Itinerary help with Madrid and Andalucia

October 12 is the National Day of Spain (Fiesta Nacional de España), this is a public holiday so everyone has the day off. This means many locals will be traveling around Spain for the long holiday, a bit like what happens in the 4th of July in USA. Outside of the main touristy zones you may find some smaller shops/restaurants closed. Public transport runs normally. Hrs for major museums and tourist sites should not be affected, thought you may find an uptick of visitors to these sites on the 12th, as locals have the day off.

Madrid is the epicenter of the National Day of Spain, there are a number of patriotic events that could restrict access in the city center, the largest example being the huge Military Parade (Desfile Militar) presided over by the King of Spain that goes straight through the streets of central Madrid.

The Desfile Militar is something attended by thousands of locals and is quite a unique event, the Parade showcases the variety of different historic Spanish Military Units, the biggest crowd pleasers are the Spanish Legion (like the French one) and the Moroccan Regulares. I'd say make a day out of it, join the locals, and enjoy the festivities, walk around and explore.

What a joy to be there and experience the festivities! How lucky we are! Just wondering if streets are closed, will this be a problem if I stay in a hotel in the city center? How can I find out the street closures? Our flight arrives at 1500.

Any other thoughts about the itinerary? Thank you for this information.

Stop off in Cordoba enroute from Sevilla back to Madrid or take a day trip to Cordoba by train from Sevilla.

I don't think a car is necessary here, the AVE trains will serve you just fine. I'd include a 1 night stop in Córdoba (my favorite town in Andalucía) enroute from Granada to Sevilla. For 9 nights I'd break down your itinerary like this:

Fly in to Madrid
Madrid (3 nights) - daytrip to Toledo
AVE train to
Granada (2 nights)
AVE train to
Cordoba (1 night) - visit the Mezquita
AVE train to
Sevilla (3 nights)
Fly to Amsterdam

You can find info on the Oct 12 Military Parade here - https://www.esmadrid.com/en/whats-on/12-october-parade-plaza-cuzco-nuevos-ministerios and here https://www.defensa.gob.es/12octubre/

Thank you Carlos :)

So you're recommending 3 nights in Madrid?

That gives us 2 full days in Madrid since the first day is a travel day, and we don't get in until the afternoon.
2 days in Granada - one is a travel day - that gives us 1 1/2 days for The Alhambra and Granada
1 day in Cordoba
3 days in Seville

Sounds good?

Yes, with only 9 nights available, I think that's a good way of splitting up things.

I'm going to put in a recommendation for your original itinerary. On my Spain trips I've typically had 10 to 13 complete days (not including the days I fly in, and then later fly out), and I have always confined each trip to Madrid plus only two other cities. And I've been very satisfied with that pace of travel, though I admit that my priority is getting to know the cities and towns I visit as well as I can, rather than briefly seeing as much as I can squeeze in.
In your original itinerary, only a partial day for Granada seems a little skimpy, but you make up for it by spending respectable amounts of time in Seville and Madrid. The alternative itinerary, with only one or two nights in each city, resembles those proposed by tourists who are trying to "see everything," and while I'm not going to argue with that goal (though it is never mine), the prospects of your "seeing everything" in just eight complete travels days are pretty unrealistic anyway. Madrid and Seville are great cities, and in the short time you have in Spain, I would recommend getting as much as you can out of them.

Thank you Faedus,

It seems that we have to decide between 2 or 3 full days in Madrid first. That will dictate the rest of the itinerary. What's the sweet spot in Madrid for a first timer?

If we cut Madrid to 2 full days, we can add the stop to Granada and Cordoba
If we stay 3 full days in Madrid, we can add a stop to Toledo, but probably cut out Granada or Cordoba.

That was fast! Anyway, I, for one, cannot imagine anything fewer than three nights for a great city like Madrid. I've seen the city several times, and I will still spend at least three nights there (probably more) on future trips. If you're referring to a geographical "sweet spot," I would say that despite their being more popular with tourists generally, the quaint, central historic neighborhoods of Huertas and La Latina would be the best places to stay, with the latter perhaps a bit quieter. The neighborhood fanning out just south of Plaza Isabel II (and the adjacent opera metro station) is a nice-looking one as well, though I've never spent a night there myself.

Very helpful. Thank you so very much.

Have you been to Sevilla? How long do you recommend that I stay there? 3 or 4 nights? Perhaps we can take a day trip to Cordoba one day.

Actually, I haven't been to Seville -- perhaps a remarkable thing to say for someone who has been to Spain several times. But my personal approach to Spain, which I know I can't necessarily recommend to tourists in general, is to spend my non-Madrid time in quaint, historic, but lesser-known cities and towns, while gingerly approaching the more heavily touristed ones only from time to time. Thus I have visited Toledo and Cordoba, and I enjoyed those visits very much, but not as much as I've enjoyed spending time in places like Pontevedra, Zamora, and Teruel, which are overlooked by a majority of tourists. I'll admit, also, that my Spain trips have always been in the off-season months of November and December; this tactic, combined with my preference for less-touristed cities and towns, has led to the very satisfying result that I have visited what is one of the world's most touristed countries, while feeling that I might have been the first tourist to discover the place!

Seville is a large city with a lot of sights. I'd want at least 3 days for Seville itself, plus one day for Cordoba--though it would be better to have at least 2 nights in Cordoba.

One can spend close to a full day at the Alhambra, so I think you may be rather rushed if you only have a night and part of a day there. There's only one Alhambra, but that doesn't mean there's nothing else to see in Granada. For example, there is this: https://mappingspain.com/the-basilica-of-san-juan-de-dios-granadas-best-kept-secret/

It's not that Madrid isn't a worthwhile destination, but I'm one of those who feel that, aside from the art museums, it's just not as distinctive as many other cities in Spain. It's not as old, and it doesn't have the same amount of unusual architecture. It's a very lively place, and of course there are all those art museums. It depends on what you value most.