I stayed in FC Infantas de Leon. I really liked this hotel. It even had easy and free parking on the street. Refrigerator in the room is always a plus. They had a cafe attached plus offered a breakfast buffet. The hotel was just a short walk outside the city walls, close to the large gate Muralla Bajoimperial de León, the 1st c walls. Recommendations: Leon Cathedral Diocesan Cathedral Museum of Leon Plaza de Regla Palacio Episcopal Palacio de Los…
I stayed in another Ibis, the Ibis Budget Bilbao. I had booked Hotel Bilbi. Despite paying in advance, about a week or so prior to leaving I got a WhatsApp from them to “verify” my CC. I tried their link. Tried on my phone, iPad, and computer. I tried with 2 different CCs. They all failed. They said if I couldn’t/wouldn’t verify they would have to cancel. I told them of my problems, got no help whatsoever, so cancelled and…
I left San Sebastián-Donostia early morning to drive to the National Museum & Research Center of Altamira. I read about these caves in my 1000 Places to See Before You Die. The museum is to the west of Bilboa and I was originally thinking I would see it on my way to Leon. Unfortunately, the museum is closed on Mondays when I would be leaving Bilboa. I decided to see it Saturday morning. It was a lot of extra driving,…
I stayed at Atotxa Rooms, close to the bus station where they offered discount parking. It was just off the historic Puente de Maria Kristina for easy access to Old Town. I stayed 3 nights here because of the long drive from Andorra and arrived around dinner time. They had a shared refrigerator and coffee/tea station outside the rooms that I appreciated. Recommendations Old Town Plaza de la Constitution Iglesia de San Vicente Cathedral Buen Pastor de San Sebastián Basilica…
I stayed at the Hotel de l’isard. It was a really nice room, very comfortable, and it had a refrigerator! I had my cold morning Pepsi. It was a convenient location in Andorra la Vella. I started with a visit to the tourist center for a map. The very helpful person also told me about the Rec de Sola trail; I wouldn’t have heard of this without her. I spent about 3 hours doing this hike the next morning. There…
After leaving my car in underground parking by the cathedral, I dropped off my backpack at Hotel Sauce in Old Town. There is an attached cafe/coffee shop that has good breakfast and delicious bakery items. I started my sightseeing with the Puente de Piedra and Los Leones. I walked across the bridge for great views of Old Town on the opposite side. You can get excellent photos of the Basilica of Our Lady and the Cathedral of Salvador. I went…
I stayed in the lovely Hotel Palacio de Valderrábanos Ávila, a gorgeous 14th c palace. This was inside the city walls so I parked outside at their recommended lot. The hotel is on the Plaza de Catedral. I started my city visit with the magnificent 12th c gothic Cathedral. It included an audio guide. At the end of the tour they had VR headsets in 4 languages showing Avila, the cathedral, and the city walls when the cathedral was first…
I only spent one night in Salamanca. I stayed at the Ibis Salamanca. It was better than the Ibis in Brussels, you could actually move around the room and bath without turning sideways. They had a good breakfast buffet, also. I arrived mid-morning and headed right out to explore old town after getting a good map from the concierge. I started in Plaza Mayor. A big beautiful busy place, there are many restaurants, pastry shops, stores. I picked up a few…
I’ve been wanted to see the Basque region of Spain plus make a visit to Andorra. So I pulled out my maps and my 1000 Places to See Before You Die book and read up on other sites in Spain. I was going to visit Caceres, Salamanca, Avila, Zaragoza, then Andorra. Back into Spain I was going to see San Sebastian-Donostia, Bilbao, and Leon before stopping at Braga, Portugal on my way back to Lagos. It was a lot of…
Taking the train from Ghent, I went right to my hotel, the IBIS Brussels City Center, to store my backpack. It was a convenient location but the rooms were very tiny and the bathroom worse. I definitely do not recommend; I think most of the IBIS hotels have very small rooms. Recommendations My first morning in town I found the Banksy Museum and spent about 90 minutes here enjoying his art before picking up lunch and going to my afternoon…