Topic Wiki

Barcelona
Links to Trip Reports: @Yehuda, Yehoshua, CGR
Kosher Restaurants: http://www.restaurantmaccabi.com/en/
Activities: Jewish Tours in Barcelona, http://www.urbancultours.com
http://www.barcelonadreaming.com/package/barcelona-jewish-tour/
Hotels:
Shabbos Tips: Stay at Hotel Condado it is about a 3 minute walk from the shul (local community), bear in mind there is no eruv, so you will need to either leave the room open or make some arrangement with the hotel, they do not offer keys (or have that option at all)
Public Transport options:
Guidebooks:
Other Tips: Jewish Community of Barcelona (Orthodox): http://www.cibonline.org; Go to the local shul and meet Rabbi Daniel Ashkenazi he is wonderful and quite helpful.

Madrid
Links to Trip Reports: @Yehuda, @Yehuda pics, Yehoshua, @zalc (Mini)., CGR
Kosher Restaurants: http://www.restaurantelaescudilla.com  https://www.pinatimadrid.com/  https://www.pizzeriarimmon.com/(teuda)
Activities: Toledo - a day trip from Madrid to see 2 old Shuls. Can hire a tour guide, Rabbi Hanoka (info@jewishtoledotour.com), which is not cheap, or can take a train on your own. 1 of the Shuls (El Transito) is closed on Mondays. @Yehuda went on a day when that Shul was closed, and the other Shul was really just an empty room and seemed like a Christian organization now runs the center. Without a tour guide, it was hard to get anything Jewish out of our trip (other than an antique store that had some Judaica). But, people who have taken the tour (discussed in the thread) have said it was great! Recommended to go with a tour or not go at all (and ensure to go on a day when both are open!). Report in the thread that the sometimes-closed Shul has audio headsets for use, so that would help. If going alone, you can research the Jewish places at the link HERE
Hotels:
Shabbos Tips: Chabad Site
Public Transport options: Uber works well, as does the subway if you speak Spanish.
Guidebooks:
Other Tips: Jewish Community of Madrid (Orthodox), http://www.cjmadrid.org

Malaga
Links to Trip Reports:
CGR
Kosher Restaurants:
Activities:
Hotels:
Shabbos Tips:
Public Transport options:
Guidebooks:
Other Tips: Comunidad Israelita de Malaga (Orthodox), http://www.cimalaga.es

Seville
Links to Trip Reports: @Yehuda, Yehoshua, CGR
Kosher Restaurants:
Activities: Jewish Tours in Sevilla/Cordoba, http://www.jewishsevilla.com
Hotels:
Shabbos Tips:
Public Transport options:
Guidebooks:
Other Tips: Comunidad Judia de Sevilla, synagoguesevilla@gmail.com

Gibraltar
Links to Trip Reports: Yehoshua
Kosher Restaurants: Amar's Bakery and Coffee shop, http://www.amarsbakery.com/
Activities:
Hotels:
Shabbos Tips:
Public Transport options:
Guidebooks:
Other Tips: Jewish Community of Gibraltar, http://www.jewishgibraltar.com

Mallorca
Links to Trip Reports:
CGR
Kosher Restaurants: Their is not - one restaurant serve felafel it's own by an israeli but no hechsher
Activities:
Hotels:
Shabbos Tips: The Shul its open on Friday night
Public Transport options:
Guidebooks:
Other Tips:
 
4500 IB Avios from anywhere to anywhere in the country
Best way to get around anywhere in this country is by scooter. It is safer driving them there since they outnumber cars by great proportions.
« Last edited by cgr on September 04, 2023, 09:01:01 PM »

Author Topic: Spain Master Thread  (Read 318542 times)

Offline cgr

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1180 on: September 04, 2023, 09:01:42 PM »
Just published a longer Trip Report on Spain. Added it to the wiki as well.
https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=134300.0

Offline mendoul

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1181 on: November 27, 2023, 02:37:19 PM »
I just came back from a trip to Barcelona, the chabad Rabbi told us that gelaaati di marco in the old city - llibreteria 7
Has a few ice cream flavors who are kosher, we went and tried it out ! It came out very good especially the mandarino menta ginger and limone basilico


Its located right near plaza sant jaume
mendy

Offline saw50st8

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1182 on: December 12, 2023, 10:04:04 PM »
I have a few questions about an upcoming trip:

1) Is parking a minivan really a challenge in the cities there?

2) If I have to choose between Granada, Cordoba, and Seville, which two would you pick? My crew consists of 2 adults and 4 kids ages 10, 12, 14, and 15. I'm leaning towards Granada and Cordoba. My kids can only handle so much history and castles before they revolt.

Offline whacked1

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1183 on: March 08, 2024, 05:16:23 PM »
Is there anything kosher within a 45 minute drive of Valencia?
Did you end up going to Valencia @Shmelly ?

Offline hakohen

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1184 on: March 17, 2024, 09:22:37 AM »
Thanks for all the info in this thread.
I'm planning a short stop 11pm-4pm in MAD.

There's an 8am shachris in Beth Yaacov Synagogue (Madrid) so maybe we'd sleep near there if we'd have time to see the ancient shuls in Toledo and (stop for Rimon Pizza and) get back to MAD for 4pm departure.

Would you rent a car? is it more convenient, or directions/parking isnt easy? Is it cheaper to only take train/uber?

Any other advice/suggestions pm welcome.

Offline cgr

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1185 on: March 17, 2024, 09:45:25 AM »
Would you rent a car? is it more convenient, or directions/parking isnt easy? Is it cheaper to only take train/uber?

Any other advice/suggestions pm welcome.
Directions is easy, parking in the old city is not. You can park across the bridge in the newer part of town near the train station and then walk across.
If a car rental or train will be cheaper depends on the season. Off season renting a car will cost you less for a day, while in peak season the train will be cheaper than renting.
I personally did not take the train so I cannot comment on how ease of access for that.

Offline hakohen

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1186 on: March 17, 2024, 03:16:16 PM »
Thanks!
No parking in the old city of Madrid or Toledo?
Is there parking by El Transito Synagogue or Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca in Toledo
or by Beit Yaacov in Madrid?

Offline cgr

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1187 on: March 17, 2024, 03:25:59 PM »
Thanks!
No parking in the old city of Madrid or Toledo?
Is there parking by El Transito Synagogue or Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca in Toledo
or by Beit Yaacov in Madrid?
The Old City of Madrid is mostly a restricted zone, which means it's limited to taxis.
The Old City of Toledo is mostly pedestrian only. There's no access to the Toledo synagogues via car, although you can park outside the zone in a parking garage.
The Madrid shul is accessible by car as it is in a newer part of town.

Offline SolN

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1188 on: April 04, 2024, 01:37:27 PM »
I will be doing a  one day layover in Barcelona in may, looking fir hotel recommendations location and points are priority. thanks in advance!

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1189 on: May 05, 2024, 08:32:24 PM »
Hoping for some help from the DDF community. My SIL is traveling to Israel through Madrid on a three hour layover. It was a last minute ticket and she didn't bring any food. Anyone know of a kosher cafe that I can call in the morning and have them deliver to the airport?

Offline Danlover111

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1190 on: May 06, 2024, 08:52:45 AM »
Hoping for some help from the DDF community. My SIL is traveling to Israel through Madrid on a three hour layover. It was a last minute ticket and she didn't bring any food. Anyone know of a kosher cafe that I can call in the morning and have them deliver to the airport?
I dont think madrid has much kosher food.

Offline cgr

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1191 on: May 06, 2024, 08:58:45 AM »
Hoping for some help from the DDF community. My SIL is traveling to Israel through Madrid on a three hour layover. It was a last minute ticket and she didn't bring any food. Anyone know of a kosher cafe that I can call in the morning and have them deliver to the airport?
You can try Rimonim at +34 639 74 93 19 (available on Whatsapp). More of a pizzeria than a cafe.
I doubt he'll do the delivery though- use Uber or Cabify for that.
« Last Edit: May 06, 2024, 09:19:03 AM by cgr »

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1192 on: June 23, 2024, 11:25:40 AM »
Heading to Spain tomorrow (relatively last minute trip).
I'll be in Barcelona & Madrid mostly (also a day each in Seville & Cordoba).
Two questions:
1) What are the current Kosher options (I believe BCN & MAD have restaurants, not sure about the others)?
2) If I'm taking inter-city trains (Barcelona-Madrid, Madrid-Seville, Seville-Cordoba, & Cordoba-Madrid), do I need to book the tickets in advance or can I buy them at the stations?
TIA
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
-Albert Einstein

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1193 on: July 04, 2024, 10:53:15 AM »
Mini TR (because I'm too lazy to write out a full one) - 6/24/24-7/3/24

Flights:
6/24/24 - JFK-BRU-BCN - Brussels Air Business Class - Cost: 70k AC (xferred from UR with 20% bonus so it only cost me 59k UR) + $111.40 CAD ($81.44 USD)
7/3/24 - MAD-JFK - Iberia Business Class - Cost: 50k BA (xferred from MR with 30% bonus in Aug 2023) + $152.30

Inter-City Trains (Renfe):
Barcelona-Madrid - 6/26/24 - 31.40€ ($35.09)
Madrid-Seville - 7/1/24 - 56.38€ ($60.42)
Seville - Córdoba - 7/2/24 - 22.30€ ($23.91)
Córdoba - Madrid - 7/3/24 33.10€ ($38.08)

Hotels:
Barcelona - 1 Night - Via Sants Hotel Barcelona, Tapestry Collection by Hilton - 50k Hilton
Madrid - 5 Nights - Aloft Madrid Gran Via - 140k Marriott (plus Chase Marriott cert & Amex Marriott cert)
Seville - 1 Night - Only YOU Hotel Sevilla - 11.4k UR (booked through UR portal @ 1.5/cpp with CSR)
Córdoba - 1 Night - AC Hotel Córdoba - 77€ ($82.80)

Activities:
Barcelona - Casa Mila (La Pedrera), Hop On/Hop Off Bus, Free Walking Tour of Barcelona, & Casa Batllo
Madrid - Free Walking Tour of Madrid, Hop On/Hop Off Bus, Retiro Park, Flamenco Show, Royal Palace, Naval Museum, day trip to Toledo.
Seville - Royal Alcazar & Plaza de España
Córdoba - Walk Around the Old City of Córdoba, Synagogue of Córdoba, Casa de Sefarad.

Food:
Barcelona - Maccabi
Madrid - Pizzeria Rimmon Madrid Kosher & Solomon Grill

Overall Thoughts:
-It was hot. In Barcelona it wasn't too bad. In Madrid (Thurs & Friday) it was 90+ & Seville & Córdoba were both 90+
-Food was expensive in both Barcelona & Madrid.
-Transit systems can be complicated to figure out how to use, but once you figure it out, worked out well (at least in BCN & MAD). Of note, in Seville, you can pay for busses on board with a credit card, but if the machine isn't working, you have to either wait for the next one or pay cash (I think they only give change up to 5x the fare) unlike in the NYC transit system where if the card reader on a bus isn't working, they let you go on for free.
-I think I'm over Hop On/Hop Off Buses, at least in non-English speaking places. Either it's a recording which is boring and often not well timed or it's someone who's speaking directly off a script and saying it multiple languages. I used to think they were a good way of getting an overall sense of a city, but I've been disappointed the last few times I've done them.
-Be aware of shabbos issues in your hotel. This was my first time in a hotel for shabbos in many years. The Aloft Madrid Gran Via had motion activated lights in the hallways, stairwells, and in the room (except for the bathroom, thankfully). I ended up not leaving my room for all of shabbos.
-Renfe high speed tickets (maybe all tickets, I'm not sure) come with a connection to the commuter line (Cercanías). I was able to use this (you just scan you inter-city ticket) to get to the airport and avoid the airport surcharge on the Metro.
-Most museums have English. At restaurants, most staff spoke English. In other places (workers at museums, public transit, stores), people don't speak English. Google Translate is helpful.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
-Albert Einstein

Offline chevron

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1194 on: August 22, 2024, 01:29:48 AM »
Just published a longer Trip Report on Spain. Added it to the wiki as well.
https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=134300.0

That's amazing, haven't read it fully but loved it.

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1195 on: August 22, 2024, 01:41:31 AM »
In Barcelona there's benben grocery and deli
BenBen Kosher House https://g.co/kgs/UJXd928
I got a great sandwich there

There's also Taim, lots of meals and catering options
TAÍM kosher
+34 934 61 96 42

 https://g.co/kgs/qSmzotK

In Madrid I loved berganzo
BARGANZO
+34 692 85 94 44

 https://g.co/kgs/KiYy9jk

Right next door to berganzo was a kosher shawarma place I forget the name and can't find online

There's Fuego
Fuego Steak House
+34 910 23 79 62

 https://g.co/kgs/FTSruUn

P there's a few others but there's some pretty solid kosher dining scene in Madrid and Barcelona

Offline shmebeble

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1196 on: September 19, 2024, 12:35:34 PM »
Going to Barcelona for one day and then have morning flight at 10:30am. Recommendation for where to stay. Near airport or where in the city? 3 kids with me.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #1197 on: September 19, 2024, 09:26:45 PM »
Going to Barcelona for one day and then have morning flight at 10:30am. Recommendation for where to stay. Near airport or where in the city? 3 kids with me.
Solo? It's pretty easy to get from the airport to the city on a bus, so you don't need to bring car seats, but I don't know of any good airport hotels.