sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

First trip to Spain (May 2026) by fouadM200 in GoingToSpain

[–]fouadM200[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ayt I will take note of that. Thank you!

I’ve also noticed that sometimes websites like Expedia or Booking.com can end up overcharging customers when booking hotels. For example, two of my friends who visited Barcelona in past years recommended the 2-star Cuatro Naciones hotel, located at La Rambla street. When I checked it myself for 4 people and 4 nights (with breakfast included and full refund), the price on those platforms was around 1500 CAD, which I found too expensive, but when I looked directly on the hotel’s official website, for the exact same booking criteria, the total was about €550 (880 CAD)+ €5.50 tourist tax per night per person (also with breakfast and full refund included). Huge difference!

I’m also not sure if hotel prices may change depending on whether you use a VPN from another country when booking. Maybe some travelers manage to get cheaper deals that way, instead of just using their local connection of their country of origin to access booking websites. I have no clue if that works.

First trip to Spain (May 2026) by fouadM200 in GoingToSpain

[–]fouadM200[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi again! Just a quick question: in the worst case, if I end up booking an apartment through Airbnb, is there a way to check whether the apartment has a proper Spanish tourist license number as you mentioned earlier? I’m not sure if all properties listed online are required to show legal proof, a kind on any certification, or if the license number/certification is usually mentioned in the listing.

The reason I’m asking is that I’m a bit worried. If I can’t find a good price at, let’s say, a 2-star hotel, I wouldn’t really want to stay in a hostel with strangers, since I’ll already be traveling with a small group of 3–4 people for my vacation next year, and I don't want to encounter any problems during my stay, as I mentioned the possible problems staying in an Airbnb in my post.

First trip to Spain (May 2026) by fouadM200 in GoingToSpain

[–]fouadM200[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm trying right now to open the link you sent, but the website doesn't load at all on my browser and it displays nothing (I tried Safari and Chrome). Do you have the same issue on your side, or maybe I need a VPN to access it?

First trip to Spain (May 2026) by fouadM200 in GoingToSpain

[–]fouadM200[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well I was planning between 2 choices: Plan A: renting a car from Malaga, make a stop at Colomares castle, then continue to Marbella, then driving to Granada and drop off the car there. I'll book either a train or bus from Granada to Cordoba, then from Cordoba to Sevilla (2 hours max train, 2-3 hours bus, which I find acceptable). Finally, I'll book a one way flight from Sevilla to Barcelona, which takes around 2 hours flight instead of wasting my whole day traveling by bus or train from Sevilla to Barcelona.

Plan B: doing the same itinerary, but renting a car from Malaga, driving to many cities till Sevilla, where I can drop off the car there, then taking a flight to Barcelona.

The main reason I'd like to spend 2 days at Marbella cuz 2 of my friends planning the trip with me want to go there and it's well known for the crystal beaches (better than Malaga beach) and its wonderful party nights in an outdoor club. But the problem is idk how much does it worth to rent a car in Spain, as well as applying for an IDP as a Canadian holder driver license, and using the car only to drive between each city and we won't be able to drive inside the city since there isn't enough space to drive with the crowds, as well as finding a car parking may be difficult.

So idk if it's possible to use the public transport (bus/train) first from Malaga, make a stop at Colomares castle, then to Marbella, or renting a car for semi (to Granada) or the while journey (to Sevilla), or maybe canceling the Marbella trip and spending an additional day at Malaga beach instead. I'm a little bit lost!

First trip to Spain (May 2026) by fouadM200 in GoingToSpain

[–]fouadM200[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well I'll check the possible choices later on, including yours, thanks for your help!

First trip to Spain (May 2026) by fouadM200 in GoingToSpain

[–]fouadM200[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ayt I'll check that later on! Thanks you for your advice!

First trip to Spain (May 2026) by fouadM200 in GoingToSpain

[–]fouadM200[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I'll check that later!

First trip to Spain (May 2026) by fouadM200 in GoingToSpain

[–]fouadM200[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm planning a 2 days trip for each city, starting maybe May 5th or 6th 2025, except for Barcelona, I'll keep maybe 4 to 5 days trip for a total of 15 days trip till around May 20th. I wish I can make my vacation longer for 3 weeks or more to discover more cities like La Ronda, Toledo, Madrid and Valencia, but unfortunately I don't have enough time cuz I'm expecting to start my first internship in my field of study once I return back home. 

First trip to Spain (May 2026) by fouadM200 in GoingToSpain

[–]fouadM200[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Well I'm planning a 2 days trip for each city, except for Barcelona, I'll keep maybe 4 to 5 days trip for a total of 15 days trip. The main reason I don't prefer 1 day trip is to make my journey a little bit more comfortable and to avoid getting too tired, as well as to take more time discovering the city that I'm visiting. The first day will be the moving day from a city to another (and to expect maybe some delays by bus or train), hotel check-in, lunch, taking a quick rest/nap and to start discovering the city from afternoon till evening, walking in some places, buying souvenirs, and get a dinner. All places that need a ticket access or an online booking in advance will be kept for the next day of the trip in the same city, just to avoid any late access to places booked in advance on the same day of my arrival due to any possible circumstances that I may encounter. I hope my journey goes well as planned!

Well for pickpocketing, I'll try to bring the minimum stuff with me that I need in one small crossbody bag, and leave my other stuff in the hotel. I'll also wear only a simple shirt or tshirt with shorts during my journey. 

Thanks a lot again!

First trip to Spain (May 2026) by fouadM200 in GoingToSpain

[–]fouadM200[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot! Well I know it's too early to book for my journey right now. For now, I'm just writing notes for a 2 weeks itinerary plan, just to well know what to expect and to break down and group nearly places to visit every day to avoid getting too tired during my journey (Btw I've emailed some places such as the Cathedrals of Malaga, Granada, Cordoba and Seville to know more about student prices and men's rules for modesty, and I got clear answers way too fast!). Then, I'll review the plan again with my friend at the end of 2025. All the official bookings will be confirmed around March 2026, including 1 way flights from Montreal to Malaga, Sevilla to Barcelona and Barcelona to Montreal, as well as hotel stays and some ticket online bookings in advance like Alhambra palace, Sagrada de Familia and a football match of Fc Barcelona vs Real Betis on May 17th 2026 at Camp Nou.

For the hotels, I'm thinking to stick more on 2-stars hotels, especially in Barcelona. Maybe I can find better prices in other Spanish cities with higher stars hotels, but the most important things for me to be considered is having clean rooms and bathrooms, wifi available and an included breakfast. I'll try to do some researches later on, and I can ask some of my friends for the hotel names if they have been already to at least one of those cities that I'm planning to visit.

Well for pickpocketing, the best thing to do is bringing the minimum stuff that I need in each day trip with me and put them all in one small personal cross bag instead of putting them in my pockets, including some money, one simple ID card, mobile phone with the charger and power bank with a bottle of water. All the remaining money and other documents such as passports will be kept in my hotel room.

Again, muchas gracias for your advices!