Thinking about planning a trip to Spain in March 2017, so we need to decide quickly. Based on 6-7 days, (not including travel) and from several posts that I have read in the forum, it seems that it will be impossible to do Barcelona, Spain and Sevilla, as we just don't have enough time. Since our time is very limited, Sevilla and the surrounding towns with day trips seems charming, and it could take up the entire duration of the trip and the advantage is that it would keep us in one central area, likely flying in and out of Madrid with train to/from Sevilla. Day trips to Cordoba, Granada and the hilltop towns could be worked in. Knowing we have limited time and we don't want to over plan every single moment, what are your recommendations? There are only two traveling, my husband and I, and we like art, culture, history and we are major foodies! If we only do/see a few things, what are the MUST DO's in this region of Spain? Are we missing the boat by not going to Madrid and Barcelona instead? Thank you for your suggestions!
Posted by
Richmond, VA
301 posts
If you love art, you might want to rethink skipping Madrid. It's not far from Seville on the AVE train and not that expensive, especially if you book somewhat in advance. It's too far for a day trip, but yoou could, if you want to make Seville your base, train up to Madrid in the morning, see a museum in the afternoon (depending on the day of the week, some have evening hours, too), have dinner, spend the night, do another museum the next day, and train back to Seville.
If you're into food, culture, and history, you might look at the Devour Seville (or Madrid, Malaga, or Barcelona) walking tours. Here is the link to the Seville tour, http://devoursevillefoodtours.com/ . I didn't take this one, but I did do the tours (same company) in Barcelona and Madrid and thought they were an excellent value. You get something of a walking tour of the old parts of the city and stop and roughly four tapas places. On both tours, I thought the food and drink portions were very generous.
Enjoy!
Caroline
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
You could fly into and out of Sevilla (you connect through Madrid, I think), which might save you some time. Cordoba is a good day trip, but not Granada. It's a good 4 hour drive from Sevilla, and you would want more than one day there, anyway. I would say with such a short trip, concentrate on Sevilla and surrounds for most of your time and plan an overnight to Granada at some point. How do you intend to do your day trips? Bus and train? Rent a car? Save Barcelona and Madrid for another trip.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6790 posts
Is this part of a larger trip to Europe, or are you really planning to go all the way to Europe (presumably from North America) for just a week? IMHO, it's not worth going to Europe for such a short time. How many actual, full days would you have in Spain, not including your arrival or departure days? Be honest. It doesn't matter what time your flight gets in or leaves, those arrival and departure days are not really usable (you will be exhausted on arrival).
That said, with the 5 or 6 days you will have, I'd pick Madrid as my base, and work from there. Forget Barcelona, for all intents and purposes, it's in another country (most of the locals think so, too). Plenty of good art, culture, food, and history in/around/near Madrid.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
You can cram alot in to one short week. Just be savvy with your transport timings.
Day 1. Arrive Madrid. AVE Train to Cordoba - 1 night
Day 2. Morning visit to Mezquita. Afternoon train to Seville - 2 nights
Day 3. Sevillle sights - Cathedral, Alcazar
Day 4. Bus/train to Granada - 2 nights
Day 5. Visit Alhambra
Day 6. Bus/train to Madrid - 2 nights
Day 7. Madrid sights - Royal Palace, Prado
Day 8. Fly home
March is best spent in the south when considering the weather.
Barcelona has flights from everywhere and is connected to the French train system - leave it for another trip.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7159 posts
If I only had 6 or 7 days in Spain I'd spend it in Madrid, Toldeo, Segovia, Avila, and Salamanca. Maximize your visit time and minimize the time traveling between locations. I return to Spain every few years for a couple weeks each and I focus on one area of the country rather than trying to see it all.