Yup I agree Granada is a must…I think it’s romantic up on the hills of Al-Hambra and Al-Byzin it’s like time travelleing to the past.

But be early to buy tickets (because no. of tickets sell are limited per day) – if you want to explore into the palace.

If you love the sea maybe you should head to Malaga and down to Costa Sol…it’s nice weather in November in Spain. Or maybe Alicante which is not as far as Malaga from Barcelona.

I heard Seville and Cordoba is nice too but I had never been there.

But all these places (Malaga, Granada, Seville and Cardoba) are on south of Spain you might want to plan your journey carefully, train from Barcelona to Granada will took all night about 8 hrs maybe more I don’t remember.

In Barcelona and Madrid and Marbella most of the Spanish speaks English so it wouldn’t be a problem but in other places it will be more difficult to find people who understand English. However they are helpful bunch of people so just ask. :)

I’ll be heading to Madrid and Portugal in November too!!! Can’t wait …

I’ve been to Granada, Cordoba and Malaga too, both very much worth it, and I totally agree with sexyinred: the Alhambra is of course a major must! Certainly in November, because the weather is not too hot; so much more pleasant than in August, which I did haha!
However, remember that these places are in the very South of Spain, so probably more easily accessible from Madrid indeed (trains for example), but it will still take a couple of hours to go there, so bear that in mind. If you are near Malaga, don’t forget to go to Marbella and Puerto Banus just to check out the exhuberant jetset going on there ;-)
And don’t worry about the language, in the big cities they all speak a few words of English (just don’t expect big conversations ;-) Maybe a little basic spanish dictionnary is recommendable?
Well, have a great trip, viva Espana!

Don’t miss Madrid!

Granada is absolutely gorgeous, if you go there, be SURE to see the Alhambra and its gardens. Its absolutely gorgeous. Also, it has awesome shopping. :)

As for Barcelona, I would definately suggest a bike tour if you have the time. I found it an exhilarating way to see the city, and its also really fun! Also, the Sagrada Familia is awesome, probably the best church ever, in my opinion, because it looks like something out of a fantasy novel. Also, you should see Park Guell (Sp?) if you’re into Gaudi and his works. There are buildings in there that look like they’re made of candy. :D

Madrid was one of my favourites by far. Definately go see the Prado, and see it when you are fully awake (Unlike me, I had been up for 35 hours straight when I saw it. :P). Also, walking around Plaza del sol and Plaza del mayor, seeing all the buskers, wandering in and out of shops, and trying not to get hit by cars (Which drive on anything paved) is probably the best way to get a feel for the city. Just absorb it. And if you go to Plaza del Sol, there is a bakery on one of the corners, across from the McDonalds. Its really good!

I’m not sure whereabouts your headed other than that in spain, but if you happen to be nearby (Its around Costa Del Sol) see if you can plan a day trip to Ronda. Its a beautiful, tiny mountain town, famous for this gorge that splits the town right in half. The old sector is everything you’d expect a spanish town to be like, and the people are very friendly!

As everyone else says, Granada is amazing. The Alhambra, well, words fail.

Seville has some pretty cool stuff too and is maybe two hours or so from Granada by bus. However if you go there after Granada, the alcazaba there is not going to seem as amazing—even though it is.

I only passed through Jerez on my way from Cadiz to Seville. It looks like it could merit a stop. I really enjoyed Cadiz, but it may not be what everyone wants to do on a major trip.

Practical matters: Granada is about 4 hours south of Madrid by bus. There are tons of buses going from one to the other. Make sure you get a ticket to the Alhambra in advance. It’s not as crowded in late November (when I was there with my wife) and the weather is nice (well, better than Chicago), but get your tickets in advance. I didn’t find many people in Granada/Seville that spoke English too well, but I did make do.

I love Barcelona. Sigh.
I love the food, the people, and the towns.

Although not in between Barcelona and Madrid, they are a short drive from Barcelona.

Girona is a great town to visit.
Sitges is also a nice beach town.

I wish I had better words than “great” and “nice” because none of those words to it any justice.

Now I want to go back.

Hello again,

Well, I can’t say I´ve been to Granada. It looks like I´d better go.

From Madrid there are a number of places to visit.
Firstly, by train or bus you can visit Toledo (old Jewish quarter is amazing, the El Greco museum, the Alcazar and the Cathedral). Try a “milhojas” a big sugary and puff pastry dessert thing.

Alternatively, you can visit Segovia. It also has a Cathedral and a Roman aqueduct right in the centre of the city. There is another castle “Alcazar” just outside the city. If you had a car you could visit all the cute little villages around the city. While there, you have to try “cochinillo” the local delicacy which is roast baby suckling pig.

Another city reachable by train is Avila. This is an austere place full of churches and monasteries. It is associated with its most famous citizen “Saint Teresa of Avila” or Teresa de Jesus as she is known to the locals. I think she was the only woman to be made a “Doctor” of the Catholic church so she had a lot of influence. The city is surrounded by some rather impressive walls.

Another little place to visit is Aranjuez, reachable on the “inter-city” trains (CERCANIAS) is Aranjuez, after which the famous concerto is written. It is nicer in summer to be honest as it is famous for its strawberries and cream.

With the advent of the AVE (High speed train), you can visit Sevilla in 2,5 hours and Cordoba in 2 (I think). Both are WELL worth it. Cordoba has an amazing mosque and Seville has an “Alcazar/fort”, Cathedral and the famous Giralda (tower) as well as the Triana and Santa Cruz neighbourhoods which are amazinginly atmospheric.

Salamanca is another city not TOO far from Madrid (about 2-3 hours by car) but which is very reachable by bus. I saw it by night and it is spectacular. Once again, it has an AMAZING cathedral and it is a university town, so there are really old and beautfiul university buildings all around the town. The Plaza Mayor is really well preserved.

In Madrid, itself you can be lucky or unlucky in November. It probably won’t be cold, but it could be wet. So, how about visiting the museums – The Prado, the Reina Sofia Museum of Modern art and the Thyssen museum. Each has its own fans and atmosphere. I like the Reina Sofia. It has a really cool new “annexe” with a futuristic cafeteria to the side with DJs and crazy angular tables.
On Sunday morning, there is an open air market between La Latina and Embajadores called “El Rastro”. Just walk around and soak in the atmosphere. Be tempted by the sounds and smells of the shabby little bars and go in for some calamares (deep fried , patatas bravas, boquerones (white bait in vinager), chorizo frito (fried chorizo) and of course the ubiquitous Spanish potato omelette.

Barcelona has a more benign climate in November. There are lots of things to visit. In the city itself you have the Cathedral, Montjuïc and the Olympic Ring, the Old City with the Plaza Real. Parc Guell (Gaudí’s doomed but very beautiful “housing project”).

Near the city you have Montserrat, a monastery in the middle of some very whacky mountains. You can visit Figueres and be amazed by the genius that was Salvador Dali. Dont forget you can visit a pretty good Picasso museum in Barcelona too.

In terms of English, Spain is a GOOD bit behind Portugal. In Portugal, almost everybody speaks some English, in Spain it is almost the opposite: almost everybody DOESNT speak English.

THE PICTURE IF OF BUÑUELOS (FILLED WITH DIFFERENT FLAVOURED CREAM) AND HUESOS DE SANTOS (SAINTS’ BONES) BECAUSE NOVEMBER BEGINS WITH TWO DAYS IN HONOUR OF THE DEAD AND THESE WILL BE EVERYWHERE IN SPANISH BAKERIES!! Yum

I lived in Barcelona in 1999-2000 before the Euro and when Spain was cheap! I also would go back to Madrid and Murcia to visit…

I totally agree with alejestem

Depending if you’re into history, art, art history,historic buildings, climbing, Spanish festivals, etc…you can have a different experience.

I recommend the Dali museum and all the Guadi buildings in Barcelona.

I would go see a real bull fight in Cadiz or Jerez and drink Jerez in Jerez.

I saw the Alhambra in Nov. a few years ago, a time when it SNOWED. Yep, it snowed in Granada and it hadn’t snowed in TEN years! It was AMAZING!!!

I loved Cordoba and Sevilla…but I was in Sevilla during Easter and it was so beautiful….

But my personal favorite place is Barcelona. xoxoxo

i really cordoba

I have been all over Spain, and Barcelona is by far my favorite city. Depending on how much time you have, you may want to spend your time in the city instead of traveling. I love anything by Gaudi, especially Casa Batllo and Parc Guell. You also can’t go to Barcelona without checking out La Sagrada Familia! You could also go to the outskirts of town. I find Montjuic, the mountain to the south of the city to be really relaxing. You forget you’re in one of the busiest cities on earth. There are lots of parks, a fortress that has great views over Barcelona, and the Miro Museum. Tibidabo is another mountain to the west of the city. There is a church and an amusement park, and I assume even better views of the city. I haven’t been to Tibidabo, but I plan to next time I go back. If you want to leave the city, I can recommend the Dali Museum in Figueres. It’s about two hours north of the city. We drove, but there are also bus tours that will take you there. I have also visited Cordoniu, a cava (sparkling wine) factory. They have a tram that takes you through the tunnels where they make the wine, and at the end of the tour, you get to do a taste test :) Some other places I really want to go include Sitges and Montserrat. I saw Montserrat from the highway and my airplane, and it was pretty awesome.

As for Madrid, there are millions of day trips you can take, depending on what you like. Toledo is a cute town, with stone-paved sidewalks, swords all over the place, and many fascinating synagogues and cathedrals. If you like castles, I recommend El Escorial in San Lorenzo de Escorial or the Alcazar (replica of Isabel and Fernando’s castle) and La Granja (summer home of later monarchs) in Segovia. Granada, Cordoba, and Sevilla are also great places to visit. Granada is particularly interesting because there is still a strong Muslim influence on the town. A lot of the things Americans think about when they picture Spain (like flamenco dancing, bullfighting) are really parts of Andalusian culture, where all three of those cities are. Cordoba doesn’t have quite as much to offer as Granada and Sevilla, but the mosque there is definitely awesome.

All these places very much cater to English speaking tourists.

I lived in Granada for a while, and LOVED it….so I say you MUST see it! it’s pretty out of the way from barcelona and madrid, but if you can manage it, please try to go! it is the most wonderful little city! Just remember to reserve a ticket to see the Alhambra before you get there!