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How much time in each of Seville, Madrid, Barcelona

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In March 2025 I have an extended itinerary that centers around a previously scheduled birding trip to Southern Spain and the Canary Islands. That trip organizer has the itinerary set, provides all the driving and sets the pace. The trip departs from Seville, so I want to spend 3 days there before the group arrives, and when the trip ends in Madrid, spend 3 days there. Lastly, I plan to train to Barcelona and spend 3 days before returning to the States. All told, with flights and travel days I will be away about a month. I have done preliminary research on each city. I will be solo for Seville, Barcelona and maybe Madrid.

QUESTIONS: Are there opinions about how much time to spend in each of these cities? I am not fixated upon Barcelona, and wondered if I should pick another city in that region. But, then flying out at the end of the trip would not be as convenient. This is a long time to be away, would you pare down any of the cities, as the birding piece is fixed?

What is your favorite thing you have experienced in any of these cities, and what would you skip?

On my solo cities (Seville and Barcelona) would you join a tour group to visit the key sites and organize your own tickets?

Posted by
28081 posts

Have you bought your transatlantic tickets yet?

I love Barcelona, but there's plenty to see in Andalucia (you haven't mentioned Cordoba or Granada, for starters), plus Toledo (just south of Madrid) is fabulous. Nine days wouldn't be enough to for a decent visit to all of those places, given that you want to include Madrid, and there's fast train service between Madrid and Barcelona, so there's no harm at all in your original plan. There are always a lot more options than we have time for.

If I had nine days to distribute among Seville, Madrid and Barcelona, I'd consider how much time I wanted to spend in Madrid's key art museums. If not an art fan, I'd drop Madrid to two days and add a day to either Seville (which could be for a trip to Cordoba) or Barcelona. Art lovers would probably want the three days in Madrid, but to me it is otherwise not quite as interesting a place as Seville and Barcelona. There are definitely folks who disagree with that, and it should be mentioned that a lot of the key Barcelona sights are packed to the gills and must be booked in advance due to lengthy ticket lines.

Posted by
396 posts

Agree that Madrid is the less interesting city…except, perhaps, if you take a daytrip to see Segovia and the walls of Avila. Otherwise, as stated above unless you want to spend time at more than one art museum, two days should be plenty there. The Mezquita is jaw-dropping! A daytrip to see it, and a bit more of Cordoba, would be a worthwhile swap for a day in Madrid. Favorites: Seville - rooftop tour of the cathedral; Barcelona - Sagrada Familia; Madrid - Guernica at Reina Sofia ( and dinners at SDD2 and Tres Por Cuatro).

Have a great trip!

Posted by
53 posts

It depends on what you’re looking for in each city.

I think Madrid is great because it’s a real urban center with world class restaurants, museums, culture, nightlife, and the energy of a lively European city. And, it’s not touristy to the extent of Barcelona. Madrid also has great day trip options particularly Toledo and Segovia.

Valencia, Cordoba, Barcelona, and Oviedo are also high speed train trips away from Madrid, you could do 3 days in one of those and pop back to Madrid for 3 days and fly out of Madrid-Barajas airport.

Ultimately it comes down to what you value in a visiting a city.

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