20 nights Spain April 2016

Do you have a particular reason for spending 4 nights, i.e., 3 full days in Cordoba? I liked the city, but you may find that's a lot of time there. If you opt for that, consider a trip out to Medinat al Zahra. I also didn't find Granada very compelling, outside of the Alhambra. Any days you trim from those destinations could easily be added to Barcelona. There is so much to see there, and there are many great day trips possible from there.
Toledo is very worth seeing.

Roslyn,
Thanks for your input. I have 4 days in Cordoba because so many people said it was their very favorite city (in Europe even!). Magical, etc. Also I originally had 3 days for Granada and several people (on this forum) said they had wished they had a fourth day there....

But I'm open to your idea of trimming a day from each of those and adding to Barcelona - with more day trip options. I hear Barcelona is amazing too!!

Thanks very much!

Tracy

Some thoughts:

1.) You can purchase high speed train tickets up to two months in advance. Doing so you might find good prices. Last week I went to Madrid for 30€ when it's normally over 150€. Have a try: www.renfe.com -the web of the main train operator. This is so for long distance trains, for short rides there's no need for booking and prices are the same if you buy at the station on the same day.

2.) Tangier: crossing from country to country is not like crossing your US state lines... it involves border control, VISAs, queues...

3.) Barcelona... if you were to visit the city for two consecutive months you'd still not see everything there's to see. Just sayin'. Do make a (bucket) list of the venues you'd like to see otherwise you'll be running around like a headless chicken. Some of the attractions do require pre-booking due to the high demand (ie. Sagrada Família among others). Have a peek: http://www.infocatalonia.eu | http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/ | http://www.timeout.com/barcelona | http://lameva.barcelona.cat/en | http://www.catalunya.com/?language=en

4.) In all destinations you've mentioned, there's a lot to see around these cities as you'll find quite a few gems in their regions. I'm saying so because you'll find that with day escapades (or overnight) you could fill a lot without needing to pack/unpack to move to another city 500 miles away. For example: while in Barcelona -capital of Catalonia which is the size of Maryland-, you could escape to Girona, Tarragona, Besalú, Tossa de Mar, Vic, Sitges just to name a few, or one of the quaint towns in Costa Brava, one of the many national parks in the region like Aigüestortes or like Delta de l'Ebre, visit one of the seafood farms, a winery estate (this is wine producing country!) like Cordorniú, or to the famous mountain and monastery of Montserrat... uff... too many things to mention!

More text based info here:
http://catalunya.com/ -Catalonia’s Tourism Agency
http://en.costabrava.org/ -Costa Brava Tourism Agency
http://www.girona.cat/turisme/eng/index.php -Girona City Council
http://www.tarragonaturisme.cat/ -Tarragona City Council

1) Head straight to Cordoba after arrival in Madrid - AVE train is quick and frequent
2) Consolidate Madrid at the end of your trip
3) Slot in a night in Ronda to smooth the logistics between Tarifa and Granada

fly to Madrid, then directly by train to Cordoba - 3 nights >
train to Sevilla - 3 nights >
bus to Tarifa - 2 nights (day trip Tangier) >
bus to Algeciras, train to Ronda - 1 night >
bus/train to Granada - 3 nights >
fly to Barcelona - 4 nights >
train to Madrid 4 nights (possible day trip Toledo)

Remember all of Andalusia has enormous Moorish influences, having been part of the Arab world, and ruled for a period from North Africa. So if you head to Tangier for a day you may not feel it is much different to where you have just come from in Spain, except some people may speak French, and the food may be a little different, but no more than a regional variation. Personally, when I finally get to Morocco I am hoping to spend about 2 weeks.

Walk up train tickets are more expensive in Spain compared to Italy, I have found that to be true also.
Buy your Spanish train tickets thru renfe as soon as they become available if you wish to lock your journey in.

Such good advice above.

What are your dates? It's not clear to me how to fit Sevilla in without knowing that.

I decided to skip Morocco. I read that visiting Tangier is akin to visiting Tijuana. It's a border town, not "the real thing." It's a shame to use up 2 days just to say you've spent a few hours in "almost" Morocco. Like David, I'm waiting for the opportunity of a couple weeks to properly tour the country.

Do listen to Enric. Barcelona is great and there are wonderful day trips. A week is not too much. 4 nights is too little.

Some people love Granada. I am with those who think that aside from the superb Alhambra, there is little to recommend it compared to your other destinations. With 2 nights, you can see the Alhambra and a little more. With 3 nights, you can see some of the other sights. It doesn't matter which day you visit, tickets sell out every day. To get the most time there, choose a morning slot of 11.30 or later. You will be able to visit the other ticketed areas before or after that until closing time. The rest of the grounds are free access. I was glad I did the evening visit to the Nasrid Palaces and then back for a daytime visit the next day.

Toledo is much better as an overnight than a day trip. One possibility is to leave your luggage in a locker at the Madrid train station, and just take a small overnight bag for 1 or even 2 nights. That would work well between Barcelona and Madrid. The train is a commuter train, tickets do sell out (in both directions) so best to buy a couple days in advance. There are fewer trains on weekends when there are no commuters.

You can do your itinerary (without Tarifa - not sure how that would fit in) without a car. You could rent a car from Sevilla to Granada to spend a day or two driving through the hills and visiting the pueblos blancos. Ronda is worth a full day's sightseeing. The driving is easy and mostly scenic.

Yes, Cordoba is my favorite city in Spain and Toledo is my second favorite. Barcelona is a separate category altogether. Still, on a first visit, I would not spend more than 3 nights there.

Thank you all for your thoughtful insights! Here's my revised itinerary. The dates I must avoid Seville are April 11-17. I've taken out Tangier, added Toledo, extended days in Barcelona, and cut back Granada,

Night Location Date
0 Fly to Madrid, 1:30 pm Mon, April 4
1 Arrive Madrid, 12:40 pm Train to Toledo Tues, April 5
2 Toledo Wed, April 6
3 Toledo Thurs, April 7
4 Barcelona Fri, April 8
5 Barcelona Sat, April 9
6 Barcelona Sun, April 10
7 Barcelona Mon, April 11
8 Barcelona Tues, April 12
9 Barcelona Wed, April 13
10 Granada Thurs, April 14
11 Granada - Alhambra Fri, April 15
12 Cordoba Sat, April 16
13 Cordoba Sun, April 17
14 Cordoba Mon, April 18
15 Seville Tues, April 19
16 Seville Wed, April 20
17 Madrid Thurs, April 21
18 Madrid Fri, April 22
19 Madrid Sat, April 23
20 Madrid Sun, April 24

Right, that was the "easy" part..... now the fun begins: start making your bucket list (what to visit, when, how to get to...)...LOL!

Lean on Enric to block out his diary April 8 to 13 and you be sorted with a personal guide in Barcelona.

What does that mean to "block out Enric's diary"? Curious....

Tracy

I like your new plan. Well done.

There are shows at the Royal Stables in Cordoba. Highly recommended.

Unfortunately Enric (as far as I know) does not avail himself as a private guide. He does, however, share exceptional wisdom, knowledge and advice through this Forum. It was just a joke.

hahaha... nope, I don't work as a guide (nor anything related to tourism).... I simply like to share my passion for my home town :)))