Alright boys my gf and I are going to Spain in a month for 8 nights. I found tickets for $400 each direct to Barcelona from USA (that's why we're going to Spain and not somewhere else). I haven't left the country since I was a kid and basically I'm retarded. Have to at least figure out which days we'll sleep in which city with tentative lodging and I need to have it figured out this week because I just have to ok. Also I've been to southern France and it was nice (ha) and I have no qualms with using Barcelona purely as an airport and spending most of our time in France. Factors in favor of Spain are cheaper food/lodging, my gf is fluent in Spanish, and neither of us have been. Basically it'd be cooler to do Spain unless you guys tell me it's a shithole compared to France.

Big question is should we rent a car. I like driving and would enjoy driving a manual SEAT shitbox but I also like trains and it'd be nice to avoid parking and dealing with the rental. But I also don't want to spend a bunch of money on rideshare. We're also in good enough shape to walk a fuckload and are not bringing checked luggage.

I like
>old historical buildings, ruins, forts, maybe some catacombs??
>trying new and strange foods
>exploring cities on foot/public transport

She will want to
>go to the beach once or twice
>maybe go hiking once or twice

She's super easy to please and will be happy with whatever. I don't drink alcohol (had to stop) or even caffeine so I'm not interested in any kind of nightlife and don't want to be harassed by lunchtime rowdies. She'll probably have a glass of wine with dinner a few times but she's no connoisseur.

The interior is hot as balls in the summer. Stay out of Andalucia. Renting a car in Spain is cheap and easy, but don't rent it until you leave Barcelona. It'll cost a ton to park and it's nearly impossible to find a spot anyway. I love driving in Spain. Everyone is too poor to afford a car, so you rarely see any traffic outside the large cities.

If it were me, I'd rent a car and cruise south down the coast to Tarragona and Valencia. Stop at beaches and little towns and historic spots along the way. Pesicola, Segunto, Vilanova i la Geltrú. You could go up and do Montserrat near Valencia.

https://www.thrillophilia.com/places-to-visit-between-barcelona-and-valencia

>>2790714 (OP)
Ok, first thing, avoid the main mistake most Americans usually make: Trying to see everything, cramming 6 cities in 8 nights and end up spending half of your time traveling. Choose 2-3 spots max and spend a few days in each (unless they are very close to each other).

If you want to see several cities, then taking the train makes sense. If, however, you prefer seeing small villages/towns, then yes you'll have to rent a car.

You could do a bit of both, e.g. 2-4 nights in Barcelona, the rest of the trip travelling around. The train network is quite good, but if you want to go to remote beaches then it won't do. If it's your first time then it should be fine.

You'll have to first decide what type of trip you want (city/rural, how remote you want the places to be, how much you want to avoid the rental) and then we can help you.

See The Prado in Madrid.

>>2790714 (OP)
I did Barcelona -> Bilbao a few years back and regret nothing. Two highly unique cultures and Bilbao has god tier beaches nearby

>>old historical buildings, ruins, forts, maybe some catacombs??
>>trying new and strange foods
>>exploring cities on foot/public transport
>>go to the beach once or twice
>>maybe go hiking once or twice
Given the interest in ruins and hiking I'd say renting a car and staying more in the interior countryside would be good.
Also have tons of cold water on hand. Catalunya in the summer is fucking Phoenix, Arizona levels of hot at times.
Personally I'd say stay 1-2 nights in Barca, then take the train from Barna-Sants to Tarragona and rent a car from there. Tarragona has really good beaches and cool Roman ruins and museums.
From there do the driving route as follows:
>Tarragona
>Reus
>Falset
>Cartoixa d'Escaladei
>Montblanc - Conca de Barbera
>Montserrat
And then dropoff the car just outside of Barca limits and take a train into the city for the return if you're using BCN as your hub to your flight back to the US.

>>2793327
>And then dropoff the car just outside of Barca limits and take a train into the city for the return if you're using BCN as your hub to your flight back to the US.
How much do you save doing that? I rented a car from BCN a few weeks ago, it was over $50 a day for a midsize. Unless the savings is significant, I'll just go straight to the airport instead of fucking around with public transport the day of my flight.

It's not really the price of the rental car, it's the gas prices that are ridiculous.

>>2793439
Cars are generally more fuel efficient so you won't use as *much* gas as you typically would in the US. But it is still expensive.

The anon you replied to is right though and you really do not want to rent in Barcelona itself both for any parking and because driving in european cities is not like driving in America. If you're not used to it it will be stressful.

>>2793589
>driving in european cities is not like driving in America. If you're not used to it it will be stressful
It was better than driving in a 3rd world shithole like NYC. I guess how stressful depends on your experience, but yeah, you don't need a car in BCN itself

I found the regular taxis significantly cheaper than uber, but obviously not as convenient because you have to go look for them.

>>2790714 (OP)
This is a country protesting in the streets with slogans like ‘out with tourists, in with immigrants’

>>2794519
Paid protestors flown in. The actual locals are friendly.

Not relevant to the OP specifically, but this is the only Spain thread on the board so I thought it best to post here instead of opening a new one.

I'm planning a trip to Spain with my family, Bilbao specifically, for roughly a week. The entire stay is planned in Bilbao.
I already found a good amount of apartmans on booking, but I am not knownledgable on "bad" and "good" neighbourhoods and so on and so forth.
So my questions are these:
>bad neighbourhoods in Bilbao to definitely avoid, both for accomodation and during our tour of the city/beaches
>some sightseeing options or tours (casual hiking included) that may not be as popular or full of other tourists but it's still as good as some high-profile ones in your opinions
>any other recommendations for Bilbao that a guy who never heard of the city should know about but isn't usually aware of (like "NEVER VISIT [beach X], IT'S ALWAYS FULL OF TRASH or [museum Y], IT'S A DRAG" or anything of the sort)
>good lactose intolerant options, such as shops or restaurants (one family member is recovering from a healthcare complication, she is fine now but she can't consume anything of the sort for a year)