9 full days in Spain - itinerary help?

Two thoughts - one, it is going to be absolutely beastly hot in both Seville and Grenada in August. Second, with only 9 days on the ground, do you want to spend approximately 30% of your time in transit? To get from Barcelona to Seville, your best option is to fly - which will eat up anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 day. Train from Seville to Grenada is about 3 hours. For the return to Barcelona, again, your best bet is to fly - closest airport to Grenada is Malaga, about 125 kilometers from the city.
Personally, I would do Madrid - it offers all the things you've mentioned you enjoy and it's significantly closer to Barcelona. From Madrid you could do one or two day trips - Toledo, Segovia and El Escorial are are nice day trips. The high speed train from Madrid to Barcelona only takes about 2.5 - 3 hours and you go city center to city center.

I agree with Nancy. I would never skip Madrid. The "AVE" high speed train (Barcelona - Madrid) es muey fantastico!
Yes, it will be warm en España.

If you only have 9 full days (or 10 nights) then you are going to have to compromise. Leave Andalusia for a future trip. Head to Madrid directly on arrival, then return to Barcelona. Alternatively get a car and spend some time on the Costa Brava.

In August the average high temperature in Seville is 100 F. In Granada it's 92.3 F. Those figures don't include the most recent climate-change years. Are you up for that sort of weather?

Segovia is my favorite city in Spain, which you may be able to fit in if you head toward Madrid (it's about an hour ride north of Madrid). The Roman aqueduct built in the second century BCE is impressive, and the Alcázar (castle) is remarkable. That is where Columbus petitioned the Catholic Monarchs to fund his trip--and throne room is part of the tour, with the actual thrones! The view from the top is great! The cathedral is also impressive. And the best calamari I ever had was at a restaurant on the plaza, near the cathedral.

It will be super hot (like maybe over 100 degrees F) in Sevilla. But some people are good with that, and if you've got your heart set on it, you may not mind. If you have to choose just one of the southern cities, I would do Granada over Sevilla but that is not knocking Sevilla. There are some amazing places to visit in both cities, but Granada would be closer to get to, and may just satisfy your loves on its own. That said, if I remember right when I toured there, we went from Toledo (south of Madrid) to Córdoba & spent a night there. Then we toured Sevilla the next day and moved on to Granada where we spent a night. We toured Granada for the day and I think headed to the coast that evening. So if you have a plan (we were on a guided tour) you can do it all, but you also might feel like you are focusing more on keeping moving and getting everything done rather than just enjoying what you do. It was a lot of hotel jumping for us, and while interesting, it wasn't relaxing.

You have just 9 days. You have handicapped yourselves by flying in and out of Barcelona. You lose 1-2 days of usable time because of this.

You should investigate what things would look like if you change your flights. Yeah, you probably would have to pay a change fee. That still might be not much more expensive that switching (it might be a wash or possibly even cheaper - no way to know until you run the numbers). You need to factor in all the costs associated with backtracking to Barcelona, including your last night burned at a hotel there to ensure you make your flight. Total up the $ costs to make the change. Weigh that against "buying" 1-2 more usable days to your trip. You may be surprised.

Either way, it's going to be hot.

Thank you, everyone, for your thoughtful responses. Yes, we know it will be hot. Coming from AZ, very used to it!

There's being used to it and being out in it all day. It's not getting in your air-conditioned car to get from place to place (mostly indoors with AC), but walking, much of the time in the sun, for hour after hour. I'm not sure how many indoor sights have AC other than modern museums. The weather on the Costa Brava is more moderate. There's plenty to fill 9 days between Barcelona and Valencia, especially since you are committed to R/T Barcelona flights.

You could travel by train to Madrid via Zaragoza, then return to Barcelona via Valencia.

@n12z, no you don't :).... along the coastal cities the problem is not "heat", after all, one could say it's rather moderated, even on the hottest days in Summer. We're talking 95F tops in Barcelona for example. The real problem is the combination of heat and humidity. A day with say 85F plus >80% humidity is what's going to kill you and we do have those from time to time. And don't you think nighttime is a blessing as we have plenty of days in which the coolest temp isn't lower than high 70s at 4am!

With such high humidities, the body is sweaty all the time and while A/C is everywhere, you're going to be walking a lot from A to B to C, not only because that's the only way in certain parts of the city -the narrow streets in the Old City for example- but it's also the only way to get to know the city. There's much more than "museums" and "sites".

So, advice from an old dog: keep your planning loose and very flexible -when possible- and don't stuff too many things in one day. Less is more, trust me.

I was going to make the same point as Enric that it is the humidity that leaves you feeling like a damp rag, not the temperature as such. I'd also echo Chani's comment that the heat you're used to in your "normal life" isn't the same as when on your hols and are wanting to spend lots of time outside, walking around or perhaps in a claustrophobic, no-AC metro. Finally on the weather question, it is true that Sevilla is hot in August. But so is Madrid. Personally, I think once the high is 32C, it is pretty academic whether it also goes up to 37C or more. It's just hot, so I wouldn't choose between Sevilla or Madrid based on the temperature quotes given above here.

Ignoring all that, with your limited time and need to come in/out via Barcelona, I'd split the days between Barcelona and Madrid and take a day trip from each, such as Girona or Toledo (also hot) or the beach and leave Andalucia for another time. That would also allow time to be a bit more slow paced or relaxed in each city as you travel around

We just returned from a three week sojourn in Spain. Our favorite places were as follows.

1) Madrid's Retiro Park. Go on a Sunday when the entire city is out in this beautiful space taking in the sun and the good vibes. The scene at the Rowboat Pond is like a Monet painting.

2) Sevilla. Forget the famous buildings and museums and just walk the streets and explore the plazas. Sevilla is one of the liveliest cities on earth where you can hear people singing on the rooftops, on the streets and in the plazas. However, if you do want to see the highlights, the Rooftop Tour of the Sevilla Cathedral is unforgettable and a great way to see the church and the city.
Also, try to find flamenco performances on the streets or at the Plaza de Espana. Not only free but more passionate and spontaneous than the canned shows.

3) Vejer de la Frontera. Gorgeous white-washed hilltown down near the Atlantic Ocean east of Cadiz. Hopefully, it will never be "discovered" and ruined.