Help me plan 8 nights between Barcelona and Madrid

The only part of Spain I've been to in April is Andalucia, so I haven't researched the expected early-spring weather conditions elsewhere in the country. With that caveat, I think you would enjoy Girona, though it's north of Barcelona. It has a very nice, large, walled medieval district, some museums and at least two historic churches. It's my impression it has some good food options. It isn't undiscovered, but it's not as hectic as Barcelona.

Between Barcelona and Madrid, right on the AVE line, you have Zaragoza. It has an atmospheric historic center and a restored Moorish palace. It's a city of considerable size, so I'm sure there's a lively restaurant scene.

Comments on this forum have made Vic (NW of Barcelona) sound intriguing, but I haven't been there yet. There's relatively frequent local-train service from Barcelona Sants.

In addition to the places around Madrid you've already visited, I can recommend the attractive, historic university town of Alcala de Henares (frequent trains from Madrid) and Cuenca. Cuenca has a medieval district on a hill and is on the AVE line between Madrid and Valencia. The AVE trip is fast enough you can make a day-trip to Cuenca from Madrid, but for it to be affordable you need to buy the AVE tickets early. Cuenca has a couple of nice modern-art museums; if interested in those, an overnight stay would probably be worthwhile. I suspect Cuenca could be cool and breezy in early April.

With a car you could branch out from Cuenca to see Teruel (mudejar towers and some nice early-20th century architecture) and the medieval town of Albarracin. Again, I don't know about the early-April weather. You could continue on to coastal Valencia, from which the AVE would whisk you back to Madrid rapidly.

Depending on how you feel about it, but the 10th of April is Palm Sunday, and then Holy Week starts. So you might want to avoid Sevilla those days.

As for slow pace and good food I would suggest making Logroño and La Rioja a part of your trip.

Hmmm, well it appears you have been to most of the A-List places in Spain, so I would start to look at more "off the beaten path destinations". I'd probably look more towards the southwards, as the north will be quite rainy/cold in April.

I'd recommend you look at western Spain, specifically the Extremadura region, it is often overlooked and really underappreciated. In my opinion, it's one of Spain’s most fascinating regions. It's full of time-warped old towns, castles, monasteries, and beautiful countryside. It is the region bordering Portugal to the west and was the homeland of many Conquistadors. For a potential road trip I would do something along these lines:

AVE train to Madrid, rent car & drive to:

Cáceres (2 nights): The old town of Cáceres is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has a mix of Roman, Islamic, Gothic, and Renaissance architectural styles.

Parque Nacional de Monfragüe (day trip): A National Park and UNESCO biosphere reserve, includes stunning cliffs & rock formation, plus many kinds of wildlife (especially noted for its Griffon vultures). Has some really great hiking trials.

Trujillo (2 nights): This town is where some of Spain’s most famous(infamous) conquistadors came from. The town has a few baroque and Renaissance palaces and an interesting Museum of Francisco Pizarro, who led the expedition that conquered the Inca Empire.

Real Monasterio de Guadalupe (day trip): You can tour this monastery and its collection of art, jewels, illuminated manuscripts. You can also see two cloisters, one late-14th-century Mudéjar, the other Gothic.

Mérida (3 nights): Low key capital of the Extremadura region. Mérida has the best preserved Roman ruins in Spain. Makes for a good base to explore the region.

Zafra (day trip): white walled town nicknamed "Little Sevilla" and feels very "Moorish". The filmed some scenes from the T.V. show Game of Thrones here.

Jerez de los Caballeros (day trip): A very picturesque small town. The old town is surrounded by a Moorish wall with six gates. After it was conquered from the Moors, the town was transferred to the Knights Templar, who left their own architectural mark.

Return car to Madrid, spend 1 night, fly out next day.

FYI Semana Santa (Holy Week) will be April 10-16, so it may affect prices and hotel availability.

My initial thought was to do what we did on our last trip, but in reverse. We took the train from Madrid to Bilbao, then rented a car and worked our way along the coast to San Sebastián, then on to Girona and Salvador Dali sights before turning in the car upon reaching Barcelona. Do that in reverse, and you can show your husband northeast Spain/Basque country locations you’ve been to before.

If you’re thinking about Andalucía, definitely include Granada, and a complete visit to the Alhambra. Going to the Hammam for an Arab bath session and massage would be relaxing and special. Maybe fly from Barcelona, to get an early start in southern Spain?

Then again, a part I’ve never visited is in the northwest, Galicia. Sounds like you two haven’t been there either - yet.

I’ll suggest some additional places.
Zaragoza, Soria, Sigüenza, and Alcalá de Henares, or
Zaragoza, Burgos, León, and Zamora.

All the suggestions provided by others are good. It’s simply how and how far you want to travel.

How about flying from Barcelona or taking a direct train if one’s available to Granada. After you’re done exploring Granada, rent a car and drive to Ronda (2h 45m) and sleep there. I would also take a day trip from Ronda to Arcos de la Frontera (1h 45m). From Ronda drive to Sevilla (2h 15m) and drop off the car in Sevilla and spend a couple nights there. You can then take a direct train to Madrid (2h 45m).

jaimeelsabio, can you tell me about your suggestions? Other than Zaragoza, I don't know those towns. Why do you recommend them?