First Time to Spain - Advice on Itinerary

Have you considered Granada and the Alhambra? There's a reason it's the top sight in Spain. You could continue from Ronda to Granada (2 nights) and return the car there, then take the train or bus to Cordoba (better as an overnight - or even 2 instead of a day trip) or Madrid. I understand your wanting longer stays, but there are so many wonderful things to see if you have shorter stays.

Not flying - look on the bright side. You can watch the scenery from the train and door-to-door it doesn't take longer, there's a lot less schlepping, and the train is more comfortable than the airport or the plane.

Keep in mind that Madrid, and especially Andalusia, can be very hot in June.

If you are planning to get to the airport from Toledo, allow enough time. You should plan to be at the airport 3 hours before flight, the train from Madrid takes about 1/2 hour, but you may have a 1/2 hour wait and it will take time to get to it, because the station is big and trains from Toledo stop at the other end. Make sure you have a train early enough from Toledo. There are fewer trains from Toledo on weekends. Unless you have an afternoon or evening flight, plan to visit Toledo first so you can spend your last night in Madrid.

Hi Jennifer

Would you consider driving Barcelona to Seville instead? A lot of visitors choose visiting the main cities only as if there was a void in between them and that's a big mistake, while many of the cities are worth visiting, there are numerous gems outside them, in the countryside that they miss because they decide to travel point to point. So, what about a relaxed trip by car instead? There are several routes you can take, but possibly the coastal one would be my preferred one. I would take the motorway and stop in between. Do your research to find out which towns/cities might appeal to you, but the main stops would probably be Barcelona > Tarragona > Valencia > Murcia > Granada > Málaga > Seville. You can drive that in 2-3 days stopping a few hours in each one (or you could drive straight in 9-11 hours, but you'd be missing the point). Just sayin'

Thanks for the suggestions.....Driving from Barcelona to Seville is out of the question for me....I really hate long car rides, would rather break it up. I prefer strolling through towns than sitting in a car. Train travel is preferable as we can talk, read & relax (both of us). But, after considering your suggestions, I've put together this Itinerary.....would love feedback! Again, I prefer to relax a bit in a city rather than rush through sights......and barely remember them.

Barcelona – stay 5 nights
Train to Sevilla - stay 3 nights
Rent a car in Sevilla
Drive to Ronda (through Arcos de la Frontera, Zahara, etc.) stay in Ronda 2 nights
Drive to Granada – stay 3 nights
Drive to Cordoba – (drop car) - stay 3 nights
Train to Madrid – 5 nights (1 night in Toledo from Madrid)
Or
Keep car and drive to Toledo and drop car there? Stay 2 nights
Train to Madrid 3 nights – fly home

For a 3 week trip, I have worked on 20 nights in Spain, with a night lost flying from Cleveland to Barcelona ...

Barcelona - stay 5 nights
Train to Madrid - stay 4 nights (day trip to Segovia)
Train to Seville - stay 4 nights (day trip to Cordoba)
Rent a car in Seville and drive to Arcos de la Frontera then onto Ronda - stay 2 nights
Drive on to Granada - stay 3 nights
Train via Madrid to Toledo - stay 2 nights
Train back to Madrid - fly home

Barcelona – stay 5 nights
Train to Sevilla - stay 3 nights
Rent a car in Sevilla
Drive to Ronda (through Arcos de la Frontera, Zahara, etc.) stay in Ronda 2 nights
Drive to Granada – stay 3 nights
Drive to Cordoba – (drop car) - stay 3 nights
Train to Madrid – 5 nights (1 night in Toledo from Madrid)
Or
Keep car and drive to Toledo and drop car there? Stay 2 nights
Train to Madrid 3 nights – fly home

I like this itinerary very much. With 2 nights in Ronda, you have a full day to explore the pueblos blancos, a full day to explore Ronda, and then a full day to get to Granada. On the 3rd day, you can visit more pueblos blancos or stop to hike in El Torcal or spend a good part of the day in Antequera. Return the car when you get to Granada. You won't need it after that. Use the trains. Driving absolutely will not save you time. I loved Toledo and 1 or 2 nights there is a good idea.

Tweaking . . . How much time you spend in Madrid depends on what you want to do there. The main sights are the art museums and the palace. The Prado is huge. Just to see the 50 "best" (there's a pamphlet) takes most of a day, if you love painting. It's incredible, if you love it. If not, a couple hours and you're done. Segovia is a good day trip from Madrid, if you want to see it. Madrid does have a lot else to offer, but your other destinations are more interesting. Consider more time in Barcelona. You'll be jetlagged on arrival. There are very good day trips . . . surreal Dali in Figueres, medieval Girona, Roman Tarragona, and so much to see and do in the city itself. You could shave a night off Granada and/or Cordoba and/or Toledo (1 instead of 2) as well as Madrid.

Thanks for everyone's input! I just booked our flights!! That always takes my breath away because it's a done deal once I hit the submit button!!

David, I think Chani is right about getting back to Madrid from Toledo and getting to our flight without panicking. Think I would prefer that last night to be in Madrid. I took that into consideration when reworking the agenda. I know there's not a lot that I'm personally interested in in Madrid, but thought there were some side trips we might enjoy. I did plan on visiting Segovia from there. With the basic shell in place, NOW I start reading about each town and figuring out what we want to do, book tickets that need to be booked early, etc. Then, I can adjust the times in each city/town if necessary.

Thanks for all the help!

I too would finish up in Madrid. I just left it as you had originally with Toledo as your last stop.

Congrats on booking your airfare. Do you have 20 or 21 nights on the ground in Spain?
If it is 21, I would find 2 nights for Cordoba as Chani has done - you know Chani is a a declared Cordoba-phile.

I have 21 nights on the ground!!

I have 3 nights scheduled for Cordoba.......Chani, why do you love Cordoba? SHARE! I must admit I love the quaint towns & the old cities......not as enthused about the newer cities and I'm kind of Art Museum'd out. We will definitely pop into a couple. But, having been to Italy twice and Paris & London last year......I've seen enough paintings. Plus, our Cleveland Art Museum isn't shabby either!

I really appreciate the feedback!

Working on Chani's plan, I would shave a night off Cordoba and include a stop in Jerez.
Also, drop the car in Granada. You won't need one here.

Barcelona – stay 5 nights
Train to Sevilla - stay 3 nights
Rent a car in Sevilla
Drive to Jerez - stay 1 night
Drive to Ronda (through Arcos de la Frontera, Zahara, etc.) - stay 2 nights
Drive to Granada – stay 3 nights
Drop car in Granada
Train to Cordoba - stay 2 nights
Train to Toledo - stay 2 nights
Train to Madrid - stay 3 nights (day trip to Segovia)

Why is Cordoba my favorite? I love the quiet streets of the old city, especially the Juderia, in the evenings after the shops have closed. There are a lot of sights worth seeing - patios, small museums, the horse show - and a variety of good restaurants. Some have live flamenco entertainment, if you can stay up late enough (Spain doesn't dine before 9 p.m.). It's a very walkable city. Medinat al-zahara is well worth the trip out, especially with a guide.

Of course I've only visited in February when evening comes early. In June the sun doesn't set until nearly 10 p.m.

Jennifer,
I've gone round and round with my itinerary - gotten tons of advice here on RS Forum and also paid for 1/2 hour consulting at Rick Steves office in Edmonds, Washington (was helpful!). My husband and I are going to Spain for the first time this spring - starting April 4th for 20 nights. Funny that it looks like our itinerary's match (same # of days in locations) - at least at one point in your planning!

Here's our itinerary (set):

Fly to Madrid, 1:30 pm Mon, April 4
Arrive Madrid, 12:40 pm Train to Toledo Tues, April 5
Toledo Wed, April 6
Sevilla Thurs, April 7
Sevilla Fri, April 8
Sevilla Sat, April 9
Cordoba Sun, April 10
Cordoba Mon, April 11
Corboda Tues, April 12
Granada Wed, April 13
Granada Thurs, April 14
Granada - Alhambra Fri, April 15
Barcelona Sat, April 16
Barcelona Sun, April 17
Barcelona Mon, April 18
Barcelona Tues, April 19
Barcelona Wed, April 20
Madrid Thurs, April 21
Madrid Fri, April 22
Madrid Sat, April 23
Madrid Sun, April 24
Leave Madrid Mon, April 25

Hope this helps!

Tracy

Tracy -- have a great time!! Thanks for sharing your itinerary -- it just confirms my confidence in my itinerary.

Chani - I'm like you, I love the small towns. I love strolling along, don't need to be on the run every second "seeing" everything I can see and not really absorbing the "feel" of Spain. My hubby & I eat very late, even in Cleveland, OH. In fact, just tonight we were trying to find a restaurant with a kitchen open after 10:00 as we finally got around to dinner at 10:05. Our eating style & Europe work perfectly together.

I think I'm set with the itinerary, I don't want to pack up and move any more than we are. There's always next time!!

Starting to book the hotels! The planning is half the fun!

Jennifer, I'm sure you are going to love Spain. I went for the first time 3 years ago because I'd always wanted to see the Alhambra. I planned 3 weeks just in Andalusia, thinking I'd then cross it off my list. After barely a week, I knew I'd be back. Well, in 2 months I'll be in Spain for the third time in as many years. Once is simply not enough.

We spent a week in Seville and I would cut your stay there to 4 nights and add in Granada. The Alcazar in Seville is close to the Alhambra experience, so if you can't you are good there -- but the Alhambra is pretty special and should be seen if possible. Cordoba is a must though -- so don't sacrifice that. The Mezquita was the single most wonderful thing we visited in our 2.5 week trip a few years ago https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/the-mezquita-at-least-the-catholics-had-the-good-sense-not-to-destroy-it-when-they-desecrated-it/ (we had spent 5 nights in Barcelona on an earlier sidetrip from Rome.) Overall I think your trip has a nice rhythm to it with enough time in places to get something from them.

Ronda is also terrific and two nights is just right; we stayed at a hotel overhanging the gorge with a little balcony and it was terrific. We did the whole thing by train and bus. Seville (with side trip to Cordoba by train)and by bus to Ronda by train to Granada and then train to Madrid for 5 nights. We missed out on Toledo so need to go back

Hi everyone,
I found Jennifer's original post, and everyone's responses to that post very helpful in my plans for our upcoming Spain trip in
June, 2016. I hope it's o.k. to jump in and ask for advice also. We too are flying into Barcelona and out of Madrid. Our flights are booked leaving from LAX in California, June 15, which is a three hour drive from our home, and will require a night before and after in a hotel. As you can see, we will have a lot of travel time under our belt, by the time we return home. lol
With that in mind, we want to spend our 14 days/nights in Spain actually enjoying the country, spending as little time as possible commuting from city to city. However, the more I read on Spain the more I want to see. I've been looking for hours today at the various trains and schedules and just can't decide which routes are best to get us to our desired locations, the quickest way possible.
I realize this is approx. 13 or 14 hours total train time. I'll book the earliest times that I can, but I don't know if there's any other way which will allow us to see all of these amazing cities.
Here's the itinerary, I've come up with. I would appreciate any feedback and advice.
6/16 Fly into Barcelona - arrive 8 a.m. Although we'll have jetlag, we'll get right out there! Stay 3 nights
6/19 - High Speed train to Seville, earlier the better. Stay 3 nights
6/22 - Regional train? to Granada. Stay 2 nights
6/24- Train to Cordoba Stay 2 nights
6/26 High Speed train to Madrid - 4 nights (Two possible day trips, Toledo and Segovia)
6/30 Fly home :(
Thanks,
Terri

Best to start your own post Terri.

Thanks, I did do that. :)

Surprised no one mentioned Valencia? It's close to Barcelona relatively speaking.