Oh, yes, wines. In a bar you can just order according to the wine region. For reds, try a La Rioja or a Ribera del Duero. For whites I like a Rueda. Try **sangria **(a wine punch) or a tinto de verano (red wine mixed with sparkling water) on a hot day.
Damn, I keep forgetting stuff.
Any of these things pique your interest / turn you off, Carnal?
Cathedrals
Castles
Bullfights
Art and museums
Flamenco music
“Strange” food (like octopus)
Beaches
Shopping
Staying up late (perhaps as late as 4 am?)
Roman ruins
Architecture
Prehistoric remains (like cave paintings)
Most of the advice I normally give re: places to go and things to do has already been covered, so I’ll skip that.
However, I will emphasise Nava’s advice re: mealtimes and add an extra caution - most of Southern Spain shuts down completely from about 1pm to 3pm for siesta. It’s a bit of a culture shock at first… shuttered stores, closed cafes, and nary a person in sight. Not so much of a problem in the cities, but definitely the case in the smaller towns.
We found it was a good idea to keep some granola bars on hand to tide us over, especially at first while we adjusted to the local timetable for meals. Not to mention that we had a few experiences where the travel time between point A and point B landed us in town smack dab in the middle of siesta without an opportunity for lunch beforehand, and ended up having to choose between starving or disgusting tourist trap food.
Lisbon is lovely, but you may run out of time if you’re working your way over from Barcelona (which needs ~3 days just to see the major highlights, and really ought to be more of a 4-5 day stay) and throwing in a side trip to Morocco on top. It could potentially be do-able with three weeks, but it’ll feel very rushed if you squish it into two weeks.
(If you do make it to Lisbon, the Oceanarium is absolutely amazing, albeit a little pricey… plan to spend a few hours there if you can)
If you go to Jerez, don’t miss its namesake sherry. In Lisbon, just down from the aforementioned Chinese Pavilion Bar is the Instituto do Vinho do Porto (port wine institute) with wonderful tastings from an extensive menu.
It ain’t sparkling water (H2O+CO2), it’s gaseosa (H2O+CO2+sweeteners+citric acid). Sangria must also be made with gaseosa. Legend has it that calimocho (or kalimotxo) was invented by a Spanish exchange student in the US when he was asked to make sangria with no gaseosa available and decided to try Cocacola instead.
The concept of putting up signs indicating where the road goes to and not the direction is European-wide, so if the GF has lived in France (as well as having the passport), she’ll be used to it. It can still be a problem when you’ve been following signs to Madrid… Madrid… Madrid… and then get to an intersection and one arrow says Guadalajara, one Cuenca and whathappenedtoMadrid? If you come from the north, it’s hiding behind Guadalajara; if you come from the east, behind Cuenca. Google Maps routes are often more up-to-date than tontones, but asking to be given a paper map with your car as well as a GPS or ponying up for one in the first gas station may be handy; personally, I find exploring routes on a big paper much easier than doing it on a small screen, and Spanish official road maps include information on things to visit.
CrazyCatLady and I are also headed to Spain! We’re going in March for about 10 days.
Right now we’re trying to decide between the northern part (starting in Barcelona) and the Southern part (starting in Madrid), or a whirlwind trip that includes a little bit of both. We’re serious foodies and explorers in general. We were going to let the plane fares decide, but it’s about the same either way. Any thoughts?
Meanwhile, what’s the best resource for brushing up on my Spanish? I know the basics–I had four semesters in college, but I use it so seldom anymore that it’s mostly gone.
When in March? Be advised that the last week of March is Easter Week (Semana Santa) which can greatly complicate or enhance your experience.
If you’re serious foodies, I’d be inclined to steer you toward the north: Catalonia, Basque Country, Asturias, etc. Amazing eats up there. Order a cheese sandwich in a corner bar in a small town in the Basque country and it’ll be a fine dining experience.
But the wild card is that March can be real rotten weather in the north. A couple years ago when my wife and I were touring Navarra and Aragon for Easter Week, there was such serious rain that the Ebro River flooded and overflowed the highway - we almost got cut off from returning to Madrid. I’m not so knowledgeable about weather in Barcelona in March.
The south just might be the safer bet weather wise. There’s plenty to see down there during ten days if you’re so inclined.
In Barcelona, the sky opens up in September or October and then it rains. For a month. Every day. I’m not talking a drizzle, more like waterfalls from the sky.
And then it stops until next Fall.
We’ll be flying out on the Saturday before Holy Week starts.
Well, we’re still trying to bang out a rough itinerary. Once we have something more concrete I’ll post again for more specific advice. It’s all been good so far, we’re going call the Spanish embassy or consulate to double-check on the Tarifa-passport thing.
In the mean time I’m happy to see you,DoctorJ, are here with more immediate need for travel advice keep up the questions. I have a feeling “whirlwind” will be a likely descriptor for our plans and since it seems we are going to have at least some overlapping of destinations, if not seasons, I’ll happily poach advice to you. 
DoctorJ, re. Easter.
Half of Spain gets off school Easter week plus the Monday after Easter. Half gets from Good Thursday at noon until the Sunday after Easter. So depending on where you are, you’ll be running into lots of closed places in one week or the other.
If you’re in Barcelona, it’s time for the Monas de Pascua, chocolate cakes and figurines; don’t look for “Easter eggs” outside Catalonia because you’re unlikely to find it. If you hit the big days of Easter in Andalusia, be ready to elbow your neighbors in order to catch your breath, specially if you go down to Seville. In Northern Spain, Easter parades (procesiones) tend to involve several images (pasos) and be one a day, following a specific path. In Seville (and, I understand, Other Parts South), each paso has its own procesión. Pretty much every place, from Madrid to Villabajo del Conejo Cojo, province unknown, has procesiones.
And I just have to plug it… sorry! If you hit Saturday and Sunday near Tudela (Navarra), on Saturday morning (10am) you have the Volatín, a Jude; on Sunday morning, the Angel (1h later than the Volatín), both in the Plaza Nueva. They’re both medieval in origin; parts of the setup for the Angel were already in use in the Plaza Vieja before the “New Square” was built (17th century).
Sorry, I checked and the Angel is at 9am. After the Angel, town empties up (locals go have lunch at their vegetable gardens, outside town), so many visitors just continue onward to the next town they’re visiting.
Webpage for the Angel (warning: noisy!): http: //www.bajadaangeltudela.com/index.php
From the Navarrese Government, for el Volatín: http://www.turismonavarra.es/esp/organice-viaje/recurso/Ocio-y-cultura/3090/El-Volatin.htm
ETA: bleeping autoparser!
Thanks for all the information, Nava, but when he said we’re flying out right before Holy Week, he meant we’re coming home then, not heading out on our trip. Sorry about the confusion.
At this point we’re leaning heavily toward Madrid and Andalusia, otherwise known as the horses, ham, and history itinerary. Right now we’re thinking a day or two in Madrid when we first arrive, then swing either west or south and do an arc that includes Grenada (the Alhambra) and Jerez (the dancing horses), with further points to be filled in as we go along. Then swing back to Madrid for a day or so before we fly out.
We’ve discussed maybe sliding over into Portugal at some point, but we’re not sure.
Any more suggestions? I never met a zoo, aquarium, wildlife reserve, or historical ruin/architecture I didn’t like.
For travel guides, I highly recommend the Rough Guide of Spain. I’ve devoured mine. In particular, its recommendations for restaurants I’ve found to be quite reliable. Really top-notch.
Important consideration: Are you going to rent a car out of Madrid or take the train?
OK, now I’ll start unloading a little:
Granada
- Reserve your tickets for the Alhambra / Generalife online in advance.
- Visit the Mirador de San Nicolás at sunset for views of the Alhambra
- Granada is famous for its free tapas (though I’ve heard this is disappearing). Order a drink at a bar and they will often give you a free portion of food.
- If you aren’t averse to eating snails, go to Bar Caracoles for a big plate of escargot - picante if you want them spicy.
Ronda is a terrific town to visit. This is a nice place to splurge for the Paradorhotel, if you’re inclined to open your wallet a bit.
Cordoba has the Mosque (confusingly called the Cathedral), which is a must-see, of course. I didn’t get a chance to visit Medina Azahara but I hear it’s nice.
Seville
- I recommend hotel Doña María which is right across from the cathedral: I didn’t think the prices were too much considering the quality and location.
- Two nice restaurants: Casablanca (c/ Zaragoza 50) and La Taberna del Alabardero (c/ Zaragoza 20)
- See: Alcázar, Cathedral and Giralda, Hospicio de los Venerables Sacerdotes, Plaza de Toros, María Luisa Park, Plaza de España, Torre de Oro.
Outside Sevilla there are some very interesting Roman ruins (an amphitheatre and lots of mosaics, etc.) near the town of Italica. Tour buses go there. If you drive, try to spot one of the buses and follow it (roadsigns lead to the town of Italica, but not to the ruins, which are just beyond).
Upthread I recommended visiting the town of Carmona.
If you’re driving you may want to see the Alpujarras and the famous “white towns” of Andalusia, but I suppose both could also be visited by tour buses out of Granada and Seville.
You also need to go to the monumental city of Toledo, which can be done as a day trip out of Madrid or on the way to or from Andalusia.
I’ll give Madrid recommendations later.
Because it is 
The site has been holy since Roman times at least, according to some fragments they found when they were fixing part of the floor. It just keeps being re-co-opted. My mother joked it may become a bank next 
Madrid’s strengths are its museums and bars/nightlife.
For museums, of course, there’s the big three: the Reina Sofia (modern art, featuring Picasso’s Guernica), the **Prado **(classical art with a heavy emphasis on Goya and Velazquez, plus Hieronymous Bosch), and the **Thyssen **(general European art). It may be hard to fit in all three, but they’re all must-sees. In the middle of the three is the CaixaForum, a smaller museum which is free and has an incredible building and some interesting temporary exhibits.
On a nice day, go for a stroll in the **Retiro **(park). Wander around, but make sure you seek out the Palacio de Cristal before leaving if you don’t bump into it on your own. There are plenty of little terrace bars where you can sit down for a coffee or beer and relax.
The Royal Palace is all right. If the weather’s good, walk down the hillside behind and underneath and you’ll discover a lovely park, much quieter and more secluded and more beautiful than the Retiro, called Campo del Moro. It’s basically the Royal Palace’s backyard.
If you like classic film, check out Madrid’s terrific filmoteca, housed at the Cine Dore. It runs a constant cycle of historic art films - the March schedule will have films by Atom Egoyan and Robert Mulligan. All films are in their original language with subtitles. It might seem a waste to see a movie while traveling, but the Cine Dore is special - it’s a historic theater and it always attracts an interesting crowd of film enthusiasts. Also, the films are cheap - there was a scandal when they recently raised their ticket prices over 1 euro.
See the Plaza Mayor and Plaza del Sol, but don’t eat around there - overpriced and touristy. After dark, walk along the Gran Via for the ambience and energy.
Restaurants:
- One of the great regional cuisines of Spain is that of Galicia in the Northwest. It features a lot of shellfish, if you’re into that. The best Galician restaurant in Madrid is Maceiras. There’s always a line and they don’t take reservations, but it’s worth it. Pretty cheap too. The Galician wine is always very interesting: we order the Martin Codax.
- There’s a famous little bar around the corner from Maceiras where you can have some tapas and beers called La Dolores. It has classic tile work on the exterior.
- Madrid has the only Thai restaurant in Europe to be certified by the Thai Ministry of Commerce (or so I read): Thaidy.
- A very nice high-end Mexican restaurant (where the Selma Hayek types eat when she’s in Madrid): La Taqueria del Alamillo. Note that this is real Mexican, not the Tex-Mex you usually get in the States (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
More Madrid:
- Right next to the Plaza Mayor is the newly remodeled Mercado de San Miguel. What was once a normal neighborhood Spanish market has been reborn as a very upscale, gourmet foodcourt. You can grab a glass of wine and patrol the vendors. Pig out on oysters (the seafood in Madrid is surprisingly fresh) or a platter of ham (the famous jamon iberico) or Manchego cheeses. Quite crowded and with a nice ambience in the evening.
- One of Madrid’s oldest restaurants is Lhardy, specializing in French cuisine with some Madrid specialties. It’s a crazy expensive place to dine, but you can safely pop in to its storefront, where you can pour yourself a cup of consomme at an economical price.
- If you want a tapas experience, you can just bar-hop up and down Cava Baja street. Drop into any bar that strikes your fancy. For a full dinner, try the institution Casa Lucioor for similar fare in a more informal setting and at a cheaper price, try the offshoot Hijos de Lucio across the street. If you’re out late on Cava Baja (after midnight) drop into one of the two excellent flamenco bars: La Solea at no. 35 or the other one (whose name escapes me) at no. 24. Each has a house guitarist in the corner and in true open-mike style any person sitting around is liable to break out singing. Exciting and unprogrammed, but doesn’t really get swinging til the gypsies show up (after 2 in the morning).
If you’ve got extra time in Madrid, I recommend a day trip to Segovia, about an hour’s train ride away. It has a beautiful castle, a world-famous Roman aqueduct, and some outstanding dining. Skip the overrated Candido and go to Bar Jose Maria (just off the Plaza Mayor) for an outrageous meal - try the broad beans (judiones) and lamb (cordero), and make sure to order the house red.
What Quercus said. In the big cities, public transit is insanely great by North American standards (Madrid = 300 km of metro for a city of 4 million) and in the small cities, everything is close enough together to walk.
For those who don’t know it or only partly know it, they basically took the great mosque from the Moorish period and after the Reconquista turned it into a cathedral, plunking a Renaissance sanctuary right into the middle (but the complex is so huge that from many places you can barely see it). The king was furious, saying “You have built what you or others might have built anywhere, but you have destroyed something that was unique in the world,” but its consecration as a cathedral probably saved it from destruction, in the end.
Seville cathedral was also built on the former site of the great mosque; the famous Giralda tower was the minaret. Both Seville and Cordoba cathedrals retain the orange tree patios from the mosques.
Make certain to buy yourself a cheap (5 or 6 euro) bottle of cava (Spain’s take on champagne) and drink it (well chilled) out of paper cups while sitting on a park bench. Watch entranced as stunning Spanish women go about their daily lives, all looking so sophisticated and fashonable…
Doing exactly this was one of the most enjoyable hours of my entire life.