14-Day Itinerary Suggestions

I would add a day each to Barcelona and Granada. I assume you are flying out of Madrid and don’t have to make your way back to Barcelona.

Me?
Barcelona and Madrid.
A few short travel time side trips.
Slow down and enjoy life.
Forget Granada and Tangier.

Our next trip is 23 days,
Málaga, Granda, Sevilla, Córdoba, Madrid.

@travel4fun Yup, flying out of Madrid. Lucky enough to have non-stop flight options this way, whereas flying in/out of any other city had kinda annoying routes.
@davebarnes Always so jealous of people who can take such a long vacation, haha. I just really want to see Alhambra myself.

Everyone has their favorites so no wrong choices, but I would add one day to Granada and one day to Seville, if it were me. And consider making a stop in Cordoba on the way to Madrid with the extra Seville day.

@TexasTravelmom Is Cordoba a quick few hours thing? Like I can take the train from Seville > Cordabo, leave my luggage somewhere, explore for 4 hours, then get back on the train to continue to Madrid?

I’d make days 10-13 all in Madrid, especially the day before departure so you don’t have to travel too far to get to the airport on departure day. Day trips might include Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca, or Alcalá de Henares. You could also spend a couple days in one of those places and arrive in Madrid the day before departure.

I don't know why anyone would suggest skipping Granada. The Alhambra is magnificent! It's one of the most amazing places I have seen. If you have the time, I recommend visiting the Alhambra during the day and at night. It's very magical at night with fewer people. The lighting, the sound of water flowing; just wonderful!

Barcelona is a big city with lots of interesting sights. Two days is not nearly enough, and you need time to get over jetlag. I would definitely add an extra day to Barcelona. Perhaps add an extra day to Seville so you could visit Cordoba as a daytrip from Seville. A 45-minute train ride. Spend a whole day in Cordoba, not just 4 hours. Cordoba is wonderful. The Mezquita is amazing but there are other sites, such as the Alcazar gardens, Roman bridge, Palacio de Viana, and wandering through the Juderia with its narrow lanes, white-washed buildings and patios.

I would not cut a day anywhere to see Nerja, Ronda or Tangier. The cities currently on your list are very important historical and cultural sites. If you can fly in earlier, add that day to Madrid so you can visit Toledo as a daytrip from Madrid. FWIW, I prefer to stay overnight in Cordoba and Toledo but I don't think you have the time. It would be too rushed checking in and out of hotels, etc.
Also, FWIW, I don't really like Rick's tours. As you have already mentioned, they are very rushed. I know it's a cliche, but stop and smell the roses!

I've just booked the international parts of the tickets, and was able to add 1 day... but my wife doesn't think her boss will approve any more days off, so that's all I could add (my boss probably wouldn't let me either, lol)

Based on everyone's feedback, as well as some youtube videos I watched all day today (ha)...
Day 1 - Land in Barcelona @ 6 AM. Local time for me will be midnight, so I'll do the best I can while jetlagged...
Day 2-4 - 3 Full days in Barcelona
Day 5 - 4 PM flight to Granada
Day 6-7 - 2 Full days in Granada
Day 8 - Likely a morning train to Seville + Afternoon in Seville
Day 9-10 - 2 Full days in Seville
Day 11 - Cordoba, will try for most of the day there (6 hrs?), then continue to Madrid arriving at night
Day 12-13 - 2 Full days Madrid
Day 14 - Toledo ??? or another day Madrid
Day 15 - Fly Out (4 PM flight, so we can be lazy and pack in the morning, haha)

Still debating if we try to squeeze in Cordoba/Toledo, vs taking Seville or Madrid slower. But I think we're comfortable w/ 3.6 days Barcelona (accounting for jetlag) & 2 days Granada now. But we prob wouldn't stay a night in either just to save on the hassle of moving luggage & checking in/out.

What dates did you end up booking? October 12 is a huge holiday in Spain. I believe one of our local forum members recently posted that it will be a 4-day weekend with lots of crowds. If you are there then, enjoy any celebrations but be prepared for lots of crowds, and book train tickets early.

Barcelona is wonderful and, for me, there are never enough days there. Plan carefully so you get to most of your priority sights. Allow time between them because you'll want to enjoy walking and the main sights are spread out.

2 full days in Granada is enough. I had 3 and really felt it was one too many.

Like Barcelona, there's always more to see and do in Sevilla. Enjoy!

Cordoba is my favorite Spanish town (Barcelona is in a class by itself!). I encourage you to find at least 1 night to stay there. The only people who think a day trip is enough are those that have only done day trips there.

Toledo is also better as an overnight, but at the least, do your best to include a day trip.

For me, Madrid is the least interesting capital city in Europe and not as interesting as most other places in Spain. If you love European art, you'll want 2 full days just for the 3 big art museums. Otherwise, don't worry too much about short-changing it.

I like the adjusted schedule a lot more and agree with everything Chani said.

There are limited rail connections between Granada and Seville. I just randomly checked the train schedule for Wednesday, and there's a massive gap between the 6.30 AM departure and the next one at 1:40 PM. If you don't like those options, check the bus schedule. Spanish buses are comfortable, and the bus won't take a great deal longer on that route (usual caveat about unpredictability of traffic, though).

We used the ALSA bus several times when we were in Andalucia, and I can highly recommend them if the bus schedule is better than the train schedule. They are clean, modern, air-conditioned and the seats are very comfortable. They were always on time when we took them.

Yes, this new schedule will give you a fast look at all your destinations. You will see which you like well enough to return to. We are all different - Granada is my favorite and I am always happy with about a half day in Madrid. 🤣 Yes, Cordoba deserves an overnight but so does Toledo. At least you are now getting to Cordoba! There are no flaws in your new plan - just personal decisions. :)

Quick follow up question as I've now been booking everything related to my trip.

The train from Granada to Seville stops in Cordoba or Magada, but not at any conveniant times to actually stop in Cordoba. Also the bus takes the same time and is direct, so I'm going to do that leg on the bus.

Which, per my original plan, keeps Cordoba as a half-day as I move from Seville to Madrid. I can book the train ticket from Seville > Cordoba easily online, but... does Renfe have any type of "flexible" ticket from Cordoba to Madrid? Or do I have to commit to a time slot up front? Or what's the chance tickets won't be sold out if I buy it day off? I'm just not 100% sure how much time I should leave for Cordoba, and thus what time ticket I should buy to continue on to Seville. So wondering how much flexibility I can get. Vs just picking a time in the evening.