January in Spain with adventurous grown daughter

A few of my initially thoughts:

In Spain our Christmas season extends into January, with the main celebration being Dia de los Reyes Magos (three kings day) on January 6th. Know that on the night of Jan 5th most cities in Spain have a big parade of the Three Kings (Cabalgata De Los Reyes Magos), it will be a great festive experience in our local culture. There are really big Three Kings parades in Barcelona and Madrid.

Also, be sure not to miss our Christmas markets in Spain. Since we mainly celebrate the Three Kings Day (Jan 6), you will find most of our Christmas Markets are still up into early Jan. Here is a English language article about some of our amazing Christmas Markets in Spain:
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/12-magical-christmas-markets-to-visit-in-spain/

Around this time of year, you will find skiing is popular in Spain due to our high altitude. Ski resorts like Baqueira-Beret in the Pyrenees and the Sierra Nevada near Granada are the most popular spots.

My favorite places in Spain are:

Seville, Granada, Toledo, Segovia and Bilbao.
Madrid, Barcelona, Cordoba, Salamanca and San Sebastian were nice as well. Wasn't impressed by Costa del Sol.
When younger, I did lots of long distance road biking. Biking in big cities on city streets is just too dangerous. If you bike, find bike trails.

Thank you for your input!
Changing to likely start in Granada and stay south and fly her out of Madrid.
Two questions:
- Is it better to drive around smaller towns in the south or take public transit?
- has anyone rented bikes and done your own tours outside of the smaller cities or done with bike companies ? Which town/s are good for biking outside of to see countryside or hike to another town?

Thank you!

I’m not sure where you’re from, but when people mention the "coldness of the north," it often brings a sarcastic smile to my face. What exactly is "cold"? In Girona, during the middle of winter, temperatures can reach 14-16ºC at noon and drop to 0-2ºC at 6 am. That’s far from an Arctic climate, right? With an average of 8-10ºC throughout most of the day, you can go about your daily life with just a couple of layers—no need for polar gear. I bring this up because sometimes we limit ourselves by dismissing options due to concerns about the weather, potentially missing out on great experiences.

If you’re lucky enough to have a base in Girona, you’re in an ideal spot for a wide variety of experiences, all just a stone's throw away. Catalonia, about the size of Maryland, is situated in a golden geographic location blessed with an ideal atmospheric combination. Here, you can find mountains over 3000m high, rugged coastal cliffs and coves, Mediterranean and Atlantic-style forests, sprawling plains with cultivated fields, and countless historic towns and small cities—all within a couple of hours (at most!) from Girona.

For the preferences you mention, I'd suggest this:

https://www.act.gencat.cat/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Cataleg_actiu_2013_EN.pdf
https://act.gencat.cat/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Mapa-Turisme_actiu_ANG_FRA.pdf
https://act.gencat.cat/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Mapa_cicloturisme_ENG.pdf
https://act.gencat.cat/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Active-and-nature-tourism-19.pdf
https://act.gencat.cat/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Mapaguia-BTT-2019-ENG.pdf
https://act.gencat.cat/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ENG-ECOTURISME-web.pdf
https://www.act.gencat.cat/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/CataloniaCycletouring.pdf

Enjoy!

Many smaller towns and especially villages are underserved by public transportation, so even if there are trains or buses their frequency may be limited. You could spend a lot of time waiting for a bus or train. Once you know where you’re going check the schedules. That should help in making your decision.