Itinerary Check: Barcelona and Andalucia in 14 days

I guess it's doable, though I am not a big fan of one night stops. Two nights in a place will at least give you one full day to enjoy the sights in between packing and unpacking.

And two nights in Madrid is only going to give you one full day there - not a whole lot for that city.

An alternative consideration: If I had 14 days to spend in Spain, with a focus on Andalucia, I'd love being able to spend the whole 14 days in Andalucia and save Barcelona and Madrid for later trips. Have you considered a flight directly to Malaga for instance?

Have you been to a bull-fight before, or know much about it? If not
you might wish to check out various sources (e.g. Youtube videos),
before committing. It wasn't my cup of tea, but we are all different.

I was a bit hesitant to say so, but... yes. Bull fights are in fact considered to be cruelty to animals by many, and one should at least be aware of these issues before going to one.

Madrid to Barcelona is done more efficiently by train (unless one is already at the airport). I suppose flying might make sense if you you plan to spend your last night at an airport hotel near BCN. (There's no need to do that.)

This feels a bit rushed to me. The weather is likely to be brutally hot, so you may find yourself wanting to take mid-day breaks back in your hotel, which will reduce the amount you can accomplish each day. I am assuming that August 27 is the day you arrive in Spain, not the day you depart from the US; if not, the schedule is really aggressive.

Assuming you are wedded to the idea of a summer visit to Andalucia, I'd seriously consider skipping Madrid and Toledo to slow things down a bit and allow an extra day or two in northern Spain where you are unlikely to encounter 100F temperatures.

If you were not previously aware of the expected weather in Andalucia in the summer, why not consider visiting Barcelona/Catalunya and the Basque Country on this trip?

It's not clear if you have booked anything at this stage.

Consider starting in Seville, and choosing either Barcelona or Madrid as your finishing point.

8/27 Arrive Seville (3 nights)
8/30 Train to Cordoba (2 nights)
9/1 Train to Ronda (3 nights)
(for Feria de Pedro Romero)
9/4 Train to Granada (2 nights)
9/6 Fly to Barcelona (4 nights)
9/10 Depart Barcelona

Thank you all so much for your timely and detailed feedback! I appreciate the help - and apologies for not mentioning it, the only thing we have booked at this time is our flight into and out of Barcelona, arriving at 9am on 8/27 and departing the morning of 9/10.

Anna - thank you! I was indeed concerned with the timing of Madrid, but we did squeeze it in to see if it was doable. We will consider skipping Toledo and spend the two days and nights in Madrid. Cordoba's one night stop I was thinking would be okay since it's less than an hour from Seville - and the last one night stop in Barcelona is completely just to be in the area for the flight the next day - what do you think? And thank you for your note on the bull fights - I am assuming you have not attended one due to the controversial animal cruelty aspect?

Keith - I have not been to a bull fight before, and have only seen a few clips from RS and youtube but due to the cultural ties I thought it may be interesting to witness - I heard that it's really difficult to get tickets to this particular festival's main bullfight event, so I was actually figuring that we'd end up missing it anyway. What about it made you think it was not your cup of tea after planning for and actually attending? And thank you for your note on Seville > Madrid - good point on Madrid already not having enough time, that would definitely give us more leeway to explore for the couple days we have there.

acraven - unfortunately (or fortunately?) we are pretty wedded to visiting the Andalucia region on this trip, and we were planning on bearing the heat or at least doing the major indoor museums during the day and leaving the walking in the early mornings or later evenings - would you feel that's still underestimating the intense heat? also I see the train from Madrid to Barcelona is about 2.5 hours vs the 1.25 hours by plane - am I correct in interpreting your note that the train would overall take less time?

djp_syd - apologies for that, definitely would have been helpful for you all if I mentioned! I confirm we are flying in and out of Barcelona, hence why we've included it in the beginning and the end. I see you've added a day to Cordoba and to Ronda - would you feel they are at least 2-night / 3-night visits respectively?

Thanks all!

Yes, by the time you get yourselves to the airport well in advance of your departure time (as required), take the flight, then get into Barcelona, you will have spent a lot more time in transit than the train will take. There's also the issue that (barring a rail strike), significant flight delays seem more common than significant rail delays. Plus there's the stress: exactly how much time do you need to allow to get to the airport?

Something to keep in mind about the heat is that, unlike in the US, you will not find all the public spaces air conditioned, at least not so that you'll be able to cool off. Small shops, cafes and restaurants often don't have a/c; it's unexpected enough that places with a/c will often have a notice to that effect on the window. But basically: If the front of the restaurant is open and/or the door is not closed, you should suspect no a/c. Museums holding paintings need a/c, but I've been in other types of museums that didn't seem to be cooled at all. Those with antiquities are dicey to visit at mid-day, because after all, you don't need a/c to protect stone carvings and mosaics. On the other hand, old churches are normally quite pleasant. One I visited on a hot day (I think it was in Cuenca, east of Madrid) was practically frigid. I felt sorry for the poor woman collecting entry fees.

So I do think you're underestimating the problem. Practically all Americans heading to Europe for the first time do, if they're traveling in the summer, because we are so used to living in air-conditioned bubbles at home, at work, in our cars, in nearly all the restaurants/shops/museums we visit. This doesn't mean you won't figure out a way to cope, but I think it will be easier, psychologically, if you go in with the assumption that it will be miserably hot outdoors during much of the sightseeing day and not always easy to find a place to cool off.

The average daily high temperature in Seville is over 100F in both July and August.

I didn't think Madrid was worth including for just 2 nights. Perhaps leave it as a gateway for a future trip to the Basque Country or Galicia.
Hence, an extra night in Cordoba, eliminating the one night stay. And also in Ronda at Festival time.

8/27 Arrive Barcelona. Fly to Seville (3 nights)
8/30 Train to Cordoba (2 nights)
9/1 Train to Ronda (3 nights)
(for Feria de Pedro Romero)
9/4 Train to Granada (2 nights)
9/6 Fly to Barcelona (4 nights)
9/10 Depart Barcelona