Madrid - Seville - Barcelona

We did Madrid-Seville-Barcelona last month on our own and had a great time. These cities are very easy to negotiate, even for those of us with very little Spanish.

We used Spanish Trails for day trips to Segovia (Madrid), and Priorat Wine Country, Tarragona, and Girona/Costa Brava (Barcelona). I highly recommend thise trips and this business. In Seville, we used Naturanda for a day trip to Jerez and Cadiz - no complaints.

I don't think you need a rail pass if this is the extent of your travels.

In Madrid, we stayed at the Artrip Hotel - close to the Atocha rail station and the Big 3 museums. We also enjoyed the Royal Palace and the Naval Museum. In Seville, the Hotel Becquer was a short walk from the major tourist attractions and close to the bridge to the Triana District. In Barcelona, the U232 Hotel in the Eixample turned out to be the ideal location. None of these hotels are mentioned in the RS guide books, but they were outstanding choices, if you don't need to be in the most heavily touristed areas.

In Barcelona, don't miss the Saint Pau Modernista site that is a 10 minute walk from the Sagrada Familia.

What time of year is your trip?

Hello,
Thank you for that great reply. I leave Nov 30th. to Madrid.
How did you get from Madrid to Seville and then on to Barcelona.
Should i make Seville my mid point?

I was looking at the Renfe train..?

When I went to Spain in September, I spent four nights in Madrid (taking day trips via train to Segovia and Toledo), then by train to Seville (where I spent two nights) and then, again by train, to Barcelona (four nights). I also took the train for day trips out of Barcelona to Figueres and to Montserrat. I didn't use a train pass, but did make the reservations a couple of months prior to my trip (with the exception of Montserrat, which I bought the morning of).

I stayed at Hostal Acapulco in Madrid and it was very well located not far from Gran Via and Puerta del Sol. I would definitely stay there again. In Seville, I stayed at Zaida Hotel, which was a great price. And in Barcelona, I stayed at SleepEasy Apartments (Eixample) which was about a ten minute walk to La Sagrada Familia.

I can't wait to go back to Spain and I think you will have a wonderful trip there as well!

Keep it simple maybe, and leave Andalusia for a future trip ...

Day
1. ARRIVE Madrid (5N)
2. Madrid
3. Day to Toledo
4. Madrid
5. Day to Segovia
6. Train to Barcelona (4N)
7. Barcelona
8. Barcelona
9. Barcelona
10. DEPART Barcelona

This would be a little high octane for most of us ...

Day
1. ARRIVE Madrid (3N)
2. Madrid
3. Day to Toledo
4. Train to Cordoba (1N)
5. Train to Seville (2N)
6. Seville
7. Train or fly to Barcelona (3N)
8. Barcelona
9. Barcelona
10. DEPART Barcelona

How did you get from Madrid to Seville and then on to Barcelona?
Should i make Seville my mid point?

I booked our trains on the loco2.com website. I am more comfortable with loco2 than the Renfe site, and it's much cheaper than RailEurope. Reasonable minds differ on the "best" way to book train tickets, but this is my personal preference.

We used Seville as a mid-point, and that worked out very well for us.

I agree with David...especially his thought to skip Valencia. I saw it 3 years ago, checked that box, no desire to return. I would highly recommend a day trip to Figueres and Cadaques from Barcelona. The Dali museum in Figueres is astounding and Cadaques is picture postcard perfect.

The Puerta del Sol area is very busy with tons of tourists. Not a bad thing but it might be noisy. I would suggest the Hotel Quattro Puerta del Sol. I've stayed there numerous times. The location can't be beat (2 blocks away and very close to metro stations), the staff is friendly and the rooms above average. A little dated but its great as a base in Madrid. I also recommend the Plaza Santa Ana area. I've booked a room there for May. Great location and views and a quick walk to the Huertas area, a personal favorite.

Good luck and enjoy!

Thank you Everyone..for sharing and taking the time out to post
.excellent recommendations...
Keeping it simple sounds is appealing, as i don't want to stress myself out.
Im going to check out the hotels now.
How do you feel about AirBNB. I have been seeing mixed reviews...one person had things stolen...
I like the idea of a kitchen...
Thanks Again

I think having a kitchen is not much of a bonus on a short stay. That means spending time shopping, preparing food and cleaning up. Staying in a hotel, you'll usually have a wide variety of foods available for breakfast. Eating out means opportunities to try the local food - and in Spain it's both very good and not expensive. Another thing to think about is that in a hotel, you have a local, knowledgeable person to get information from. Being alone in a strange place can be challenging.

I'm not clear on whether you're considering AirBnB in Barcelona. That city isn't as far along as Paris (and has other things on its mind at the moment), but there is a move afoot to control/reduce informal apartment rentals. In that kind of environment, it is theoretically possible that you could make a reservation and then have your apartment taken off the rental market shortly before arrival, leaving you to scramble for something else at the last minute. As I said, I'm not sure what the current status is of enforcement activity in Barcelona, but you should check to be sure the situation isn't going to change before your arrival date.

I stayed at the EasySleep Apartments (Eixample) in September and it was really nice...two bedrooms, two bathrooms, small kitchen and living area....and very reasonably priced. I made the reservations about five months in advance, so depending on when you are going, it might be difficult to book.

Chani is right - we found restaurant meals in Spain to be great deals. Everywhere we ate, we were offered a free tapa in addition to amazingly cheap food for the quality. In Seville, we enjoyed two glasses of wine apiece, plus baked goat cheese with red pepper marmalade, pork chops, grilled artichokes, and garlic shrimp for a total of 25 Euros at the Bar El Baratillo - no bull!

Stay in an Air BnB if you want, but eat out!

She's also right about the bonus of helpful people at the front desk if you stay in hotels.

Wonderful responses...thank you so much.
Yes, makes sense..When in Spain...enjoy the food......