9 night spain itenerary which cities are a must?

First trip to Spain?
August, whew....... quite hot.
Suggest maxing your time by flying "open jaw" which allows flying into one airport and departing another.
Recommend the following:
Arrive Barcelona stay four nights
Train to Madrid stay two nights
Train to Seville stay three nights
Fly out of Seville

Yes, fly into one of the bigger cities and out of the other. Or, if possible, fly into a big city and out of Seville or Granada. These are smaller airports and the connections don't always work, but I have left Granada on an absurdly early flight in order to get to Madrid in time for a late morning departure to the US. Sometimes doing this helps your itinerary.

In 9 nights you can't really do 4 cities. I'd stick to 3 max, maybe even just 2 with day trips to see smaller towns. August is very hot, so maybe just Madrid and Barcelona, with side trips and one night in Toledo. However, it is a shame to miss the south which is my favorite. Another option would be to do Barcelona, Seville, Granada. Or Madrid and the other two, but I find Barcelona more interesting.

Are you sure you want to go to Seville in August? Last year, highs near or above 100F every day.

Mira is right - you don't have time to see all the places on your wish list, on your own, in 9 days (particularly given the heat you will encounter).

If you really want to see all these places in such a short time, take an escorted tour. They can move faster than you can on your own.

If you're going on your own, pick two of the following three - Madrid and around, Barcelona and around, Andalucia area. Which two you pick will determine where you should fly in and out of, and how to get between them. Everyone will have their preferences for which two of the three you should see on a first trip, so you should do some research and see which draw you the most. In addition to reading, looking at videos often helps; Rick's are here (scroll down and click "Spain"): https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show

Once you have picked your cities, do play around with the flights. When I went in September 2015, it was $80 cheaper to fly into Madrid and out of Barcelona than the reverse - so that's what I did. Mira's point about potentially very early flights is important too; you may want to pay more to avoid them. That is, if it's possible; depending you where you are flying from, you may or may not have too many options. On the other hand, don't be afraid of a connection if it gets you where you want to be. For Andalucia, you can fly into Malaga (largest airport in the region), Seville, or Granada (small airport with few flights).

As much as we enjoyed Sevilla and Granada, even in early July the heat was oppressive. This from someone who lives where it is hot. I agree with those suggesting Barcelona and Madrid. Still hot, but tolerable. How you split your days should be based on what you like to do, after you've researched both cities. From Madrid you can day trip to Segovia and Toledo. But if you can stay overnight in Toledo you will enjoy it much more. The train from Toledo to Madrid is 50 minutes, so plenty of time to get from the station to the airport if that would be your departure day. We chose to stay an extra night in Madrid as we enjoyed the food scene.

Do not assume you can spend your last night in Toledo. We learned not too long ago from another thread that transportation back to Madrid may not run early enough on weekends (or perhaps it was only a problem on Sunday). In any case, I would want to spend the last night in Madrid if flying back from that city.

Take the weather warnings to heart. I tolerate heat relatively well, and I still found Barcelona quite hot during early August 2016. I think I hit a high-humidity period, because the temperature was just in the 80's F. Humidity aside, I'd expect Barcelona to be more comfortable than Madrid and Andalucía in mid-summer. Of course, in Madrid you might be spending a substantial percentage of your time inside air-conditioned art museums, which would help. In all cases, opt for a centrally-located, air-conditioned hotel so you can take a mid-day break in comfortable surroundings if the heat becomes oppressive.

Current train schedule from Toledo- earliest on weekdays 6:25, weekends 9:25. Showing 33 minute travel time on AVE (high speed). So, depends on departure time of flight from Madrid. Certainly less stress to enjoy Toledo, sleep in (you will be up late, it's Spain) and overnight in Madrid prior to your return. Our hotel in Madrid, on Plaza del Sol, was very accommodating to this and had a taxi waiting in the AM to get us to the airport. We were 4 with luggage so made more sense to taxi.

M,

You've received excellent advice here by the previous forum members ;-)

I strongly urge you (if at all possible) to move your trip up to the Spring, or delay it till the Fall for better weather.

I agree with the others in terms of choosing 2 of your destinations. Keep in mind that 9 nights translates to 8 full days.
Also, each time you relocate, you'll lose at least half of that travel day.

If you're set on visiting Sevilla and Granada, you could fly into Sevilla or Malaga, just be forewarned about the hot weather.

My mom & I visited Andalucía last October, & we experienced some hot days (high 80's- low 90's) in Córdoba, Sevilla & Granada.

Enjoy your trip!

Or you could skip Madrid. Unless you want to spend hours seeing the paintings at the Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia, you could skip it. Land in Madrid in the morning and take the train to Cordoba or Sevilla for 3-4 nights with a day trip to the other. Then train or bus to Granada for 2 nights to visit the Alhambra and see a bit of the city and fly to Barcelona for the end of your trip.

Toledo or Madrid is another possibility for 3-4 nights with a day trip to the other, but it would make for a longish journey to Granada. TOledo is only linked by a commuter train to Madrid. To get anywhere, you have to change trains at Atocha station. Whether you could stay there on the night before a flight out depends on the time of the flight. The best way to get to the airport from Madrid is on the cercanias train (similar to the metro). It stops at Atocha. There are frequent trains from Toledo to Madrid but since is it used by commuters, there are no early trains on the weekends. The first train out is at 9.25 on Sat-Sun. It's just over a 1/2 hour, but then you need maybe 1/2 hour to get through Atocha to the cercanias, then 1/2 hour (?) to get to the airport. On weekdays, the first train from Toledo is at 6.25, so you could get to the airport in time for a late morning flight home. So even if you choose Madrid/Toledo instead of Sevilla/Cordoba, flying into Madrid and home from Barcelona makes more sense.

A third possibility is to skip Granada. It's only a couple hours by train between Madrid and Barcelona. 3-4 nights in Barcelona is a bare minimum. Lots to see and do in the city and several great day trips as well. Heck, with only 9 nights, I'd just spend the whole time in and around Barcelona - unless the great art museums of Madrid really call to you.

Day 1 - Arrive Barcelona - 3 nights
Day 2+3 - Barcelona sights
Day 4 - Fly to Seville - 3 nights
Day 5 - Day trip to Cordoba
Day 6 - Sevilla sights
Day 7 - Train to Madrid - 3 nights
Day 8 - Madrid sights
Day 9 - Day trip to Toledo
Day 10 - Fly home

Barcelona is an easier city to start in, accounting for possible jet lag.
You really have to choose Madrid+Toledo vs Granada, or alternatively, Sevilla+Cordoba vs Granada.
Personally, with limited time, I would leave Granada for another visit.

I agree with David leave Grenada, Seville and Andalucia for another trip there is to much to see and do and if you plan on goin to Barca and Madrid plus travel time between places doesnt leave much scope to visit everywhere. If you do want to do the south Delta fly to Malaga from JFK which is a good starting place to get a train to Seville, Cordoba and bus to Grenada also Cadiz is a good place for a short visit. If you want to do the north i would suggest starting in Barca then onto Madrid, Toledo, Salamanca and back to the USA from Madrid whichever you choose it will be a great trip Spain is a fantastic country with lovely people amazing sights great food. Happy Travels