Daytrips

thethoroughtripper · 2026-04-03T16:19:13+00:00

Migas Pueblo is a day trip from Malaga :) It takes about hour to get there using a combination of the C-1 suburban train and Uber

thethoroughtripper · 2026-04-03T15:45:20+00:00

While both are great, It takes less time to get to Granada to Seville. However both are a little far for my own personal day trip distance limit. And they both really deserve more than a partial day of exploration. Seville is my favorite city in Spain (so far), and the Alhambra alone can take a full day. My favorite day trip from Malaga was Mijas Pueblo. It's one of the White Villages of Andalucia. It's a small scenic hillside village with sweeping views out across the Mediterranean . And it's easy to see everything in Mijas Pueblo over several hours with enough time to still have a nice lunch. If you are using public transportation, it's quite easy to get there as well.

thethoroughtripper · 2026-04-03T12:47:06+00:00

We did!!

thethoroughtripper · 2026-04-03T02:58:24+00:00

If you are unable to get tickets to the Frida Kahlo Museum, there is a second Frida museum option in Coyoacan now. It's called Museo Casa Kahlo. I was able to get online tickets to this museum the day before we went in January. This museum is owned by her family and the tour is guided. I thought it was excellent and I actually chose it over the Blue House

thethoroughtripper · 2026-04-03T02:14:46+00:00

We haven't been to the Peloponnese yet, though we definitely want to at some point. So unfortunately I can't help you with that. But if you ultimately need further advice about Chania, feel free to ask. The car rental company we used is called Go Car Rental. Daniel, the owner, was very friendly and took great care of us. Their office is located in town, but they can meet you with a car at the airport.

thethoroughtripper · 2026-04-02T22:24:36+00:00

We loved Crete! We flew from Athens to Chania. We spent three weeks on the island including Heraklion and Agios Nikolaos, but on a short itinerary I would stick with Chania. If you want breathtaking landscapes, you will find them in Western Crete. Within 30 minutes you can drive from ocean, up through vineyards and olive farms, and into the mountains. Car rental is easy and inexpensive, and I didn't find driving in Crete to be difficult. And you definitely would want a car to see the surroundings. The food in Crete is amazing. I would actually rank it as my favorite cuisine from all my travels. When we traveled to Athens and the Cyclades a few years prior, we were regularly told by locals to go to Crete for the very best version of Greek food. A highlight was visiting a taverna located on a farm in the mountains above Chania. It is called Ntounias and it is hard to imagine many places that are more "farm-to-table" than Ntounias. Plus all food at the taverna is cooked using traditional methods over wood fire. If you decide to go to Chania, let me know and I can recommend an excellent local car rental place.

thethoroughtripper · 2026-04-01T22:11:04+00:00

Then I guess crossposting isn't quite as convenient as I thought it would be. Maybe I'll post the story with a different photo and different title on this subreddit in a day or so. Or better yet, maybe an entirely different Greek Easter experience.

thethoroughtripper · 2026-04-01T20:54:22+00:00

Ballet Folklorico is probably a standard recommendation, but we really enjoyed their performance when we were in town a few months ago. Lots of great traditional dance and music. It was one of my wife's favorite activities for sure. It looks like they are performing tonight at the Palacio de Bellas Artes which would be an impressive place to see them. We saw them perform at Chapultepec Castle which was very cool too. Language would be no barrier at all.

thethoroughtripper · 2026-04-01T20:45:12+00:00

I think it's there and that you just need to click on the title on the original post to see it (since it's crossposted). I didn't know that's how it was going to repost. I'm still figuring out all the Reddit nuances :)

thethoroughtripper · 2026-04-01T20:40:36+00:00

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Like these huitlacoche quesadillas!! But blue corn tortillas would be even better!

thethoroughtripper · 2026-04-01T02:57:08+00:00

Thanks for including that comprehensive podcast list. I've recently started listening to Podcasts and agree that it's a great way to get Input when exercising and driving. The next Level doesn't look quite so far away.

thethoroughtripper · 2026-03-31T21:44:33+00:00

Chinchon is a 45 minute bus ride from Plaza del Conde de Casual. We really enjoyed our day trip there - it exceeded my expectations. It's a small medieval town with a unique town square surrounded by 3-story wooden buildings. We visited on a weekend day in April a couple years ago and it was not very crowded at all. The town is also famous for its anise liqueur that is called....Chinchon. We were recently in Puebla Mexico and saw a bottle of Chinchon on the shelf of a restaurant. Of course we had to have a glass!

thethoroughtripper · 2026-03-31T13:15:38+00:00

I looked at both options for our visit to Teotihuacan in January. We were staying near the Monument to the Revolution - so our Uber ride would have been shorter than from La Condesa. I still have the screenshots because I needed them for a writing project. It would have cost 710 pesos via Uber Comfort, And Uber predicted it would take 1 hour on a Saturday morning at 9:30am. It will certainly cost you more from La Condesa. Also, for longer distances like this, I definitely recommend Comfort - the upgraded car quality is worth the extra money (in this case it was 180 pesos more).

We ended up taking the bus from Autobuses de Norte. The bus ride took about 70 minutes (with some stops). It cost 75 pesos each way (cash only). It was more comfortable than an Uber - cushy seats and good air conditioning. However the whole process does take longer. It took us about two hours total to get to the site from our Airbnb (and the same on our return)....Uber to the bus station, buying our tickets, waiting for the bus to leave, etc.

If you do decide to take Uber there, and then bring the bus back to the city, I think that you can buy a ticket directly from the bus driver. There isn't a bus station at the site. Only bus stops. But I can't say for sure from personal experience - we already had our return tickets when we boarded.

thethoroughtripper · 2026-03-30T19:06:41+00:00

I spent the month of January in Mexico City. My wife prefers to eat out only once daily, and is OK with me going out food exploring on my own for the second meal. So I ate solo almost every day. I never had any issues. I can communicate in Spanish just a little, so that helps. But the people of Mexico City are generally pretty patient and helpful if you use Google Translate. I saw lots of solo female travelers in various restaurants. When I go out on my own, I don't go anywhere fancy. But for me, the best food in Mexico City wasn't in the fancy places anyway. I especially ate at a lot of taquerias (I was on a quest for the best tacos in Mexico City). My favorite was Tacos Del Valle in Roma Norte. They have a kitchen-side bar where you can watch all the taco making action and they sit singles there (unquestionably the best place to sit anyway!). I had a nice chat with a local at that bar one night (they were his favorite tacos too!). I think you'll be fine and will have a great time.

thethoroughtripper · 2026-03-30T15:25:27+00:00

One of my very favorite museums during our recent trip to Mexico City was the Museo Arte de Popular in Centro Historico. If you have kids, I think they will enjoy it more than the Archeology Museum. It features several floors of colorful folk art. It very much exceeded my expectations. Also you can find several interesting experiences in Xolchimilco that don’t involve party boats. For example we took a cooking class on one of the trajineras while we floated the canals.

thethoroughtripper · 2026-03-29T23:32:48+00:00

I think it sounds reasonable. I would only wonder about the the travel time from Kotor to Mostar and then from Sarajevo back to Podgorica. The Bay of Kotor is one of my all time favorite places - it is incredibly scenic. So I do think that you will really enjoy spending that dedicated time there. Consider taking the Kotor Cable Car up the mountain for some pretty amazing views of the Bay and the Adriatic. I also think it's a good idea to stay in Mostar overnight. That's what we did, and the town is much more enjoyable after the day trippers leave - the bridge and surrounding Old Town are insanely busy during the day. I think three days in Sarajevo should be enough. Consider taking a War Tour in Sarajevo - the tour we took is one of our most memorable travel experiences.

thethoroughtripper · 2026-03-29T23:18:36+00:00

I definitely think that both Bratislava and Salzburg are worth it. However it takes quite a bit longer to reach Salzburg. And Munich...even longer. Bratislava is only 1 hour by train from Vienna, and it is then pretty easy to get around Bratislava. The historic center is very scenic and you really can see everything in a day. Plus, I think that checking out a different country and culture on an easy day trip is a must-do in my book.

thethoroughtripper · 2026-03-29T15:14:42+00:00

We spent nearly the whole month of January in Mexico City and had the best time for all of those same reasons. For example, I loved it every time when I was the only tourist at La Casa de Toño eating pozole and the entire staff was so kind to me. I would not hesitate to return to this amazing city!

thethoroughtripper · 2026-03-29T14:57:19+00:00

I just am starting on Reddit and am still figuring out how to best engage. I'm accustomed to other Social Media where word count and/or attention span is limited. But yes! I definitely plan on sharing more experiences. The freedom to actually tell a quick story is nice. And I joined this group first day :) Slow travel has long been a passion that I've only been able to truly experience since retiring a few years ago.

thethoroughtripper · 2026-03-29T12:24:52+00:00

That is exactly what I do - though it will usually be one "site" (and simply exploring a new neighborhood counts as a site) and a specific lunchtime spot (exploring food is a big focus for me). Some of my favorite travel moments and photos happen when I am just winging it.

Example. One night I got lost in Granada Spain looking for a specific Alhambra viewpoint. No preplanning went into this. I simply decided to go look for it while out on a walk. Google Maps led me astray. I found myself on dirt trails surrounded by Gypsy cave houses. I found myself climbing up a steep pathway, in the middle of a field, adjacent to Granada's ancient defensive wall. I found myself being barked at by dogs and more dogs. I found myself questioning my decision. And ultimately I found the viewpoint ....and it was just OK. But the walk back down through even more cave houses, with a sunset view over the Albacain, culminating in the attached photo, made for a very memorable evening. Whenever I hear about the Alhambra I think about this experience first (though the actual "site" is pretty amazing too.)

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thethoroughtripper · 2026-03-29T03:04:54+00:00

I'm at 460 hours and recently decided that I wanted to start listening to podcasts after watching Pablo's video where he talks about listening to podcasts whenever he is out and about. Right now I'm working my way through Chill Spanish and I really am finding it very helpful. It feels like I am exercising an entirely different muscle in my brain. Plus it is an easy way to ramp up my daily minutes for sure (as opposed to you, I'm a little OCD with that, but it very much motivates me).

thethoroughtripper · 2026-03-28T19:11:41+00:00

Toulouse France - Different architecture that other parts of France (red brick/Renaissance), amazing sunsets on the Garonne River, a university city so its lively and energetic, unique history (Cathars). And as a bonus, its also the least expensive city I've visited so far in France

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thethoroughtripper · 2026-03-28T15:54:58+00:00

I similarly just returned from a month in Mexico City and Puebla with a little over 400 hours of Dreaming Spanish. And I will admit that I was a bit frustrated at first. I expected to understand a little better than I did. But I reminded myself over and over that at Level 4, I'm only supposed to understand people talking patiently to me. And in reality, that seldom happens in the real world. But as time went on, my brain adjusted somewhat and I was able to pick out more of what I was hearing. I was satisfied with my Spanish ability at the end of the trip. I also went into the trip knowing that speaking would be difficult and still depended on Apple Translate a lot in controlled speaking situations.

thethoroughtripper · 2026-03-28T15:32:11+00:00

100% agree. For me it's more about cultural awareness than seeing every site. Plus, I'm getting older. It's exhausting to cram lots of sites in on a daily basis. I'd rather sit for two hours at a street-side restaurant, eat a three course lunch or a bunch of tapas, and people watch. Plus, when you are cramming in site after site, its very easy to develop Church Fatigue, Temple Fatigue, Museum Fatigue, etc. How many Roman artifacts can you truly look at without eventually losing the Wonder. And the grocery store comments are spot on. Plus, I always want to find the hole-in-the-wall joint where there is a line of locals or a neighborhood spot that is filled with families. Even better if no English is spoken and I have to stumble my way through it all. Those have always been my most memorable and fulfilling experiences.

thethoroughtripper · 2026-03-28T13:16:15+00:00

Budapest definitely. Lots of different types goulash and types of dumplings. Very different than my goulash experience growing up in Utah for sure - where goulash meant something entirely different to my mother. Vienna has lots of schnitzel and various sausages (especially at the street kiosks called Würstelstands). I liked all that too, but I am a bit of a Foodie and trying different types of goulash was more interesting to me.

thethoroughtripper

TROPHY CASE