Itinerary in Spain for June

How about 5 nights in both Barcelona and Madrid and take day trips from each,

On the day you leave the earliest train looks like 6:16 am from Madrid to Barcelona. But it may not be the same on the weekend.
You can look up the train schedule at http://www.renfe.com/.

It is less risky to go to Barcelona and stay the day before your flight instead of taking a train from Madrid the day of your flight.

We just had six full days in Barcelona. We took one one day trip to Figures to see the Dali Museum. We would have been entertained for another week in Barcelona with a couple more day trips.

Trying to get to Madrid and back in a single day, givin all there is to do in Barcelona, seems a waste of time, money, and energy to me. I would either take more local day trips or actually spend a couple nights in Madrid and or Toledo.

Madrid and Toledo will still be there next year.

The AVE trains are fast and generally reliable, but there is no way I'd spend the night in Madrid if I had a flight out of Barcelona at 12:30 PM (or even quite a bit later than that). My policy is that I want to be within an affordable taxi ride of the airport the night before my departure, because I would not be happy having to pay for a replacement airline ticket at the walk-up fare.

What you might consider doing is heading to Madrid/Toledo early in your trip and finishing up in Barcelona so you don't have that last-minute return to Barcelona hanging over you. If you're the brave sort, you could buy a ticket from Barcelona to Madrid on your arrival day, but that is tricky because who knows when you'll be in a position to board a train? I've never been that gutsy, but lots of travelers do that. Buying a promo ticket really early can get you a bargain price, but that ticket becomes worthless if you miss the train.

I would go along with the others suggesting both Madrid and Barcelona, except that [1] in June Madrid is likely to be sizzling and [2] it's not that interesting unless you really want to spend 2 days looking at European painting. Added to that, Madrid is a good starting/ending point for a trip concentrating on Andalucia in late fall through early spring, when temperatures are comfortable.

Barcelona has lots to see and do, and enough day trips to fill up the rest. If you want a change of scene, consider spending 2-3 nights in Valencia.

Day trips - Girona (medieval city center) and/or Figueres (Dali museums); Montserrat (monastery and scenic hike), Tarragona (another medieval city center and some minor Roman ruins). There are others.

Spain is very safe and generally quite friendly for solo-female travelers. You will have an amazing time. I would recommend spending at least 3 days in Barcelona an doing day trips from there for another 2 days. I think a couple of tours ie to Toledo and maybe along the coast to Costa Brava or to Montserrat would be perfect so that you enjoy the history and learn along the way. Barcelona is very walkable and you will be able to get around pretty easily.
Madrid is nice, but it is a big and busy city without the same charm as Barcelona. IMHO if you have 10 days I would avoid Madrid and instead head down to Seville, from which you can take an amazing tour of the Pueblos Blancos like Ronda, Grazelama and Arcos. Seville is beautiful and very walkable. It also retains much of its Andalusian charm. Granada is one of my favorite cities in the world but its a bit far from Seville, although doable.

there are some great tours here...
https://www.partner.viator.com/en/66572/search/spain

Hope this helps,

Janet
www.travelbta.com/blog
www.travelbta.com :)

June
6. ARRIVE Barcelona (5N)
7. Barcelona
8. Barcelona
9. Barcelona
10. Barcelona
11. Train to Madrid (5N)
12. Madrid
13. Day to Toledo
14. Madrid
15. Day to Segovia
16. am-Visit Escorial | pm-Train to Barcelona (1N)
17. DEPART Barcelona

June weather in Madrid is NORMALLY nothing to be greatly concerned by.
http://www.holiday-weather.com/madrid/averages/june/

Well, it depends on how you feel about an average high of 84F, I guess, and how typical that is of current weather. Wunderground shows 21 days in June 2017 with a high temperature of 90F or more in Madrid. I swear, some of those average temperatures look like they are weighted heavily toward pre-climate-change years. Then again, June 29 and June 30 were really nice last year.

June 2016: Fifteen days hitting 90F or higher.

June 2015: Eighteen days hitting 90F or higher.

Too hot.
Too crowded.
Too unsafe.
Too expensive.
Too much olive oil.

Stay at home ??
NEVER !!

Come on, David. No one's saying don't go to Spain in June. We're just saying avoid the hottest places there.

Thanks so much guys.. Really appreciate! I think I'll leave Madrid for another time. Stay in Barcelona and go around.. Will try Seville for couple of days.. Thanks very much..

Seville can make Madrid feel cool. But for only a couple of days, I think you can gut it out. Prepare yourself psychologically, and plan to get up and out of your hotel really early in the morning so you can do a lot of your outdoor sightseeing before the heat becomes truly oppressive.

Seville is warmer than Madrid.
http://www.holiday-weather.com/seville/averages/june/

Yes I just saw that. Thanks for all the help. May be I'll make my base in Barcelona and do some day trips from there. There are lot of cool places to go around.

I honestly wouldn’t worry so much about the heat. Make sure your hotels have AC, dress accordingly, drink a lot of water, and follow the custom of siesta (or go to museums in the heat of the afternoon) and you will be ok. Unless, of course, you have a medical condition making heat more unsafe than for the average person. Spain is set up for evening touring when it’s cooler.

I would go immediately from Barcelona to your other destination. If it’s Madrid - spend 3 nights there and 1 in Toledo, then back to Barcelona. If it’s Seville then...same but sub Cordoba for Toledo. You could consider Valencia or Granada instead of Madrid or Seville if you prefer.

Then head Back to Barcelona to finish your visit, with day trips as suggested.

Reason being that I always aim to END my trip in my departure city. Skips that awkward getting back day, spends your jet lag time in transit (better than trying to appreciate sights while exhausted!). And in your case gets you to hot places earlier in June.

Mira, this sounds fantastic! I'll leave Madrid for another trip, when I'll do Andulacia. I think heading to Seville right away is better. Thanks so much for the tip. I think I'll fly to Seville directly from Barcelona airport and then take the train back. Will do corbodoba as well. Will see if I can incorporate Valencia too. Thanks again.

I haven't been to the Spanish Pyrenees, but at altitude it will be pleasantly cool. (The Cerdanya Valley is likely to be hot, however.) I used the Basque Country and the northern coast west of there as my escape from the heat in 2016. It worked very well. The disadvantage is that there is no AVE service to San Sebastian and Bilbao, so it will take half a day to get there. But it's a very interesting area.

There is definitely more than 10 days' worth of stuff to see in Catalunya itself. I spent nine days in Barcelona and three elsewhere, and that was certainly not enough.

Thanks acraven.
I booked Barcelona tickets on a whim as it was cheap and I wanted somewhere different to go. All of you have been wonderful with your ideas.

How about something like this with an overnight to Valencia to break up your time in Barcelona.

June
6. ARRIVE Barcelona (5N)
7. Barcelona #1
8. Day to Tarragona
9. Barcelona #2
10. Day to Montserrat
11. Early train to Valencia (1N)
12. Evening train return to Barcelona (5N)
13. Barcelona #3
14. Day to Figueres & Girona
15. Barcelona #4
16. Day to Sitges
17. DEPART Barcelona

Sevilla is in the heart of Andalucia. It's best in late autumn, winter, or early spring. I've been twice in February - little rain, light jacket, plenty of sunshine and temps mostly in the 60s. Valencia is a much better destination for a summer trip. It's a shorter train ride from Barcelona, also on the Costa Brava, and checks all your boxes: history, museums, food and culture.

Thanks David. Your itinerary looks fantastic. I've been reading up on the weather and other travel blogs, yeah Seville could get too hot to do touristy things during the day.