Extra 1-2 days - where to add these days in my itinerary?

Wish I was going on this trip!

I’ve been to most of those places and my suggestion is add a day to Madrid so you can definitely go to Toledo (I loved Toledo - I also liked Madrid a lot, whereas many on this forum don’t, however) and/or I would add a day to Paris so you can go to Versailles (which you don’t mention). Plus there’s just a ton to do and see in Paris … and if you are feeling a bit tired at the of your trip, you’d be able to see Paris at a slower pace, sleep in some, etc.

Thanks Cathy! I was thinking to add the extra day in Madrid to ensure we can see Toledo (and to possibly visit Segovia if we tired of Madrid) or in Avignon so as to maybe see more of Provence.

We will be visiting Versailles, yes :) I have been so I may leave Versailles to my friend while I skip over to Fontainebleau.

In addition to the excellent suggestions re Madrid and Paris, you may wish to consider adding time to Toulouse. You might then be able to visit Albi.

When you say 3 days in a city, do you really mean 2 nights?

I would add a day to Granada and Paris.

I love Lisbon, so that’s my suggestion for adding time, especially since you’re planning a day trip to Sintra.

@Inbsig, have you visited Porto? I have had a few people tell me that there really isn't much to see and do in Porto so I was thinking already to maybe use one of our Porto days in Lisbon?

I have not been to Porto, so I couldn’t say. My trip was Évora, Coimbra, and Lisbon, with a side trip to Sintra.

Porto itself can be seen in a full day for the absolute essentials. The pace of this trip doesn’t allow for much else, as you are already aware. You are short changing Lisbon, so add a day there. Of the countries on your list, Portugal is where I would spend more time, so add your extra nights here and get to see something other than big cities - hire a car and see some of the traditional smaller towns such as Batalha, Alcobaca and Evora.

You say you are going to travel early or late, but for example, it takes 7+ hours door to door by public transport to get from Barcelona to San Sebastián and only slightly shorter from San Sebastián to Madrid, so you aren’t going to have as much time as you think in some destinations.

MSM can be seen in a few hours - it was the biggest disappointment of our 6 week trip and yes, we were there off season and not at peak times. I hope you think it’s worth the hassle of getting there. Rennes has more to see.

Since you are on the fly and going at a fast pace, instead of adding 1-2 days in one of your cities, why not add another city.

Is flight origin/destination set in stone?
It seems inefficient to start in Barcelona, then head west, fly from Seville to Lisbon, and fly again from Porto to Toulouse.
If you land in Lisbon, you can head straight to Porto upon arrival (adding a night there if you want). If you can get a transatlantic flight to Porto, even better, but not sure they are that common. Start there, then head to Lisbon (adding a night), fly to Seville, do the Spanish segment in reverse, and take the train from Barcelona to Carcassonne where I would stay the night, skipping Toulouse altogether unless you have personal reasons to go there. There is nothing wrong with Toulouse, but you only have time to focus on major highlights and I do not think Toulouse has any.
Skipping Toulouse would allow you to add time to Avignon, which deserves 4-5 nights for proper exploration.
By the way, Aix would not be my choice of day trip from Avignon. It is very enjoyable to visit, but Arles is fascinating and most people would enjoy Arles much more. Easier to get to, as well.

In terms of pacing (sorry), I think you'll find it impossible to go-go-go at maximum speed for five weeks straight. Therefore, much as I love Spain and think Barcelona, Seville and maybe Madrid could use more time, I suspect you'll appreciate the extra time more later in the trip. I'd go with Lisbon (not Porto) and/or France (but not Mont-Saint-Michel).

@treemoss2 even at the pace we are going I think an extra city may be overkill hmm

@balso it’s quite expensive for us to fly in and out of Portugal from Australia but I’ll look into it - it does seem a smarter move.

Does the train from Barcelona go straight to Carcassonne? That would be ideal and we’d likely skip Toulouse in that instance.

There was a daily direct train from Barcelona to Toulouse which stopped in Carcassonne. Paused due to Covid, hasn't resumed yet. But even if it doesn't, you'd be looking at a 3.5 hour train ride with a transfer in Narbonne, not a big hassle.

And I hadn't realized that you were flying from Australia, it does change things when it comes to flight availability!

@balso yes it is definitely a bit more than a hop skip and a jump. If we went to Lisbon first we’d be looking at 29 hours of travel across 3 flights unless we wanted to pay nearly double for a shorter journey.

I might look into starting in Madrid and then skirting over to Portugal and back into Spain hmm.

To me there's no benefit starting in Madrid vs. Barcelona. Connections between Spain and Portugal require a flight or a long bus ride, and flying from Madrid to Porto or from Porto to France is the same level of hassle.

Therefore, if it's too complicated to fly into Portugal from Australia, don't bother and stick with your original order!