From Barcelona to Budapest: Itinerary thoughts?

I think it looks good except for possibly adding another day to Nice which you said you can’t do. Nice isn’t sleepy at all and I think it offers a good range of prices.I really like Seville and Nice a lot. Budapest is interesting, a better choice than Vienna or Prague from my experience. If it is your first time in Barcelona, five days is OK. Get reservations ahead for Gaudi sites!

Kim - The itinerary is solid. I assumed you will be flying open jaw, into Barcelona and out of Budapest to go home. I would add an extra day to Nice. The Côte d'Azur is beautiful with villages along the coastline. Instead of 5 days in Budapest, reduce it to 4 days and do 4 days in Nice. The itinerary can be revised like this:

Barcelona - 5 days (Figueres can make a great day trip from Barcelona, The Dalí museum is worth a visit)

Seville (with room for at least 1 day trip) - 4 days (Day trip option: Cordoba or Jerez De La Fronterra)

Nice - 4 days (Day trip option: Antibes or Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat)

Budapest - 4 days

I'm assuming that by "5 days" you mean "5 nights". If so, you really have this many full days planned at your various stops:

Barcelona: 4 full days
Seville: 3 full days
Nice: 2 full days
Budapest: 4 full days

I think you have your days allocated well, with the Barcelona and Budapest having the most time. But I'm worried about whether you'll be satisfied with that short visit to the Riviera. Three nights in Nice is short, given that most people going there also want to see some of the nearby coastal towns and hill villages. If you're primarily thinking of seeing Nice itself (perhaps you saw some of the smaller spots during your stay in Cannes), it will be fine. I'm assuming you plan to fly from Seville to Nice. It's not a practical trip by train, taking 20 hours or so.

The Nice-Budapest leg would also need to be a flight, so I don't see a significant reason to choose Nice over any other destination. (I do like the city, but would want to have more time there.)

I enjoyed the Dali Museum in Figueres, but the town itself isn't special, so I'd recommend it on a short visit like this only to people who are fans of art. Otherwise, I'd stick to Barcelona or go to Girona, which is a much more interesting city as a whole than Figueres.

Edited to re-organize for logic.

Acraven, I’m glad you called me on my mistake. Every reference on my stops are for “nights,” not days. I edited accordingly. And yes, I will be flying to each destination.

Alll the comments above have been most welcome! I love the fact that so far, no one has told me my choices are sheer idiocy. But the day is young ...

Thanks!
Kimberly

Kim - I agree with Acraven's comments with number of nights and not days spending in each city. Also, take Acraven's advice and add Girona as a day trip from Barcelona. Figueres is a nice town but Girona offers a bit more. Nice do deserve 4 nights on the itinerary.

Have a fun trip Kim!

How did you plan on getting from Spain to Budapest?? There are actually cheap flights out of Barcelona (under $100).

Why Seville when it’s in the opposite direction of where you’re going? Personally, I prefer Granada over Seville which is closer to Barcelona. What I like about Seville is that it’s an easy day trip to Cordoba and it’s convenient to fly to / from Barcelona or take a train.
Instead of going to the Riviera first, how about stopping in Provence while en route? You can take a train to Nîmes from Barcelona. Does anyone know if there are lockers at the train station so Kimberly can see Pont du Gard before taking a train to Arles and use that as her home base? Kimberly, would you be willing to rent a car in this area?
From Arles I would take a train to Nice and explore the Riviera before catching a nonstop flight to Budapest.
With this itinerary, I would focus on Barcelona in ES and not take any day trips.

Sorry, I would never pick this itinerary with all these cities so far apart. You will waste a lot of time traveling.
Get a map and visit some places that are geographically closer together.

I wouldn't do it, either, but plenty of people plan trips that require one mid-trip flight and this trip--as originally proposed--just requires two. Yes, that's two days of will-I-make-the-flight stress during a short vacation (not counting the transatlantic flights), but that seems not to bother some folks. And if you're going to head out to the airport anyway, it doesn't make all that much difference what your destination is.

Yes, Wizz flies from Nice to Budapest in 2 hours for under $100. The decision is always, do I see what I want to see, or do I do something more efficient. I usually end up doing what I want to do. Better than going home regretting.

James E., beautifully put! Thank you.

Of course my life is easier. Its always Budapest plus something else that I can reach non-stop for under $125. But with Wizz air having Budapest as its hub, that makes the possibilities endless.