First trip to Spain. March 2016; 6 full days. Help needed!

I think Madrid and surrounds is your best bet for a 7 night stay, and the weather should be sunny and crisp in March. With a rental car, and unencumbered by mountains of luggage, I like the idea of a new place to rest each day. This gives you the night time feel for a place as well as the day.
Day 1 Arrive Madrid (2nts)
Day 2 Madrid sightseeing - Royal Palace & Reina Sofia (or not, but the museums are superb)
Day 3 Pick up rental car and to Toledo (1nt)
Day 4 to Avila (1nt)
Day 5 to Segovia (1nt)
Day 6 to Madrid (2nts) via El Escorial (& return rental car)
Day 7 Madrid sightseeing - Thyssen & Prado (or not, but the museums are superb)
Day 8 Depart Madrid

I like the previous suggestion. Neither Toledo nor Segovia warrants three nights, and this gives you a good sampler of the Madrid area.

To make life easier on the road you could leave some luggage, if you're returning to the same Madrid Hotel. The road trip in the middle also breaks up the city stay for you.

I think I'd give you much better advice if I knew when you were going. For a start, if it's not summer, then flying into Seville, spending time in Andalusia (car not needed) then last night in Madrid for the flight home. If it's summer, Barcelona is probably better. There's plenty to see and do there, including great day trips.

Madrid is the big city with not much to recommend it, other than it's top-notch art museums (almost entirely paintings), it's palace and it's proximity to a large international airport and some worthy small towns. Unless it's winter, you'll have lots of tourists everywhere that's been mentioned.

I understand the EmergencyDoc is travelling March 2016.

I believe Easter next year falls in March. Keep in mind the Holy Week celebrations, which you may want to catch or avoid, when planning your trip.

Thoughts....

Even using airline rewards you still are not limited to landing in a major destination. So if your choice is only madrid please check on availability to fly onto either seville, granada or malaga via a same day connecting flight. Doing so makes effective use of a travel day while efficiently getting you to a destination offering multiple options to explore.

I am not a fan of Madrid as it is the third largest city in Europe while offering a fairly small old city zone.
Madrid is also high in elevation and march will be cold.

Barcelona would be worthy of consideration as it offers a wide menu of opportunities to explore, excellent subway service and the train system easilly reaches wonderful day trip opportunities. Barcelona would be my first choice for staying the entire week and being able to explore a wide range of interesting non-museum destinations. Choose an apartment and unpack once for the duration of your stay.

An alternative would be to fly into either seville or granada and split the trip between the two. In neither city do you need a car and there are train and bus options to go from point to point. You could rent a car to go from ppoint to point and weave in a stop and overnight at ronda.

You will have fewer daylight hours due to the season and will encounter limited hours of acttractions being open, but should encounter far fewer tourists. Most important is for you to adjust to spanish culture hours and stay up late to eat and socialize. Do not allow your USA tummy feeding clock to rule the times you eat/sleep while in spain.

Check out viamichellin for a road map to gain a sense of distances between places as Spain is far greater in size them what most people realize. On a first trip I do not re ommend renting a car as there are so many excellent public travel options which make efficient utilixation of your time.

I do like the idea of basing ourselves in Barcelona. Please pardon my ignorance, but what kinds of day trips are accessible from there? Any hiking you can recommend? Is a trip to the Pyrenees feasible?

If you opt for Barcelona, in addition to the Pyrenees, take a look at the Costa Brava for outdoor activity and numerous attractive small towns. Girona and Tarragona are other day trip possibilities. In my opinion, it would be easy to fill 6 days with Barcelona as your base. Of course, the area is famous for good food and wine.

Montserrat is a great day trip for hiking.
Now, not to sound rude, but I have found once you start focusing on a destination it is best to take sekf deep dives into studying the area. Start with googling a number of terms important to you like "hiking barcelona" to find related websites. Keep peeling back the layers of allowing a web site you like to connect you to a similar web site. Also start builong your own folder of websites. Start a word document and cut and paste specific info into an ever increasing file of info. Dump your info into this file and then cull and prioritize the info over time. A month from date of departure you should have an 80 - 90 percent fully researched itinerary to use for guiding your trip. Strongly suggest you leave 10 to 20 percent of the time unplanned in order to maintain flexibility to fill as discover unknown opportunities. There is great pleasure to be gained by sitting at an outdoor cafe and watching humanity flow by.

Don't choose Barcelona under the impression it will be warm in March. You have to wait for May to be sure in this regard.

If you are looking to get out of town, hiring a car for a few days, as well as Montserrat consider Girona, Figueres, Cadaques, Tarragona, Poblet, Sitges

With this itinerary, you can spend two nights in each city and won't need a car. Trains and planes offer speedy, inexpensive transport.

Day 1 - Arrive Madrid. Tour the magnificent Royal Palace. Spend evening on a tapas crawl, and then to a flamenco show (there are non-touristy, authentic ones)

Day 2 - take 1/2 hour train ride to Toledo for day trip

Day 3 - 2.5 hour train ride to Barcelona. Hop on. - hop off tour bus is exceptionally good in Barcelona. See Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, and Casa Batllo, boqueria for organic local food stalls.

Day 4 - another day in Barcelona. Fly to Seville in the evening or next morning.

Day 5 - Alcazar, cathedral, old quarter in Seville.

Day 6 - Seville. Return to Madrid.

If you haven't booked airfare yet, you might want to check if you can fly into one city and out of another, Also, if you have been to London, Paris, Rome you might want to skip Madrid altogether, or just use it as a jumping off point after a day or so, say on your way to Seville or Barcelona. Interstingly, I posted a similar query here before our trip and that was the consensus in the recommendations. Turned out to be the best advice. We just got back from a week in Spain and actually spent 2 days in Toledo. It was an amazing city, especially after all the tour buses and daytrippers lett.

I was in Barcelona this past February. There's lots to do even if you have to wear a jacket or open an umbrella. You won't have beach weather in March (anywhere in Spain). I day-tripped to Girona for a day. A very popular trip is to Montserrat. I had 4.5 days in Barcelona and didn't have time for museums. Mostly I enjoyed the architecture (Gaudi somewhat and Montaner a lot), wine and tapas, just wandering.

If you're going during Holy Week, and you don't want crowds, don't go to Seville, where it is a huge celebration and packed with tourists. If you're in Barcelona, check out Tarragona, though. Brad said he was there on Holy Thursday and it was one of the highlights of his trip.

You could spend the time in Andalusia, small towns and villages, beautiful scenery, hiking opportunities. I'd try to get to Granada (the Alhambra is a wow), 2 night-stay recommended. There are some flights to Granada and to Seville. from either, you can rent a car. From either you can get to Madrid by train or bus for a flight home, if needed. Between Seville and Granada spend a couple of nights in Ronda to hike and see some of the pueblos blancos, and a night or two in Antequera for hiking in El Torcal and viewing the flamingos in the "Pink Lagoon."

This is all such great advice! It seems like I should choose 2/3 out of the major regions we've talked about since I think doing all 3 in 6 days would feel a bit rushed. I feel like I might feel a little strange if I didn't at least SEE Madrid and one of the side trips from there (the pictures I've been googling are amazing). A few permutations I've come up with then:

1) Fly to Madrid; Madrid 1 day; side trip 1 day; train to Barcelona for 4 days; fly home from Barcelona
2) Fly to Seville/Granada; Southern region for 4 days; train to Madrid for above plan for 2 days; Fly home from Madrid
3) Fly to Seville/Granada; Southern region for 3 days; train to Barcelona; Barcelona for 3 days; fly home from Barcelona (or vice versa)

From what I've read, train travel between Barcelona and the South is cumbersome and long, which may make another flight necessary. Am I correct? If this is the case, perhaps better to do Madrid/Barcelona regions and save the South for another time; or do option (2).

March 2016? It gets really cold in Spain, especially in the northern mountains around Madrid. Snow, sleet, wind and freezing temperatures are likely. Although these are great places, I'd avoid the north before spring is in full bloom.

6 days isn't a lot.

I'd go south. Fly directly into Granada, see the Alhambra (you can't miss that) then rent a car and head southwest.

Alternatively, you can fly to Seville, rent a car, but still begin by heading toward Ronda.

It won't be beach weather but you can visit the beaches. There are some great hiking trails and cave paintings near Ronda as well as other sights that most tourists miss (passage tombs in Antequera). If you want to get away from tourists head northwest from Tarifa along the Costa de la Luz for a couple of days. The Baello Claudia ruins are almost always deserted as are the beaches until you get up to at least Conil de la Frontera.

After a few days staying away from bigger cities you can go to Seville and fly out from there or catch a fast train to Madrid for the flight out.

Nice places to stay depends on your preferences. If you have room in your budget, Paradors are historical sights turned (at least partially) into high end hotels. Expect to pay around 300 euro per night for a double. We stayed at some really nice places and only paid more than 100 euro per night in Barcelona, Madrid and San Sebastian. We also stayed at some budget places and paid between 45 and 65 euro per night for a double. One place I'd recommend to anyone is Hotel la Torre, a few minutes drive from Tarifa. It was number one on our list for the area and also recommended by a bar owner we met in Granada.

Easter is the end of March in 2016. If that's when you will be there, I'd definitely want to visit processions. Seville is world famous and will be packed with tourists but other places will have processions and be very local events. The top two that come to my mind are Zaragosa (Holy Thursday there was one of my all-time greatest experiences) and Valladolid - but those are in the north and may be miserable in March. I'd avoid Barcelona during Easter Week unless you don't want to experience anything. Barcelona is the least religious capital of the least religious region of Spain. They have only one procession, on Good Friday, and it's put on by Seville expats - because there's nothing else going on. It's not even sponsored, or in conjunction with, the local church.

After stating that you don't NEED to spend a long time in a big city, you are now considering spending ALL your time in TWO big cities - Madrid and Barcelona. A few observations ...
-- 6 days is not enough time to get more than a cursory impression if you choose to include both cities.
-- 6 days is not enough time to do justice to all the wonders of Andalusia (Seville,Granada,Cordoba) after arriving in Madrid.
-- Madrid + Seville & Cordoba OR Madrid + Granada would be more realistic
-- Madrid & surrounds OR Barcelona & surrounds would be more realistic
(or find a few more days to add to your trip)

Barcelona is VERY crowded with tourists and it is not a place that I find at all relaxing. It is very busy and crowded. We just returned this week from a trip to Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, and Nice, and Barcelona was the most tourist oriented of the bunch. There is a lot to see there, it's true, but there was a lot to see in Madrid, also. In Barcelona, one had to plan more to see the sights, since some of them involved hours' long waits if one did not have a time booked in advance (especially the Gaudi sights). This meant having to organize one's day around being at a specific place at a specific time, which I didn't care for.

Barcelona was cooler than Madrid, and we had one day in May that was very chilly, indeed, so March there has the potential to be damp and cool, I would think.

On the other hand, Montserrat--a day trip from Barcelona--was one of the best day trips we had, and it would be particularly appealing to hikers. In my opinion, it is a jaw-droppingly incredible place.

We liked Toledo, and the Cathedral there is pretty amazing, but it didn't stand out for us among other smaller, historical places we've been (e.g. Sintra, Cesky Krumlov). However, another place to go outside of Madrid--that I would have loved to go to had we had more time--is Consuegra. I would have loved to have seen Cervantes' windmills and the castle ruins there. http://www.spain.info/en_CA/que-quieres/rutas/rutas-culturales/ruta_de_molinos_de_viento_mancha_toledana.html

There are nice places to stay almost anywhere, as well as good food. Our favourite restaurant of our trip was in Barcelona, though. (Teresa Carles)

Mind you, you say you aren't that keen on museums, and it is the museums and the palace that are big attractions in Madrid.

My main focus for our trip was on Barcelona, and I went to Madrid only because my husband wanted to, but I think I ended up liking Madrid a little bit more than Barcelona, in large part because Barcelona was so overrun with tourists (and the resulting surfeit of hawkers, beggars, etc.). (I liked Lisbon and Nice better than either of those, but you are asking about Spain.)

If you're going during Easter vacation, expect lots of crowds. If not, chances are you won't encounter hordes of tourists anywhere. I've been to Madrid twice in February. First time it was mostly around 60 degrees and drizzling off and on. Second time it was mostly closer to 70 and sunny. BUT I didn't go take a day trip to Segovia because snow was forecasted. Weather is unpredictable but if you have the right clothes, it needn't be a problem.

Again, what are your dates? Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, March 20.

We will be in Ireland from March 9-17. Flight from Dublin to Madrid on 18. Flight back to USA is on March 25 from Barcelona.

So, we plan to spend ~2.5 days in Madrid and surrounds (the half day is the day we fly into Madrid). Would like to take a day trip to Toledo and maybe 1 other place, or just hang more in Madrid. Afterwards we will take the high speed train to Barcelona on morning of March 21. Our flight back is March 25 (Good Friday). Will likely make a day trip to Montserrat for some hiking.

I don't mind making reservations to see sites. I did it for 85% of what we saw in Italy this year and it made the experience much more enjoyable.

FWIW I did a brief hotel price search and found prices to be the same during the week I will be there compared to 3 weeks prior.

While in Barcelona, if you would like a fun, different evening with a chance to try lots of really good, local food, consider the Food Lovers Tapas Tour. You can check out their ratings on Trip Advisor, and you can also look at photos posted by others, showing what a typical group looks like (the kind of people who go) and the type food you might try.
I don't eat seafood (told them ahead of time), and there was plenty of non-seafood things for me to enjoy, along with lots of seafood for my husband and others on the tour.

You basically visit two pubs (frequented primarily by locals) with tapas/drinks at both, then go to a third restaurant for tapas and a full dinner, complete with dessert. All drinks (and there is a wide variety) are included. Either Matthew or one of his partners accompany each group.

We had about 8 people on our tour, and we thoroughly enjoyed talking with our guide and the other well-traveled people. It was great fun to try lots of different foods and learn a bit about the traditions.

The company also offers a sweets tour option and also a heavier gourmet dining option. But from the just the tapas tour, rest assured the challenge will be to not totally overeat. I tried not to eat too much at each stop, but I had that 'after Thanksgiving feeling,' and we had to leave before dessert (we had to wake up very early for a.m. flight the next day).

We did four nights in Barcelona (you won't have the first-day jet lag), then flew to Granada for two nights (stayed at the Parador (we loved it....balcony overlooking the Generalife Gardens, and their restaurant was very good) right within the grounds of the Alhambra, then we hired a driver (pre-arranged) to take us to Ronda for the day, then on to Gilbraltar, then to Marbella. Stayed in the Old Town area, which we loved. If we'd had more time in Spain, we would have headed north to Seville and Cordoba, along with spending one night in Ronda (instead of just a day trip). But, we were headed to Morocco for a few nights in Marrakech after our visit to Spain.

March is an idea time to visit. While the weather can vary anywhere, it was super pleasant for us in early March. Wore a light fleece jacket or sweater most days. Nights were a bit chilly, but not freezing. We pre-booked the first entry time for the La Sagrada Familia, but did not pre-book for any of the other Gaudi sites. No lines more than 10 minutes anywhere (other than La Sagrada Familia, where I was glad we were first in).

Enjoy your travels. You obviously do very intense work, so relax and have fun!

If you need a driver for Ireland, send me a PM, and we'll tell you about Tony! For Spain, we used South Ole Spain Tours and we were very pleased with our private driver.

Holy Week is really big in Seville but it seems that it doesn't affect prices much of anywhere else. It's still likely that there will be a lot more tourists around that week, all over, since many Europeans are on vacation too. Barcelona was full of cruise ships over Christmas-New Year's, so it may be the same around Easter.

If you decide to go to Toledo for a day (I loved the town), buy tickets the day before. Between day-trippers and commuters, they can sell out, and lines can be long.

I don't know how accurate this is, but this cruise ship time table searcher says there there's only 1 cruise ship that will be in port during our stay (which would be great!)

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/visitingbarcelonaspain-mar2016.html?offset=31

x2 Costa ships in port Barcelona 20 March 2016 - Fascinosa & Mediterranea

http://www.costacruise.com/usa/cruise_details/201603-USD_FS_7_PMI_S_B0H0_PMI_TUN_PMO_NAP_SVN_BCN_PMI-FS07160314.html

http://www.costacruise.com/usa/cruise_details/201602-USD_MD_26_BUE_S_B0H0_BUE_SSZ_RIO_ILH_SSA_MCZ_SUD_TCI_CAS_BCN_MRS_SVN_CIV_BRI_TRS-MD26160229.html

Hotel recommendations for Barcelona:
Alma Barcelona (wonderful location in Eixample area (can walk to Sagrada Familia), fabulous staff, clean, exceptionally nice)

Hotel Neri (in the historic Barri Gotic area and the hotel is actually an incredible historic building on a very quiet street, exceptionally nice, fabulous included breakfast, fabulous staff, boutique hotel)

If you don't mind changing hotels, experience both. We stayed two nights in each. Check reviews/photos on Trip Advisor.

I just did what you are talking about: My daughter arrived into Madrid on reward travel on Friday. Her departure was a week later also on Friday.
Not sure why you think about flying between cities, that is WAY too difficult and time consuming!! Not like the US and flying on Southwest or Jet Blue. The trains are quiet, clean, comfortable and fast!

We had 4 nights in Madrid because she had a friend coming to meet us for a day. We took a day trip to Segovia & Avila (purchased online from a local company) That was a great trip, You don't need 3 days, or even 1 full day for each city. 4 hours was plenty! We could have done with 1 less day in Madrid.

Train to Toledo for a day there, stayed in Toledo overnight - hotel in Toledo was cheaper than staying in Madrid another night.

Next day had to take a train back to Madrid to get to Cordoba. Spent rest of day in Cordoba, overnight in Cordoba, 1/2 day Cordoba. My daughter liked Cordoba best, would have liked more time there.

Train to Seville late in the day. Overnight in Seville, had a full day in Seville. Evening train back to Madrid

Overnight in Madrid, plane out the next day.

It was tiring, we walked and walked and walked. Had a good time. Saw the 4 major cities in Spain. You can only see so much in a limited time. Or, you can go one or two places and spend more time. Take your pick! You don't really need a car, train transport is so easy, and in some cities, parking is almost impossible - think New York, and expensive! Renting a car isn't cheap, they kill you on the insurance. They might as well give you the car for free because insurance will cost you over $100 euro. Don't even think you can do without it! You have no choice, they don't accept the "visa" or Amex coverage, or your coverage from US. All the companies do it, total rip off, everyone complains but it is unregulated here and they get away with it.

I was here the last two years during Semana Santa. It was very interesting in Cordoba, crazy in Seville. 2 1/2 million people come into Seville for it. I would never do it again knowingly. It was sort of an accident both times. Not as crazy in Madrid, check your calendar. If it is Semana Santa, make sure you have hotel reservations WELL in advance! The cities in the south are worse than the north about the processions.

You can easily take the AVE train from Madrid to Barcelona. It is about 2 1/2 hours, and if you book 90 days in advance you can get the fare for around $25 euros. March is a great time to be in Spain. Aside from Semana Santa week, it isn't that busy but it isn't dead either. Thumbs up for that time of the year. I arrived in Spain last year and this year in March.