Itinerary Help Requested

Traveling in Spain for more than three weeks will be a wonderful experience!

Well, it is great that you are starting so far in advance, because you will have ample time to plan, research, and finalize details. So far you have a very nice route to the middle, South and East of the country, with sufficient days in each location to really relax a bit as well as sightsee. I dislike packing and unpacking every night, so try to avoid too many short stays.

Now you have time to consider the logistics--what is the overall budget, what type of hotels do you like, have you started looking at train schedules this year to see how they might affect your arrangements for next year, do you completely understand what is involved in the Feria de Sevilla, and perhaps you will also be in Spain during Easter, so can start researching that as well. Most importantly, what exactly do you want to see and do in each of the places on your itinerary?

Okay, when I travel I always have very, very specific things I must see and do, even including what restaurants I will be reserving! Foodies will love the diverse dishes and wines of Spain, and trying tapas is quite enjoyable. Always save room for chocolate and churros in the morning if you dance in the nightclub late at night!

In Spain husband and I are enraptured by history--our priority is to visit castles, cathedrals, walled medieval towns, Roman ruins, Moorish heritage architecture, and so forth. We will squeeze in a few beach days as well as ample time for shopping. We often stay in the paradores or historic hotels. We have traveled by train as well as renting a car, or short flights, and when I was much younger, I even hitchhiked around Spain.

Religion has a mighty heritage in Spain--yes, I am always moved by the magnificent cathedral of Santiago de Campostela, but small chapels also contain deep spirituality.

The literature of Spain can also influence travel decisions-- Cantar de Mio Cid, Don Quixote, Don Juan, are all woven in Spanish culture. Of course, the music and dance is phenomenal-- I have formally studied flamenco for multiple years, but the experts blow us all away with their syncopated moves!

Well, Spain was always known for bull-fighting, so that is always an option. Nowadays soccer (fútbol) is one of the most popular sports.

Some of the greatest artists in the world resided in Spain, and you can visit their masterpieces in many museums.

I am going to close with languages--Spain is more diverse that visitors understand completely, and many of the regions have their own unique culture and language, although most are derived from Latin, except for the Basque area.

So take some time to learn and feel the country that you want to explore, so that your visit becomes more than just a tourist bus stop and start, and instead you create deep meaning and start to uncover the passion and pride of the people of Spain for their wonderful nation.

¡Buen viaje!

That seems pretty reasonable. I might spend less time in Granada and Barcelona, more time in Madrid.

Have you been to Spain before? What do you enjoy doing on a trip? What are you favorite cities or places to travel to? Spain is a huge country with a lot to offer. What you should do depends on your preferences. You have to consider your own preferences to plan a trip.

Hi PhilaLady: what a great and comprehensive post. Yes to everything you said! We are interested in all of those things, yes, and especially like to stay in historic hotels like you mentioned. It sounds like you really know how to experience Spain. I might try to get some beach time in, as well, and will get more detailed about possible historic sights that we'd be interested in the I haven't incorporated yet. Like I said, it's as rough a sketch as you can get, and once I have the framework, I do want to start the more detailed planning. Thanks a lot.

I agree that 4 days are not needed for Granada. I suggest you figure out which sites in each location you want to see and how much time you think you’ll need to see them. You’ll spend more time than planned at some places and less at others. That will give you an idea of how many days/nights you need for each city. You can see a lot in 24 days.

Everything PhilaLady mentioned is spot on. Given your itinerary I assume this is your first time to Spain. My wife and I lived in, and travel frequently to, Spain. Our trips now focus on smaller regions rather than trying to see the entire country, and visiting mostly small towns and villages. We too try to stay at Paradors. Of the places you mentioned there are Paradors in Toledo, Segovia, Córdoba, and Granada. The one in Granada is very pricey. Most Paradors are located in smaller towns to attract tourists to lesser visited areas of the country. A rental car works best for getting to those ones.

We did a similar trip in September 2022 and it worked out great. We spent the following nights I

Barcelona- 3 nights then fast train to
Madrid - 6 nights then train to
Granada - 3 nights then train to
Seville - 4 nights Seville then train to
Cordoba - 3 nights then private driver to
Toledo - 3 nights then private driver to the airport.

With your extra nights you could add another stop or you could add a few nights to Madrid.

The reason we did the driver from Cordoba to Toledo was because we would have had to change trains in Madrid and with the timing and all the day trippers we would have lost almost the entire day, plus the hassle and confusion of switching. We decided to stay in Toledo for the 3 nights because one, we like to stay over in these smaller cities as opposed to just a quick, jam packed day trip, and second, it was at the end of trip and I knew we would be tired.

We never did any day trips from Madrid or Barcelona cause we were just so busy we couldn’t fit them in.
As a side note, I personally liked Madrid more than Barcelona. I liked the vibe of the city, the large amount of museums and sites, the food, etc. for me, Barcelona didn’t offer as much, but they do have 2 lovely museums down by the waterfront - the maritime museum and the ethnological museum.

Looks like a great trip! And looks like you've gotten good advice above!

You'll have a great time!

Happy travels

Thank you all for the very helpful feedback. I've been able to start to incorporate many ideas into my rough draft itinerary, and will take less time to see Granada and Barcelona. I was assuming we'd need more time in Barcelona, but may either give this to our Madrid time, or stretch out some of the smaller towns and cities. I was in Spain many years ago, as a college student, to several Spanish towns and cities, but this would be like going back for the first time. I'm considering dropping Valencia as a destination, but if anyone thinks otherwise, I'm open to that. I'm looking into the option of staying in a parador, including in Cordoba, which I think needs at least a night or two (they have a hamman, so can spend a couple of days there). I do not know all that is entailed in the April Fest in Seville, so that's part of my research to come. And also will look at extending other towns, such as Toledo or Segovia, if warranted. It seems as if my skeleton itinerary seems reasonable to most here, and the amount of days that we'll have will allow us to do what we'd like to do, and get to the places with time to enjoy them.

So, I now have 6 nights in Madrid, including a day trip to Toledo, and am considering Segovia as another option. 2 nights in Cordoba after that, and then onto Seville for at least 5 nights. Granada for 2 nights, and eventually to Barcelona for 5 nights now, instead of 6 or 7. I still have a couple of extra days to play with after that, so can include them as day trips, or just extend some of the smaller towns (or add another one).

We spent over a week in Granada without getting bored, so I wouldn't reduce from 4 nights there - two nights means you'll hardly have time to see anything except the Alhambra., which is a pity.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2019/04/slow-travel-in-granada.html
You could easily increase Cordoba to 3 nights.
Valencia is nice but I would leave it maybe for a second trip since it isn't as special as some of the places in Andalucia.
From Sevilla it's easy to get by train to places like Cadiz or Jerez.......just to tempt you!
We spent three nights in Toledo, which was about right for us, but it could also work as a day trip from Madrid, although there's such a lot to see in Madrid......
So many beautiful places.....

You'll likely be in Cordoba around the festival of the patios - even if you're not directly IN the weeks of the festival, many should be open and in spectacular bloom. My advice would be - if you can - to have your days in Cordoba fall during the week, as the weekend can be slammed with day-trippers thronging to the small patios of San Basilio (and of course the Mezquita, but you really feel the crush in the patios). You can avoid some of that by getting in as soon as they open in the morning, but guessing you'd have a better and more relaxed time on, say, a Wednesday.

If you're looking for beach time, there are some easy options within a short train ride from Barcelona. My partner and I are fond of Altafulla and Cambrils in the Costa Dorada - the former has a nice hiking trail down to Tarragona and a variety of coastline, the latter mostly just a relaxed beach town - though Sitges is closer and more popular/developed. Altafulla and Sitges are both doable as day trips from Barcelona, but in all cases it's more relaxing to spend a night or two, I think. The Costa Brava, while gorgeous, can be more complicated on public transit - outside of peak season, you may be looking at one bus a day that goes to whatever town you have in mind. In April, this year, even for me as a newcomer to Spain, it isn't quite warm enough to be in the water, but still very pleasant - you'll see a lot of people out to catch sun or play beach volleyball, but it won't be thronged as it would be in the summer.

I am another who loves Granada and would say to give it 3 nights. The Alhambra takes most of a day - but there are other places to see on a second day.

Valencia is nice but I would leave it maybe for a second trip since it isn't as special as some of the places in Andalucia.

You've slandered my favorite Spanish city! But it's true that Valencia has perhaps fewer Great Tourist Sites than the other large Spanish cities. Yet the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, the Turia Park and L'Oceanogràfic are each truly unique and entertaining. Valencia struck me as the most civilized big city in Spain.

Personally, I'd jettison time in Barcelona in favor of Valencia, as I don't really care much for Barcelona. I'm aware this isn't a common reaction.