Hi there. My husband and I are planning our honeymoon for late Sept/early October 2025 and have decided to go to Spain. We have approximately 12-13 days not including the travel days. We are in interested in a few relaxation beach days, cultural/historical sites, maybe a little hiking, and great food. We are in our late 50s and don’t mind a little party scene, but definitely not high on the list
Thus far we are thinking Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, and Granada with a possible day trip to Cordoba, but also open to suggestions. We will be departing from Atlanta, and are ok with an open jaw flight. While in Spain we plan to use trains and buses for transportation.
Any and all recommendations re: itinerary, hotels, and places to visit would be appreciated.
Thank you in advance
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Congrats on your wedding and honeymoon.
With 12-13 days, you should plan how long you wish to stay, where you do stay. I use TripAdvisor.com "things to do" for the city and it helps with selection. Also, you many wish to take guided day tours with that site or others.
You also will need to plan you transportation between the cities. I suggest rail, since car rental requires you find difficult and expensive parking in these cities.
As for going to the beach, none of those cities are real close to beaches. Also, I have been to the beaches in Costa del Sol and wasn't very impressed.
I have never flown out of Seville or Malaga, but that may be an option. We live in Georgia and use Delta a lot for air travel.
Madrid is a large city, I think about the size of Atlanta. The Prado Museum is special and if you like art, consider going there. You many need to book in advance. You probably don't need more than another full day in Madrid, it has some interesting places to visit, like the Royal Palace, but nothing like Seville.
However, just outside Madrid are two cities that I highly recommend you visit. First, Toledo, the former capital of Spain, which is my favorite city in Spain. Take the train or book a day tour. Also, Segovia, is a small historic city with a 1900 year old Roman aqueduct that was still working into the mid-20th Century.
Cordoba is good for a day on your way to Seville, consider spending one night there.
Seville is special, I suggest you stay at least three nights there, four if you can manage. Much to see there, especially the amazing cathedral where Cristopher Colombus's tomb is located.
Granada is great for the Alhambra and you will need most of a day to see it.
That doesn't leave much time for Barcelona. There is a high speed train between it and Madrid. You might consider skipping Barcelona due to lack of enough time or skipping Granada if you insist on doing Barcelona. You would need 3-4 days to see Barcelona.