Spain trip

Hello!

Where are you flying into/ out of?
You should end your trip in the city you leave from.
So, for example, if the airport is Madrid, I would head straight to Valencia by train, then Barcelona, then Madrid.
And if it is Barcelona, head straight to Madrid by train, then Valencia, then Barcelona.
The logic behind my suggested order of visit is to have the shortest train ride upon arrival.

And how many nights do you have on the ground in Spain? I'll assume 12 nights.

With 12 nights and with your interests, I would allow 4-5 nights in Madrid, 2-3 in Valencia and 4-5 in Barcelona.

If you are into museums, Madrid has a lot to offer (Prado, Reina Sofia, Thyssen Bornemisza are "must-dos" in this category), and Barcelona comparatively less, but Barcelona compensates with more visitable monuments, especially if you are interested in Art Nouveau / Modernisme architecture.

Speaking of which, I would only consider Reus if you are Gaudí "buffs". Since you mention hiking/nature, I would perhaps consider Montserrat as an alternative day trip from Barcelona.

As for Toledo, I think it is worth the day trip, but it does suffer from crowding at some times of the year. An alternative could be Cuenca: it could be nice to spend the night there after landing in Madrid, then continue on to Valencia the next day. This is more an idea for you to explore than a recommendation.

From Madrid , Segovia is a good day trip. Madrid has wonderful art museums including the Thyssen Bornmisza.

Thanks Balso

Yes, we will be flying in/out of Madrid. I very much appreciate the routing advice, as we would obviously want to minimize our times on the trains.
Thanks so much for all the great recommendations! I will add them to the list of possibilities.

Thanks Suki!
If you could prioritize just one day trip, would you choose Toledo or Segovia?

I’d choose Toledo, but you wouldn’t be disappointed if you chose Segovia. Both are nice towns to visit.

Thanks! I will research both

When you say museums, do you mean specifically art? For European painting the Prado, Thyssen, and Reina Sofia in Madrid. In Barcelona, MNAC, Miro, maybe Picasso (if you are a fan, otherwise not so much), day trip to Figueres for the Dali Theatre and Jewel Collection. But there are other museums, for instance the Naval Museum in Madrid is excellent. There are a number of small, very interesting museums in Barcelona.

Barcelona has lovely beaches, could be in Valencia as well (haven't ventured that far from the historic center). Check on the water temps. In Greece, the water is still quite cold at that time of year but perhaps if it's significantly shallower on the Spanish coast, it will be very nice. The only hike that comes to mind is on a day trip to Monserrat from Barcelona.

Hi Chani,

Thank you for your reply! I think the museums we would mostly enjoy would be art.

Yes, early May would probably not be a good time to get in the water. But, if warm enough, relaxing on the beach could still be good.

While still not exceptional, the beach is better in Valencia than in Barcelona, in my opinion. But it is closer to the city center in Barcelona. And I agree than in early May, you should treat the beach as an option/bonus, like going to a park.

@Balso. absolutely agree...beach is nice but we wont count on it

Since you love Museums, there are 3 major ones in Madrid, all within walking distance, though you cannot do all 3 in a single day.

• The Prado - one of the world's major museums - https://www.museodelprado.es/en. Like the Louvre, you can only see a few pieces of this one in a single half-day.
  
• The Thyssen - early to mid 1800s and more modern from there - https://www.museothyssen.org/en
• The Reina Sofia - Modern art and home to Picasso's Guernica - https://www.museoreinasofia.es/en

And Barcelona has

• Fundacio Joan Miro - https://www.fmirobcn.org/en/
• The Picasso Museum - http://www.museupicasso.bcn.cat/en

Both the Picasso Museum and the Thyssen are organized chronologically ... so you progress through time. Each fascinating in their very separate ways.

IF you will be in Madrid before Barcelona, you may well want to see Velasquez' painting, Las Meninas, at the Prado before you go to the Picasso Museum.

Anyway, as you love museums, the above should be good parts of 4 out of your 13 days.

Mucho Gusto!

Thanks @fred. Great recommendations!
Good thought @Graemeinspain! I know some basic Spanish but good to brush up on. Idk about the dancing lol but I’ll be sure to eat some papas bravas!!

You can learn some basic Spanish on Duolingo for free - it's very easy to use.

Toledo needs to be at the top of the list. You got the Museum of the Great Lakes, Museum of Art and Stuff, the Zoo (personal favorite), botanical garden, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral, the Glass Pavilion, and for dinner, Maumee Bay Brew Pub. When I got a warm beer and the wife a wine we asked for ice and they brought it! (My wife speaks passable Spanish.)

@bigmike - and if you drive there, there’s the newer I-75 bridge so you don’t even need to cross the old draw bridge. Does anybody go to Toledo, OH for anything?