Two 30-something sisters visiting Spain for the first time in October for 13 days. We are starting in Barcelona and flying out of Madrid. We've been recommended Barcelona, Sevilla and Granada. We are also considering Tangier for a day trip just to get a flavor of the Moroccan experience. Does it make sense to go in the following order - Barcelona, Sevilla, Tarifa/Tangier, Granada and Madrid. Right now we are not planning on spending anytime in Madrid besides to fly out, is that a big miss? Are there other cities that we should consider? Are there less "touristy" places we must try? Trying to make the most of this sister trip! Thanks for any help :)
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
362 posts
I would drop Tarifa to reduce travelling and concentrate on the other places. Last year we spent 11 nights to see Barc (4), Sevilla (3) and Madrid (4) with a day trip to Toledo. The pace was just enough to get a taste of each city. You can add 2 nights in Granada. Spain is big, the fast Ave train from Barcelona to Sevilla is 5 hrs, Madrid is in the middle. Train tickets should be secured before leaving home for best prices, renfe.com.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15579 posts
This is a duplicate post
The same question appears in the Transportation Forum.
mwerges - I suggest you eliminate one of the threads, so that responders can consider all the replies.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
"We are also considering Tangier for a day trip just to get a flavour of the Moroccan experience."
"We are not planning on spending any time in Madrid besides to fly out."
I'm having trouble reconciling what you say above - why bother with a day in Morocco if you are not going to bother with Madrid.
Working on 13 days (12 nights) I would suggest the following ...
Fly in to Barcelona (4 nts)
Fly to Granada (2 nts) - check with Vueling for cheap fares
Train to Sevilla (3 nts)
Train to Madrid (3 nts) - with a stop in Cordoba en route
Fly out of Madrid
Even though these are all big cities (with the big attractions) you can find a lot of backstreet surprises if you get lost in the right neighbourhoods. October is a good time for Spain - the weather is still reasonable.
Posted by
Barcelona (Catalonia)
2940 posts
There's a reason why some places are more "touristy" than others.... and that's because millions of tourists find it more interesting than the other places. Just sayin' ;)
13 days might seem a lot to you but they aren't, as said, distances are not that close from one tip of the country to the other and you don't want to spend your holidays packing and unpacking I guess, so as recommended by others I'd choose few bases and do escapades from there. As always my aussie friend has made an excellent and balanced recommendation.
... and as allure as it might seem the Tangier option I wouldn't waste time and money for such a short stay, Morocco is a country that deserves a full trip. I'd just put it in your bucket list for next time.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
As always, my Catalan friend has put things in a more sensitive and diplomatic manner.
Posted by
Chicago
565 posts
Well, Madrid is easily my favorite out of all those, so I'd say it would be a big miss! The Prado is worth a day, and the Royal Palace is quite impressive as well. You could take a day trip to either Toledo or El Escorial from there, and it's extremely walkable; most major sites are no more than a 20 minute walk from each other.