How many nights to spend in Valencia, Seville, Granada or Cordoba, Madrid & Barcelona?

The answer is 3 nights. That is two full days each place.

That is a long list of places to see in only 14 days.

My favorite places in Spain are in order of listing:
Toledo- be sure to spend a FULL day there
Seville- minimum of 3 days
Granada- mínimum of one full day, perhaps two.
Segovia- do on a day trip from Madrid
Barcelona- 3 days
Madrid- 2-3 days not counting day trip days
Haven't been to Cordoba or Valencia.

Depends on what you want to see and do in each place. Given your list that’s only 2 nights/1 full day in each place, and that’s not including travel time between places. That’s not nearly enough time.

With what’s happened in Valencia province the last couple days, you may want to consider dropping it for this trip.

Spain is quite a large country. And 13 nights is 12 full days, not 14. That's really not enough time for a good visit to such a large part of the country, stretching from Barcelona to Seville. Attempting this will have you spending an awful lot of time on trains, finding your way to and from train stations and checking in and out of hotels.

Valencia is a pleasant place, certainly worth visiting, but I'd definitely rank it behind both Cordoba and Granada.

Keep in mind that a lot of the most popular sights in Barcelona have timed tickets, and you really need to pre-purchase those for any of the places you want to enter. Having to guess how much time you'll want to spend at each place (and how long you'll have to wait even with a pre-purchased ticket) makes it impossible to be a highly efficient sightseer. The problem sights are these:

La Sagrada Familia
Parc Guell
Casa Mila/La Pedrera
Casa Batllo
Picasso Museum

The Palau de la Musica Catalana is also a challenge, because the English-language tours tend to sell out in advance.

What is it that you want to see in the places? If you know what you want to see or do in a place, then you will have a better sense of how much time you need in each place. I spent seven days in Seville last fall. That may seem like a lot of days, but it was amount of time we needed for what we wanted to do. The number of places that you have listed is, as mentioned above, a lot for 14 days. So maybe the answer is one night in the places where you have only one thing on your list of reasons for the visit with the understanding that you will basically have ½ a day in those places but will be able to have multiple days in the (ideally) two places where you have a number of things that you want to see and do.

Thanks everyone for your quick respond. Appreciated alot!

So based on above feedback here is my tentative plan. Pls review again the advise your best suggestion.

Start from Madrid - 1st Feb to 4th Feb

Seville - 4th Feb to 8th Feb (including a day trip to Cordoba)

Granada - 8th Feb to 10th Feb

Barcelona - 10th Feb to 14th Feb (Depart back to home on 14th afternoon)

So that gives you this many full days, plus some random hours on the days you change hotels (which I don't count in my planning; that's bonus time to me):

Madrid: 2 full days plus arrival day (jetlagged? sleep-deprived?)
Seville: 3 full days, with one spent on a day trip to Cordoba
Granada: 1 full day
Barcelona: 3 full days

With the time you have, I can't suggest any improvements. I think you're smart to skip Valencia on this trip; it would have left you seriously short on time in other places.

In addition to the Barcelona sights listed in my earlier response, these places call for advance purchase of tickets if you want to see them:

Granada: Alhambra, which sometimes sells out more than a month in advance. This is the first thing to book after you solidify your itinerary.

Seville: Alcazar and cathedral, because ticket lines can be really long (and outdoors). I don't think basic tickets for those two sell out far ahead of time, but I don't know for sure about Giralda Tower tickets. The special Alcazar ticket for the private apartments does sell out quite early; that's one you'd need to pick up in advance.

Madrid: Some folks have reported lines at the Royal Palace and the Prado. I didn't have that experience in the summer of 2016, but things change. Those places don't sell out early.

I have been to Spain several times, and my favorite cites were Barcelona, Seville and Valencia. Granada, Cordoba, Cadiz and Madrid, Segovia are ok.

It kind of depends on your style of travel. The last time, which was just a month ago, we had a short time line, so we did a city a day, see the main sights etc. With the high speed trains of an 1.5 hours, and knowing where to go, you can get a lot out of a single day. But I would more time in Barcelona and Seville in particular.

If you want to hang out, Valencia and maybe Cadiz are best. Seville, Barcelona, and Madrid are so overwhelmed by throngs of tourists, it was not fun to hang out. Granada and Segovia have some wonderful sites (the Moorish castle and the Roman aqueduct), but the cities are otherwise not that wonderful to hang around. Segovia is not necessarily an easy day trip since the train arrives outside the city and you need to take a bus from train station to the city.

If you want to hang out in smaller towns, there are many many smallish places you can reach from Seville or Valencia - albeit by bus in most cases. There are also coastal places an hour from Barcelona or near Malaga.

kami.dhedhi

Feb 10 will be a long travel day for you if you use trains. Consider flying. You may also consider reversing Granada and Seville in your itinerary. Seville may give you more flight options to Barcelona at cheaper prices. Good luck.

Thanks again everyone for your feedback and suggestion. Appreciated alot!

Meanwhile, what your suggestion based on new revise plan as per below.

Revised Itinerary Summary
Valencia: 2 nights (1st–3rd February)
Seville: 3 nights (3rd–6th February, with a day trip to Cordoba)
Granada: 2 nights (6th–8th February)
Madrid: 2 nights (8th–10th February)
Barcelona: 3 nights (10th–13th February)

You are not allowing enough time for Seville. Three nights is only 2 full days (it's a long trip in from Valencia), and you plan to spend one of those days in Cordoba. With the limited time you have, I'd recommend skipping Valencia on this trip. If you've already bought unchangeable airline tickets, I don't know what to suggest, because my second suggestion (much as I love it) would be to skip Barcelona.

Looking at your revised itinerary, a couple of comments above, I think you're asking a question that's impossible to answer -- how best to see so many great cities, in so short a time. Respondents can tweak your itinerary one way and another -- one day more in this city, one day fewer in that one -- without ever coming up with an ideal plan.

Your revised itinerary belongs to the see-everything-no-matter-what-the-cost school of travel -- dash into a city, get a brief glimpse, check it off the list, dash on to the next one. I'm not objecting; this is a perfectly legitimate approach to travel, and an understandable one for those many tourists who don't know whether they will ever be able to make a return trip. (And with pandemics, climate disasters, and unpredictable personal issues, few of us can ever know for sure.) But realistically, you need to accept the fact that no matter how you tweak your itinerary, you will be spending a woefully inadequate amount of time in each of your six chosen cities.

I think acraven's responses, above, hint at the best advice: if possible, kick some destinations off your itinerary. I know my own slower, more experiential approach to travel is not for everyone; but all of my several visits to Spain have been between 11 and 13 full days, and I have never tried to see more than three cities in any single trip. And looking back, I would not have done it any other way.

If you look at Rick Steves recommended itinerary for Spain or even look at his Spain tours, you see faster pacing than what is recommended on this forum. Is his expertise better? Or is the advice on this forum better? Personally, I have followed his guidance in my own travels; and I like almost all of his repeat customers of his tours will attest to the excellence of his pacing on his tours. Many will correctly point out that his tours can be faster paced because they are so well planned. (I find groups slow things down too.)

Well planned-- who can deny that? Others will point out faster paces can be exhausting. While I haven't found that to be true, it is easy to see different speeds fit different people. Some of the best advice on this forum come from people who have been traveling to Europe for 50 years! They indeed know their stuff and they know what speed works for them. I have learned tons from forum posts.

My belabored point here is simple: Pick the pace that works for you; read the advice from Rick Steves in his country guides; read the advice from excellent and experienced posters here; and most importantly, have a great time!

P.S. Seville, wow. More than two days for me! But hey, it's all about tradeoffs!

Under no circumstances should you remove Valencia from your itinerary. It's the best place in Spain!

Kami

Have you already booked your flights, i.e. fly into Valencia and fly out of Barcelona, for total of 12 nights?

If so, I would suggest 3 nights Valencia, 4 or 5 nights in Madrid (with possible day trip to Toledo) and 5 or 4 nights in Barcelona (with possible day trip to Montserrat).

By comparison, we did 5 nights Barcelona, 4 in Valencia and 5 in Madrid. There was so much to see and do in each city. We enjoyed each city. We could have used extra days in each city.

IMO, trying to fit in Seville, Granada or Cordoba will be very rushed or difficult with your limited number of nights. Good luck.

I spent 5 nights in Madrid. But that included arriving in the evening and a day trip to Toledo. I could have occupied myself with 6 or 7 nights. I spend 4 nights in Seville. arriving in the evening, that was 3 while days. I spent 2 nights in Cordoba but maybe I could have cut that down to one day. I spent 2 night in Granada: arriving at about noon one day, the rest of that day, all of the next day, leaving after the 2nd night. Did you make your hotel reservations yet? Do you have a list of major sites you want to fit in?

Hello!

It's wonderful to hear that you're planning a trip to Spain in February 2025. I'd be delighted to help you make the most of your 14-day journey. Given your arrival in Valencia and departure from Barcelona, here's a suggested itinerary that balances your time across these vibrant cities:

Valencia (2 nights)

Day 1-2: Explore Valencia's modern and historical attractions. Visit the City of Arts and Sciences, stroll through the old town, and enjoy the local cuisine.
Madrid (3 nights)

Day 3-5: Take a high-speed train from Valencia to Madrid (about 1 hour 40 minutes).
Discover Madrid's rich cultural offerings, including the Prado Museum, Royal Palace, and Retiro Park. Experience the lively atmosphere of Puerta del Sol and Gran Vía.
Seville (3 nights)

Day 6-8: Travel from Madrid to Seville via high-speed train (approximately 2.5 hours).
Immerse yourself in Andalusian culture. Visit the Seville Cathedral, Alcázar, and enjoy flamenco performances. Wander through the charming Santa Cruz neighborhood.
Granada (2 nights)

Day 9-10: Take a train or bus from Seville to Granada (around 3 hours).
Explore the breathtaking Alhambra Palace and the historic Albayzín district. Enjoy panoramic views from the Mirador de San Nicolás.
Barcelona (3 nights)

Day 11-13: Fly from Granada to Barcelona to save time (flight is about 1.5 hours).
Discover Gaudí's masterpieces like the Sagrada Família and Park Güell. Stroll along Las Ramblas and explore the Gothic Quarter. I highly recommend you to take a free walking tour in the city. It is very rewarding.
Day 14: Departure from Barcelona.

Wow, Ana, what a terrific itinerary! I would truncate it by eliminating Barcelona, a city I don't care for, but it's an essential visit for anyone not familiar with it. And I'm aware my view of Barcelona is idiosyncratic, to say the least!