My husband and I have never been to Spain or Portugal, and I stupidly thought we could do both countries in just over a week. After reading through advice given on Spain itineraries in this forum, I realized quickly, I need to drop Portugal and focus on Spain, as the goal of visiting Spain was to spend a little time with my niece during her spring break (studying in Valladolid Spring 2019 semester). I'm most interested in spending time with her and her parents in Barcelona, so I definitely want to have at least 3-4 days there. Her parents are going to meet her in Madrid and then take the train to Barcelona. Prior to meeting them in Barcelona, I'd like to visit Seville, Granada and Cordoba. Before arriving in Spain, my husband and I will have just finished an 8-day Viking cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland (Mar. 31, 2019 to Apr. 07, 2019). We disembark early in Basel on Sunday, April 7, 2019. My original plan was to fly to Lisbon and then work our way to Andalusia and then to Barcelona. Now I am considering striking Lisbon completely off the list and flying into Seville from Basel, and then spending the 3-4 days seeing Seville, Cordoba and Granada, and then 3-4 days in Barcelona. I'm seeking advice on number of days to spend in each location as well as transportation options between locations. We want to see the major sites in each city (e.g., Alhambra, Mezquita, etc). We are 57 and 69 in age and likely will not get back to Spain. Physically, we would be able to be on our feet for 1/2 to 3/4 of the day to visit a main site but would prefer not to walk all day long, every day. I would consider a bus tour in Barcelona at least one day if that seems like a good way to get our bearings (advice appreciated). Getting between cities via train and bus should be okay for us, and I'd even considering renting a car for short trips. However, I'd rather not rely on it for longer distances since I'd likely be doing most of the driving. Any and all advice appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Posted by
Washington DC
28092 posts
I'm glad you have decided to de-couple Portugal and Spain. That would not have gone well.
I totally disagree with Andrew about driving. Along the rail line from Seville to Cordoba (thru Madrid) to Barcelona, the AVE trains are much, much faster than driving. Granada is a detour and doesn't have AVE service the entire way; part of the trip from Seville or Cordoba is by bus, coordinating with the train to/from Antequera. One possibility is to drop Granada into the itinerary between Cordoba and Seville. Another is to fly between Granada and Barcelona. You wouldn't want to take the train between those two cities, and driving is estimated at 9 hours by ViaMichelin.com, which doesn't account for stopping, getting lost, etc.
However, I think your plan is quite aggressive for the time you have. I don't think you're adequately accounting for the time you lose every time you change hotels. Exactly how many nights will you be on the ground in Spain? There is tons to see in Barcelona, and you'll want time for visiting your niece as well. I can't imagine spending less than five nights there in your situation, which doesn't leave time to see Cordoba + Seville + Granada. I'd spend all my time in Catalunya, perhaps all my nights in Barcelona taking day-trips. Girona is a really lovely smaller city less than an hour from Barcelona by train. There are many other great options, but I suspect you may find it difficult to drag yourself out of Barcelona.
Another issue is that Barcelona is extraordinarily popular. The result is that its top sights need to be pre-booked to avoid long ticket lines. The need to have a fixed schedule to see those sights (or whichever of them you decide to visit) can mean some awkward gaps in your sightseeing agenda. In other words, it's not so easy to be an efficient tourist in Barcelona.
I encourage you to get a guide book to Spain and start by reading the Barcelona chapter. See how many places in that city you want to see, and then come to a conclusion about how much time you'll want to spend there.
If you cannot bear the thought of not seeing another place in Spain, I'd suggest that you choose one of the cities in Andalucía rather than trying to squeeze in all three.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
If I didn't want to drive, could I base myself in Seville and take fast trains to Cordoba and Granada to visits the sites there? I know there is no fast way by train from Cordoba to Barcelona, so maybe a short flight would be best in that situation.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Acraven, thanks for your input. I did not see your post until after I had written my second one. You are probably right. I have Rick's books and Lonely Planets', and I'm pouring over them now, realizing I have to whittle things down. So much to see, so little time.
Additional edit: Acraven, since you asked, I will be on the ground 7 nights at least, arriving on 4/7 after flying from Basel, Switzerland. I'd like to not spend more than a week or maybe 8 nights as we'll have already between gone 10 days.