9 days in Spain in January

Cordoba and Girona have important historical Jewish quarters.
Both are easily accessible, from Sevilla and Barcelona respectively.

Day 1 Arrive Barcelona - 3nts
Days 2+3 Barcelona sights - Sagrada Familia, Ramblas, Casa Mila, Casa Batllo, Park Guell, Palau de la Musica
Day 4 Fly to Sevilla - 4 nts http://www.vueling.com/EN/
Day 5+6 Sevilla sights - Cathedral, Alcazar
http://www.juderiadesevilla.es/inicio/ingl%C3%A9s/
Day 7 Excursion to Cordoba - Mezquita
http://www.casadesefarad.es/in/entrada.html
Day 8 Fly to Barcelona - 2 nts
Day 9 Excursion to Girona
http://www.girona.cat/call/eng/index.php
Day 10 Depart Barcelona

Cordoba has Jewish sights, including the remains of a synagogue and Casa de Sefarad, a Jewish museum, and a lovely statue of the Rambam in a nearby plaza. The Museo Vivo de Andalus (folk museum) includes information on the Jews in Andalusia, especially in tandem with the Christians and Muslims. It also has one of the top sights in all of Spain, the Mezquita.

There is next to nothing left of the Jewish community in Seville. I took a 3-hour private walking tour with a great guide (I'll be happy to provide his contact info). I believe he also does tours in Cordoba. It consisted of walking through the streets where important Jews in Andalusian history lived and synagogues used to be. There were only a couple of minor physical remains - a stone or two. That's not to say that Seville isn't worth going to.

The fast train from Barcelona to Seville takes about 5.5 hours - about 40 minutes less to Cordoba. Flying will take about as long since you have to get to/from the airport, allow a lot of time for check-in, security, boarding, then disembarking, waiting for luggage (carry-on limits are likely to be very low). You may save an hour but you'll have all the attendant hassles and discomforts and some additional expenses. The trains are comfortable and the journey's pleasantly scenic.

Another alternative is to spend a couple of days in Toledo. There is a lot of Jewish history there, a couple of preserved synagogues, one with a small Jewish museum. Take the train from Barcelona to Madrid (2.5 hrs), then transfer to the Toledo train at Atocha. Toledo and Cordoba are my 2 favorite towns in Andalusia.

I visited Girona as a day trip from Barcelona. The Jewish museum there is excellent, detailing the history and daily life of Jews in Catalonia.

Other day trips from Barcelona - Montserrat (if the weather's good), Figueres (for the Dali Museum and Jewels), Tarragona (Roman ruins).

If you don't want to use up 2 half-days travelling to Andalusia, consider a night or two in Valencia or Zaragoza. Or take your warm clothes and go north to Andorra for some winter sports in the snow.

There are lots of things in Barcelona itself. Explore the official tourist site here.

Forgot to add - if you decide to go to Andalusia, buy your train tickets when they go on sale, usually 62 days in advance, for huge savings.

There is certainly PLENTY to do in and around Barcelona for 9 days. I would serious not consider going to Andalucía since you are flying back out of Barcelona. That's 2 days of 9 wasted just getting there and back, whether by train or plane.

Tarragona has an excellent Roman archeological museum and several good ruins. The old coliseum sits dramatically along the Mediterranean coast.

Sitges is a oft-recommended coastal and beach town.

Girona is a oft-recommended small city with a river running through the center.

Figueres houses the Dali Museum - worth it even if you aren't that much into art.

Cadaques is a wonderful coastal town that makes you feel as if you are in Greece.

Zarragoza is a pretty quick trip by AVE train.

Montserrat is a worthwhile daytrip for the monastery and mountain setting if the weather is nice.

Some of these places might not be as nice in January as the coastal towns cater to summer season tourists. But with decent weather, you can do plenty via train. Only Cadaques really needs a car.

If you haven't been to Toledo, I would seriously consider that. Still requires backtracking to Barcelona, but it's only 2.5 hours to Madrid and another 30 minute ride to Toledo. Lots of Jewish, Moorish, and Catholic history and culture there.

Thanks to all who posted for these great ideas and information.

I think it will really help us with our trip!

I was in BCN for 9 days in April and there are tons of things to see and do. Consider adding a day trip to Montserrat and a Cava Winery. While I'm not religious, Montserrat has great scenery and, if you are up to it, hiking. I took a tour through Explore Catalunya and had a great time. These are small groups (about 15 people), which I recommend since the larger (cheaper) tours remind me of hearding cattle. http://www.explorecatalunya.com/montserratcavawi.html

Can't remember any Jewish museums in BCN, but I was at ones in Madrid and Toledo. Toledo, in particular, has a rich Jewish history including the synagogue with a Catholic name built of Moorish architecture.

You can get to Figueres by train or do a day trip. Definitely go to Cadaques if you can. I did a day trip that included both. Unfortunately, the Dali Theatre/Museum was too crowded to enjoy. There were no timed-admissions, nor was there any type of crowd control. If I were to do it over, I would have taken the train from BCN to Figueres to get there when the museum opened in order to avoid the sardine-can environment.

I thought about doing Sevilla in the same trip as BCN and decided against it. Too much to see in Andalucia for even one week, let alone just a couple of days. You might consider Sitges or Velencia since they are closer.