33 Nights-Barcelona to Madrid itinerary

Looks pretty good to me. Are you going to do Besalu from Girona? We loved it. I like Madrid, but not as much as other places. You might take a day from madrid and give it to Barcelona. Ronda might be a little short of days since you are wanting to see the other villages from there. Grazelema, Zahara and Sentinel would be a very long day. They are all lovely. There is plenty in Sevilla for 5 nights.

You should check to see if there are musical performances at the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona. Whether or not, you should definitely take the guided tour of the building, an over- the- top gem of Modernista architecture.

Up on Montjuic, you can give modern art a try at Fundacio Joan Miro. For a contrast, the Museu d’Art de Catalunya offers Romanesque and Gothic works, many of them frescoes removed from churches to prevent their destruction by leaking water. You can walk in the surrounding park and get some panoramic views of the city.
Give modern art another go at the Reina Sofia, in Madrid, where you can view Picasso’s Guernica.
When you are in Cordoba, it is worthwhile to go out to the archaeological site Medina Azahara, the summer palace of a 10th c. Sultan.
I found Tarragona and Monserrat decidedly uninspiring, though, I know lots of people don’t agree. You will have just 4 full days in Barcelona, and there is more than enough there to keep you busy. If you want side trips, check out some of the Costa Brava towns.

I'll second the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, it is a wonderful venue for a musical performance, but as stated gorgeous on its own if there doesn't happen to be anything on their schedule. We love Barcelona, but we also love Madrid, which always seems to get shortchanged on this forum. I would not cut any time in Madrid, there is so much to see and do, besides just museums, and since you're already planning two day trips from there, I would not take any more days away from Madrid! It is a beautiful and easy city to explore on foot and visit the many different neighborhoods, shops, parks and eateries! You are going at a great time of year weather wise. Have a fabulous trip in a fabulous country!!

We had a fabulous day in Montserrat and its easy to get to. In addition to the monastery, we up to the top of the mountain to do some hiking. The views were amazing. I do agree that your time in Barcelona is way too short.

Hi Casey and Phil,

(Warning, long reply!). You have a lot of days in Barcelona, Madrid, and Seville. I love all three and they're good bases to explore the surrounding areas, but I'd build as much flexibility (in terms of bookings) into those times as you can in case you find out that one or other of the cities is not your cup of tea.

Starting in Girona is a great idea. It's a lovely, interesting, laid-back place to enjoy while getting over jet lag, and there are cool places like Besalù nearby. I wished I'd added an extra day. In fact, I know several people who liked the smaller cities and general region of Catalunya more than Barcelona itself.

Do you like wine? You might consider a stop in La Rioja or Navarre. I went through that area a few years ago and thought it was interesting and pretty, and I enjoyed the winery we visited (I'm not a wine connoisseur, beyond liking to drink it).

To me, two nights in Ronda and 1 in Arcos is too much, especially as you'll have about 10 other nights in Andalusia. (I should add my standard disclaimer that I appear to be the only person on the planet who found Ronda nice but overrated, ;)).

I think you can see/soak up the atmosphere of the "white towns" you're interested in two days and not have to rush about at all. Also, when I did the RS Best of Spain tour in 2016, we stayed in Arcos. It was clear that the town had suffered badly from economic decline, young people moving away, the effects of 2008, etc. Few businesses were open, I didn't see a lot of people either milling about or living their lives. It was really quiet, but not in a "slow down and savor life" kind of way so much as in a "halfway to a ghost town" way. This was in late June (maybe the weather was a factor), and the hotel was at the top of a big hill, but I can't imagine that Covid-related economic woes have helped matters since.

Have you already booked that flight from Barcelona to Granada? If not, you might trim the time in Barcelona. It's a fantastic city, but it doesn't sound like you are necessarily craving city-specific experiences. Maybe instead of picking up the car in Granada, pick it up in Barcelona and explore options between Barcelona and Granada?

I love Seville, but five days is certainly more than "necessary" to get a feel for the city, especially as you're also heading to nearby Cordoba for 3 days. On the other hand, at that point you'll be two weeks into your trip and ready for a brief "vacation from your vacation," and Seville's a very nice to just lounge around in as well. I don't think you'd regret being there five days, but if you find you "need" 1-2 days for someplace else, I'd cut a day from Seville and a day from Cordoba.

I'm not sure you need six days in Madrid, unless you're also using it as a public transport base and its accessibility to Toledo, Segovia, etc. Segovia is great, slower-paced, and with amazing views, so it might be worth actually staying there overnight.

Lastly, I have to put in a plug for the vastly under-appreciated north, though late September to late October is definitely going to be chillier and rainier. Bilbao is lovely, has the Guggenheim (for modern and not-so-modern art), and, if you've ditched the car by that point, has good air and rail connections.

Is this your first trip to Spain? Feel free to PM me. I'm not an expert, but I'm a major Spain enthusiast (I've been there five times) and always happy to go on (and on) about it.

Hope this helps!
Caroline

Great potential for a wonderful journey.
Three tips..................
This is a long journey so plan a day, or two, off in the journey. Rest and refresh.
When was the last time you spent 33 nights 24/7 with your spouse while traveling?
Be okay with needing to take a break from each other during the trip.
A MUST is to book on line tickets to major attractions in order to insure availability and save standing in long lines.
You should immediately check on availability for Alhambra and the Sagrada.
https://www.alhambra-patronato.es/en
I encourage you to hire a guide to maximize your enjoyment of Alhambra
https://sagradafamilia.org/en/
https://www.palaumusica.cat/en

Girona is a great start. We took a bus directly from the airport to Girona for 5 nites, we had plenty to do. Lots of good daytrips...Besalu for sure, also look at Pals, Begur, Peratallada... Girona itself is really nice...BTW we are the same age.
Brad

At some point I'd like to do something like this as well, but would definitely add some more of the north in as well. Zaragosa looks worth a visit. From personal experience, I enjoyed a day trip I took to Avila and Salamanca many years ago, while studying in Madrid.

I'm 69 and I approve of your pace! I wouldn't reduce the time in Barcelona. You may want to overdose on the modernista architecture. If not, you have already identified two possible side-trips (neither of which I have taken). You could also check out one of the accessible coastal towns or Zaragoza. The latter requires an AVE rail ticket, expensive if not bought way in advance).

In addition to Besalu, Figueres and Caceres are possible day-trips from Girona. Figueres is worthwhile primarily for the Dali Theatre-Museum and jewelry collection. I don't care for surrealist art, but friends raved about the jewelry collection, so I caved and did the whole thing; they're on a single ticket. There was a lot to enjoy in the museum, so I was pleased I had gone. The rest of the town of Figueres isn't much, though. Caceres is a lovely white former fishing village dripping with bougainvillea. Very much discovered by your fellow tourists, but perhaps not overrun during the time you'll be traveling.

Toledo looks potentially short on time. It has a really large historic district and a lot of interesting sights to pop into. Ask at the tourist office about the bracelet that gets you into a bunch of them; in 2016 there were short bilingual tours offered at a lot of those sights twice a day. You can probably remain flexible on the timing of the train from Toledo to Madrid since the fare doesn't escalate as your travel date approaches. You can split your transfer day between Toledo and Madrid as you like, depending on how your Toledo sightseeing is going. Some trains back to Madrid do sell out, but I think that's mostly an issue for those later in the day and around weekends or holidays. You can monitor the situation on the Renfe website so you'll know if trains are beginning to show "full". In a pinch there are also buses from Toledo to Madrid, though they take longer and leave you at a different location rather than at Atocha Station.

I'm not a huge fan of Madrid-the-city, but I like art a lot. I see you're already planning a couple of side-trips. Segovia and Cuenca are both good for a couple of nights, but they're manageable as day-trips, and there's a lot to be said for being able to move around without luggage. Cuenca has two very nice, relatively small modern-art museums. A day-trip to Cuenca is only manageable if you take the fast AVE train; the regular trains are far too slow for a day-trip. The AVE fare will be very expensive if not purchased early, while Promo+ tickets are still available. There are fees for changing or canceling Promo+ tickets, and you can't reserve a seat ahead of time.

Other possible side-trips from Madrid are Salamanca and Alcala de Henares, both very attractive, historic university towns. Salamanca is definitely worth an overnight or two, and I think Alcala might be, as well. But Alcala is a super-easy ride away on very frequent commuter trains.

In addition to the Madrid-Cuenca rail ticket, there are a couple of others you should consider buying early, taking advantage of promo pricing: the Seville-Cordoba and Cordoba-Madrid (for the day you go to Toledo, since you must travel via Madrid) AVEs.

Atocha Station in Madrid is a somewhat complicated place. You should be able to use the ticket machines for your ticket to Toledo. There are different machines for local tickets vs. long-distance tickets, I believe. If you need help, look for someone in uniform who seems to be wandering around, helping visitors. Those folks can point you to the right place.

If you are not comfortable buying the AVE tickets I've mentioned way ahead of time, you will certainly save money with the €6 Tarjeta Dorada. The card seems not to confer a discount on the very cheapest AVE tickets.

Marbleskies is right about needing to buy some sightseeing tickets in advance. The only one I know of that requires planning months ahead (usually--who know about this year) is the Alhambra--one of Europe's great bargains at 14 euros. It's possible you would benefit from one of the upgraded tickets that cover additional sights since you'll have two full days and probably some extra hours in Granada.

I had no trouble just walking into the Prado twice in May 2016; I think there is sometimes a bit of a ticket line, but I've never heard that it sells out.

The Descalzas Reales Monastery (actually a convent) in Madrid--which I highly recommend--was an issue in 2016 and I assume still is, unless you can understand a tour in Spanish. If you want to go there, you need to show up before the place opens and line up, hoping there will be an English tour that day (they can't tell you ahead of time) and that there will be open slots on it after they accommodate the tour group(s) for which they're running the tour. Rick describes this sight in his book.

In Seville you must pre-book the Alcazar unless you want to be in a very, very long line across a plaza unprotected from the elements. I was able to buy online the day before, but if they are reducing capacity these days, you might need to do it a bit earlier. It's a large complex, so it can accommodate a lot of people. I don't think it's like to totally sell out, but if you showed up later in the afternoon you might not get in.

The Seville Cathedral also has a long line. Rick explains how to avoid that one in his book.

Barcelona has a lot of sights that require advance planning. I'm not aware of any that typically sell out days in advance except for the Camp Nou (soccer stadium) experience. However, some of the places are rather small and were seriously crowded pre-pandemic. I can imagine they are being required to reduce their capacity these days, which could make tickets a lot harder to get. At the very least, you will want to buy the following tickets before showing up at the site. Standing in hour-long lines is no way to spend a vacation, all the more so if you get to the ticket window and are told the day's tickets are gone.

La Sagrada Familia -- first time slot recommended
Casa Mila (La Pedrera) -- crowded at the best of times
Casa Batllo -- crowded at the best of times
Picasso Museum -- crowded at the best of times
Parc Guell -- doesn't sell any tickets on-site
Palau de la Musica Catalana -- English tours could fill

In theory you could run into a bit of a line at the MNAC or the Miro Museum, but pre-pandemic it wasn't something I worried about. What I don't know is the impact reduced capacity at the Gaudi sites might have on these other places as people look for something to do that isn't sold out.

The Sant Pau modernista site is lovely. As recently as 2019 one would could simply walk up, buy a ticket and start walking around. It can probably still be slotted in on the spur of the moment, though it pairs well with La Sagrada Familia due to its location. Sant Pau is a multi-building site that takes time to see in its entirety.

I ran out of room in my original response before being able to comment that I enjoyed a day-trip to Carmona from Seville. It's an attractive, relatively quiet place; it makes a nice break from bustling Seville. I also day-tripped to Priego de Cordoba from Granada. Again, a nice break from the city.

Merida is worthwhile for its Roman ruins and the nice, modern archaeological museum. It is otherwise not one of Spain's most attractive destinations. It really doesn't need a whole day. Many other places (Caceres being a prime example) are much more pleasant to be in.

In regards to the pueblos blancos, I also found Arcos to be a little "dead". However, I was there in November. I also think Ronda is a little over rated and as it is way to the east of the others, it makes for some extra driving. Zahara, Setenil and Grazelema were also on the quiet side, but we loved those towns. Zahara has multiple stunning viewpoints. Setenil is just fascinating in that parts are built under the rock. Grazelema's setting is beautiful. If you like to do a little hiking Grazelema's the place to do it. We stayed in Grazelema at La Mejorana. It is beautiful place with views of the mountains. The rooms are huge and there is a lovely pool. It would be a great place for the "vacation from a vacation" that the other folks are talking about, Also, it was crazy inexpensive and the owners were very nice and helpful.

There are hiking options in the Alpujarras outside Granada as well. There's a bit of altitude there, so it could be more pleasant, temperature-wise, than in other parts of Spain in late September. (Or it could cool off early this year.)

I agree with Bill, make sure to be in Barcelona during La Mercè in September 23-26! In previous years the city wide festival had 100s of events spread throughout Barcelona's squares, streets, museums, and parks. This is something that we put on for ourselves, not just for tourists and was a great opportunity to experience our Catalan culture like a local, at least for a few days. The best part it's free!

Also October 12 is the National Day of Spain (Fiesta Nacional de España), this is a public holiday so everyone has the day off. This means many locals will be traveling around Spain for the long holiday, a bit like what happens in the 4th of July in USA, so you may want to secure AVE train tickets beforehand. Outside of the touristy zones you may find some smaller shops/restaurants closed, but not too many. Public transport runs normally. Hrs for major museums and tourist sites should not be affected, thought you may find an uptick of visitors to these sites on the 12th, as locals have the day off. Also depending on the city you are in there may be some patriotic events that could restrict access in city centers, the largest example being the grand military parade that goes through central Madrid.

Now, If wanting to mix in some rural/small town charm to your big city stops I'd recommend:

Vic - If you want to really have a local experience of a traditional Catalan farmers' market, I'd recommend you take the train (1:30 hr) from Barcelona up to to the ancient town of Vic on their market day, Tuesdays and Saturdays in the Plaza Mayor. Vic has been an important agricultural centre, since the ancient Roman days, and its vibrant market has been held there for more than 1000 years, the town is particularly know for its Charcuterie and butifarra sausages. I guarantee you won't see another tourist. Vic is also home to one of the oldest Cathedrals in Catalonia, it's unique as it blends Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassic architecture, the interior will take your breath away.

El Rocío - Located in the heart of the Doñana National Park, just south of Sevilla, I would suggest El Rocío, a time-warped Andalucian cowboy town, for a day trip or even 1-2 night stay. With its old taverns and dusty streets the town feels like something from the wild west. El Rocío is also one of the most important pilgrimage towns in Spain and is located in the heart of the Doñana National Park, a wild and beautiful wetlands of the Guadalquivir river, and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also virtually unknown to foreign tourists lol!

Thanks everyone for your replies.
We have made the following changes:

Barcelona 7 nights to experience La Merce. Thanks Bill Sinclair and Carlos.

Classical performance 9/27 at Palau de la Musica. Thanks Rosalyn & kimmek

Sadly, Girona will only be a day trip.

Switched stays in Ronda and Arcos to 3 nights in Grazalema. Thanks jules m

Added a night in Toledo for total of 3.

Marbleskies, Casey needs a break from me just planning the trip!!

We appreciate all of your valuable insights.

Keep them coming please!

Casey & Phil

Strongly advise to skip Hotels and stay in AIR BNBS in order to have extra space, availability of kitchen (saves big on breakfast and offers ease for creating light evening meals and sometimes you will find a clothes washer (rarely a dryer).

Except for Barcelona, the cities you are looking at have pretty inexpensive inns/hotels, especially if you look for more local/family owned properties. Also, most of our inns included breakfast in the rate. We stayed in many lovely, local places that we booked directly thru the property, that we considered bargains. One thing we do that we enjoy and saves a lot of time and money, is to shop markets for picnic supplies. If you do opt for AirBnBs, make sure the places have local licenses to operate as an AirBnB.