Logistics for October vacation (Barcelona/Madrid/Sevilla/Granada

How many nights do you have in the ground in Spain--not counting the overnight flight?

I think you're planning to hit too many places in the time you have. The first place I'd cut is Tangier, which will take one full day and substantial parts of two others. There's no way you have time for that, and it is not a good introduction to Morocco, anyway.

The next cut I'd make is Ronda, which I quite like, but having something approaching adequate time for your other destinations is more important. And I'd prioritize a day-trip to Cordoba over Ronda for most travelers.

Spain is a large country, and you can easily end up with far too much travel time in comparison to sightseeing time.

My next concern is Barcelona. If that's your first destination and you're planning three nights there, it's simply not enough. That would give you just two real sightseeing days after you get past the worst of the sleep deprivation and jetlag of arrival day. Have you worked through a guide book to see what you want to do in Barcelona? It can be a time-consuming city, especially for folks interested in the modernista architecture. It has many sights for which tickets need to be purchased in advance. That tends to make for inefficient scheduling, because you need to build in slack time since you don't know how much time you'll want to have at each sight.

I think most people find Barcelona and Madrid the cheapest options for international flights. If that is true for you, you might explore flying into Barcelona, taking a budget flight (try Vueling) to Granada and working your way back to Madrid.

We will have 13 nights, not including flights.

Your recommendations make sense, I was thinking I might be packing in too much.

Staying in the major hubs, and doing some day trips might be a better option than traveling to many locations, and staying overnight.

Perhaps more time in Barcelona, fly to Granada, drive to Sevilla, train to Madrid?

That could work, but I'd only fool with a car if you feel you have time on your transfer day to divert through one or more smaller spots on the way to Seville. Although they haven't finished work on the high-speed rail line, Renfe is running integrated buses across the missing section of track, or you can take a bus the whole way.

Whether a one-day car rental would allow you to squeeze in a quick stop in Ronda, I am not sure. Check the driving-time estimates on ViaMichelin.com. They tend toward optimism and don't include time for any stops, getting lost, looking for parking, etc., so you should pad those estimates considerably. Don't forget that you'd need at least one meal in transit and that you must be sure everything you don't plan to carry with you is hidden in the trunk of the car before you park it for a meal or sightseeing break.

Also check on the hours of the rental agency where you'd want to drop the car in Seville. That can be an issue. If you need to keep the car overnight and return it the next morning, you may incur a substantial parking charge, and availability of nearby parking may somewhat limit your choice of hotels in Seville.

With 13 nights to see the ‘top’sights.

Day
1. ARRIVE Barcelona (4N)
2. Barcelona
3. Barcelona
4. Barcelona
5. Fly to Granada (2N)
6. Visit the Alhambra
7. Train to Seville (3N)
8. Seville
9. Seville
10. Train (via stop in Cordoba for the Mezquita) to Madrid (4N)
11. Madrid
12. Day to Toledo
13. Madrid (or day to Segovia)
14. DEPART Madrid

@acraven - It seems like renting a car might be a bit of a hassle, so I'm thinking train. I've had great success riding the train in Italy, as well as Ireland, it's typically the easiest way to get around. Thank you for your input, it is very much appreciated.

@djp_syd - That's seems like the best idea, as I have no desire to be rushed. That said, I don't care to have a bunch of down time either, but there is always a place worthy of a day trip nearby.

I may be able to extend my vacation to 16-17 nights.

On another note, if we aren't big fans of the museums, and prefer to just soak in the culture, is it still worth visiting Madrid?

I think there's at least a day's worth of worthwhile wandering to be done in Madrid for any traveler. Many people seem to enjoy the Palacio Real. (I did not; dislike most palace furnishings.)

Adding days would be good. Barcelona has lots to see and many day-trip possibilities. If it's your first stop you'll probably get almost no benefit from your first day there due to sleep-deprivation and jetlag.

I like David's itinerary pretty well. If you want to slow down, you definitely could skip Madrid. Sure it has things to see and do, but of all your places, it is the least interesting. The only problem is if you have a morning flight out of Madrid, you'll want to spend your last night there. If your flight is in the afternoon, you could get to the airport comfortably from Cordoba or Toledo. BTW, Toledo is better as an overnight or even 2 nights than as a day trip from Madrid.

Using djp_syd's itinerary above, I would change Day 10 forward to:
Train from Sevilla via Córdoba to Madrid's Atocha station, there change to the Toledo commuter train to Toledo (about 30 minutes) and spend the night. After enjoying Toledo, take a late afternoon commuter train back to Madrid for the remainder of your visit; at least one full day before you fly out. I like Madrid, especially in October when the weather is usually nice.
Have a great visit!

I like Madrid and would suggest 2 days even if you weren’t heavily into museum visits.

With 4 additional nights, making 17 in total ...

• 1 extra night in Barcelona

• 1 extra night in Madrid - allowing a day to Segovia

• 2 extra nights in Seville - allowing days to Cordoba & Cadiz/Jerez