
>> send email to trave...@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe

>> from this group, send email to travelspain-
>> unsub...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this