2 week Barcelona and Andalusian Itinerary

I would drop Barcelona and stick to southern Spain.

I can't imagine going to that part of that world and not seeing the Alhambra and Granada.

Also, the Mezquita and Cordoba are both incredible.

Barcelona has international recognition, but I actually preferred both Granada and Cordoba.

One full day in Sevilla is awfully short. The cathedral and Alcazar will take up the entire day between them.

As for Morocco, there's a lot of divided opinion on this forum as to whether it's worth visiting while in Spain. I've heard Marrakech and Fes are both spectacular, but I don't know if three full days is enough to see both of them.

I think you need to decide if this will be a trip where you see parts of Spain quite well, or more of a "getting a flavor" trip with a bit of Spain, a bit of Morocco.
Where is the wedding town?

I would suggest sticking to Andalucia. Barcelona is frequently regarded as a "must see" in Spain but for me it doesn't have a patch on the big attractions in Andalucia. Two weeks in Andalucia is nothing, you'll barely scratch the surface so to add on another country is to do disservice to both.

However, you've clearly made your decisions on where you want to go. If you're going to fly between destinations then that's the fastest, and easiest transportation.

So, are flights confirmed, and are you flying home from Morocco?
I see no point in goint to Seville Oc 14-15 unless your wedding locale is near there. If it is on the coast, forego Seville and head to Morocco early.

From Seville on Oct. 16, the only nonstop flight options on www.skyscanner.com are RyanAir to Rabat at 12:50 or to Fes at 15:45. I would choose Fes, and probably spend all 4 nights there, with perhaps a day trip nearby. If you need to fly home from a different city, Marrakech, Rabat, and Casablanca are among those connected by train (www.oncf.ma).

The wedding is in Cadiz on October 12...

Since Barcelona is a priority, you should do it, even if you'll only have 2 full days there. I looked at rome2rio.com and the best suggestions are either train all the way to Cadiz (change in Sevilla), about 7.5 hours or fly to Jerez and train from the airport to Cadiz, about 5 hours. The times are estimates, including average transfer time and lead time at the airport.

Cadiz to Sevilla is a 1.5 hour train ride.

I thought Fez was more interesting and traditional than Marrakech, but either would be good.

Where are you planning to go in Morocco?

Tangiers is a waste. Best places are Fes and Marrakesh. Also, Agadir in the south and the capitol, Rabat.

I was wondering because you said "its another 2-3 hours to the wedding town." There are just so many appealing places in Andalucia, but you can always go back.

Hi Everyone! Thanks for the responses, sincerely appreciate this!

I knew that there would be a lot of opinions about me trying to squeeze in too much in such a short time - but for better or worse, that's what we do. We don't get a lot of vacation and don't have the luxury of going back to these places again shortly after visiting because of time, money, and distance :)..and of course wanting to explore different parts of the world.

First things first, the wedding is going to be in Jimena de la Frontera in the province of Cádiz.
It looks like our best choices to fly to (from Barcelona) are Malaga and Jerez airports, both just under 2 hours drive. Seville is about a 2.5 hour drive.

Our goal is to get a decent flavor of Spain, through highlights. I realize that we are moving a lot but we just want to see and experience as much as we can as well. Hopefully we can go back in the future!

That being said, we've made some changes in the itinerary. We are leaving a day earlier, and scratching off Morocco from our list and staying in Andalucian instead. Only questions now, do I spend the extra day in Malaga or Granada?

Here's the new itinerary:
October 6 Leave US
October 7 Arrive in Barcelona
October 8 Barcelona
October 9 Barcelona
October 10 Barcelona
October 11 Travel to Cadiz - Wedding
October 12 Cadiz - Wedding
October 13 Cadiz - Wedding
October 14 Travel to Seville
October 15 Seville
October 16 Granada or Malaga?
October 17 Granada or Malaga?
October 18 Granada or Malaga?
October 19 Travel back to US

October 12 is a Saturday and a big holiday in Spain. I'd expect Oct 11 to be a very busy travel day, so book flights/trains soon. It sounds like you're planning to rent a car at the airport on the 11th to the 14th (or maybe longer). In choosing flights, take into account the cost and availability of cars at each airport. Malaga is a much larger airport so there may be a wider selection of cars (especially if you require an automatic transmission) and there may be a difference in cost depending on where you're planning to drop the car.

I would spend more time in Sevilla and none in Malaga other than the night before the flight home. While you're in Sevilla, plan for a day trip to Cordoba. The sights in Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada are more interesting than those in Malaga. If you keep the car to Granada, you can spend a day driving through the mountains and seeing a few of the white hill towns. There are only a few Alhambra tickets left for Oct 16-18, so book that ASAP.

This looks great--much improved plan! Jimena de la Frontera is in a gorgeous area. Malaga vs Granada is really just a matter of how much you wish to see the Alhambra versus what you would do if you stayed in Malaga (I loved it, but three days there without day trips would be too much--and you sound like you like a busy pace.) I always thought Antequera sounded cool, that's on my list if I get back, along with Zahara and the natural areas around Ronda as well as the beaches east of Cadiz.

Don't overlook Chani's warning about Alhambra tickets. It sounds as if your potential dates in Granada will sell out very soon.

For sure! I am just trying to figure out now on when we'll be in Granada, so hoping to book it sometime today :)

Do you think it would make sense to head to Granada first before Seville/tweaking the order after the wedding in Cadiz?

Also, do you think 3.5 days in Barcelona is enough/a lot or can we leave Barcelona a day earlier to head to Malaga to get a little flavor of this town before heading to Cadiz?

I don't count my arrival day as sightseeing time; jetlag and sleep-deprivation hit me hard. Some people are not as badly affected by overnight flights as I am, but within your group you are likely to have people who really struggle on Day 1.

So to me you only have 3 days in Barcelona as it is. The city has a bunch of extremely popular sights for which you'll need to buy timed tickets in advance in order to avoid dreadful lines (and possibly not getting in at all). On a short trip it's difficult to figure out how to schedule those timed entries. Who's to say how much time you'll want to spend at each place, how long it will take you to travel from A to B, when you'll want to eat lunch, etc.

I wouldn't take time away from Barcelona. I admit to being very fond of the city and its modernista architecture.

Does anyone have any recommendations of how to spend 5 days between Seville, Granada and Cordoba? :)

I agree that your itinerary is pretty full, and having just spent 6 days in Barcelona, I also agree that you could delete it. Sadly, it is swamped with tourists (maybe it will be nicer in October than July).

If you do go to Barcelona, I have a couple of recommendations:

• check out the el Jardin hotel (listed in RS guide); it's central, inexpensive, and very, very clean and friendly; pay a little extra for a room with a tiny balcony overlooking the plaza and the church
• see the Sagrada Familia (buy tickets online and in advance); it's gorgeous
• take the HOHO tours of the city; see things other than the main tourist spots
• avoid the Ramblas; it's depressing and unsafe
• eat at the 4 Gatz; read up on its history
• have fun

Thanks Monty for the suggestions on Barcelona, I will definitely keep that in mind!

I am just now picking this planning back up as we are 2 months away (coming up so fast!)!
What are your suggestions as far as Barcelona Hotels/Locations? I am open to suggestions if anyone feels strongly about any hotel or area.

Also, it is looking like we need to get a car either way to get to the wedding location in Cadiz (Jimena de la Frontera). We'll be sharing a car from a friend starting from Malaga - I was hoping we could get by without driving but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Here is our updated itinerary:
October 6 Leave US
October 7 Arrive in Barcelona
October 8 Barcelona
October 9 Barcelona
October 10 Barcelona
October 11 Morning flight to Malaga, drive to Cadiz (Jimena de la Frontera)
October 12 Cadiz - Cadiz (Jimena de la Frontera)
October 13 Cadiz - Cadiz (Jimena de la Frontera)
October 14 Drive to Seville in the morning
October 15 Seville
October 16 Day trip to Cordoba
October 17 Granada (Got tickets to Alhambra on this day)
October 18 Granada
October 19 Travel back to US

Question for you:
1. Should we keep the car and drive it all the way to Granada (I understand we'd have to worry about parking as well during this whole time which may limit our hotel choices) OR Should we drop off the car once we get to Seville since trains will be available between the towns we're traveling to (Seville > Cordoba > Granada). I am not sure which one will be more cost effective either at this point...
2. Should we still go to Cordoba or go straight to Granada from Seville?
3. Does it make sense to fly from Malaga to US with a stop in Madrid or just take the train to Madrid then fly out of Madrid to US?

Any input would be great, thank you!

Hi,
Point by point:
1. Drop the car in Seville, the day trip to Córdoba is best by train, and you would have to pay for parking in Seville.
2. I love Córdoba, so I would say yes. And if you don't feel like it once in Seville, you can just stay put.
3. Granada isn't that close to Málaga so I'd rather head to Madrid. However, depending on flight times, that might require a night in Madrid, which I don't see in your itinerary.
When would you leave from Madrid?