Itinerary Thoughts

i think it looks fine! A bit quick, but no kids and you have traveled before. I love Spain!!

Get Sagrada Familia tickets online and I would book 9am and show up by 8:30 to be in the front of the line. This will buy you about 20 min. in there with hardly anyone else. So worth it. Breathtaking.

Kim

Rick has at least one walking tour of Madrid laid out in his "Spain" guidebook. I'd head for the Plaza Mayor and the relatively nearby San Miguel market for tapas. That area will probably keep you well occupied, but if it doesn't, Retiro Park (free) and the Botanical Garden (modest entry fee) are fairly near Atocha Station.

Allow plenty of time for retrieving your luggage at Atocha if you use a staffed storage room rather than a locker (I don't remember what the set-up is like at that station). Atocha Station is large and I find it rather confusing, so don't cut it too close. For some trains your luggage must go through an X-ray machine.

Lena,

If it were me, I'd fly directly from Madrid to Sevilla or Jerez, then take the train to Puerto Santa María & thus arrive much earlier.

I'd also depart PSM in the morning, so you can add a few more hours to your already short stay in Sevilla.

Enjoy your trip!

I think you are spending too much time sleeping!
Seriously, I think, expand your time by staying up late and and enjoying late evening dinners, strolls and other activities Spainards enjoy "after dark". In other words, do not late your USA based tummy clock rule your lives while in Spain.

Not bad at all

One note - I once tried to do the exact same thing of seeing the Madrid highlights on the day I arrived, then getting a late train (to Seville in my case). It was OK but I was waaaay too tired to enjoy most of it. Be prepared for that - pick a top priority and do that, then spend as much time in Retiro park or an outdoor cafe. I tried to cover several museums and the palace. Sleepwalked through most of it. Barely remembered most of it when I returned another trip, not tired. If Madrid is a priority, give it more time. If not (and I prefer your other places), just do what you can and don't expect too much of that half-day.

Definitely go the Mercado San Miguel on arrival... my son and I arrived Madrid from the west coast last spring around... 5pm? We managed to get out and hit the market, do a little walking tour around there, and rent electric bikes! All before crashing out! :) There was a little bike rental place right next to the Mercado.

A note: If you want to rent bikes (Feb? not sure, how is weather then?) - on our return to Madrid we rented non-electric bikes for Retiro park and lots of hills! So I would get electric if you can, you can zip around and not expend so much energy when you can barely stay awake!

Kim

With such little time I would leave out Barcelona.

Day 2
Arrive Madrid 8 am
Book a connecting flight to Sevilla (2 nights)

Day 4
Train to Puerto Santa Maria (2 nights)

Day 6
Train to Jerez (1 night)

Day 7
Train to Madrid (2 nights)
Stop for a few hours in Córdoba en route to see the Mezquita.

Day 9
Fly home from Madrid

Alternatively, head to Madrid for 3 nights on Day 6, allowing for an excursion to Toledo.