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First time to Spain: Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Granada

Hi All,

I would be travelling to Spain with my extended family in Oct 2023.
There are 2 legs to the trip:
First leg is with the extended family and we will spend 3 nights each beginning with
Barcelona 3 Nights;
Madrid 3 Nights;
Seville 3 Nights;
Granada 3 Nights;
then Parents and Aunties Fly back to Barcelona to fly back to Singapore

Would this be an "ok" itinerary for a first timer to Spain with elderly parents?

Second Leg: Just my wife and my child
We have an additional 4-5 nights before we have to fly back to Barcelona.
2 options: Should we fly back to Barcelona with my parents and then go north?
OR
Should we continue to travel south of Spain and then fly back?

Thank you!

Posted by
2 posts

I was in Spain last year as part of a Globus tour. This is only my opinion and comes from my experiences last year.

I personally think two nights are good enough for Seville and Granada. 3 nights is good for Madrid. I absolutely loved Barcelona. I spent 2 Daly’s on the tour and two additional days on my own in Barcelona. I would not have minded staying a couple of extra days in Barcelona.

One city I would recommend including on your trip if you have the time is Valencia. Absolutely beautiful with beautiful architecture and a great beach.

Enjoy your trip.

Posted by
27670 posts

There will be a wide variety of opinions here about how much time is enough in the various cities. Ultimately, it comes down to what you want to see and do in each one. Hate art museums? You don't need as much time in Madrid as I do. Hate modernista architecture? You don't need as much time in Barcelona as I do.

I can't imagine being satisfied with only two nights in Seville, a large city with interesting sights scattered all over. But again, it depends on your sightseeing style. Personally, I'd go with at least four nights if that much time is available (and the same for Barcelona).

Keep in mind that the more stops you add, the more time you will not have available for sightseeing, because you'll be packing up and traveling from city to city.

For what it's worth, the two most obvious omissions from your initial itinerary are Toledo (close to Madrid) and Cordoba (fairly close to Seville). But there are many other excellent possibilities.

It's unfortunate that you are flying in and out of the same city rather than using a multi-city ticket that would mean less time spent returning to Barcelona at the end of the trip. Are your family members going to be able to get from Granada to Singapore on a single ticket? It would be risky to fly Granada-Barcelona and Barcelona-Singapore on two separate tickets. The same concern applies to your return from whatever turns out to be your last stop.

Posted by
1540 posts

Three nights gives you only 2.5 days in each city. Have you listed the sights, etc. you want to see or experience in each city? That will give you an idea of how much time you want in each location. How old are your parents and Aunties and your child. Will they be able to keep a quick pace to see everything in those days? Two nights which gives you 1.5 days is definitely not enough time in Granada if you plan to visit the Alhambra and other sights and not enough time in Seville if you visit the Cathedral and Alcazar and other sights, especially with, as you describe them, elderly parents.

As for where you should go after your parents leave there are many options. I would add Girona, near Barcelona,to the suggestions of Toledo and Córdoba.

Posted by
333 posts

With elderly parents and aunts, I would slow down. Do 4 nights each in Barcelona, Madrid and Seville. That would allow you more time Barcelona (a fabulous city!) and time to see side trips like Toledo from Madrid and Cordoba from Seville.

Then you and your immediate family spend a few nights in Granada and maybe 2 on the coast; not sure where exactly because we couldn't do that when we went. I'm sure there are great recommendations if you ask.

Yes your parents will miss the Alhambra. But they will probably enjoy the trip a little more with time to rest in the afternoon and relax. And the Royal Alcazar is basically the Alhambra on a smaller scale-we enjoyed it immensely. Plus adding Cordoba's Mezquita in makes it totally worth it!

Also to note: we were there last October and we had a heat wave-had trouble sleeping at night and I bought a skirt to wear because I only had 1 dress and then jeans! Make sure your hotel has air conditioning. And that's another reason to go a bit slower. (Although the heat was in Seville and Granada in the south)