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Barcelona and Andalusia in October

My wife and I booked first-time travel to Spain in mid-October (13 days including flying into and out of Barcelona). Our priorities are Barcelona and Andalusia (Seville-Granada-Cordoba). With more time, we would have liked to see Madrid as well, but didn't want to end up rushing too much. At any rate, it will be a great reason to plan the next trip.

Since we arrive in Barcelona (BCN) at 12 noon, we were thinking of catching a late afternoon flight to Seville (or Granada) to avoid having to book a hotel in Barcelona twice (start and end of our trip). Will that be a good idea, and is 4 hours a sufficient gap to allow for delays, i.e. book the local flight from 4 PM onwards? I'm assuming this will all be at the same airport, just moving to the domestic terminal?

Assuming the above is doable, would it be better/more efficient to fly to Seville first, then fly (or train) from Granada to Barcelona, OR will the other way around (Granada first, then Seville, then Barcelona) be a better route?

Below is our draft itinerary – your thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated:

Day 1: Vancouver (via Toronto) to Barcelona
Day 2: Arrive at Barcelona (12 noon), fly to Seville or Granada (is 4 PM onwards a safe gap?)
Days 3-6: Seville (incl. a day trip to Cordoba)
Day 7
: Seville to Granada
Day 8: Granada
Day 9
: Granada to Barcelona
*Days 3 to 9 can be Granada first followed by Seville if that is more efficient
Days 10-12: Barcelona (3 full days)
Day 13: Barcelona to Vancouver (2 pm departure)

Posted by
429 posts

Your plans sound good, however I hate to worry about connections on the first day of arrival in Barcelona unless they are thru the same airline (booked as one ticket). If your international flight is late there could be issues getting to your southern Spain flight. For me I prefer to not to worry and stay in Barcelona a night. As for which city to see first Seville or Granada, there are flights to/from both so no difference. Which town to see first for me is: I always see Granada on the weekend! The town is so lively on the weekend. I would not skip staying the night in Cordova to have more time additional time in Barcelona, a big city. J

Posted by
2 posts

Thanks for the recommendations! I appreciate the added perspective. If we go with staying in Barcelona the first night, I think we might as well stay there the rest of the week (Tue-Fri) and then fly to Granada on Saturday so we can spend the weekend there (which totally works out), and then on to Seville after. We will just be doing a day trip to Cordoba while staying in Seville. In this scenario though, we will have to book a stay in Barcelona on our final night, which I think should be ok. Thanks again!