Hi!
I am planning a trip with my daughters (16 and 24) to Spain this winter break. Dec 22-30. We initially were looking at spending a week in Barcelona and do one or 2 day trips. But I’ve been reading that Madrid with several days in Seville might be a better choice. We’ve never been to Spain, so any advise would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Posted by
Washington DC
28085 posts
If you mean weather, Barcelona averages about 9 degrees warmer than Madrid at that time of year, with not much difference in average precipitation. High 50s F vs. high 40s F for the daily high temperatures--I know which city I'd pick. Madrid is both hotter than Barcelona in the summer an colder in the winter.
Seville and Andalucía in general will be warmer than Barcelona at midday (probably especially helpful since the days are so very short in December), but it will cool off more at night, being several degrees chillier than Barcelona.
I don't think the amount of time you have is particularly ideal for a combination of Madrid and Andalucía. Madrid has at least 2 or 3 really great side-trips, so that doesn't leave much time to go farther south. That would be a longer trip than you're planning.
Barcelona also would benefit from more time than you have, but I think you can do a better job of seeing its highlights within your timeframe.
If you can fly in and out of Andalucía (skipping Madrid), that might be workable, time-wise. But I suspect that may not work so well when you start checking out flights.
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Thank you! Would you recommend just to explore Barcelona for a week?
Posted by
Washington DC
28085 posts
I spent 10 nights there in 2016, with just one day-trip (to Sitges), and I wasn't dealing with jetlag. Does that answer your question? I am unusually fond of modernista architecture, however, and spent more time tracking it down than most tourists would. So keep in mind that there are nice day-trips available if you decide you want a change of scenery.
I'm not sure about the outdoor portion of a visit to Montserrat in December, though I guess it could be perfectly fine. That might be a question to ask locally if Enric doesn't find this thread. Montserrat can be a spur-of-the-moment decision. Down at sea level there's the beautiful, historic city of Girona, which would be my top choice for a day-trip. I spent several nights there. If you like wacky art, the Dali Theatre and Museum in Figueres would be a good day-trip. You can save some money on those two trips by buying train tickets well ahead of time, but that will commit you to specific dates and times. Alternatively, at least take a look at round-trip fares, because they are often about the same as a single one-way ticket.
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Great! Then I think we’ll stick with our original plan for spending a week in Barcelona!
Thank you!
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Average December maximum temperatures.
16c in Sevilla
14c in Barcelona
11c in Madrid
Sevilla is more likely to produce glorious winter sunshine. I’d look at something like ...
December
22. Arrive Madrid. Train to Sevilla (6N)
23. Sevilla
24. Day to Jerez or Arcos
25. Sevilla (Christmas Day)
26. Day to Cordoba
27. Day to Cadiz
28. Early train to Madrid (2N)
29. Madrid (museums ??)
30. Depart Madrid