I have nothing booked but planning on 2 weeks and cannot decide between a Madrid / Barcelona trip or a south Granada / Seville Andalucia trip? What’s best for first time in early March
Posted by
270 posts
How exciting. I think you'll love Spain!! Where do you fly into?
2 weeks might sound like a lot of time, but you don't want your vacation eaten up with travel days (or maybe you do!).
The thing about Madrid and Barcelona is that you could easily spend two weeks in either place and still not see close to everything. You could fly into Madrid and out of Barcelona and spend about week in each place, or you could fly into Madrid, spend a few days there (with side trips, if you want), and then take the train to Barcelona, spend a week, then return and spend a few more days in Madrid. It's really a personal choice. What is that you want to see or do? If you want to spend time by the sea, then Barcelona is your choice!
Granada and Seville would be separate trip altogether, IMO. I love Granada so much. I've been three times and I want to go back and do a deep dive - maybe spend at least a week there.
We try not to plan activities (or traveling) on the first day in Spain - We fly in from the USA and we are really, really tired on that day. So, we take a nap, then get up and have a relaxing evening/night. The next day we feel ready to explore. If you can sleep on the plane, and you have lots of energy, you could ignore my elderly advice.
This would be my suggestion. Spend a week in Madrid (side to Toledo, Cuenca, and/or Segovia), then a week in Barcelona (side to Girona, Figueres, Portllegat?) - mix it up to accommodate your flights. This way, you will have a base in each city and can explore, see museums, sites, etc. between the side trips. As much as I ate to tell you this, I think you should save Andalucia for your next trip.
Buen Viaje!
-Marc /Massachusetts
Posted by
Living in a suburb of Los Angeles
80 posts
Marc makes some good recommendations. I did Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Seville and Barcelona earlier this year over a 3 week period. I was in Granada and Seville during Semana Santa, which was amazing. In 2024, it will be in the last week of March. A truly unique area to be in, if you are interested or able. Of the 2 cities, Seville had the biggest processions and the most area disruption.
Posted by
Washington DC
27166 posts
Well, in early March I might be tempted to head to Andalucia, where much of the area will probably be good bit warmer than Madrid and its immediate surroundings in the daytime; nighttime lows don't look terribly different. Granada also usually has much warmer days than Madrid while cooling off more at night; it's at altitude. Barcelona's usually in the middle at that time of year--not as warm as Andalucia but considerably milder than Madrid.
You can find monthly average weather statistics in the various cities' Wikipedia listings. For more detailed data--actual, historical, day-by-day statistics, check out timeanddate.com. It's important to check several years' data for a realistic picture of what you might encounter.
Use the pull-down box at the right, immediately above the graph, to change the month and year displayed.