A Month in Spain

Hi! I have a few comments, in no particular order:
- 8 days in Madrid is frankly a lot, even accounting for day trips. 4 nights are probably enough, or 5 if you really want to, especially if you spend the night in Toledo (which I would recommend).
- Córdoba is worth at least a night!
- White towns can be tricky without a car. Arcos de la Frontera, easily accessed from Cadiz, could work well, and is very charming. More so than Frigiliana which has a couple of very Instagrammable spots and that's about it.
- Rather than overdeveloped Costa del Sol, I suggest Costa de la Luz. Cádiz would be a great base.
- A day trip to Tangier is a lot of hassle and nobody here recommends it, but if you really want to do it, you should stay in Tarifa for a night or 2.
- Ronda is remote, but if you come from Tarifa you can reach it by bus then train from Algeciras. In my opinion, you could skip it.
- Granada should be on the list too!

So, if I put things in the order that I think works best with trains, the route could be:
Madrid-Toledo-Granada-Cordoba-Ronda-Tarifa-Cadiz-Seville-Barcelona

Looking at the list, this is a lot of stops, and skipping Tarifa/Morocco would help a lot.

Edit: I forgot Valencia. As it turns out, connections between Andalucia and Valencia are very bad. Perhaps you could skip Valencia altogether...

My initial reaction is too many nights in Madrid, Valencia, and possibly even Sevilla, and I’d skip Tangiers and Andorra and use that time elsewhere. Others will note that you don’t have Granada on your list of places to visit. I’d also add Segovia. I’m a huge fan of renting a car in Spain to get around, but we tend to visit small and even smaller towns most tourists wouldn’t dream of going to. For the white towns you pretty much have to have a rental car, but a car is not needed in cities. For most of the places you listed you could get by using trains and busses. However, if there are places you’d like to visit between the larger cities, then a car might be best. It really depends on what you want to see. We seldom spend more than 2-3 nights anyplace and make stops between places, so to me numbers of stops isn’t an issue.

Thank you both for your suggestions and thoughts. I realized after I hit send that we were hoping to get to Granada also and didn't list it. My biggest fear was that we'd be spending too much time in Madrid and Barcelona (7-8 days each) and that we'd be missing out on other locations. Trying to make two completely different teenagers happy is HARD! One wants to feel like she lives there, the other wants to check countries (and continents) off a list. I'll do some more research about a car vs a train only, and I like the idea of Cadiz instead of Malaga or Marbella. And good to know that Valencia is a location we can pass on by in favor of more time elsewhere.

Eight nights is way too many in Madrid when you have allocated no nights to Toledo, Cordoba and Granada. Those are all priorities. I'd settle for 2 nights in Toledo, 2 in Cordoba and 3 in Granada since you have only a month, but I stayed an extra night in each city.

Although Malaga and Valencia are both nice places to see, I think you've got far too much time allocated to them given the places (mentioned above) that are getting short shrift and truly are more distinctive for American visitors. And it's very true that Valencia is not well-connected to Granada; the fastest route is by train back through Madrid. Being stubborn, I took the bus, but it really was an impractical decision. Honestly, I'd cut Valencia from this trip. And I wouldn't argue about cutting out Malaga, either.

Carmona is a nice side trip from Seville; buses are more frequent than from Cordoba.

A couple of nice side trips from Granada are Priego de Corboba and the hilly Alpujarras region. (With a car you could see more of the latter area, more easily, but a bus works.) It will be a bit cooler in Granada and the Alpujarras because of altitude.

Vejer de la Frontera makes a nice day trip from Cadiz.

It's a shame to have your one exposure to Morocco be Tangier, and it requires an annoying amount of travel time to pull off that mediocre experience. You may not realize there are flights to the very interesting cities of Fes and Marrakech from many places in Europe. A trip to Spain is not your one opportunity to touch down in Morocco. On your next trip you could plan to spend a week or two in Morocco and the rest of the time in France, Germany, etc.

I've been to Andorra. Even back in 1972 the capital was primarily a tax-free shopping opportunity. I gather it's considerably worse now. There's nice scenery in the Pyrenees. If you are willing to rent a car for a few days, I bet someone here can suggest a nice driving itinerary that will allow you to see some interesting parts of Catalunya and get to Andorra long enough for your sons to check it off their lists. I would be a shame, I think, to spend the time necessary to get there by public transportation without seeing some worthwhile places along the way. Rome2Rio will give you the names of two bus companies traveling between Barcelona and Andorra if you need to make it a one-day, out-and-back trip. It looks as if the buses from Barcelona go through La Seu d'Urgell. I spent a few hours walking around there in 2017. It's a pretty town of some religious importance. It may have a sight or two worth seeking out. There are some interesting old-world towns along the bus route, including Martinet and Bellver de Cerdanya. Warning: The Cerdanya valley is HOT in the summer.

There's a great train ride through the Pyrenees on the French side of the border from Latour de Carol to Villefranche-de-Conflent.

Many people see Girona on a day trip from Barcelona, but it's worth a night or more. The Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres (beyond Girona) is wacky enough to appeal to most children as well as adults. The DTM and its accompanying jewelry collection seem to be the only sights of note in Figueres, so the latter works as a day trip from Barcelona, but I'd choose to spend 2 or 3 nights in Girona (walkable wall, two historic churches, art museum, Jewish history museum, large medieval district) and go to Figueres from there. Other possible side trips from Girona include the very pretty, former fishing village of Cadaques (NE of Figueres via a very scenic bus ride) and Besalu (bus service from Girona), whose medieval center has a fortified bridge.

For memorable there's the Caminita del Rey.

Eleven years ago we traveled around Spain a bit without a car and also did a side trip to Morocco for a few days. For what it's worth here are some suggestions based on my experience: spend 4 nights each in Barcelona and Madrid unless you're doing day trips - then add nights accordingly; Ronda was enjoyable and relaxing and worth a couple of nights; we enjoyed a morning in Tangier but getting there can be time consuming and Marrakesh is far superior; the ferry ride across the Straight of Gibraltar is beautiful.

I strongly disagree with those who say 7-8 days in Madrid and Barcelona is too much. 4-5 nights, including day trips, could suffice for rushing to check major sights off a list. But they are major, modern cities, even more packed with contemporary life than they are artifacts. Sure, you have to go to the Prado and Sagrada Familia. But if you and/of the kids want to connect to contemporary culture you should slow down and lift your heads from a guidebook and packed itinerary. Find minor museums that might be off the beaten path and walk to them. Stop at a terrace for a coffee along the way. Stop at another terrace for a long (by US standards) lunch. Find concerts or plays and get tickets (I just saw a modern dance production in Madrid. It was not good, but I have no regrets for going.) Sleep the siesta—not because it, itself is a thing, but because it will revive you to be back on the street into the wee hours, and witness life as it is lived.

Furthermore, I’d imagine that many people recommending busier itineraries aren’t traveling as a family. I’m single, and don’t even do busier itineraries with a travel buddy. Just a few nights somewhere and back on the move is a lot of work, and I can enjoy it. A month away from home is fatiguing in its own ways. With a family in tow it’s a whole different calculation.

I'll also jump in to say if your kids want to practice their Spanish 7-8 days in Madrid isn't long. There are many things to do in and around Madrid and I've found going to some less tourist heavy attractions in the city allowed me to practice my Spanish easier without the expectation I was a guiri. And it allows more time for walks in the parks or even downtime.

If it was me, I'd rent an apartment in Barcelona/Madrid for a week so the kids can chill and have some lazy days.

A lot of great advise already provided, please consider some random thoughts...........

• Barcelona offers a massive menu of opportunities in a large metro area well connected via subway/train and walking experiences. Please take advantage of some of the best beaches in Spain while in Barcelona and wind down your month long journey in a relaxing manner.
• Mornings in Spain start at 10 p.m. the night before.
• Strive to avoid baking yourselves amidst gobs of tourist and summer heat by taking a mid-day break.
• Hydrate yourselves constantly! People tend to think of being "hangry", but it takes 24 hours for a dehydrated body to fully recover. WATER yourselves continuously!
• Luggage stands for lugging. Practice packing. All you think you need can be found in Europe. With so many transfers you seriously need to consider how much you desire to lug and who will be the majority owner of lugging.
• skip Tangier as all you will do with a day trip is "hit" a tiny tip of geography labeled as North Africa and gain NO beneficial experience. Your time is the most valuable commodity while on a vacation.
• See there or be there? A journey should not be defined by the number of locations visited, but by the memories of experiences gained. Your families desire to be "part of a community" requires slowing down and investing time in each locale. Slow down you move too fast, you got to make the moment last.
• skip the Costa del Sol on this trip as you will be in the most southern part of Spain during high heat.
• curious if you have studied a map of Spain to comprehend the geographic size of territory you are covering? Also, Madrid, Seville and Barcelona are three completely different cultural experiences.
• I am counting 26 nights available for travel starting the day of arrival (June 5) and ending July 1 (as the last night is packing before next day departure) My recommendation for travel is: Madrid 6 nights with day trip of your choice (AVE train to Seville), Seville 6 nights (train or bus to Granda - buses are wonderful and provide a different good travel experience), Granada 3 nights (fly to Barcelona) and Barcelona 10 nights. Before thinking me crazy, consider you are moving a small platoon and I seek to minimize travel expense and stress while also offering ability to take a deep dive into your destinations. Barcelona offers a significant number of day trip possibilities (Mountains to beaches to roman ruins and great art destinations. We have been five times and have yet to deplete the potential of this arena.
• Please rent apartments in order to have more room, a kitchen to enjoy some light meals (especially breakfast), a clothes washer but NOT a dryer, interaction with a landlord (research well please) and a NON-HOTEL experience. Ok, maybe TMI but your journey brings back the reason why we started commenced traveling in Spain with our girls so long ago. These travel journeys laid another element to the foundation of their life perspectives which they continue to build upon today. Taking the time to breathe on your journey and go create wonderful memories! Be well!

If your two teenagers are eager to improve their Spanish, why not spend a week or two in Salamanca, the most famous University town in Spain and probably the best place to practice with Castilian Spanish language, especially with a lot of young people there.

From Salamanca one can make many trips into the heart of the Old Castilla region, Zamora, Segovia, Avila, and Tordesillas to name a few.

Thank you all so much for the wonderful tips and suggestions. I think in my head I thought a month was plenty of time to "see and do" everything we want. But it really isn't and concessions are going to need to be made. I appreciate all the input I've received and I'm actually looking forward to sitting down with the kids and getting into the nitty gritty of planning and deciding what are our true highlights and must sees and going from there.

8 nights in Madrid is too much. Suggest no more than 5 with 2 days doing day trips to Toledo and Segovia.

FORGET Tangier, it is a rat hole. Morocco has some great cities like Marrakesh, Rabat, Fes and more, but NOT Tangier.

Forget about Andorra, it's not worth it.

If you are thinking of going to the beach in Costa del Sol, forget it, the beaches there aren't that nice.

You're actually pretty far ahead of the game. Plenty of folks think they can "do" all of Spain plus Portugal in a month--or even less. It just takes looking at a single-country guidebook to realize that a month is a short time for many countries. Maybe it would be OK for the Netherlands or Belgium. I've spent close to six months in France recently and haven't yet managed to squeeze in Paris.

You've got time to figure things out. What I've been doing is simply planning two trips, diving the target country more or less geographically. That has the benefit of allowing me to consider weather as I schedule the trip. (I have the advantage of being retired and usually going solo, so I have a lot of schedule flexibility.)