Spain Master Thread

[jj1000]

This guy seems to have the best jewish toledo tour though email at bottom.

We are based in Madrid.

Our Jewish tours are unique for its content as well as for the way we present them. Lots of  information which is a result of long research also in non-touristic resources. Information of which Spain is NOT always proud... We always bring documents and pictures or article to make our information more reliable.

What we offer is:

Jewish tour to TOLEDO, for small groups or families, during which we show our customers the old city from a jewish perspective. Generally we pick our customers up from their hotel in Madrid and take them to Toledo with a large private car (5 seats car). Pick up time is 09.00 am. To drive to Toledo takes almost one hour.

Basiclly, the tour starts in the car. On the highway, we give you a strong base about jewish history in Spain and Toledo. This base will help you to assimilate better the information of each stop in Toledo.

Once we arrive there, the first half hour (approx) of visit is with the car to see some exterior part of the old city; the main entrance, some old bridges, the river, panoramic view of the city, etc. Later we park the car and visit the city; Jewish neighborhood, synagogues, some excavations, many more interesting details and explanations accompanied by lots of documents and pictures.

Not just the Jewish aspects but the highlights of the city with a Jewish slant. It's a walking tour of more or less 4-5 hours. You don't need to be an athlete but we let you know in case you would like to know. At the end of our Tour, we take our customers back to their hotel (usually around 4 pm) with the same car. The price of this 6-7 hours total service is 360 € (up to 3 people).

Jewish MADRID Tour. Through this tour, besides the Jewish points of the city you get a nice idea about the general highlights. We start from the foundation period of the city by the arabs. We cover the inquisition period and the expulsion of the jews by catholic kings. We add some excavations  of the old city of Madrid which includes the old jewish quarter and the ancient walls. We point the places of the old synagogues. We talk about conversos and the silent rebirth of the jewish comunity in 1900s.

We share the information about the more than 15 jewish related paintings of EL PRADO MUSEUM (and others). Most of the people miss those painting since El Prado is huge and it's difficult to figure out the context of the paintings at first sight.

The second half of the Tour is about the Spanish Civil War and the Jews; jewish brigades, journalists, photographers, etc... mentioning the position of Spain during the WWII. 20 miles outside of the city, with the car, we make a visit to a private museum about the battlefield artifacts of the spanish civil war and some easy reachable outdoor remains of the battlefield (trenches, caves, machine gun positions, etc).
Many more interesting details and explanations accompanied by lots of documents and pictures.
The price of this 6-7 hours total service is 360 € (up to 3 people).

If you spend some days in Madrid, we could also offer you;
 
Jewish SEGOVIA Tour;

Segovia, a city in Spain's Castile region, not only to see its towering Roman aqueduct but also to get a glimpse of a rediscovered Jewish past. Granted, the Jewish cemetery stands on an unmarked hill opposite the town; the old synagogue has been turned into a church; and about 100 Jewish homes were leveled centuries ago to make way for a vast gothic cathedral.  Abraham Senior was one of the most influential jew of his time and he was a good friend and partner of Isaac Abarbanel. His house which also contained a synagogue, currently is a museum of Jewish Culture.The city's beautiful scenery, as well as the well-preserved architecture of the middle ages give the town an additional charm that attracts tourists. The Walt Disney style Alcazar (castle) which played a major role in the rise of Queen Isabella the Catholic gives an unforgettable impression to the visitors. The price of this 6-7 hours total service is 360 € (up to 3 people).

On mondays, one museum of our Tour in Toledo is closed.                 

We do not work on Shabbat and Yom Tovs.

In our prices the museum entrances are not included. However they are cheap (in Toledo 2-3 € each).

If you want, we have reference letters from history professors from prestigious universities of US, Israel and Canada as well as from the chief Rabbi of Spain. Please do not hesitate to ask us if you would like to have a look.

We are at your disposal for any further question or information you would like to consult us.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Thank you


Shlomo Hanoka -  Senior Travel Coordinator


Feel free to visit our Jewish Toledo Tour web page!

 

info@jewishtoledotour.com

[jj1000]

For Barcelona Yan is a great tour guide and amazing for families and couples as he will do a photoshoot throughout the tour and send you the digital for free

His cell is +34 635 29 66 00

[Spoon]

For Barcelona Yan is a great tour guide and amazing for families and couples as he will do a photoshoot throughout the tour and send you the digital for free

His cell is +34 635 29 66 00

Is his tour also through a Jewish lens?  Are there any shuls or kevarim to visit?

[jj1000]

Is his tour also through a Jewish lens?  Are there any shuls or kevarim to visit?

Yes, he is not frum but Jewish. Really interesting history about the inquasition and ramban debates.

[Issacrose]

Thanks JJ. Good Shabbos

[Issacrose]

Figured i'l update so others can benefit. 

We had an 10 1/2 hour stopover in Madrid coming from JFK - TLV we arrived @ 6:15am & had enough time to shower in the lounge (iberia has a Top Notch Lounge @ Terminal 4S & Terminal 4 ) We were able to make it to Shachris @ 8 in the Beth Yakob shul ( need to send photo of ID to security ahead of time) . We then took an Uber (works great in Madrid) to the Main Train Station - Atocha (takes abt 15 min) . We caught the 9:20 Renfe train to Toledo (beware its a huge train station & they run like clockwork) . Basic train nothing to write home about, takes about half hour. Our tour guide Sangrario Paniagua ( +34 620 99 03 66 ) met us at the stop in Toledo. She's highly recommended super nice, is  accommodating & very knowledgeable in all of the history there & especially with the Jewish history. The tour is great, 3 hours in total cost is 150 Euro (couple) you get to see 2 old Shuls.... we would definitely recommend it. (Lot's of walking though, so don't bring luggage) . We took the 1:25 train back to Madrid & took an Uber to Airport with a stop @ Rimon Pizza ( great pizza - 10 min out of the way). Chabad Rabbi is very helpfull feel free to watsapp or email him.
P.S. Just a heads up, the airport in Madrid is Huge & if you're at Terminal 4s you have to take a train from Terminal 4 & go thru customs so give yourself some extra time there.... Thank you Hashem we made our flight to TLV @ 4:45
Thanks to all that helped our trip!

[M4vaca]

Does anyone know about current covid restrictions for entering Spain? I will imy be flying from Switzerland (us citizen) And cant seem to figure out if i need to take a covid test and fill out the form?

[Issacrose]

Does anyone know about current covid restrictions for entering Spain? I will imy be flying from Switzerland (us citizen) And cant seem to figure out if i need to take a covid test and fill out the form?

We had a stopover & left the airport supposedly we didn't need to have have any covid docs because we were in Spain for less than 12 hours but we did see them requesting docs after immigration but we just walked thru so can't promise....

[Zalc]

Mini TR - July 2022.

36 Hour Stopover in Madrid.
I had booked JFK-TLV on the Iberia 50% off sale in 2020 for 60k miles RT in Business, hoping that the country would reopen in the near future.
After pushing it off 3 times before Israel reopened, in July 2022 it was finally time to fly.
Our red-eye flight landed at 6am in MAD, and the next flight was at 5 pm the next day. Iberia let us check our bags in early for the next flight, after which we headed to Madrid.

For the hotel, I booked the Hotel Felix Grand Melia via Amex FHR to get the $200 credit which covered most of the stay. We were able to check in before 10am as the room was ready, and they converted the Amex restaurant credit from to Minibar and Room service credit. The room was nice and the service was good.

Although Madrid has a lot to see, especially in the Arts, we wanted to focus on Jewish history as much as we could. After seeing that Madrid has little left we decided to take a last-minute day trip to Toledo, where some history is preserved far better.
The train is very comfortable and takes about half an hour from the Puerta De Atocha station, and left exactly on time. It’s 22 euro Round Trip, booked online. Come to the station early, as it can be very disorienting with many platform levels.
We tried looking for a Jewish tour guide, but Rabbi Hanoka was booked up and mentioned that many people moved away over the pandemic. Mr. Bentoila no longer lives in Madrid and does not do tours.
He recommended another licensed guide he worked with, and we went with that as I didn’t have the energy to plan a self-guided tour. That was a mistake, as she had a very shallow knowledge of Jewish history or life in the 1100 years that Jews lived in Toledo. Aside from that, she seemed very avoidant about what happened in those times, with some mild justification thrown in for good measure. I don’t blame her for not wanting to be open about it, but that’s not what we came to hear about.
You’d be better off reading Wikipedia for the few sites that there are.
If you are going to be in Toledo and do not have a Jewish guide,THIS link has a decent overview of most of the Jewish places, with a better writeup than we got from our guide.
The place IMO that is a must-see is the restored Transito Synagogue, with its super detailed artwork and wording on the walls.



The another synagogue still standing is still owned by the church, and feels exactly like one, to the point where I didn't even take any photos
Aside from their list, you can also stop at:

• Iglesia de San Vicente- supposedly this was the Church used by the inquisition officers, with the big building behind it serving as their Offices (Where neighbors would come to make reports etc)
• Plaza Zocodover: One of the main Plazas in the center of the city, where Auto-Da-Fes were held in 16th century and on (There is an Illustration of one in the Sephardic Museum) (This is an example of one of the things the guide neglected to mention).
• We exited the city via the St Martin bridge which is on the opposite side of the city from the train station. From there you can call a taxi to take you around via a scenic route that circles the city from the other side of the river back to the station. You get to see the whole city in a single vista, which is a great way to “take it all in” after all the narrow streets that you walk through. Taxis were about 5 euros. The number to call is +34-925-25-50-50 (they might not speak English).
  
  

Nothing in my life gives me context to process what it must have been like to have a community on one tiny corner (See Image
)
of a tiny fortress city for over a thousand years, before being erased with barely a trace. Even the 2 surviving Shuls are both only known by the names of the Churches that occupied them since the expulsion.
Reading and seeing what’s left of these places stirs very deep feelings, both good and bad.

The next morning, we headed to the Royal Palace and found that the inside was closed for the monthly changing of the guards (Usually every 1st Wednesday of the month) If you want to go inside, book entry tickets in advance as they sell out fast, and the line to get in without a reservation can be hours long.

We then walked around to Plaza Mayor (also the site of an Auto-Da-Fe among it’s many other uses since the 11th century) before eating lunch at the Pizzaria and heading to the airport.

Taxis and Ubers were between 5 and 10 euros for each ride, aside from the airport which was under 20.
There are E-scooters and bikes everywhere if you are into that.

Kosher: On the Chabad site he lists 3 restaurants under the local Sefaradi Rabbi’s hechsher.
Pizza Rimon: Operated by a Frum Jew, Chalav Yisroel with an additional hechsher from France as well.
Barganzo - Hummus and Dairy. Chalav Stam, local Hechsher only. Lots of pride flags etc.
There's a meat place I don’t know anything about it.
They all close in the afternoon for 1-2 hours (Siesta), so check your schedule!
There are also 2 kosher groceries near the Shul as well as a Kosher Section in El Corte Ingles Madrid Store.

[Gvann]

Anyone able to help out with Shul information for Madrid? Planning to stay there for shabbos. I know that someone posted about interconintenetsl being close to Beth yacob is there other frum shuls or is that the only one? Thanks in advance

[Kabrams1618]

In Barcelona what is the difference between Ben Ben kosher house and kosher ba bayit.  We just want to pick up a few take out items.  Do they have bread?  They seem to be only a few minutes from each other.  Any reviews or feedback on what they sell?

[Gvann]

Small community, super friendly, you can see Africa, and just good vibes overall. Perfect for shabbos.

Is the seeing Africa part of what makes it a perfect shabbos?

[Gvann]

Trying to figure out if I should be in Madrid for shabbos or just go to Gibraltar. Landing in Madrid on Thursday morning, leaving Madrid Sunday night. Should I not spend any time in Madrid and go to Gibraltar or not go to Gibraltar?

[Yehoshua]

Trying to figure out if I should be in Madrid for shabbos or just go to Gibraltar. Landing in Madrid on Thursday morning, leaving Madrid Sunday night. Should I not spend any time in Madrid and go to Gibraltar or not go to Gibraltar?

Gibraltar was very nice for shabbos. Especially if you're going in the winter, it will likely be warmer there than in Madrid. Personally I think that while Madrid technically has more things to see, I saw everything I was interested in in one day. Gibraltar doesn't have a ton of things to see either, but there are certainly things to do on Friday and Sunday morning. Besides the fact that if you didn't decide to stay in Gibraltar on Sunday, you can easily drive up the coast.

[Gvann]

Gibraltar was very nice for shabbos. Especially if you're going in the winter, it will likely be warmer there than in Madrid. Personally I think that while Madrid technically has more things to see, I saw everything I was interested in in one day. Gibraltar doesn't have a ton of things to see either, but there are certainly things to do on Friday and Sunday morning. Besides the fact that if you didn't decide to stay in Gibraltar on Sunday, you can easily drive up the coast.

All in all how long does the travel take? We’re landing Thursday morning, so we could do Madrid Thursday afternoon and evening maybe, but then that leaves Friday to get to Gibraltar as well as having to get back to Madrid on Sunday for evening flight. Is it worth the tight timeframe and traveling erev shabbos? Also if I have a reservation booked to Madrid, is it possible to add on a stop and not have to get luggage and recheck in? If so then I would consider going straight to Gibraltar and just not really do Madrid at all. Any idea if that’s possible to do?

[cgr]

Does anyone know if the SKS out of Marbella is an acceptable hechsher? I'll be avoiding meat/chicken regardless.
http://www.spainkosherservices.com/

[cgr]

Anyone have experience with speeding violations (camera) in Spain? I received an email from the car rental agency that a violation was issued because I was going 109kmh in a 100kmh zone. Trying to figure out if they have some sort of grace period for going less than 10kmh over the speed limit, and how I can fight it.

[Yehoshua]

Anyone have experience with speeding violations (camera) in Spain? I received an email from the car rental agency that a violation was issued because I was going 109kmh in a 100kmh zone. Trying to figure out if they have some sort of grace period for going less than 10kmh over the speed limit, and how I can fight it.

Not Spain, but I got a speeding ticket in Italy for going 53 in a 50 zone. The basic information I found out was that while you don't have to pay the fine if you ever want to drive in that country again, it goes on your record (ie, they share the information with immigration), so it's not something that you want to play around with from what I understand. You may as well just pay the ticket and move on.

[cgr]

Not Spain, but I got a speeding ticket in Italy for going 53 in a 50 zone. The basic information I found out was that while you don't have to pay the fine if you ever want to drive in that country again, it goes on your record (ie, they share the information with immigration), so it's not something that you want to play around with from what I understand. You may as well just pay the ticket and move on.

Thanks- was definitely not planning on ignoring it. Not worth the anxiety every time I go through EU immigration.

[drosenberg88429]

Not Spain, but I got a speeding ticket in Italy for going 53 in a 50 zone. The basic information I found out was that while you don't have to pay the fine if you ever want to drive in that country again, it goes on your record (ie, they share the information with immigration), so it's not something that you want to play around with from what I understand. You may as well just pay the ticket and move on.

Know anything about parking tickets in UK?