9 days in Barcelona, Madrid & Andalusia (24 Dec 2015)

You can fly from Barcelona to Granada - probably the best way to get there. I'd spend only 2 nights in Granada and add one to Barcelona.

If you can't get a flight to Granada from Barcelona, take a fast train to Cordoba for a night, then go to Seville, then Granada and to Madrid by train or bus.

To save money buy your train tickets as soon as possible. There are huge discounts but they will go quickly. Read this article first.

Chani, I've edited my itinerary based on your advice. Thank you so much!

ROUTE 1:
24-Dec : Arrive in Barcelona (night).
25 Dec (Christmas) : Barcelona
26 Dec : Barcelona
27 Dec : Barcelona. Fly to Granada. (Sleep in Granada)
28 Dec : Granada
29 Dec : Seville (Sleep in Seville)
30 Dec: Córdoba. Night train or bus to Madrid. (Sleep in Madrid).
31 Dec : Madrid
1 Jan (New Year) : Madrid
2 Jan : Leave Madrid (2pm)

ROUTE 2
24 Dec: arrive Barcelona (night)
25 Dec (Christmas): Barcelona
26 Dec: Barcelona
27 Dec: Barcelona. Take fast train to Córdoba (Sleep in Córdoba)
28 Dec:.Seville (sleep in Seville)
29 Dec: Granada
30 Dec: Granada. Take night train or bus to Madrid. (Sleep in Madrid)
31 Dec: Madrid
1 Dec: Madrid (New Year’s Day)
2 Dec: Madrid (flight home at 2pm)

Our experience with Seville and Granada over the same time period is that the stores, restaurants, etc., pretty well close down for both Christmas and New Years eve and day. The only restaurants that were open are the restaurants in large hotels and they were absolutely packed.

Seville. Day trip to Córdoba. Night train to Madrid These makes no sense since Cordoba is between Seville and Madrid. And the travel time is too short for a night train. Spend a night in Cordoba on the way to Madrid or simply do a day visit and then continue on to Madrid. When we were in Seville for New Years eve, everything started shutting down around mid-afternoon. And nothing was open the next day. We hit a grocery store and laid in a supply of wine, cheese, meat, bread that would take care of the next day. Our hotel did provide a breakfast but nothing else that day. Don't know if that would apply to Madrid or not. However, the holidays in Spain are very different than the US. You will need to do some careful planning.

PS - The more I struggle with your schedule the more I realize you really have one too many cities. Then you keep throwing in night flights, trains, or bus that don't exist. You are spending a lot of time traveling during a time period when many things are closed. My new suggestions is to cut Barcelona. Save it for another trip. Do Madrid, Cordoba, Seville, Granada, and home from Malaga. The trip is more compact with much shorter travel times.

The poster above has raised some very important points. First, on night trains. Have you checked to verify that they even exist for the routes you're considering? Have you ridden on one, and were you able to sleep?

We don't know how experienced you are with European travel; but I can tell you that holidays are treated much more seriously in most European countries than they are here. It's not just shops that will be closed on Christmas Day. Checking on restaurant closures is another important issue. Several of your Barcelona sight-seeing destinations may also be closed. I'm not sure about Spain, but several European countries also celebrate December 26 as a very important holiday.
These questions and probably many others should be researched before you part with any money, like for flight tickets.

Spanish Railways (renfe) operates Trenhotel night train from Barcelona to Granada.
However, I would grab a cheap airfare with Vueling.

24-Dec : (pm) Arrive in Barcelona (3 nights)
25 Dec (Christmas) : Barcelona
26 Dec : Barcelona
27 Dec : Fly to Granada (2 nights)
28 Dec : Granada - Cathedral, Alhambra, Albaicin
29 Dec : Early train to Seville (1 night), afternoon to Alcazar
30 Dec: Morning to Cathedral, lunch train to Córdoba (1 night), afternoon to Mezquita
31 Dec : Early train to Madrid (2 nights)
1 Jan (New Year) : Madrid
2 Jan : (2pm) Depart from Madrid

Um, the OP updated their itinerary in the thread and made clear, to me at least, that "night train" really meant evening train with the overnight spent in the new city.

I would agree though that this is still a very aggressive schedule given the limited time, short days and holidays. If you want to see Andalucía, skip Barcelona as it is completely separated from the rest. Or skip Madrid (you can always fly through with a connection home). Certainly flying from Barcelona to Andalucía will save you a lot of priceless time. You can easily fly into Granada or Sevilla.

One thing that people often don't realize is how much time is spent when transferring cities and hotels. There is packing, check out, getting to station/airport, getting to hotel, checking in, settling in, orienting yourself in new city. Count on spending at least 2-4 hours for each move. Some of that seems to be at night so you don't waste all of your precious daylight, but still it is a lot of moving in a short time.

Be aware that the train line into Granada is currently under construction and requires a bus transfer. People report that it is pretty seamless but I've always recommended the ALSA bus system between Granada and Sevilla as being as fast, cheaper and more time options.

"Slow down, you move too fast, you got to make the moment last."
Barcelona then fly to Seville then train to Madrid with a stop in Cordoba.

I think the general idea is fine for a fast-paced trip. You are not going to have a lot of time anywhere but you'll get a taste of Spain and will probably be planning your next trip by the time you board the plane in Madrid, if not before. Traveling in the evening allows you to go, go, go all day and then relax on the way to the next city. Caveat I just noticed that you wrote "my family" - how many are you? Children? Bear in mind that you can only move as fast as the slowest person in your group. If everyone isn't efficient (packing, carrying luggage, not forgetting things in hotel rooms), you are much better with less moving around.

Have you checked bus, plane and train schedules for both the itineraries? Are both reasonable? Without knowing the detailed schedule, we can't tell you which is better.

Before you buy tickets for travel to/from Granada, make sure you can get tickets to the Alhambra. They do sell out and there's little point to going to remote Granada if you aren't going to see the Alhambra.

I would plan to stay in either Seville or Cordoba and day trip to the other by train. Or you can arrive in Cordoba in the morning, leave your bags at the bus station (across the street from the train station), visit the Mezquita and as much more as time permits, then continue your journey. You need to buy separate train tickets.

I would spend less time in Madrid unless the art museums are a high priorty and they are open on your days there (Prado, Thyssen, Reina Sofia). There is much more to see and enjoy in Seville and Cordoba.

Hi all,
Thank you so much for your replies. I'm afraid we've already booked the air ticket to arrive in Barcelona and to depart from Madrid.

I've checked - there are morning and evening flights from Barcelona to Granada that take just 1.5 hrs - on 26 and 27 Dec. I've also checked the Alhambra tickets on the days we want. But I've not checked the train or bus schedules yet which I will have too do ASAP.

We have 3 kids with us - aged 10, 12 and 15. We'll have to travel light. My husband and I have travelled to Western Europe a few times but we drove around (we didn't use trains and buses) and we didn't have kids then (well, only a 1 yr old the last time).

Christmas in Barcelona - we'll just walk around and take pictures of the famous architectural buildings in Barcelona (that's our priority). And then maybe catch midnight mass at La Sagrada Familia.

I've read up on New Years' Eve in Madrid. It seems it's only in the afternoon or evening that some shops close while others go on as usual. Looking forward to the fireworks at Puerto del Sol at midnight!

We'll be checking if Pakistani/Indian/Arab restaurants open on Christmas because they don't celebrate it. New Years' day we'll find those or buy food the day before.

We'll cut down 1 day in Barcelona so we will have more time in Andalucia.
We may leave for Madrid morning of 30th Dec because my kids may want to watch a Real Madrid match that night at 19:00 (7pm).

We might do the following:

24-Dec : (pm) Arrive in Barcelona (2 nights)
25 Dec (Christmas) : Barcelona
26 Dec : Fly to Granada (2 nights)
27 Dec : Granada - Cathedral, Alhambra, Albaicin
28 Dec : Early train to Seville (1 night), afternoon to Alcazar
29 Dec: Morning to Cathedral, lunch train to Córdoba (1 night), afternoon to Mezquita
30 Dec: Early train to Madrid (3 nights)
31 Dec : Madrid
1 Jan (New Year) : Madrid
2 Jan : (2pm) Depart from Madrid

A big thank you, David (for suggested itinerary and listing down the main attractions not to be missed) and Chani (for the suggested revised itinerary and transport suggestions). Thank you too Rosalyn, Frank, Douglas, marble skies. You've really been such a great help!

I think you'll need a vacation to rest from your vacation...

May I at least suggest staying 2 nights in Sevilla and just take the train up to Cordoba for the day? It's an easy daytrip and keeps you rooted in Seville for an extra night. I might also suggest making time for a flamenco performance while there - there are several good options in Sevilla and the kids will probably enjoy it. That's an evening right there.

I truly hope you won't be bored with Madrid. It has some of the best art museums in the world, but otherwise I find it a bit dull (though others certainly disagree).

A few tips that might help with the kids:
You may wind up eating fast food just to save time and keep anyone from getting "hangry." You may remember that sitting down to a lunch or dinner in Europe is generally a long affair. And with your schedule and short daylight, plan on eating quick lunches. One of my favorites in Spain is to buy a jamon sandwich and eat on a park bench. The little sandwich shops are everywhere.

The Spanish don't eat dinner until after 9:00. Many places do open by 8:00 or 8:30 but even that might not go over too well with the kids. Instead, consider tapas which can be had in the early evening and makes a great way to try different things and kids that don't like one thing can eat another.

In Madrid, Casa Mingo is an excellent, old-world roast chicken restaurant that stays open throughout the afternoon/evening. You may be eating alone at 7:00, but the food is still great comfort food. And ordering is easy: roast chicken.

Hotel breakfasts can be pretty bland but throughout Spain, small bakeries are everywhere that sell pastries and coffee/tea (like croissants). This would be cheaper than paying for a hotel breakfast or can serve as a quick late morning snack/pick-me-up.

Sagrada Familia is open 9am to 2pm both 25th and 26th December.
MAKE SURE YOU BOOK TIX ASAP.
http://www.sagradafamilia.org/en/tickets/

Thanks, Douglas!

Yes, I'm thinking to stay and extra day in Seville because everyone seems to be saying how special it is. We definitely plan on watching a flamenco performance!

Thanks for the food suggestions! I really have to take note of the eating times and check which restaurants are closed. Yes, we'll grab the tapas and sandwiches or breads.

I rather spend less time in Madrid but my kids and hubby are football fans. So I can understand why watching a 'live' match is a once in a lifetime thing (even though we prefer Barca - we are Messi - fans, we'll settle for Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo. No Barca match till after we leave Spain.) Never mind, we'll go to the Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor and maybe Prado museum.

The reason why we fly in Barcelona instead of Madrid is that the ticket is cheaper. But the plan was always to see more of Andalucia. So Barcelona will have to give way...

David - thank you! I really thought Sagrada Familia was closed those two days. Booking today!

I probably won't get to see Picasso museum but never mind.My main priority is to let the kids see the fantastic architecture in Spain. Even if Park Gruell is closed on Christmas, we'll still be able to appreciate the architecture externally.

I too was surprised that Sagrada Familia is open Christmas Day.
Park Guell is also open every day. http://www.parkguell.cat/en/buy-tickets/
Palau de la Musica Catalana is open December 26. http://www.palaumusica.cat/en/buy-tickets_38011

It's Parc Guell, not Gruell.

Don't be fooled by the 1.5 hour flight time to Granada. You still have a trip out to the airport, will probably have to check your luggage, go through all the security procedures and then wait for boarding. Then you need time on arrival to (maybe) collect your bags, and get into the city and check in at your hotel and drop your bags. Be really sure about the cabin luggage limits. Often the planes on short European flights are small and the baggage limits are low and strictly enforced.

In Madrid your family may be bored with room after room after room of paintings at the Prado. Just down the street is the Naval Museum, which is very interesting. Remember, Spain was a naval power in the Middle Ages (Columbus, Magellan, Armada . . . ). You must bring your passports with you to gain entrance. The museum is run by the Navy and security is tight.

Midnight mass in Barcelona - there may not be any services in the main church. During the year, daily masses are held in the crypt. Barcelona has a cathedral, the beautiful old Santa Maria del Pi church and the Santa Maria del Mar basilica.

Thanks for the links, David!

I almost jumped for joy to find out Park Guell is open on Christmas too, not just Sagrada Familia. So is the Spanish Village (Poble Espanyol at the foot of the Montjuic (from 9-2pm) - there is an architectural museum and a contemporary art museum (Picasso, Dali,etc) inside. I know some think it's a tourist trap but beggars can't be choosers on Christmas Day and we have only a day in Barcelona. There's also a cable car ride over Barcelona harbour that's open (Teleferic de Montjuic).

Not too bad at all - I read a website or two which said most famous attractions would be closed on Christmas.

You mentioned wandering around on Christmas day and then maybe going to midnight mass. Midnight mass is a vigil mass and would occur on the night of the 24th not the night of the 25th.

Also, it would be really surprising if Christmas masses in a major cathedral were not in the main sanctuary. This would be likely limit accessibility on Christmas. If I were reserving tickets on Christmas day, I would pick mid-afternoon – a time less likely to have masses scheduled.

I would skip Poble Espanyol. It's a recreation of traditional villages etc for all the regions of Spain.
As you are seeing more of Spain on your trip, then stick to the Gaudi and Modernist in BCN.

Just booked Sagrada Familia for Christmas at 9am.

Yes, I forgot about that - mass should be Christmas Eve. We'll arrive Barcelona at 8.30pm. After settling in, we thought of walking around La Rambla. I think we'll swing by Sagrada Familia. It looks fantastic at night too.

We decided to skip the Spanish Village. We will go Casa Batlio after Sagrada Familia.

Skip flamenco shows in Santa Cruz, tourist trap. If you want to go to a flamenco show check on internet before you see something unreal.

It´s a pity how Santa Cruz in Seville has changed for bad..I prefer the area around the bull ring, in my more authentic than the touristy area of Santa Cruz.

Cordoba is not so touristy but it´s an amazing place to stay a couple of days.

Thank you for the tip!

Just spoke to my friend. She says while Granada is beautiful, Córdoba felt more authentic to her.