Day trip ideas Spain In November with 5 mo old

Hope you realize how much the 5 mo will slow you down. We traveled with 6 mo granddaughter because our dil through that she would sleep a lot. She did but we only did about half of what was planned. If I was arriving at 3 pm I would use a hotel closed to the train station. Little would be gain by staying near the airport. You might consider hitting Cordoba for a night or two on the way to Seville. Save a little back tracking.

Girona is an excellent option from Barcelona but is also a worthwhile overnight stop, being a good base for seeing Figueres's Dali Theatre and Museum and the small town of Besalu (on separate days).

I believe the pretty town of Carmona is within your specified range of Seville. Also check on Jerez and Cadiz.

Edited to add: Jerez works by train or car. Cadiz is 95 minutes by train (in theory faster by car, but that's not allowing for the search for parking). Arcos de la Frontera would work by car.

I agree with the comments you received so far. I also would suggest staying in a hotel close to the train station (Atocha) rather than stay by the airport. I will also go so far as to say, depending on how you think your baby will fare after your flight, you might consider going immediately to Cordoba or Sevilla which does eliminate one of your transitions. I've traveled a lot with kids (I have 4). Personally, I think I'd rather stay overnight in Cordoba two nights instead of taking two train rides in one day back and forth to Sevilla. Additionally, Cordoba is a marvelous city that you could really enjoy at a slow pace with a child in a carrier or stroller. It has a beautiful river and bridge and is known for the homes with patios and gardens. The town just seems to be designed for lingering. I do like Sevilla a lot, but Cordoba is just calmer.

You might think about a day trip to Arcos from Sevilla though you need to know it will probably be quite quiet there. We were there at the beginning of November and not much was happening in Arcos, but it was a peaceful day for us with beautiful views. Also, there is a lot to do in Sevilla, so you may not need to plan many day trips, especially if you decide to make Cordoba a two night stop.

Likewise for Barcelona/Catalunya, I like the idea of staying in Girona at least a couple nights. It is a beautiful city with much to do, and as Acraven said, there are many options for daytrips from Girona. I especially enjoyed Besalu. Incidentally, I think you'd want a winter snowsuit for the infant. It gets fairly chilly in that area in the evening, esp for a child not doing any moving around. We were there at the end of December, and we needed some warm layers (and we are from MN!)

You have picked wonderful cities to visit and will enjoy yourself regardless of your final choices. I know you are thinking that you want to change hotels as little as possible, which is a good consideration, but also factor in backtracking and the amount of time being in the confines of a train. It's a personal choice and you know your own preferences and the needs of your baby.

I'm just thinking that some days in less busy towns might be welcome especially for baby.

A car would be a liability in either city. With 3 weeks, I would certainly consider staying in at least 3 places. Think about which is easier (maybe they are equal), traveling one way and changing hotels, or packing up the baby for a full day and carrying that around with you, no possibility of taking a rest midday or between sightseeing and dinner.

Why not spend a few days in Madrid and less in Sevilla? There are things to see and do in the city and you can day trip to Toledo or Segovia.

Jerez is a convenient base to day trip to Cadiz by train and Arcos by bus. See a horse show and tour a couple sherry bodegas. Then fly RyanAir to Barcelona.

A 1:15 hr drive west of Barcelona is located the Royal Fortified Monastery of Poblet, its a large medieval complex - complete with vineyards, a winery, restaurant, 1100s Cistercian Cloisters, and the tombs of the old Kings of Aragon, all very walk-able with English language tours available. It's a popular field trip for local schoolchildren and was recently designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Thank you everyone for wonderful suggestions. My husband and I both studied abroad in Spain in college so luckily have seen a lot of the beautiful country. I have not been to Barcelona yet. We are staying a night in Madrid at a Hilton where they have a free shuttle from airport. We also get free food/drink at Hilton hotels so that helps too! The stop in Madrid is more for me, I cannot sleep on flights and worry about caring for a baby/train so exhausted when we arrive. I will check out everyone's suggestions. Thanks Again, they are appreciated!