Now Exploring: Spain!

I had a lot of preconceived notions about Spain. My limited knowledge of the culture and cuisine allowed for a really delightful unfolding. We were so charmed by the winding pathways that widened into lively plazas where families and friends gathered to enjoy each other, food and drink on every surface available.

I think that is my favorite part of Spain. Kids, elders, adults, everyone, spends time together, they're not on their phones, they are unhurried, present, the conversation is lively and they eat well.

Tapas and pintxos are a world unto themselves and discovering each one was like a culinary “box of chocolates.” The different regions of Spain felt like separate countries themselves! Barcelona and Madrid were so different from Basque Country and Ibiza. I can highly recommend Spain for foodies, culture lovers and people who can appreciate the vibrancy of city living.

-Our fav spots/Things To Do: Barcelona (Sagrada Familia is a must, tapas, La Merce is an awesome culture festival at the end of September), San Sebastian (Mount Igueldo Viewpoint, pinxtos), Madrid (Flamenco/Spanish Guitar, tapas), Bilbao (Guggenheim facade/free video, Casco Viejo, pinxtos), Ibiza (beaches, catamaran to Formentera, dining, dj’s & dancing).

-Tipping: Tipping isn’t really a thing in Spain like it is in the US. You’d mostly just round your bill up a few bucks if anything. BUT in the more touristy areas tipping has become more regular and even expected.

-Air BnB Experiences: We loved to check out the food tours, cooking classes, and nature excursions available on the Experiences section of the Air BnB app.

-Language: In Barcelona Spanish and Catalan are the first languages but we easily found English spoken. In San Sebastian and Bilbao we found Spanish and Euskara, the language of the Basue region, was being used. The signs in euskara were much harder to pronounce and understand with our knowledge of Spanish, it’s quite different! However, English was spoken in many places.

Hello/Goodbye: Hola/Adios

Thank You: Gracias

Excuse Me: Permiso

The fire ritual of correfoc at La Merce Festival September 2025

-The environment: It can be surprisingly hot in the summer and it’s a busy tourist season. September and October we’re perfect. Take your vitamins because we didn’t get many vegetables from the cuisine. Tap water is supposedly ok for tourists but we stuck to filtered/bottled water. It may help to start a course of probiotics before your trip and bring Tums and activated charcoal for possible stomach issues.

-Currency: Euros are the accepted currency in Spain BUT we never once used or took out cash as cards were accepted everywhere, even the small places. Currency Converter

-Reservations: Book your Sagrada Familia trip in advance! Other than that and our tours we were able to get into the places we wanted. Buying club tickets in advance in Ibiza can save you some money. If there is a significant restaurant you’d like to dine at you’ll want to book that in advance as well.

-Surrounding Travels: We flew to Morocco after several days exploring Spain. Portugal is also another close European option to extend your travels for the price of a reasonable plane ticket. Biarritz, France is a short bus or ferry trip from San Sebastian.

-What we missed in Spain: We didn’t get to the West or South of Spain but heard awesome things, we definitely want to go back! We didn’t make it to Mallorca and Menorca in the Balearic Isalnds because it wasn’t quite easy to make the limited ferry options happen. Some of the clubs we wanted to do in Ibiza weren’t possible because we didn’t want to wait in a super long line or pay exorbitant club entry fees.

Pre Trip: Leave the US and arrive in Europe, you’ll lose about 24 hours arriving a day ahead. We had a layover in Istanbul, super cool airport.

Day 1- Barcelona: Sagrada Familia

We wanted to start our trip with Barcelona’s, and arguably Spain’s, most famous attraction. I was a bit cynical about making a visit to Sagrada Familia. Was it just a tourist trap and would the religious piece be grating for this ex-church kid? NO. Sagrada Familia is a world wonder full of inspiration, creativity and it’s quite awe inspiring. It’s a DO NOT MISS situation here and the inside is even more spell binding than the outside. Book your tickets for Sagrada Familia at least two weeks in advance to get your desired date. You can’t buy tickets on site. Leave yourself plenty of time to tour around.

We loved our stay at Hostal Hera in Barcelona’s El Born Neighborhood. Lodging was very expensive in Barcelona and we tried to avoid Air BnB’s which our local friends said contributed to higher rents. We had a balcony and private bathroom and the location was outstanding! El Born is a cool vibrant neighborhood and it’s near the water and lots of attractions. We walked, took the metro or took a city bike everywhere. Loved that we got to walk so much!

Day 2- Explore Barcelona & Beach Journey

Barcelona City Tour Double Decker Bus: We LOVE a double decker bus tour to get background info, see a city as a whole and note the places we want to come back to. We rarely jump off, preferring to do the entire loop and find our way back if something piques our interest.

Beach & Boardwalk Visit: Because we were having so much fun in the city and getting lost in the maze of streets we almost forgot Barcelona is a beach city! The boardwalk is long and leisurely with lots of places to eat and drink. It was a little too cool for a swim in late September but we rented e-bikes and rode along the water. Barcelona is one of the best cities I’ve ever seen for bike riding with dedicated bike lanes everywhere! (Hot Tip: The “Bicing” public e-bikes are for Barcelona locals only. We used app based rentals with Smou, Voi, Bolt and Bird.)

Day 3- Paella Cooking Class

We did a Paella Cooking Class and Market Tour that blew us away. I feel honored to know how much work goes into making paella and Spanish cooking in general. I also learned so much about Spain’s gastronomy by visiting the market. This tour made it easier to know what to bring home by helping us understand the quality of different foods. We ate and drank SO well, major value and good times here.

Day 4- Explore Madrid

In a word, Madrid is GRAND! And I’m talking about scale here. The humongous castle type buildings made us feel like we were miniatures in a magical realm. Everything was ornate and magical fountains and facades lay around every corner in the main corridor. The neighborhoods are a little more normal scale but still grand, in the vibey way, with life and energy coursing throughout city streets. Madrid felt more grown up and “business casual” than Barcelona but the ultra Spanish art and culture was something to behold. I wish we had more time in Madrid.

High Speed Train: We opted to get to Madrid by high speed train. Spain has the longest high speed train network in Europe and we went from Barcelona to Madrid in less than 2 hours for less money (and way less hassle) than a flight. It gave us a chance to see the Spanish countryside and it’s pretty exhilarating if you haven’t done a high speed train. We booked directly on the Renfe website.

You’ll arrive in Madrid at Atotcha Station which is a tourist attraction in itself, we just couldn't find the beautiful part when we arrived. It was a bit confusing to find the Uber section and the taxi line was SUPER long. We eventually made it out!

Lodging: We really liked the Malasaña neighborhood where our Air BnB was located. It’s hip and the food options are great. There is also easy metro access and it’s around a lot of tourist attractions.

Tour: Of course we did the double decker bus with City Tour Madrid, for the two loops it took 2.5 hours and really helped us understand everything. Being so high up made it easier to take in how GRAND all the massive stately buildings are. WOW!

Madrid city lights from Hotel Riu, Tapas at La Ventanera and Flamenco

Flamenco/Spanish Guitar/Singing: DO NOT MISS a flamenco, Spanish guitar and singing performance. It’s a cultural experience that left me breathless. Lucky for us Teatro Flamenco Madrid was about a three minute walk from our lodging and the guest dancers that night had to be some of the best. We booked a spot closer to the stage to take it all in. The performance only lasted about an hour but I could have watched it all night.

Bars & Nightlife: Seeing Madrid from above is a special thing and one of the most popular rooftops is Sky Bar 360 at Hotel Riu. It costs about $10 euro to go up the elevator and take in the views. I didn’t have to wait but I bet on busy nights you would. If you want a table you need to make a reservation or be prepared to wait. The vibe isn’t great but the views are well worth it!

My favorite experience for tapas was at La Ventanera. The space is beautiful, it gave me a chance to leave the touristy areas and the food was phenomenal. I didn’t see any tapas like that anywhere I went in Spain.

We never made it out to party but if we had we would have hit up Calle 365 for a club night out. Every year they pick a new country and completely change the food/drinks/theme of the restaurant!

Day 5- Madrid Food Tour

We did a great Madrid Authentic Cuisine Walking Tour we saw on Air BnB experiences. It took us to the lovely La Latina neighborhood which is where locals live. We tried foods that informed so much of the culture and that we’d otherwise not have known about. It took us to the mercado and gave us our best tortilla of the trip.

I hate to admit it but we never made it to the famous Reina Sofia Art Museum to see Guernica! We opted for some leisurely people watching and aimless walking before our flight to San Sebastian.

Day 6- Explore San Sebastian/Pais Vasco!

Being from Hawaii and San Diego, CA surrounded by surfers I had always heard of San Sebastian for the waves and surfer culture. When a dear friend moved there we knew we had to visit! Turns out this jewel of the Basque Country is so much more. They have a well known film festival and they are one of the cities with the most Michelin restaurants per capita! It’s a beautiful, clean place full of great food and lovely views.

Tour: You guessed it, we got oriented with a double decker ride with City Tour San Sebastian. It lasted only one hour and provided us with transportation to our most favorite spot in San Sebastian, see below!

Funicular Ride Up to Mt. Iguelo: One of the stops on the double decker bus ride is the funicular that takes you up to the best viewpoint in San Sebastian. Views from the funicular itself aren’t the best but the short, incredibly steep ride up is harrowing and fun. At the top of the mountain is a theme park (it was closed when we went in October), a restaurant (was serving a limited menu of snacks and drinks), and views that will take your breath away. This is the perfect photo shoot spot!

Side Trip Options: We opted to spend our full time in San Sebastian but we toyed with the idea of taking a trip across the border to Biarritz, France. It’s less than an hour away and accessible by bus.

Pintxos: Pintxos (peen-chose) are the tapas of Basque country. They are served on pieces of fluffy bread and put out on display for guests to select by the piece. Eating in San Sebastian is a MUST. You can see Michelin placards everywhere and the pintxos on display make your mouth water as you walk around looking for the perfect spot. Just beware, by 10:30pm restaurants were closing at high speed! We squeezed in our favorite spot El Tamboril/Tambo and sincerely enjoyed everything we ate. People spilled out of the door into the street and were still served. On Thursdays you can experience PinxtoPote, a Basque “happy hour” where you can get a beverage and a pintxo for a low price. All the younger kids were hanging on the park benches, streets and corners enjoying life and good cuisine. Very different from my US high school/university experience!

Day 7- Explore Bilbao

Bilbao is the perfect space to immerse into Basque culture. It feels markedly different than any other place we went to in Spain and we spent the day strolling along the Nervión river admiring the architecture and the plentiful street art. You’d never believe it was once a dark, desolate coal mining town! One of my friends moved here with her husband many moons ago so we had some great insider knowledge with them and their adorable two kids. It definitely gave us a great sense of what being a local could feel like.

Bus Ride: We took a bus ride from San Sebastian to Bilbao. It was about $13 and less than 1 hour. Highly recommended booking online with Alsa.

Guggenheim Bilbao: I love the Guggenheim museum in NYC and here in Seattle our Pop Museum is designed by Frank Gehry so I was excited to visit the Guggenheim Bilbao designed by Frank Gehry. We didn’t have a lot of time in Bilbao so opted to see the iconic facade and art that surrounds the outside, explore the gift shop and watch the info video that plays on a loop inside the Bilbao lobby. All that is free and with purchased tickets you have access to a legendary art collection. The famous sculpture “Puppy” by Jeff Koons was being replanted when we were there in early October, just a heads up if this is a big draw.

Tour: Yup we did a double decker bus tour with Bilbao City View. It boarded right outside of the Guggenheim and its one loop took an hour. We didn’t hop off anywhere but enjoyed hearing the history and seeing the sights around town.

Casco Viejo Quarter: This is a gorgeous part of Bilbao’s “old town’. These seven streets and plazas felt like we were in the perfect European village. The La Ribera Market is around this area and serves up a Spanish mercado experience as well as a great spot to have world class pintxos. We had a fabulous night out in Plaza Nueva with my friend's family. We adults sipped wine and enjoyed pintxos from Cafe Bar Bilbao while all the neighborhood kids ran around the plaza. We ended the night with delicious Moroccan skewers at Melilla y Fez and some gelato.. This was one of our most memorable nights on our trip because we got to immerse in the communal, familial street gatherings over food and drink. MAGIC!

Day 8- Fun in the Sun in Ibiza

Truth be told we knew nothing about Ibiza beyond the hilarious Lonely Island song “Ibitha” from one of our favorite movies Popstar and the famous (sometimes infamous) image as a mecca for EDM partying. We’d heard whispers that the natural side of Ibiza rivaled the parties and wanted a water/beach element in our travels across Spain and Morocco. The whispers were right! We had a blast dancing and enjoying 4x4 beats but mostly we’ll remember this island for the gorgeous countryside, swimming naked on pristine white sand beaches and sailing on a catamaran to parts once unknown.

Hot Tip: Many restaurants/clubs/activities are closed in the off season between October and Apri

We found tons of great info on the Ibiza Spotlight website

Rent A Car and Get Lodging in a Central Location: Nothing is close together in Ibiza, that surprised us greatly. There wasn’t really one central area, or “strip”, there were many different areas spread over a relatively small island. You could drive around the full island in a few hours. We stayed in an Air BnB in the Sant Josep de Talaia area. While I can’t recommend the Air BnB we stayed in, I can recommend the area that was super central and had one of our favorite restaurants, Can Bass.

Check out the different vibes and areas of Ibiza here

Dance Clubs: Clubs in Ibiza start their opening parties in Late April/May and wind down for their closing parties in September/Oct. There is a whole bevvy of clubs to choose from and if you’re headed to Ibiza you’ve probably heard of the pillars, Pacha, Amnesia, Ushuaia, and Hi Ibiza. We enjoyed Ushuaia's outdoor night party (the closing party for ANTS was epic), the day parties at O Beach have an ultra glam “pool” party vibe, and we loved Cova Santa’s vibe with different outdoor and indoor spaces. We never made it to the insane decor of UNVRS or the underground beats at DC10.

Hot Tip: you can save a BUNCH of money by buying tickets in advance.

Day 9: Ibiza Town and Dalt Vila

Old Town/Dart Vila: The charming old town has beautiful stone walkways and more Spanish architecture than anywhere else on Ibiza. There are many great places to dine and souvenir shop in this area. The views from Dart Vila are cool but the winding corridors are even cooler!

Day 10: Catamaran to Formentera

One of our most favorite days was sailing on a catamaran to the nearby island of Formentera. The boat ride/sailing itself was worth the whole trip as the beaches on Formentera are much like ones we found on Ibiza. We picked our tour on Air BnB experiences where you have lots to choose from and they basically do the same things.
Hot Tip: If you go to Formentera, avoid the tourist trap restaurant La Pirata!

Day 11: Beach Road Trip

The beaches on this Mediterranean jewel blew us away! The water is aquamarine and crystal clear. The “Neptune grass” seaweed off the Balearic island filters and cleans the water to perfection and local people work to protect the natural beauty. The European tradition of tanning nude at the beaches is allowed here and we took full advantage of it! Not a lot of experiences can compare to swimming naked in the sea. We woke up early, grabbed coffee and pastries and went on a day-long road trip to check out more beaches and the enchanting countryside.

Check out my Ibiza Beach Tour on Google Maps

Enchanting Secret Beaches List

Ibiza Virgins Guide to Beaches

We went clockwise around the island to catch the morning sun on the South/East side of the island and the evening sun and sunset on the North/West side of the island.

Our favorite Ibiza beaches are below but there were SO many we never made it to:

Aguas Blancas: A short steep hike down from the parking lot gets you to a delightful beach with a dramatic rock face and lovely views. The pre noon sun was perfect and we felt free to be naked. It was really peaceful and there weren’t many people there. No restaurants or amenities here.

Calla Vadella: Picture a perfect topaz cove with nary a waves. Because of the good amount of people and children this isn’t really a nude friendly beach. Parking was nearby with no climb and there were restaurants and shops nearby.

Cala d’Hort: Gaze upon the mystical Es Vedra rock in all its power as the sun sets. We LOVED our sunset paella at Restaurant Cala d’Hort. Heads up, the parking here is up a steep climb and the beach was rocky, seaweed filled and small. There are only two restaurants and a beach shack serving ice cream bars and cold beverages but it’s worth it to be in the presence of Es Vedra up close.

Bonus #1: Can Cosmi in a more remote part of the North/East side was a dreamy place to eat on our road trip. The roasted chicken and tortilla were sumptuous and fresh but it was the serene view as we sipped cava sangria that sent us to heaven.

Bonus #2: We never made it to Tanit's Cave in Cala San Vicente in the far north of the island but I really wanted to! The legend of Tanit, Ibiza’s mythical Phoenician goddess, was very alluring…

Day 11: Hippy & Artisan Markets

Ibiza has a bunch of great art markets on different days in different parts of the island. Check out Las Dalias Hippy Market in San Carlos on Saturday and Sundays, the Artisan Market in San Juan on Sundays and Punta Arabí Hippy Market in Es Caná on Wednesdays (Hot Tip: Bring cash for cash only parking lots!). These are great places to get your souvenirs and keepsakes so you remember the magical island of Ibiza for all time.

Check out more markets here

Post Trip Travels:

We flew from Ibiza, Spain into Tangier, Morocco for 10 (11ish) days of exploration in Africa (Hot Tip: Ibiza is one hour ahead of Tangier). We didn’t make it to Mallorca and Menorca but maybe in the future we’ll get there!

Spain/Morocco Transportation Costs

Booked January-June 2025 for September/October 2025

$3322, For 1 person, 10 locations in 25 days

9/25/25 Flight Seattle to Barcelona (Turkish Airlines): $573

9/30/25 Train Barcelona to Madrid (Ave): $64

10/1/25 Flight from Madrid to San Sebastian (Iberia): $123

10/03/25 Bus from San Sebastian to Bilbao (Alsa): $13

10/04/25 Flight from Bilbao to Ibiza (Iberia): $160

10/04-10/09 Rental Car Ibiza (Europacar): $650

10/09/25 Flight Ibiza to Tangier (Iberia): $302

10/09/25 Private Car from Tangier to Chefcaouen: $80

10/10/25 Train from Tangier to Fes (ONCF): $36

10/12/25 Fez to Marrakech-Private Tour Car: $585

(½ of the total cost of the 4 day, 3 Night incl. transportation, meals and lodging)

10/18/25 Flight Marrakech to Seattle (Qatar Airways): $736

Spain/Morocco Lodging Costs: $3547.76 (23 nights, $154 /night average (3 free nights w/friends)

Spain per night average: $197

Morocco per night average: $153

9/26-930: $884.50 Barcelona Hostel Hera (4 Nights, Alaska Card)

9/30-10/2: $378.83 Madrid (Malasaña neighborhood) Air BnB (2 Nights)

10/2-10/4:$0 3 nights Stayed with friends

10/4-10/9: $907.90 Ibiza Air BnB (5 nights)

10/9-10/10: $120.11 Tangier Hotel El Toro (1 Night)

10/10-10/12: $150.72 Fes Air BnB (2 nights)

10/12-10/15: $585 Morocco Fabulous Travel Tour

(½ of the total cost of the 4 day, 3 Night incl. transportation, meals and lodging)

10/15-10/18: $520.70 Marrakesh Air BnB (3 Nights)

Lodging and Hotel Only: $6870 for 25 days across Spain and Morocco ($275/day)

Oct 28 Spain in 10 Epic Days: Itinerary, Tips, Must See

Now Exploring: Spain!

Oct 26 Morocco in 10 Epic Days: Itinerary, Tips, Must See

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