Ingles in March or Summer 2020

[knc]

Hi everyone!

Looking into potentially doing the Ingles next year. My boyfriend has been wanting to do it for a very long time. I'm currently in grad school/work full-time so my time off is quite limited and he only gets a few weeks vacation a year with his job. So we are limited to about 10 days total and either going in March (when I have spring break) or summer- most likely a time frame of mid/late June thru early August. However, I'm not sure how the weather will be? Has anyone done it in March? I've seen a few posts from people who have done it in the summer, but how hot does it get there/humidity? I'm from Virginia, so I'm use to high temps/humidity but not sure I want to sweat sun up to sun down!

I think we are looking into walking about 4 days, not sure if that's too aggressive or not. But I'd like to maximize our time in Spain and try to do Barcelona as well, maybe at the end of the Camino as a "treat"!

I'm the planner of the two of us, so I'm just in a gathering information stage and would love to hear anything and everything you all have to share with me: best time to go (given the above time constraints), itinerary thoughts, flight thoughts (would most likely fly out of DC), adding Barcelona on to the trip and how to navigate getting there (is flying the best option?)

You all seem like a wealth of knowledge and I'm here to soak it all in!

TIA!
Kaitlyn

 

[Davey Boyd]

Hi everyone!

Looking into potentially doing the Ingles next year. My boyfriend has wanting to do it for a very long time. I'm currently in grad school/work full-time so my time off is quite limited and he only gets a few weeks vacation a year with his job. So we are limited to about 10 days total and either going in March (when I have spring break) or summer- most likely a time frame of mid/late June thru early August. However, I'm not sure how the weather will be? Has anyone does it in March? I've seen a few posts from people who have done it in the summer, but how hot does it get there/humidity? I'm from Virginia, so I'm use to high temps/humidity but not sure I want to sweat sun up to sun down!

I think we are looking into walking about 4 days, not sure if that's too aggressive or not. But I'd like to maximize our time in Spain and try to do Barcelona as well, maybe at the end of the Camino as a "treat"!

I'm the planner of the two of us, so I'm just in a gathering information stage and would love to hear anything and everything you all have to share with me: best time to go (given the above time constraints), itinerary thoughts, flight thoughts (would most likely fly out of DC), adding Barcelona on to the trip and how to navigate getting there (is flying the best option?)

You all seem like a wealthy of knowledge and I'm here to soak it all in!

TIA!
Kaitlyn

Hiya Kaityn! Welcome to the forum!

Here are some thoughts of the top of my head.

You will be walking through Galicia. Its going to rain at some point!

March will be cooler in temperature but even more chance of rain. Or mist obscuring those beautiful views. Also, maybe someone will correct me if I am wrong, but March is a little early in the season. Some accommodations may not be open yet. Now, some of us have walked the Ingles in deep winter, so it is do-able, but may just need extra planning. Gronze.com will tell you what accommodations are open.

Summer is busier, and hotter of course. But it is Galicia, it may still rain. All accommodations are open though.

Walking the Ingles in 4 days is really pushing it! From Ferrol it is 118km, that will be 29.5km a day! Most of us do it in 5-7 days. 6 or 7 I would recommend to really enjoy it and not risk injury. But that is up to you!

Happy planning and
Buen Camino!
Davey

 

[peb]

I walked in the Ingles in March. Was not cold, but rained every day. Needed a golf umbrella, real walking boots, and other wet weather gear. Summer will be warmer, but one advantage of the spring is the lack of other pilgrims walking. I only saw 3 or 4 other people walking per day. Means there should be beds at the albergues if you are using them.

4 days is really pushing it. The standard Ingles guidebook camino is a 5 day walk. The only stage you can miss out is the last one and you walk from Hospital de Bruma all the way to SdC. That is a 40km walk, and it is not flat at that. If you are doing 4 days, I would take the N-651 bridge shortcut from Ferrol to Fene on the first day, and on the Betanzos to Hospital de Bruma stage, walk a couple of hours further to stay at Casa Real Donnamaria at Buscas, which makes a day's walk to SdC then about 34km, which is doable.

On flying in, if you want to visit Barcelona, think about flying in to Barcelona. Vueling flies 3 times per day from Barcelona to A Coruna (you can take a train or bus from there to Ferrol, and a train back from SdC to A Coruna at the end). Vueling also flies 3 times per day to SdC, and with airlines like Vueling, two single tickets are not hugely more expensive than a return, as with some conventional airlines. If you fly into and stay overnight in Barcelona, you may even be able to leave extra baggage at a hotel if you are returning to later, and only take the minimum on your camino.

There is a direct overnight train from SdC / A Coruna to Barcelona, but it takes 15 hours and the cost is not much less than a booked in advance Vueling flight. Much of the journey will be in the dark in March so you will not see much of Spain if you went at that time; different if you went in the summer

 

[henrythedog]

Clearly whatever you want to do is your decision, and I appreciate you’re wanting to make the most of limited time, but ...

Santiago is a wonderful city, perhaps you might slow down a little and have a couple of days there?

Barcelona - which has some excellent aspects - is over-visited these days. There is growing resistance to tourists, although that doesn’t seem to put the masses off visiting.

Perhaps have a couple of days in whatever hub you fly into? Madrid is superb, for example.

Finally - slow down on the walking! If your partner has long wanted to walk the Ingles, why rush it? 4 days is feasible, but you might as well just book into your local gym, walk a treadmill all day and order in tortilla. Five days minimum, six would be more ‘spanish’.

 

[knc]

I walked in the Ingles in March. Was not cold, but rained every day. Needed a golf umbrella, real walking boots, and other wet weather gear. Summer will be warmer, but one advantage of the spring is the lack of other pilgrims walking. I only saw 3 or 4 other people walking per day. Means there should be beds at the albergues if you are using them.

4 days is really pushing it. The standard Ingles guidebook camino is a 5 day walk. The only stage you can miss out is the last one and you walk from Hospital de Bruma all the way to SdC. That is a 40km walk, and it is not flat at that. If you are doing 4 days, I would take the N-651 bridge shortcut from Ferrol to Fene on the first day, and on the Betanzos to Hospital de Bruma stage, walk a couple of hours further to stay at Casa Real Donnamaria at Buscas, which makes a day's walk to SdC then about 34km, which is doable.

On flying in, if you want to visit Barcelona, think about flying in to Barcelona. Vueling flies 3 times per day from Barcelona to A Coruna (you can take a train or bus from there to Ferrol, and a train back from SdC to A Coruna at the end). Vueling also flies 3 times per day to SdC, and with airlines like Vueling, two single tickets are not hugely more expensive than a return, as with some conventional airlines. If you fly into and stay overnight in Barcelona, you may even be able to leave extra baggage at a hotel if you are returning to later, and only take the minimum on your camino.

There is a direct overnight train from SdC / A Coruna to Barcelona, but it takes 15 hours and the cost is not much less than a booked in advance Vueling flight. Much of the journey will be in the dark in March so you will not see much of Spain if you went at that time; different if you went in the summer

Thanks so much for the Barcelona tips! It would be nice to leave extra baggage at a hotel, because I was definitely wondering how I would pack for two very separate trips!

 

[knc]

Clearly whatever you want to do is your decision, and I appreciate you’re wanting to make the most of limited time, but ...

Santiago is a wonderful city, perhaps you might slow down a little and have a couple of days there?

Barcelona - which has some excellent aspects - is over-visited these days. There is growing resistance to tourists, although that doesn’t seem to put the masses off visiting.

Perhaps have a couple of days in whatever hub you fly into? Madrid is superb, for example.

Finally - slow down on the walking! If your partner has long wanted to walk the Ingles, why rush it? 4 days is feasible, but you might as well just book into your local gym, walk a treadmill all day and order in tortilla. Five days minimum, six would be more ‘spanish’.

Great point. I told him I'd like a little slower of a walk but he thinks 20mi/day is totally good! I'll definitely share that point with him! We would most likely stay in SCQ for a night. But again, totally just trying to maximize our time. I really appreciate your insight!

 

[knc]

Hiya Kaityn! Welcome to the forum!

Here are some thoughts of the top of my head.

You will be walking through Galicia. Its going to rain at some point!

March will be cooler in temperature but even more chance of rain. Or mist obscuring those beautiful views. Also, maybe someone will correct me if I am wrong, but March is a little early in the season. Some accommodations may not be open yet. Now, some of us have walked the Ingles in deep winter, so it is do-able, but may just need extra planning. Gronze.com will tell you what accommodations are open.

Summer is busier, and hotter of course. But it is Galicia, it may still rain. All accommodations are open though.

Walking the Ingles in 4 days is really pushing it! From Ferrol it is 118km, that will be 29.5km a day! Most of us do it in 5-7 days. 6 or 7 I would recommend to really enjoy it and not risk injury. But that is up to you!

Happy planning and
Buen Camino!
Davey

I'd like to do 5 days! thanks for sharing your March input. I think that is solidifying the idea we should do Summer, even though it will be hotter

 

[natefaith]

Hi knc and welcome to the Forum! I did the Inglés in July 2017, and it was perfect. Real beach weather doesn't really hit Galicia until August or September, so most days in July are cool in the morning, warmer in the afternoon, and not bad for walking at all. It's not as hot or humid here as it is in VA (I'm from the East Coast myself and the summers there were just sweltering. This is lovely in comparison, although with no A/C ). With the crazy heat waves coming in more frequently, though, you may still want to watch the weather and be prepared for more heat if it's an atypical year.

I echo everyone else and encourage you to take your time on the Inglés (especially since there are beaches and rivers around) and try to stretch it to 5, 6, or 7 days if you can. Especially if you're jet lagged, 15 - 20KM in the first day is a good warm-up (I stopped in Neda and that was perfect), then you can build up to more KMs a day as you go. 20 miles a day is a hard pace to sustain; many people find they can comfortably do 10 - 16 miles a day. If you only have 10 days total for your trip it will be really hard to do the Camino Inglés "well" and a place like Barcelona "well", but perhaps you can choose the one you'd really like to leave enough time for and then plan the other one around that.

And as @henrythedog says, don't shortchange your time in Santiago. There's a lot to do here and pilgrims usually enjoy having a couple or a few days to decompress and stay in the pilgrim/ Camino world before they move on.

For flights, we really like the Aer Lingus flight from the East Coast to Dublin, and then to Santiago. From Santiago you can take a train or a bus to Ferrol. On the way to the US, we've flown SCQ to DUB, stayed overnight in Dublin, and then taken a flight to the US the next day.

Enjoy all the planning and Buen Camino!
Faith

 

[Becky 59]

If you are used to east coast US heat and humidity in the summer, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the weather in Galicia in July- rarely over 80-85 and not as humid as what you are used to. I echo others oncerns about mileage: if you are aiming for 20 miles per day, take into consideration that these are not flat miles! We did the Ingles this summer in early August, averaging 15 km/day (intentionally slower pace), and had a marvelous time. Buen Camino on your trip!

 

[Vacajoe]

Barcelona is a looooong way from Santiago and you’ll eat up valuable time just trying to get back and forth across the country. I’d suggest doing those two destinations as two trips so you can really enjoy the time in each space (especially since it’s Spain where time is meant to be savored).

If the Ingles has been a goal, your ten days will fly by: overcoming jet lag, getting to the start of that Camino, at least five days walking, two nights in Santiago....you’ll be pushed for time as it is.

But either destination will be spectacular - Buen Camino!

 

[Moorwalker]

Great point. I told him I'd like a little slower of a walk but he thinks 20mi/day is totally good! I'll definitely share that point with him! We would most likely stay in SCQ for a night. But again, totally just trying to maximize our time. I really appreciate your insight!

20 miles every day is a looong way. Many people can do it on one day but don't realise that doing it day after day is a very different matter. If you're not already able to do that sort of distance you run the risk of rushing along in a panic, ending up exhausted or with injuries, and not enjoying it. I would take my time on the walk, spend a day or two in Santiago or take the bus out to Finisterre or Muxia, and do Barcelona as a separate trip at another time.

 

[Vacajoe]

As the weekend approaches, do this: put 20lbs on his back and have him walk home from work Friday evening. On Saturday, put on the same 20lb pack and walk 20 miles to a low end motel. Sunday? Walk back home, followed by carrying that pack as he walks to work Monday morning.

I bet Monday evening that you’ll have an entirely new conversation on what you’ll be doing in Spain...

People fail to realize that it’s the MULTIPLE long days that do you in, especially when carrying a pack. Unfamiliar food, beds, elevation changes, and so forth also add to the challenge. So practice at home for a few days and then reconsider your plans.

Happy walking!

 

[knc]

Hi knc and welcome to the Forum! I did the Inglés in July 2017, and it was perfect. Real beach weather doesn't really hit Galicia until August or September, so most days in July are cool in the morning, warmer in the afternoon, and not bad for walking at all. It's not as hot or humid here as it is in VA (I'm from the East Coast myself and the summers there were just sweltering. This is lovely in comparison, although with no A/C ). With the crazy heat waves coming in more frequently, though, you may still want to watch the weather and be prepared for more heat if it's an atypical year.

I echo everyone else and encourage you to take your time on the Inglés (especially since there are beaches and rivers around) and try to stretch it to 5, 6, or 7 days if you can. Especially if you're jet lagged, 15 - 20KM in the first day is a good warm-up (I stopped in Neda and that was perfect), then you can build up to more KMs a day as you go. 20 miles a day is a hard pace to sustain; many people find they can comfortably do 10 - 16 miles a day. If you only have 10 days total for your trip it will be really hard to do the Camino Inglés "well" and a place like Barcelona "well", but perhaps you can choose the one you'd really like to leave enough time for and then plan the other one around that.

And as @henrythedog says, don't shortchange your time in Santiago. There's a lot to do here and pilgrims usually enjoy having a couple or a few days to decompress and stay in the pilgrim/ Camino world before they move on.

For flights, we really like the Aer Lingus flight from the East Coast to Dublin, and then to Santiago. From Santiago you can take a train or a bus to Ferrol. On the way to the US, we've flown SCQ to DUB, stayed overnight in Dublin, and then taken a flight to the US the next day.

Enjoy all the planning and Buen Camino!
Faith

Thank you!! Okay, great to know about the weather, that is encouraging!! I appreciate the info on the mileage, again I'd rather slow it down a bit, I've got more convincing to do! And thank you for the flight info! Maybe need to rethink the Barcelona component!

 

[knc]

If you are used to east coast US heat and humidity in the summer, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the weather in Galicia in July- rarely over 80-85 and not as humid as what you are used to. I echo others oncerns about mileage: if you are aiming for 20 miles per day, take into consideration that these are not flat miles! We did the Ingles this summer in early August, averaging 15 km/day (intentionally slower pace), and had a marvelous time. Buen Camino on your trip!

Thank you for the weather report! That makes me pleasantly surprised!!

 

[knc]

Barcelona is a looooong way from Santiago and you’ll eat up valuable time just trying to get back and forth across the country. I’d suggest doing those two destinations as two trips so you can really enjoy the time in each space (especially since it’s Spain where time is meant to be savored).

If the Ingles has been a goal, your ten days will fly by: overcoming jet lag, getting to the start of that Camino, at least five days walking, two nights in Santiago....you’ll be pushed for time as it is.

But either destination will be spectacular - Buen Camino!

Totally agree, which is why I was trying to be strategic about my plan! My boyfriend isn't really a traveler (he's never been to Europe) But again has always dreamt of doing the Camino... so I said we could do the Camino for him and Barcelona for me But may just have to put barcelona on hold

 

[knc]

As the weekend approaches, do this: put 20lbs on his back and have him walk home from work Friday evening. On Saturday, put on the same 20lb pack and walk 20 miles to a low end motel. Sunday? Walk back home, followed by carrying that pack as he walks to work Monday morning.

I bet Monday evening that you’ll have an entirely new conversation on what you’ll be doing in Spain...

People fail to realize that it’s the MULTIPLE long days that do you in, especially when carrying a pack. Unfamiliar food, beds, elevation changes, and so forth also add to the challenge. So practice at home for a few days and then reconsider your plans.

Happy walking!

HAHA I totally should do that. I agree with you, I told him yeh its okay for like a day but not MULTIPLE in a row! I'm going to share all this wonderful info you all have shared with him! Thank you so much!!

 

[Becky 59]

@knc, I just posted my trip report from this summer, I'm not forum savvy enough to post the link but it's date d today under the Ingles part of the forum. To give you some ideas...

 

[mylifeonvacation]

I always try to maximize my time off too. From the east coast it's easy enough to find an evening flight on, let's say, a Friday night and get a connecting flight that arrives into Santiago de Compostela or A Coruña in the late afternoon/evening on Saturday. I try to make sure to allow about 2 hours to make it through immigration/customs at the connecting airport. This puts you in Galicia on Saturday afternoon/evening.

There are frequent busses or trains from either city into Ferrol, so you could go the following morning (Sunday in this example) kinda early to Ferrol to start your camino. Order a Credential ahead of time so you are ready to hit the road when you arrive, the train and bus stations in Ferrol are near the Camino.

If you are inclined to want to go to the port to the actual stone marker that indicates the beginning of the camino ("Inicio del Camino Ingles" on Google Maps), it's 2 km in the opposite direction. The Co-Cathedral of Ferrol is along the way, so if it's me, I would check the hours of the Co-Cathedral and go there (stopping by La Bola de Oro for churros con chocolate along the way!) for my first stamp and then just start on the camino path to Neda. It's 15km to Neda, or 28 to Pontedeume (shorter with the bridge shortcut mentioned above).

From there take 4 or 5 more days to walk to Santiago, arriving on Thursday or Friday. From Sigüeiro it's 16 km to Santiago, so leaving early on that last day will get you to Santiago in time to drop your bags off at Pilgrim House and get to the Pilgrim's Mass at 12. Then you have the afternoon to grab a bite, queue up for the Compostela, see the Old Town and still catch the evening flight on Vueling to Barcelona (a 1hr 45 min flight). It currently goes at 18:55pm, arriving in BCN at 20:35. Even if you don't go until Friday, you still arrive in time to enjoy dinner and then perhaps some nightlife.

Spend the weekend in Barcelona and catch a flight home on Monday. That's 10 days away (assuming we are talking regular 9-5 work days). For me, you can def see Barcelona in 2-3 full days. And if you are strong walkers (def do some training in advance!), then do the standard 5 days on the camino is quite doable. Check out the distances and elevations (Galicia is HILLY) on Gronze or Eroski sites to decide how many days you want to walk. There are bag transport options that can be utilized to lighten your walking load any day of the camino - you just need to decide by 7 (or 8?) am and know where you are going to end up that day.

Buen Camino!!

 

[knc]

@knc, I just posted my trip report from this summer, I'm not forum savvy enough to post the link but it's date d today under the Ingles part of the forum. To give you some ideas...

Thanks, I will look for it!

 

[knc]

I always try to maximize my time off too. From the east coast it's easy enough to find an evening flight on, let's say, a Friday night and get a connecting flight that arrives into Santiago de Compostela or A Coruña in the late afternoon/evening on Saturday. I try to make sure to allow about 2 hours to make it through immigration/customs at the connecting airport. This puts you in Galicia on Saturday afternoon/evening.

There are frequent busses or trains from either city into Ferrol, so you could go the following morning (Sunday in this example) kinda early to Ferrol to start your camino. Order a Credential ahead of time so you are ready to hit the road when you arrive, the train and bus stations in Ferrol are near the Camino.

If you are inclined to want to go to the port to the actual stone marker that indicates the beginning of the camino ("Inicio del Camino Ingles" on Google Maps), it's 2 km in the opposite direction. The Co-Cathedral of Ferrol is along the way, so if it's me, I would check the hours of the Co-Cathedral and go there (stopping by La Bola de Oro for churros con chocolate along the way!) for my first stamp and then just start on the camino path to Neda. It's 15km to Neda, or 28 to Pontedeume (shorter with the bridge shortcut mentioned above).

From there take 4 or 5 more days to walk to Santiago, arriving on Thursday or Friday. From Sigüeiro it's 16 km to Santiago, so leaving early on that last day will get you to Santiago in time to drop your bags off at Pilgrim House and get to the Pilgrim's Mass at 12. Then you have the afternoon to grab a bite, queue up for the Compostela, see the Old Town and still catch the evening flight on Vueling to Barcelona (a 1hr 45 min flight). It currently goes at 18:55pm, arriving in BCN at 20:35. Even if you don't go until Friday, you still arrive in time to enjoy dinner and then perhaps some nightlife.

Spend the weekend in Barcelona and catch a flight home on Monday. That's 10 days away (assuming we are talking regular 9-5 work days). For me, you can def see Barcelona in 2-3 full days. And if you are strong walkers (def do some training in advance!), then do the standard 5 days on the camino is quite doable. Check out the distances and elevations (Galicia is HILLY) on Gronze or Eroski sites to decide how many days you want to walk. There are bag transport options that can be utilized to lighten your walking load any day of the camino - you just need to decide by 7 (or 8?) am and know where you are going to end up that day.

Buen Camino!!

Thanks so much! I appreciate you outlining a trip that would make both places work!!

 

[Vacajoe]

Please note that the Compostela system has changed recently and arriving in the afternoon at the office MIGHT result in you not being able to secure your document before having to head to the airport to catch your flight. To some, it’s just a piece of paper but if it’s important to your boyfriend, then you may want to stay overnight in case you need to return in the a.m. to get it.

 

[irishwalker]

Totally agree, which is why I was trying to be strategic about my plan! My boyfriend isn't really a traveler (he's never been to Europe) But again has always dreamt of doing the Camino... so I said we could do the Camino for him and Barcelona for me But may just have to put barcelona on hold

I completed the Camino Inglese in 4 days, in May of this year. Day 1 Ferrol to Pontedeume 30k, Day 2 to Betanzos 20k , Day 3 to Meson do Vento(close to Hospital de Bruma) 27k, Day 4 to Santiago 43k. The 5th day is usually from Siguero, which is only 15k from Santiago. At the end of day 3, I was feeling good and I then decided to go all the way. Apart from the first day, I had my rucksack carried by Correos [post office]. Thankfully the proprietor of hotel in Meson do Vento rang Correos for me and agreed with them that they would carry my rucksack two stages[of course for an extra fee, but still small money} i.e. all the way to Santiago. I carried a small daypack. Not having to carry a 8/9 kg rucksack makes a great difference. This I know, from previous experience. The weather was very good. I stayed in small hotels/pensions along the way. As it is only a few nights, it is not too much money. As I will be 70 next birthday, I might as well treat myself! Buen Camino

 

[thetimman]

Hi everyone!

Looking into potentially doing the Ingles next year. My boyfriend has been wanting to do it for a very long time. I'm currently in grad school/work full-time so my time off is quite limited and he only gets a few weeks vacation a year with his job. So we are limited to about 10 days total and either going in March (when I have spring break) or summer- most likely a time frame of mid/late June thru early August. However, I'm not sure how the weather will be? Has anyone done it in March? I've seen a few posts from people who have done it in the summer, but how hot does it get there/humidity? I'm from Virginia, so I'm use to high temps/humidity but not sure I want to sweat sun up to sun down!

I think we are looking into walking about 4 days, not sure if that's too aggressive or not. But I'd like to maximize our time in Spain and try to do Barcelona as well, maybe at the end of the Camino as a "treat"!

I'm the planner of the two of us, so I'm just in a gathering information stage and would love to hear anything and everything you all have to share with me: best time to go (given the above time constraints), itinerary thoughts, flight thoughts (would most likely fly out of DC), adding Barcelona on to the trip and how to navigate getting there (is flying the best option?)

You all seem like a wealth of knowledge and I'm here to soak it all in!

TIA!
Kaitlyn

I did it in March. March is great. Cool temps for walking. A bit wet, but hey, it’s Galicia.

 

[Hansel]

HAHA I totally should do that. I agree with you, I told him yeh its okay for like a day but not MULTIPLE in a row! I'm going to share all this wonderful info you all have shared with him! Thank you so much!!

Hi knc , you haven't said how old you or your boyfriend are, unless I missed that bit, but just over a hundred kms in a few days should be doable, the West Highland Way in Scotland is about a hundred miles, so 160kms and most folk are happy to walk 20miles a day,, I think because it's cooler in Scotland, so overheating is seldom a problem, and the surface usually has plenty of give, I haven't walked the Ingles, but if there is much road walking 20miles each day will be tough.
Buen Camino
Bill
Ps in the summer you will be able to travel much lighter,

 

[Deleted member 43780]

Clearly whatever you want to do is your decision, and I appreciate you’re wanting to make the most of limited time, but ...

Santiago is a wonderful city, perhaps you might slow down a little and have a couple of days there?

Barcelona - which has some excellent aspects - is over-visited these days. There is growing resistance to tourists, although that doesn’t seem to put the masses off visiting.

Perhaps have a couple of days in whatever hub you fly into? Madrid is superb, for example.

Finally - slow down on the walking! If your partner has long wanted to walk the Ingles, why rush it? 4 days is feasible, but you might as well just book into your local gym, walk a treadmill all day and order in tortilla. Five days minimum, six would be more ‘spanish’.

so true re Barcelona.
Possibly go to Valencia or Seville instead?

San Sebastián is also wonderful!

possibly do some, or all of the Norte.
Spending time in San Sebastián.

I visited a friend in Barcelona last month.
Yes, nice places to see and do.
But sorry to say tourists have ruined it.

be very careful of your purse, wallet, phone, bags etc

while I was the for a week personally saw three incidents of people being relieved of their things!!

These were in the high tourist area. Las Ramblas!!!
Don’t eat along this street! Or buy anything there.

it is the Mecca for rip offs and pickpockets.
Few streets over is different world.