Madrid to Barcelona in a week

Posted by gustavovelazquezn on 09/14/24 10:37 PM

Hello all,

It would be our first time in Spain, we know the weather is going to be a bit chilly in February. We are planning to arrive to Madrid, rent a car and visit some of the Southern cities/villages along the route to end the week in Barcelona. The reason we have decided to rent a car instead of taking the train is because we thought it would be better this way, since we are only going to be there for a week we are planning to take the road very early in the mornings (4 of us, planningto take turns to drive) , sight seeing villages on the way to our next point and try to take advantage of our very short time in Spain... Any thoughts on this? Would it be recommended? Any cities/villages recommended worth visiting along the way, or any recommended to spend the night?
Thank you so much for taking the time, it probably sounds kind of crazy to try to do so much in such of short time but we really would like to try it.

Posted by jaimeelsabio

Mid-Atlantic area

09/14/24 11:22 PM

7157 posts

A week isn’t enough time time to see Madrid and Barcelona let alone places in between. It would be easy to spend a month driving between the two and stopping at interesting sites, towns, and villages. You definitely shouldn’t try to go south.

Posted by Kenko

Citizen of the World

09/15/24 07:34 AM

2014 posts

One week is barely enough time for just Madrid and Barcelona. Can you add time to your trip?

Taking an Iryo Frecciarosa train or a Renfe AVE train between the two cities in 2:45 will give you more time to enjoy them. And, if you buy the train tix now online, they can be as little as €20 per person.
I don’t want to throw cold water on your plan, but if you do rent a car, each driver will need to be added as an additional driver at additional expense when you pick the car up at the car rental agency. All drivers of the car will also need to get an International Drivers Permit ( IDP) here in the U.S. before leaving for Spain. That’s another $120 at an AAA office for the 4 drivers, since they are about $30 per driver. It is illegal to drive in Spain without the legally required IDP and you can be fined up to €500 for failing to have one, should you be pulled over by the police for any reason at all. The worse consequence of driving without the legally required IDP is that any auto insurance coverage you thought you had will be null and void because you would not be driving legally at the time of an accident, under Spanish law.
Madrid and Barcelona are wonderful cities that, in and of themselves, will make for a great holiday.
Have a carefree holiday and take the trains in Spain!
www.Iryo.eu
www.Renfe.com

Posted by geovagriffith

09/15/24 11:49 AM

8244 posts

ONLY ONE WEEK??!!!

You need to spend about three days to see Madrid and add two more day trips to see nearby Toledo and Segovia.

Forget renting a car. Take trains.

If you want to do Barcelona and Madrid (don't recommend in one week) take the high speed train between those cities.

Places in the south, like Seville, Granada, Rhonda, Malaga and Cordoba will take you at least 10-12 days to see alone.

Posted by gustavovelazquezn OP

09/15/24 05:32 PM

2 posts

I really appreciate the honest responses!! It looks like I'll have to get with the rest of our group, and start reconsidering some options.

Thanks!