feedback on itinerary (side trip to Fez?)

I don't think you should try for Fes on this trip. It will require you to totally eliminate one of your currently-planned destinations, you'd have a very short trip to a fascinating country, and you'd be dealing with airpirts twice during your trip. Flying from the US to Morocco or returning home from Morocco would eliminate one of the two extra flight days, but transatlantic transportation would almost certainly be into Casablanca. I think you'd end up with an extra flight connection or a slog on the ground.

I haven't been to Morrocco so can't comment on that. But I will say that with only 2 weeks, I don't think you have time to visit Morrocco. Spain is a huge country with lots to see, lots of history and culture, so I think you should spend your 2 weeks in Spain.

If you haven't already made your airline reservations, I recommend making open-jaw or multi-city reservations: fly into Madrid and out of Barcelona so you don't waste time backtracking.

If you don't mind changing hotels, I recommend spending one night in Toledo, instead of seeing it as a day trip. Toledo is very popular and very crowded with daytrippers and huge tour buses, so it's very crowded during the day. It is so much nicer at night when the daytrippers have left and the city is lit up. I really enjoyed our one-night stay in Toledo. If we had seen Toledo as a day trip, I think my opinion would be "what is all the fuss about?"

Three days is the minimum for Seville. Two days in Granada is good. I notice you don't have Cordoba on your itinerary. Cordoba is a lovely city with many important historical sites. There is the Mezquita, Alcazar gardens, Palacio de Viana, Roman Bridge, and more. If you can fit it in, I suggest spending one night in Cordoba. You could probably do this if you don't have to backtrack to Madrid at the end of your trip. Some people visit Cordoba as a day trip from Seville, but I think those people are shortchanging Cordoba, with its white-washed buildings, narrow lanes, patios, and flower pots.

Flying to Barcelona from Granada is the best way to get there, IMO.

Getting to Granada from Seville: If the high-speed train tracks to Granada are not finished, you can take the ALSA bus from Seville to Granada. We used them twice in Spain. They are clean, modern, comfortable and air-conditioned. Your other choice would be to take the train to Antequera, and then change to a bus to Granada.

You will be in Madrid and Andalucia at a perfect time of year, weather-wise. We were in Madrid and Andalucia from mid-September to very early October. Temps were primarily in the 80's except for Seville which was 90 - 95 in early October. On another trip we were in Barcelona in mid-October, and temps were perfect for sightseeing. Summer in Andalucia is very, very hot!

Hello, I totally agree with the above points, don't try to cram in Morocco and add the great town of Cordoba on your way from Madrid to Sevilla. If adding Cordoba (which I would highly recommend) I would also remove 1 day trip from Madrid, preferably Segovia. Here would be how I would break down your 14 night itinerary, with some of my own adjustments:

Fly in to Madrid
Madrid (3 nights) - day trip to Toledo
AVE high speed train to
Cordoba (spend the day)
Continue AVE to
Sevilla (3 nights)
ALSA Bus or AVE to
Granada (2 nights)
Fly to
Barcelona (4 nights) - day trip to Girona or Montserrat
AVE Train to
Zaragoza (1 night)
AVE to
Madrid (1 night)
Fly out of Madrid

I like your idea of going to Zaragoza to see the bull leaping, I think it will definitely add a more unique "off-the-beaten-path" element to your trip. As for the potential day trip from Barcelona, there are many options depending on your interests, I just put Girona or Montserrat as they are the most popular ones.

Hope this helps :)

Carlos & Acraven-
Cordoba looks interesting, but I am wondering if walking around it carrying our bags (without a hotel to stash them) would be a good experience? We travel light - one crammed backpack each - but still it can be annoying.

I study Roman history, so Segovia is higher in importance to me than most.

I will definitely do a night in Toledo. I had meant to do that and forgot when I wrote my reply. :)

Gracias!

Hi, I'am also very much interested in Roman history! :)

In that case, when in Madrid, see if you can make it out to the Roman town of Segobriga - an intact Roman town that was completely abandoned during the very early middle ages, only recently begun excavations, relatively undiscovered by foreign and even local tourists.

Segobriga is fairly isolated in the plateau of La Mancha (one of the reasons why it survived), I stopped there with a car driving from Toledo to Cuenca, there is a small museum on site and the entrance fee was only 6 euros.

If you have a chance to stop by I would highly recommend, you basically have the ruins of an ancient Roman provincial town all to yourself, only 20% has been properly excavated. I'm sure you can hire a car from Madrid to take you there and back (only 1 hr each way). There are on-site docent tours in Spanish every hour or so.

Here is the official website of Segobriga (only in Spanish) but has good images and a areal video: https://cultura.castillalamancha.es/patrimonio/parques-arqueologicos/segobriga

P.S. also when in Sevilla consider making a day trip out to the Roman city of Italica, the birth place of Roman Emperors Trajan and Hadrian. About 30 min by bus (the 170A or 170B) from Sevilla, Italica was filmed in extensively for Game of Thrones. Admission only 1.50 euro!

P.P.S Don't miss the various Roman ruins throughout Zaragoza (aka Caesaraugusta back in Roman times)

OOOh thanks!!

Also potential day trips from Barcelona focused on Antiquity:

Tarragona - has some of the better Roman ruins in Spain, including a Roman amphitheater and Praetorium tower, all designated UNESCO Heritage Sites. The medieval center also makes for a nice place for walks and dining. Close to Tarragona is Pont del Diable, there is an intact Roman Aqueduct. You can actually walk over it like a bridge (if you dare!). The surrounding forested area is great for some casual hiking too.

Empúries - the site of the ancient ruins of a Greek colony from the 6th–3rd century BC. It's quite unique as the ruins sit right on the Costa Brava overlooking the sea. The area is also the site of an ancient Roman town called Emporiæ from the 2nd century BC - 6th century AD. There is a pretty good museum on-site containing artifacts and mosaics of the Roman and Greek periods called the Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya - Empúries.

Near Seville, the ruins of Itálica are worth a visit if you're interested in Román history.

You are all tempting me to be very naughty! I am obsessed with ancient Rome (I'm part of a living history group - my website is RomanaSum.com where you can see my papers, etc). When we did Italy I dragged my poor husband to every ruin and museum I could find. He was tremendously patient... but I meant to make THIS trip more about him. He really wants to see Egypt, which is why I was thinking Fez.
If I were alone this would be a Roman ruin tour, but I think I need to keep more on a mutually enjoyable path. :)

Wow very interesting website, love all the recreations of daily Roman life! :) There are basically Roman ruins in every town and village in Spain lol, so one has to really pick and choose.

For Egyptian history for your Husband, in Madrid consider visiting the Temple of Debod, which is an entire Ancient Egyptian Temple that was transplanted piece by piece from Egypt. In Barcelona, consider the Egyptian Museum of Barcelona (Museo Egipcio), considered one of the best private collections of Ancient Egypt artifacts in Europe.

Carlos, you are a gem! Gracias!