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 272150 times)

Offline ual902

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #960 on: March 15, 2018, 10:20:44 PM »
Granada is beautiful.

Offline Yaalili

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #961 on: March 15, 2018, 10:22:06 PM »
Granada is beautiful.

Yup, great place!

Offline chevron

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #962 on: March 16, 2018, 10:32:34 AM »
Toledo was stunning and spent just a few hours there. I'll try to fit in Grenada. How's Valencia?

Offline chevron

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #963 on: March 16, 2018, 10:39:58 AM »
Granada is stunning but out of the way, instead of 45 minutes from Cordova to Seville, it's 2.5 hours Cordova to Granada than 2.5 hours to Seville. Is it worth It?

Offline Yaalili

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #964 on: March 16, 2018, 11:01:13 AM »
Flew there from Madrid for 4.5k avios and from there another 4.5k avios to Barcelona. Great place to visit.

Offline chevron

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #965 on: March 18, 2018, 03:25:36 PM »
I can fly from BCN to granada, bus to cordoba, bus to seville.

Question, is Malaga worth the visit ?

Offline DTM

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #966 on: March 18, 2018, 04:40:50 PM »
Haven't been there yet, but based on my trip planning and reading here and elsewhere, I would skip Cordoba; and I think that Malaga is more of a summer beach destination but perhaps with a kosher restaurant in season? 

Offline chevron

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #967 on: March 18, 2018, 07:38:54 PM »
Everyone tells me Cordova is beautiful

Offline ual902

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #968 on: March 18, 2018, 09:29:19 PM »
Everyone tells me Cordova is beautiful

I did Madrid, Teledo, cordova for 1 day, Granada, BCN all beautiful.

Offline DTM

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #969 on: March 20, 2018, 08:25:07 PM »
Granada is beautiful.
ual902 and Yaalili: Where did you stay in Granada? What did you do for kosher food? Did you take a guided tour of the Alhambra or do it on your own?

Offline Yaalili

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #970 on: March 20, 2018, 08:29:50 PM »
ual902 and Yaalili: Where did you stay in Granada? What did you do for kosher food? Did you take a guided tour of the Alhambra or do it on your own?

Did the Alhambra without any official tour guide. There are lots of sign with information and other tour groups that are walking/chatting nearby. Stayed at an Airbnb 10 minute walk from Alhambra.

Offline Yaalili

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #971 on: March 20, 2018, 08:33:01 PM »
Stayed at this place - https://www.booking.com/hotel/es/paseo-de-los-tristes.html

Host was very friendly and spoke English well. She had an office in downtown, where she was happy to store my luggage in the morning till the apartment was ready. She had someone drive it over later in the afternoon and met me there with the keys.

Great location and affordable. I would recommend it.

Offline ual902

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #972 on: March 20, 2018, 10:24:00 PM »
ual902 and Yaalili: Where did you stay in Granada? What did you do for kosher food? Did you take a guided tour of the Alhambra or do it on your own?

Stayed 1 night in a hostel, did do alhambra no tour.

Offline E-MAN

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #973 on: May 04, 2018, 11:56:10 AM »
Is shul in Mallorca still functional? Website does not seem to work.

Offline moisheyb

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #974 on: May 06, 2018, 02:28:38 AM »
Is shul in Mallorca still functional? Website does not seem to work.
I think they have on weekends, not sure about during the week

Offline kopite1

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #975 on: May 08, 2018, 09:28:08 AM »
I think they have on weekends, not sure about during the week

We used to holiday regularly in Mallorca.

Services are every Friday night 7.30pm and occasional Shabbat mornings. No midweek services aside from chagim.

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #976 on: May 08, 2018, 03:55:50 PM »
Mini-Trip Report: We visited Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Gibraltar, Granada and Barcelona; and then Israel.
In Madrid, I recommend Pinati Restaurant, where we ate both nights that we were there. It opens for dinner at 7 pm, and the other restaurant, which did not seem to get great reviews, only opens at 8:30 pm. They are a few blocks from each other and close to the heavily guarded shul, where you will need a passport to enter. The Prado Museum is amazing if you appreciate art. Shlomo Hanoka gave us a great day tour from Madrid to Toledo, highlighting the Jewish history in a very meaningful way, and I highly recommend him as well.
They served us a nice kosher meal on board the Renfe train from Madrid to Seville, order in advance, on Preferente class, dining car.
Seville tour guide Moises Hassan was excellent, as was our stay there in the Hotel La Casas de la Juderia, in a junior suite. We happened to be there for the Seville Spring Fair, which was very festive and colorful. Tour guide and driver Abby Suissa (see Gibraltar thread) drove us from Seville to Gibraltar, gave us a tour of Gibraltar, where we spent Shabbos in the Sunborn Hotel. Afterwards, he drove us to Granada. The Alhambra Palace there is beautiful; I recommend a guided tour. We flew from Granada to Barcelona,where we visited Gaudi's colorful Parc Guell as well as La Pedera, a/k/a Casa Mila. The latter was very interesting, I recommend you take the audio tour which starts with an elevator ride to the roof, one of the main attractions, and then walks you down. We enjoyed walking around Barcelona, not so much La Rambla, which is a bit too Times Square touristy, but rather the Passieg de Garcia and nearby streets. We stayed at the Le Meridien right off La Rambla, which was very nice, and we ate at the nearby Restaurant Maccabi, an excellent restaurant with great food, and also took out from Shaq Shuq a few blocks away.         

Offline teaneckyo

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #977 on: May 10, 2018, 08:58:12 AM »
Can anyone recommend a good Airbnb in Barcelona and one in MAdrid close to shul for shabbos. Thanks

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #978 on: May 10, 2018, 09:27:30 AM »
Can anyone recommend a good Airbnb in Barcelona and one in MAdrid close to shul for shabbos. Thanks
I stayed at a grest Airbnb in Barcelona, right near Maccabi. See my TR.

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #979 on: May 22, 2018, 06:41:30 PM »
How do I avoid getting pickpocketed? Backpack locks work?