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Itinerary check (beginning stages of planning)

Hello all. I'm trying to map out a great 3-week itinerary covering various parts of Spain. Would welcome feedback on this very early stage in mapping out a feasible itinerary. Flight has been purchased: fly into Madrid Sept. 12 (7:55 am) and fly out of Barcelona morning of Oct. 1.

Sept. 12-Sept. 16: Madrid plus a day trip to Toledo likely on the 14th (my family and I have been to both, but it's been a little over 10 years) and a day trip to El Escorial and Segovia (too much in one day? If so, I'd rather do the whole day in Segovia) perhaps on the 15th or 16th.

Sept. 16/17: debating on taking an evening train on the 16th to Salamanca (or morning of the 17th) where we'd like to spend a full day and a half perhaps.

Everything after this gets fuzzy. Initially wanted to go from Salamanca to Granada, but that whole train construction near Granada seems to make this a very long journey. So option B I came up with is train from Salamanca to Cordoba (connecting in Madrid), which was supposed to be a short day trip (or still can be). Point being is that we want to spend about a week (up to about Sept. 23-25) getting to know Sevilla, Granada, and Cordoba (willing to spend less time in Cordoba than the other two). Would appreciate a game plan for doing all three with ease in terms of transport.

I wanted to go to Valencia (fly from Sevilla), and spend at least one night there. The final 4-5 days are meant to be spent in Barcelona. Here, I wanted to do a day in Sitges, but now realizing that I threw Valencia into the mix I have a feeling there is not enough time.

Again would appreciate some sort of feedback in terms of piecing all these places together. I have written out lots of notes regarding train connections between Madrid area and Andalucia, but trying to figure out the order of cities is getting a bit daunting. Thanks!

Posted by
594 posts

Thinking more about it now, we're probably willing to allot two days in Madrid (the day we arrive and the following day) in order to have more time in other places.

Posted by
15788 posts

I don't think it's worth the time and trouble (hotel change) to go to Valencia for 2 nights, certainly not for only one. If you eliminate Valencia, it's easy to do Madrid > Cordoba (worth at least 1 night) > Sevilla > Granada. Then fly to Barcelona.

Posted by
594 posts

As a major foodie it's important to me to visit the birthplace of paella. Valencia must stay. I've decided to cut out Sitges and just do Madrid for two days.

Posted by
5294 posts

Hi Gabriel,

I've not traveled to Salamanca or Valencia (yet), so can't help you with that...

If you only have a week to visit Córdoba, Granada & Sevilla, I'd suggest something like this:

  • Take AVE train to Córdoba- 1-2 Nights
  • Take train or bus to Granada--2 nights
  • Take train or bus to Sevilla--3 Nights
  • fly from Sevilla to Barcelona

Since your trip won't take place till September, the railway renovations around Granada may be completed by then.
If this is the case, you may switch Sevilla with Granada & take the AVE from Granada to Barcelona.

Many travelers visit Córdoba as a day trip, but my mom & I enjoyed spending a few days there.
It's always so nice to experience any city in the mornings & evenings without the day trippers.

Make sure you book your tickets to the Alhambra once you finalize your itinerary, but at least 3 months in advance:http://www.alhambra-patronato.es/

Keep in mind that Andalucía will be hot in September ;-)

¡Hasta luego!

Posted by
7175 posts

Sep 12 Arrive Madrid
Sep 16 Train to Salamanca
Sep 18 Train to Seville (via Madrid)
Sep 21 Train to Córdoba
Sep 23 Train to Granada
Sep 26 Fly to Barcelona (Vueling)
Oct 1 Depart Barcelona

Posted by
513 posts

Valencia, along with Zaragoza, are two great cities in Spain that Rick Steves completely ignores. I would definitely go to Valencia for a day and a half or two. In between feasting on paella and other wonderful local cuisine, you can take a walking tour of the old city (tickets at the TI on the Cathedral plaza), visit the cathedral (they have the Holy Grail on display,) or go to the Cuidad de Las Artes y Las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences complex). The aquarium there is world class and the science museum is also great. Additionally, they have a significant amount of modernism buildings that you can use as a lead in to your visit in Barcelona. They also have several excellent art museums if you haven't exhausted your interest art while in Madrid. Valencia is a real laid back city that can give you the opportunity to relax and catch your breath before you push on to the final places in your itinerary.

Posted by
594 posts

Thanks, Jack for the thumbs up on Valencia. I also thought it was strange that RS left it out of the book. So with that in mind, which guidebook would you say would be worth getting for Valencia (being that it's such a short stay)? Or I can just wing it and do research ahead of time and make a list of sights to see and then plan once I arrive, thus avoiding bringing another book with me.

Ok here's my tentative itinerary, which I think would work very well.

Sept. 12-13: Madrid

Sept. 14: day trip to Toledo

Sept. 15: day trip to Segovia

Sept. 16: morning train to Salamanca (arrive 10:30 am)/Option B: morning in El Escorial and then afternoon train to Salamanca

Sept. 17: Salamanca (if we took morning train yesterday, leave in the afternoon today towards Cordoba; if we took the afternoon train yesterday, then leave to Cordoba on morning of 18th)

Sept. 18: Cordoba (length of stay depends on itinerary above; plan to spend no more than a day here)

Sept. 19: Granada (morning bus from Cordoba [assuming construction on train tracks is still going on] and arrive in Granada at 11 am)

Sept. 20: Granada

Sept. 21: Sevilla (bus from Granada, arrives at 11 am)

Sept. 22: Sevilla

Sept. 23: Possibly rent a car for the day and discover Los Arcos and Ronda

Sept. 24: Fly to Valencia (arrive 10:20 am); can be flexible and add an extra day in Andalucia and fly to Valencia on the 25th instead

Sept. 25: Valencia

Sept. 26: Barcelona (train arrives at 10:30 am)

Sept. 26-29: Barcelona

Sept. 30: Sitges

Oct. 1: Fly home

I think this looks like a pretty decent plan. Would like input on how much longer in Andalucia we should stay (if an extra day, where should we spend it; other nearby towns worth checking out?). Also, still willing to cut out Sitges and use that day towards another town somewhere in Andalucia or elsewhere. Comments greatly appreciated.

Posted by
5294 posts

Gabriel,
Regarding your revised itinerary... I think you have too many destinations & not enough time in each of them.

You will have 19 nights ( Sept 12- Oct 1) for 11-12 destinations (counting day trips), IMO, that qualifies as a whirlwind type of trip!

Here are my 2 cents...

  • You mentioned that you've visited Madrid in the past, so I'd take one night from there & spend an overnight in Córdoba (or any city on your list)

  • You may consider staying an overnight in Ronda, by traveling there from Granada (via train or bus) en route to Sevilla.

  • If you really want to experience Valencia, you may consider staying at least 3 nights.

  • If you've not visited Barcelona before, I think it deserves at least 4 nights, which only gives you 3 full days to explore this big city.

Happy planning!

Posted by
594 posts

I did not include in which cities I was staying overnight but I thought that was obvious from the plan I laid out. But the plan is to stay in Cordoba for the night (depending on when we arrive). It is a bit whirlwind, but it's also how I typically travel.

Posted by
594 posts

I can still cut out Sitges and spend more time in Barcelona. Sitges was going to be a last minute addition based on how much I see in Barcelona. If it's not clear, the most time we'd be spending in one hotel/apartment would be in Madrid and Barcelona. Granada, Sevilla, and Valencia will have 2 nights each (maybe one more in one of them).

Posted by
5294 posts

Hi Gabriel,

Oops! You're right! I don't know how I missed the fact that you're already planning to spend an overnight in Córdoba.

Enjoy planning your trip!

Posted by
7175 posts

Similarly to what you propose (which I like very much).

Sep 12 Arrive Madrid
Sep 16 Train to Salamanca
Sep 18 Train to Córdoba (via Madrid)
Sep 19 Train to Granada
Sep 21 (Pick up car) Drive to Ronda
Sep 22 Drive to Seville (Return car)
Sep 24 Fly to Valencia
Sep 26 Train to Barcelona
Oct 1 Depart Barcelona