14 days in Spain - Is 4 Cities Too Much?

Rick Steves' Spain Tour does more than 4 cities in 14 days (check out his tour on this website for details) . While I personally didn't do the RS Spain tour, I took a similar tour from a different vendor with much the same route and loved it. Pace of course is a personal matter. Good luck!!!

Day 1: Welcome to Spain -- We'll gather at our Barcelona
Day 2: Lively, Artistic Barcelona
Day 3: Masterpieces of Madrid
Day 4: Madrid and the Royal Palace
Day 5: Day Trip to Segovia
Day 6: Historic Toledo
Day 7: La Mancha and Granada
Day 8: Moorish Treasures of Granada
Day 9: Ronda
Day 10: Spain's Pueblos Blancos
Day 11: Sherry and Horses
Day 12: Sevilla's Barrio Santa Cruz
Day 13: Sevilla's Royal Alcázar
Day 14: Tour Over After Breakfast

Can it be done, yes. I’d drop France and possible add another Spanish city, e.g., Zaragoza. For me, Barcelona deserves 5-6 nights, Valencia 2-3, and Granada 3. If you decide on Sevilla rather than Valencia, it deserves 4-5 nights. How long you spend in each will depend on what you want to see. How you get from place to place will affect the total amount of your time you spend in transit getting to your next stop.

I love, love Andalucia!!! And if it were me I would drop Valencia and add Seville and Cordoba along with Granada. However, and this is important, Andalucia in August is extremely HOT!!! Think high 90's and 100's. When I was planning our September 2017 trip, I remember reading trip reports from people who were in Andalucia during the summer months, and they wrote about dripping in sweat after being outdoors for 10 minutes. I am not exaggerating. I would think twice about going to Andalucia in August. Barcelona might be a bit cooler but I think it's very humid.

Although I haven't been to San Sebastian, I think that area of Spain (including Bilbao) might be a better choice in August. Do your research about the weather, and hopefully people on this forum who are more familiar with San Sebastian and that part of Spain will chime in.

If you insist on going to Andalucia in August, choose a hotel that has a pool so you can swim during the afternoon. Plan your sightseeing for early morning and evening. Stay hydrated!

I can attest to kmkwoo’s advice about the weather. We were in Barcelona in late September 2022 and it was so hot I actually purchased a skirt and sleeveless shirt which I wore for the 3 days we were there.
Madrid, Seville, Granada, cordoba, and Toledo were much cooler.

Yes, it will be hot everywhere in Spain in August. But then, it will be cooler that San Antonio. However you keep cool in San Antonio, do that in Spain. The water in the Med will be wonderful!

Why skip Madrid? Great city, amazing museums, fabulous food. I realize it isn't on the coast, yet I think it is worth a visit. Also, multi-city airfares are often a little cheaper than roundtrips. Start in Barcelona and finish in Madrid?

The problem with travelers doing on vacation what they do at home to keep cool is that generally at home people would be in an air-conditioned office all day, or inside their air-conditioned home all day, or shopping in an air-conditioned mall. When people are on vacation they generally spend a lot of time outdoors sightseeing, exploring neighborhoods, and just in general walking around. Unless they spend a lot of time in air-conditioned museums, which is enjoyable, too, but getting outside and exploring your destination is half the fun.

We were in Seville in early October 2017 and temps were in the low to mid 90's. Seville was the hottest place we visited on that trip. I've been reading that since 2017 the temps in Andalucia are hotter and staying hot much longer due to climate change.

It's possible the OP can't change their plans or don't want to. I just think it's helpful (and crucial) for the OP to know what to expect regarding the high temperatures.

The only problem I see with your choices is that none are very well connected. Barcelona to Valencia is not too bad, a few hours by train, but Valencia to Granada is troublesome. Best is by train, via Madrid in 6 or 7 hours. Marseille, is the opposite way from Barcelona, another 6-7 hours.

To be honest, if you want to do 14 days in Spain, stick to Spain. 14 days is plenty, more than 4 cities is fine (probably not more than 5) but they need to be within easy travel distance, of which there are plenty of choices. Save Marseille for another day, from Barcelona, sure, maybe Valencia, but also Zaragoza, Madrid, Cordoba, Seville, in addition to Granada. There is an embarrassment of riches to choose from.

Barcelona
Valencia
Madrid
4-5 days per city
Slow down and enjoy life
I love Ricky, but find his itineraries exhausting.

P.S. Are 4 cities…

I am to thinking it is too hot in Spain that time of in year.

Rick Steves' Spain Tour does more than 4 cities in 14 days

Unless you take the tour you will not have:

1- Dedicated bus for point to point transportation

2- A guide who has set up things and will not get lost

Trying to replicate a tour as a DIY project is almost certain to not work out well.

You would do well to keep to a max of 4 locations, (especially with the heat that will sap your energy & slow you down)

Barcelona,
Madrid- day trips to Toledo and Segovia
Seville option of visiting Cordoba on the way from Madrid.

Don't miss Seville it is not to be missed.

Thank you so much to everyone for the responses. Extremely helpful! Yes, down here in South Texas, we are very accustomed to 100+ degree heat and humidity but definitely something to consider. Thanks!

I'm leaning toward saving Marseille for another trip and will peruse the other posts for ideas on train tickets as it's sounding like that might be our best bet for getting around.

Thank you again. Truly grateful for all of your input. I'm a bit overwhelmed but very excited.

Venisa

Marseille, been there, not one of my top places in the South of France.

know what to expect regarding the high temperatures

I would like to appoligize to vysaenz. You asked a very direct question about a planned itinerary. I provided an opinion about the heat in Spain in August.

Your four cities in 14 days in not overly ambitious. You do need to look at how you plan to travel between cities (planes, trains and automoviles) and decide if you are spending too much time traveling. You may find that you will need to connect through Madrid and may want to consider some time there. Your proposed trip has you heading both north (Marseille) and south (rest of Spain) from Barcelona. I try to avoid backtracking on my travels as it feels like I'm wasting time traveling through the same city twice.

Regarding Valencia vs Seville, it sounds like you might be disapointed if you don't get to see authentic flamenco in Seville. To ensure you get to Seville and have plenty of time along the Spanish coast, I suggest keeping this an all-Spain trip. Keep Valencia and drop Marseille.