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Madrid/Barcelona Itinerary with questions

Posted by (Maryland) on

My sister and daughter and I are heading to Spain to visit my daughter's friend.

We arrive in Madrid early (730am) - we can't check into our hotel until 3. I am hoping to take a taxi to the hotel (close to Puerto del Sol) to stash our bags - is it worth asking for an early check in? Or is that really not a thing there? While we wait to check in, I am hoping they will at least keep our bags, and consider a hop on/hop off bus, maybe using Rick's walking tour for the Gran Via or historic core. My daughter's friend works until 3, so the plan is to sight-see/explore until she can join us.

Day 1 (Monday): arrive 730am, hop on/off bus tour, or RS walk highlighted in his book.

Day 2 (Tues): Royal Palace & Alamunda Catherdral. Considering Tapas food tour with a local guide. Should we purchase the City Go pass? https://gocity.com/

Day 3 (Wed): Reina Sofia, Prado, Plaza de Cibeles, Puerto de Alcala, Parque el Retiro. Is that too much? We want to see Flemenco! Should I get tickets to the museums and Flemenco sooner rather than later?

Day 4 (Thurs): hotel check out is at 11. Meeting daughter's friend after work and taking train to Barcelona. Recommendations on what to do while we wait for her friend? WIll have to figure out where to stash the luggage too. When we arrive in Barcelona, considering a hop on/hop off bus, or a tapas guided tour (or both). Hotel is near La Sagrada Familia.

Day 5 (Fri): Eixample stroll, Block of Discord, Passeo de Gracia, Casa Batllo, lunch at El Nacional and then Sagrada Familia. Would it be better to see Sagrada in the morning instead? Again, should we purchase the city go pass for Barcelona?

Day 6 (Sat): Picasso Museum, Bari Gothic, Barcelona Cathedral

Day 7 (Sun): Hotel checkout at 11. Train back to Madrid, considering El Rastro market.

Day 8 (Mon): Day trip to Toledo. It looks like we could purchase a trip here? https://www.civitatis.com/en/madrid/toledo-full-day-trip/

Day 9: return to the States.

Thank you for your consideration. =)

Posted by
3713 posts

Nearly all hotels will hold your bags before check in and after check out, so ask the property ahead of time. There are other options to store bags if they don't, but no need to investigate those if the hotel will take care of you.

I would swap your Toledo day 8 with day 3, as I don't like to be moving around too much the day before I leave to go home just in case of travel drama. However Mondays many things are closed so that might not work in your case. You don't say when you are traveling but if it's peak season you will want to purchase tickets ahead of time for must see sites. You'll have to price out the city pass to see if it is cost effective for you. In my experience it usually isn't for a short trip.

Reina Sofia, Prado, Plaza de Cibeles, Puerto de Alcala, Parque el
Retiro. Is that too much?

That is a lot of art in one day. I liked the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum more than the Reina Sofia. It's smaller and not so overwhelming (IMHO).

On day 6 be sure to visit La Boqueria market, as you'll be right there and it's not open on Sunday. It will be VERY crowded and along Las Ramblas, watch your bags and belongings.

Posted by
20 posts

Thank you for your reply! I thought I put my dates, I guess not! We arrive Monday, March 16 and leave March 24.

I considered swapping Toledo for earlier, but like you said a lot is closed on Mondays, and the only reason it was on my radar is because I purchased the Rick Steves Madrid guide and it is for Madrid/Toledo!

Posted by
8374 posts

Most hotels will allow you to check in an hour or maybe two early if a room is available, but there’s no guarantee. If the hotel was fully booked and checkout isn’t until 11, a room may not be available. Every hotel will store your bags while you wait for your room to be ready.

The Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena didn’t take long to visit.

For day 3, visiting the Prado and Reina Sofía on the same day might be too much art. When leaving the Prado you can walk down to Plaza de Cibeles, the up to Puerta de Alcalá, then into Retiro park. In case you weren’t aware of distances, Plaza de Cibeles is a half mile in one direction from the Prado while the Reina Sofía is a half mile in the opposite direction, and the Puerta del Sol just over a half mile in another direction.

On day 4, the hotel may store your bags while you wait to catch the train.

If you go to El Rastro, beware of pickpockets. Actually, beware of pickpockets anyplace there is a crowd or group of people; Madrid and Barcelona.

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