9 nights in Barcelona/Andalusia itinerary

As somebody who both adores Spain and is a confirmed overly-ambitious site-seer, you do really need to tone it down a bit. I understand the desire to see everything, but I got exhausted just looking at your Barcelona itinerary.

Depending on the time of day and the weather, Parc Guell might be a good idea for your first day. It's outdoors and you'll have fresh air. You can take the metro and then hike a bit, or a taxi, both are good options for when you're jet lagged. Perhaps you can do the Palace of Catalan Music in the evening, combining it with a performance?

Bear in mind that Sagrada Familia, where it will be you and about 500 other people, can take a while. By the time you finish up and are ready to go, it'll be close to lunch time. You're going to want to have a snack, at the very least, and then will have to make your way back to the Bari Gotic. If you do want to overload on sites (and again, I do understand, I tend to do it too), you can visit La Pedrera at night for just about 10 euros more. There's a music and lights show on the roof which is very gimmicky, but it's fun, and it frees some afternoon time.

Barcelona (and Seville and Granada and Cordoba too) is a wonderful city. I've been lucky enough to be visit three times and I still haven't seen everything I want to see. But don't forget that you'll want to build in time for finding a nice cafe or restaurant and just chilling. Or for that leisurely walk down La Rambla where you end up taking a million pictures.

If the amount of time you have is set in stone, I would advise either scaling back your site seeing plans or cutting one or more of the cities from your list. If it were me, I'd cut Ronda for sure and possibly Cordoba as well. I know that Ronda is well-beloved, but I, personally, was underwhelmed (the stunning beauty of the gorge aside).

Also, not to complicate things, but if you love history, art, and architecture, you are doing yourself a real disservice by skipping Madrid (unless you've been there, of course). A lot of people seem to see Madrid as the lesser or less authentic of many Spanish cities, but I really loved it.

Okay, I'm rambling. Bottom line: Spain is my favorite country in the world and I well understand wanting to pack in as much as you can, but this is too much. I'd really cut some stuff if I were you.

Good luck and enjoy Spain!
Caroline

I would overnight in Cordoba perhaps, en route to Sevilla. Looking at current train timings ...

Day 6 - TRN13064
Dep 12:45 GRANADA (Spain)
Arr 15:45 RONDA (Spain)

Day 7 - ALT 9331
Dep 16:31 RONDA (Spain)
Arr 18:13 CORDOBA-CENTRAL (Spain)

Day 8 - AVE 2110
Dep 12:45 CORDOBA-CENTRAL (Spain)
Arr 13:32 SEVILLA-SANTA JUSTA (Spain)

I would also rearrange Barcelona for better flow

DAY 1 (Thursday)
-- Arrive in Barcelona by plane around 1 p.m.
-- Check-in to room in the Barrio Gotic
-- Fight jetlag by walking ...
-- Las Ramblas - Placa Real & La Boqueira
-- Passeig de Gracia - Casa Batllo & La Pedrera

DAY 2 (Friday)
-- Barri Gotic - Barcelona Cathedral
-- La Ribera - Basilica Santa Maria del Mar & Picasso Museum
-- Barceloneta

DAY 3 (Saturday)
-- Sagrada Familia
-- Park Guell
-- Camp Nou (match or museum)

DAY 4 (Sunday)
-- Palace of Catalan Music
-- Late afternoon flight to Granada

Very helpful advice!

Unfortunately, the amount of time I have is set in stone. Just trying to figure out how to best fit the pieces.

I have considered dropping Ronda and could easily do so, but I hesitate going to Andalusia and not seeing a single White Hill Town.

Ronda appears to elicit divisive opinions; some people find it boring and worth only a 1/2-day, while others find it enchanting and part of Andalusia's charm.

If it's too much, I may simply travel from Granada to Cordoba for a night and using the extra day for more Seville exploration. I am deeply hesitant to drop Cordoba completely; the Mezquita is one of the biggest reasons I chose to visit Spain!

The Barcelona itinerary has been really difficult to piece together. It's hard to know when the best times are to visit specific sights and how long it will take them to travel between them.

Even with three nights, Barcelona already feels overwhelming. I have a feeling that crowds will be larger and waits will be longer since I'll be visiting on the weekend. Chances are at least one site (possibly Palace of Catalan Music?) gets dropped entirely whether I like it or not.

Madrid, unfortunately, will have to be another trip. This will be my first trip to Spain (or anywhere else in Europe).

With a very early start on Day 6 you could travel to Cordoba, stopping in Ronda for 7 hours on the way.

Day 6/am - TRN13062
Dep 06:45 GRANADA (Spain)
Arr 09:17 RONDA (Spain)

Day 6/pm - ALT 9331
Dep 16:31 RONDA (Spain)
Arr 18:13 CORDOBA-CENTRAL (Spain)

After your morning visit to the Mezquita on Day 7, take an afternoon train to Sevilla. This then gives you two full days (8+9) in Sevilla

That is possible, though that would significantly cut into my time in Granada.

Part of me wonders whether it is worth spending 8 or so hours in Ronda when it may be better to dive deeper into Granada, Cordoba and Sevilla.

The schedules you're posting are super helpful. Logistics have been a major part of the battle thus far, especially since the trip is relatively far in the future.

I am curious as to how many of these train/bus tickets should be bought in advance, and how far?

It sounds like you are talking yourself in to dropping Ronda. As you say, this will give you some breathing space, and doesn’t really diminish your overall experience. Once you are certain of a final plan, then book the flight (with Vueling) from Barcelona to Granada. You will also need to book your Alhambra tickets and train reservations (Granada>>Cordoba>>Sevilla) as soon as they are available online.

DAY 1 (Thursday)
-- Arrive around 1pm in Barcelona (3N)

DAY 2 (Friday)
-- Barcelona

DAY 3 (Saturday)
-- Barcelona

DAY 4 (Sunday)
-- Late afternoon flight to Granada (2N)

DAY 5 (Monday)
-- Alhambra

DAY 6 (Tuesday)
-- Late afternoon train to Cordoba (1N)

DAY 7 (Wednesday)
-- Late afternoon train to Seville (3N)

DAY 8 (Thursday)
-- Seville

DAY 9 (Friday)
-- Seville

DAY 10 (Saturday)
-- Early morning flight from Seville to USA

Sounds like a good plan to me.

Thank you everyone for the help!

Yes, the bullfighting sights (as well as the gorge) are why I originally planned on visiting Ronda. I'm pretty interested in bullfighting history and it feels like a wasted opportunity to go all the way to that part of the world and not even spend 1/2 a day in Ronda.

I suppose I could make Ronda a day trip on the way from Granada to Cordoba. I'm 28, energetic and am traveling solo, so I like to think I can fit a bit more into my itinerary than the average traveler (no offense to anyone!)

Either way, I've decided I will only be overnighting in Granada and Cordoba, not Ronda. I just don't think it warrants it.

Having just returned from a month in Spain I'm going to agree with the other people who've replied that your activity list is exhausting. We did Sagrada Familia and Park Güell and that was a full day (included a ramble through the Eixample after a nice lunch.) For us the charm of Spain was equally sitting in the plazas and enjoying the community life around us as it was in seeing it's many wonderful historical sites and art museums.

Which part of the itinerary in particular did you find exhausting?

I can easily drop things from the Barcelona and Sevilla legs of the trip. My main concern at this point is whether I can fit a 1/2 day of Ronda in between stops at Granada and Cordoba.

In other words, is it better to see Granada, Cordoba and Ronda a little bit apiece, or languish a bit more in just Granada and Cordoba?

I would think if you are on your own you can easily see Ronda in half a day. The main thing is the spectacular gorge and I believe they have a well-regarded bull fighting museum (didn't see it as it was closed when we were there). You can also hike down the gorge so that would add on time. The town itself isn't very big.

I think that's what I am going to do.

The bullfighting culture and natural wonders are two of the biggest reasons why I'm visiting Spain. I just don't think I could stomach skipping Ronda while being so close.

Thanks for your help!