Honeymoon in Spain (Madrid and Andalusia??) - early October

Although you didn't mention art as a key interest (which is probably Madrid's biggest selling point), I think you've been smart to leave Barcelona for a later trip. I love it, but it has many top sights and--for that reason--is not the sort of place I'd want to go for just a very few days, which is all you'll probably have left after you allow adequate time to see your Andalucian destinations. Although the very fast AVE trains link Barcelona-Madrid-Cordoba-Seville very efficiently, Granada is a bit of an outlier. Going there will require at least two nights--one full day and substantial parts of two others.

If you are not much for art museums, you may have time for one or two of the really wonderful side-trips possible from Madrid: Toledo, Segovia and Cuenca. Toledo can be sort of spur-of-the-moment, because the rail fares will be the same, no matter whether you buy them well ahead of time or not. For Segovia, the cost will increase a bit if you wait until you arrive in Madrid to get your tickets. Cuenca really needs advance planning because the AVE fare can go very high.

One tip about the trains: Round-trip tickets are sometimes about the same price as one-way tickets, so it's worth checking both options any time you're planning an out-and-back trip.

I haven't been to Malaga, but I do like Ronda a lot.

For rail schedules you can use the Deutsche Bahn website. To explore fares, you'll need to go to Renfe or a website like trainline.eu.

It's too early now, but stay on top of the Alhambra ticket situation. Those things sell out rapidly on the official website, leaving travelers to scramble to get tickets at a higher cost from their hotel or a re-seller.

Depending on your expectation of jet lag I would try and get to Seville late on your day of arrival.

October
2. Arrive Madrid. Train to Sevilla (3 nts)
3. Sevilla
4. Sevilla
5. Train to Cordoba (1 nt)
6. Train to Ronda (1 nt)
7. Train to Granada (2 nts)
8. Visit the Alhambra
9. Train to Madrid (4 nts)
10. Madrid
11. Day to Toledo
12. Madrid museums (or day to Segovia)
13. Depart Madrid

"We did also consider flying into Barcelona instead of Madrid, but it seems a little bit trickier to travel by train from Barcelona."

Whether to see Madrid or Barcelona will always be a matter of personal preference (and no little debate, as they have a rivalry that makes Montreal vs Toronto pale in comparison). But you should know that Barcelona to Madrid is 3 hours or less, by frequent trains, and these can be about €45 per person if booked far enough in advance. If you're going further (say, Barcelona to Granada), there are flights from Barcelona to almost every Spanish city, and again, these can be cheap if booked in advance. So, don't let logistics dictate your choice - you can make either one work.

I do agree that with only 11 nights, you'll have a better trip if you try to see only two of the following three - Barcelona and around, Madrid and around, and Andalucia.

Thank you everyone for the extremely helpful feedback! There’s definitely been a lot to think about. Recently I was speaking with a colleague who is from Malaga and highly recommended we go there. The fact that it’s on the coast is very enticing for us, and we’ve decided to make it a stop. Here is our new itinerary. We factored in travel times and this seems to eliminate any travel times that are too long.

The major thing we are considering is whether or not we should cut out Madrid completely and focus only on Andalusia with extra trips to Ronda and maybe a night in Córdoba? Or keep it as is?

Arrive in Madrid (Oct 2) and hop on train to Malaga (2 hr 24 min renfe) train ride

Spend 3 nights in Malaga

Bus to Granada (2hr 2 min bus) on Oct 5

Spend 2 nights in Granada

Train to Seville (3hr and 24 min) on Oct 7

Spend 3 nights in Seville

Train to Madrid (2hr and 30 min) on Oct 10

Spend 3 nights in Madrid and leave morning of Oct 13

Keep open the possibilities ...
Oct 4 - Day trip to Ronda from Malaga.
Oct 9 - Day trip to Córdoba from Sevilla.
Oct 12 - Day trip to Toledo from Madrid.

Hi Rachel,

Focusing on a few select places is always wise, and on your honeymoon you want those places to be romantic, right ?
Even to my solo traveller senior eyes, Sevilla and Granada are definitely romantic (in Granada, try to stay somewhere with a view of the Alhambra & Sierra Nevada - romance guaranteed).
The city of Malaga ? Euh,,, not romantic in my book. Didn't find the city or the atmosphere very appealing, perhaps because it's a major cruise ship destination with rush in - rush out tourists in most iconic places. I left sooner than planned (after a week) and would say 2 nights there is enough.
The region of Malaga does have lovely places, namely the "white villages" - maybe check those out and spend 1 night there ?

Ronda - beautiful views on the way (take bus, don't drive), truly unforgettable views once there, and the epitome of romantic. Hemingway thought so too, and Orson Welles loved it so much that he decided to be buried there.
I'd say do NOT miss Ronda... and if possible, stay the night at the Hotel San Gabriel, the Junior Suite or Suite Superior, both honeymoon-worthy!

Córdoba - can't say, haven't been.

Food and drink is no issue - with a little discernment & possibly prior research, that will be good wherever you go in Spain. Perhaps of interest : Granada is the only city I've been where they still serve free tapas with drinks at aperitivo time.

As for your last question - yes, I would cut out Madrid & leave it for another trip.

For the last stretch, my recommendation would be to fly from Sevilla to Barcelona for 2-3 nights. Vueling flies that route - an excellent airline with great prices if you book early. And the BCN-El Prat airport is very pleasant, with some splendid parts designed by star architect Ricardo Bofill (take the Aerobus in & out).
In Barcelona, stay in Barceloneta or El Born - that way you'll have romance all around plus sea & beach (nicer than in Malaga...) before you head home.

To both of you, best wishes for your honeymoon & many trips to come, from a fellow (ex) Torontonian & now long-time Parisian

Definitely spend one of the Malaga nights in Ronda, a beautiful and majestic town certainly honeymoon material (please don't spoil the place and leave one of those horrid 'love padlocks' on the bridge railings!).

I can't say Malaga is one for honeymooners. It has some interesting historical parts but in the main it's an ugly, busy place that serves, for tourists, mainly as a transport hub to get to more interesting parts of the region (or not so interesting.....I'm looking at you Torremolinos, Fuengirola and Benalmadena!).

I would definitely recommend a car if touring around Malaga and if heading towards Ronda, Marbella or further west I strongly reccommend a visit to the mountain village of Benahavis, a culinary gem of a place. We were there again this afternoon and I have yet to have a bad meal here. The only problem is deciding where to eat https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benahav%C3%ADs

Having been to all these places SKIP MADRID!!! are you kidding? Barcelona all the Way!! and yes and yes the Alhambra. go to malaga 3 nights- then granada 3 nights- Cordoba ( 2 nights... do not miss cordoba). Madrid sucks! Fly in and out of Barcelona. Research my advice... i have travelled a lot :)

Research my advice... i have travelled a lot :)

Equally, I have also travelled a lot and I don't think much of Barcelona at all so what does that tell you? It means that travel is purely subjective, what one may enjoy in a city others may not. Madrid makes sense in terms of fitting in the other cities, Barcelona would not. One cannot expect to cram in all the major sights of Spain in 11 nights so whilst you may like Barcelona, it doesn't fit in with the OP's plans.