Spain and Italy

Does the six grand include airfare?

We did a ten day trip over New Years that was more rush that we usually. We flew into Madrid and home from Malaga. It was 3 days in Madrid, 1 in Cordoba, 3 Seville, and 3 in Granada. You could start in Barcelona and fly to Seville. Is it 12 days with two travel days or a 12 days total?

I would stick to Spain if I were you. I tend to take more time in places than Rick would but you could easily fill 12 days with Spain alone. Adding Italy would be way too rushed.

If you have 12 days PLUS flying to and from Europe, you can have six days in each country, with an open jaw. Fly into Barcelona, six days in Spain, overnight ferry Barcelona-Civitavecchia-Rome, six days in Italy, fly home from Rome. Can be done.

Noemi, Gail has a great idea! Apts are so much "friendlier" for a family. Pick one country, and stay in just a few places. If you can stay in a location for four days it becomes easier to get an apt. We always use VRBO or Homelidays.com to find apt rentals in the EU. Be very careful about the floor that you will be staying on. The "first floor" is the second floor in the EU. Make sure that it has an elevator...that functions! Rome, Siena (or Florence) and Venice would be so much fun for your family.

For Spain, check out www.madridman.com --- the site covers more than just Madrid...I also suggest renting an apartment for your stay. More room in which to spread out. And, most are well located and adequately furnished. I have stayed in them in Madrid several times and been pleased.

For a more relaxed trip with parents, I'd vote for Frank's plan and save Italy for another time. Spain can be less expensive than some other European countries - perhaps you could save some of the $6000 for a future trip to Italy.

Thanks everyone. Yes, the 6000 is including airfare for 2. I definitely do not want to feel rushed since my parents will be going with us. But just the same I really want to see Italy if I can afford it.

Look into renting an apartment, it might be a lot cheaper than 2 hotel rooms and has advantage of being able to cook meals. We did that in Barcelona and Edinburgh and found it was great.

I would focus on Spain only for this trip - you want to be able to relax, not be pressured to get to the next location. I am spending 12 days in Spain in October. I'll fly into Madrid and spend four nights. I'll make day trips to Avila and Segovia. If it were my first trip, I would substitue Toledo for one of those.
I'll travel to Savilla by train and spend three nights, with a day trip to Cordoba. Finally, I'll train to Barcelona for four nights and fly home from there. Even this is a "busier" agenda than I normally have for a two week trip.