itinerary help for Spain in August

Although you say you're not much into big cities, half your Spanish time is in Spain's second and fourth largest.

Since you need to get from Granada to Barcelona, you could take time from Barcelona or Andalucia and do this by road over a couple or so days - visiting smaller places in eastern Castillla- La Mancha or, depending on route, Murcia & Valencia regions.

The smaller White Villages can get a bit samey after a while. Since you have a car, you could contrast them by visiting Baeza or Ubeda. Also, you are passing through or near a number of national parks, including Sierra Nevada, but if you try to see too many towns you won't have time to actually get out and visit the countryside instead just be driving through as you travel between towns.

Hi aepifano, thank you for your kind acknowledgment lol :)

Southern Portugal/Spain will not just be hot in August, it will be HOT! You will have to plan out your day like a local, all the outdoor things during the early morning/evening, during the midday/afternoon have a siesta time or go someplace with close proximity to AC, water, and shade. This is especially the case for all those quaint small hill towns, which will be roasting in August and not to mention empty, as many locals will have the good sense to escape to the coast.

It's possible to visit Andalusia and Barcelona in August, but be warned it will be unbearably hot, even in Barcelona and inundated with tourists, which may not give a good first impression of Spain to your daughter.

If you would like beautiful scenery, photogenic outdoors, and historical towns, in August my recommendation would definitely be Northern Spain. Here is what I would do:

Portugal
-Start in Lisboa (4 days)
-Coimbra (3 days)
-Porto (4 days)

Cross the northern border into Galicia, via Vigo

Spain
Galicia:
-Santiago de Compostela (3 days) - Day trip to Lugo, rent car
-Ourense (2 days)
Asturias:
-Oviedo (3 days) - visit coastal towns
-Cangas de Onís (2 days) - visit Covadonga
Cantabria:
-Potes (3 days) - visit Picos de Europa national park
-Santillana del Mar (2 days) - visit Comillas
Fly out of Santander Airport

Hope this helps, I would leave Andalucia and Barcelona for when your daughter has her winter break :)

Thank You for your kind suggestions! sounds wonderful! I am going to research and try to get my daughter to reconsider visiting northern Spain! such a beautiful country- am looking forward to our visit!