I’m going to Spain 8th or 9th of September, thinking Madrid first and Barcelona second followed by Sardinia (from Barcelona!)
My question is this enough time to see both city’s (get nice bite into them ?) And a possible side trip or two from both locations? Maybe Toledo or Sevilla ? And Valencia and Girona ?
I’m thinking flying is the best option out if Barcelona to Sardinia (more about that in the Italian forums!)
Thanks for your input , please forgive my grammar and spelling.
That is enough time for Madrid and Barcelona. Seville and Valencia are too far for side trips. You can do Toledo and Girona as day trips.
Thanks for your input!! Any thoughts on flying out if Barcelona to Sardinia?
Cheers
I agree with Jazz. With 4 days each for Madrid and Barcelona, you can see the cities, and have time for one day trip at most. Toledo is close to Madrid (30 minutes each way), but Seville is not (three hours each way). Similarly, Girona is close for a day trip, but Valencia is too far.
"Any thoughts on flying out if Barcelona to Sardinia?"
Yes - investigate the connections now, before you get too attached to the idea of combining Sardinia with Spain on a short trip. Use Skyscanner to find flight options: https://www.skyscanner.com/
We spent 4 nights in both Madrid and Barcelona and felt it was enough time to see everything on our itinerary. We did a wonderful day trip to Toledo. Well worth the quick train there. We took the train from Madrid to Barcelona. With interest in Jewish history we wished we would have had more time to visit Girona.
Hey George,
Do 4 days in Madrid and 4 days in Barcelona and like a previous commentator mentioned with a side trip to Toledo from Madrid and day trips to either Girona or Montserrat from Barcelona. That would be enough to cover 8 days. No need to include Sardinia.
@RJean Sardinia is after the 8 days already devoted to Madrid and Barcelona.
Thanks for the information, Sardinia will be after Madrid and Barcelona .
Hi, if you do not find good connections from Barcelona to Sardinia, you could always consider the Balearic islands, which are closer and have multiple flight/ferry connections, Mallorca and Menorca have a similar feel to Sardinia, just on a smaller scale.
We're heading for Madrid 5/25, and taking a day trip to Toledo.
We're going to be taking a train down to Granada for a couple of days before flying over to Barcelona.
Then we've got top floor first class reservations on the fast train to Paris.
You’ll like that train ride David. Keep an eye out for flamingoes going through Provence. And, buy food before boarding. The train food is not great.
We were in Spain last year at the same time. We flew into Madrid, spent the night to adjust after the transatlantic flight, then took the train to Valencia for 2 days/2 nights. Valencia was amazing, but as others mentioned, it’s a bit too far for a reasonable day trip. If you are a beach goer and want to get away from the crowds without too much effort, Valencia is a great spot for that. We then took the train to Barcelona, spent three nights there. Personally, I wish we had spent less time in Barcelona. I prefer to experience the culture of the places I travel to, and we found Barcelona so incredibly touristic that it was difficult to get a sense of the Catalonian culture. We found Barcelona incredibly expensive compared to Madrid (more on that in a moment), and the food wasn’t as good (again, just my humble opinion!). Honestly I felt continuously gouged, and was pretty happy when it was time to go. The Sagrada was amazing, and the gothic quarter was my favourite part (we just walked in the opposite direction of the crowds and found some cool shops showcasing work by local artisans, bought some cool artwork, etc.)
We then made our way back to Madrid for another four nights, which for us, was the perfect amount of time. Madrid stole my heart. I absolutely love that city, and would go back in a heartbeat! We rented a flat in la Latina, and we were there for the huge market (I think it happens on Saturdays). Street art and performers, amazing food at unbelievable prices, and we found the people to be incredibly friendly!! Tons of great shopping, Chatted with a lot of wonderful and colourful locals, checked out a couple of tourist attractions, but mostly kept away from the crowds.
We took a day trip to Toledo and that was another major highlight for both of us. Make the trip up the steep incline - there are shuttles and taxis if you don’t want to do the walk. The view is breathtaking, and we stayed up there for quite awhile enjoying a beverage at one of the cafes and taking in the sites. I left a little piece of my heart at the top of that hill; Toledo is truly a holy place and a must see!!
If I could do the trip again, I would have spent less time in Barcelona and used that extra night to spend the night in Toledo (to be there in the early morning/late evening without the day trip crowds would have been truly magical!). Again, just my humble opinion; everyone has a different travel style!!
