Finally! After 18 months, we were able to travel. Our preference was to travel to India first to see family. However, given the border restrictions due to Covid-19, we couldn’t and so our first stop was in Dubai where some family members also flew in and we had a re-union there. Here’s what our first flight during the Pandemic and our very first one with our 4 month old was like. From there on, we flew to Spain.
In the past, our trips to Europe were a hopscotch between different countries. This time though, we decided to take it slow and immerse ourselves in the sights, food and culture of one country. As we were travelling in November, Spain to us was a good choice as the cold weather is milder compared to some other European nations at this time of the year.
Here is a summarised version of our two weeks in Spain:
Barcelona (Day 1-4)
Getting to Barcelona: we took an Emirates flight from Dubai to Barcelona and arrived at the Barcelona-El Prat airport. From here we took the public taxi to get to our stay.
Accommodation: we stayed at a friend’s place which was in the outskirts but connectivity via metro was alright. Our suggestion though would be to stay in the city center so you can spend more time exploring. On our previous visit, we stayed in this hotel.
Commuting: Spain overall is child-friendly so most of our commuting was on their metro and the rest was on-foot.
Things to do:
We had been to Barcelona before so we had already visited the top sights here namely, Sagrada Familia, Gothic Quarters and Cathedral, La Ramblas, Mt. Tibidabo and Barceloneta beach. This time around we spent more time exploring La Boqueria Market (see our Barcelona food vlog here) and additionally made a quick visit to Park Guell. Of course we revisited certain places because one time is never enough.
Malaga (Day 5-7)
Getting to Malaga: We took the Ouigo (high speed train) from Barcelona to Madrid and then interchanged at Madrid to get to Malaga. The total train journey took about 6 hours. We arrived at the Málaga María Zambrano railway station and from here our stay was a short taxi ride away.
Accommodation and Commuting: In Malaga we stayed at this Airbnb in old town from where we could walk to most of the places of our interest.
Things to do:
Malaga is a laid-back charming port town that is perhaps not on the typical tourist map. We chose to go here because it’s in the south of Spain and the weather is great in November.
In the old town we roamed in the alleys and indulged in their food, churros and coffee (see our Malaga food vlog here).
On a sunny morning we visited the Alcazaba, a citadel built by the Arabs which is well-preserved and provides sweeping views of the old town and harbour from the top of the hill on which it is perched. The Malaga Cathedral is really beautiful as well with the high arches and stained glass windows. On another beautiful late morning, we walked to La Malagueta beach and relaxed there for a couple of hours.
For those interested, shopping is also an option with both branded and boutique stores located in the centre of old town. And for the history buffs, there are several museums to explore most notable of which is the Picasso museum. See our things-to-do in Malaga vlog here.
Seville (Day 8-10)
Getting to Seville: we took the Renfe (high speed train) from Malaga to Seville that took about 3 hours. We arrived at Sevilla Santa Justa railway station and from here our stay was a short taxi ride away.
Accommodation and Commuting: We stayed at a great location in this Airbnb from where we could explore most places of our interest on foot.
Things to do:
Sevilla, as locals call it is one of the most magnificent towns in Spain with plenty of things to see and do here. Our favourite to-do of course was roaming in the alleyways and enjoying the tapas and vino. Other than that, here are some of the sights we did visit and highly recommend:
The Real Alcazar is a Royal Palace that is still in use. The palace is exquisite where the architecture is a mash-up of muslim and byzantine styles making it really unique than most other palaces in Europe. For Game of Thrones fans, it’s the filming location of Dorne and the water gardens of Dorne. We suggest buying tickets online to skip the queue and going as soon as it opens to avoid crowds.
Plaza de Espana here is gorgeous as well and one of the most impressive plazas we’ve been to. Here you can admire the architecture, climb up the balcony to get some panorama views, enjoy some boating, it’s one of the best photo spots and if you’re lucky you might catch a free flamenco dance performance. For those interested, there are plenty of flamenco dance performances you can book in Sevilla. The typical length is around 1/1.5 hours.
Spain Cathedral (+Giralda tower) again is really stunning and beautiful from both the outside and the inside. You can also take the rooftop tour to enjoy sweeping city views. Again, we suggest buying tickets online to skip the queue as it can get really busy.
Other than the above, there are plenty of museums to explore for those interested.
Madrid (Day 11-14)
Getting to Madrid: From Seville to Madrid we took the Renfe (high speed train) which took us about 2.5 hours. We arrived at the Madrid Atocha railway station and from here, our stay in the city center was a short taxi ride away.
Accommodation and Commuting: We stayed very close to Sol metro station at this Airbnb, from where we could simply walk to several spots.
Things to do:
As Madrid was the last stop on our trip, we only did a few things here. By now we had already visited many plazas, cathedrals and palaces so we chose to skip the same here.
In the days we were there, we explored a food market known as Mercado San Miguel and some bars where vegetarian tapas were available. We enjoyed delicious Churros with Hot Chocolate and good Coffee at a century old chocolateria called San Gines. We walked around and stopped at the Mayor Plaza which already had some pop-up Christmas stores setup. We also spent some time at the El Retiro Park where we enjoyed the fall/autumn colours all around us.
From Madrid we flew out from Madrid Barajas airport and to get there, we took a taxi as well.
Here a few more Tips to help you plan better:
- Stores are usually closed on Sundays all over Spain so do not plan any shopping on a Sunday.
- Restaurants usually open late for lunch, around 1:00pm and close around 4:00pm. Restaurants / bars usually open late in the evening around 7:00pm onwards.
- Paywave / Digital Payments like Apple Pay work in most stores so you do not need to carry too much cash with you.
- For trains and attractions, e-tickets/digital tickets are acceptable. At train stations, you can print your tickets if you wish from their self-serve kiosks.
- Spain is a cycle / scooter friendly country and several places offer cycles / e-scooter sharing at several spots around towns.
_________
Hopefully this post gives you a starting point when planning your own trip. Happy travels folks! And if you have any questions, leave them in the comments.
