Mother/daughter summer Spain trip

Not having a car to see the coast may be complicated with just two to three nights. It can be done, my daughter in-law and I stayed in RS pick of Nerja for 3 nights and took a cab to a good beach and asked the driver to pick us up in 3 hours. Since you say your into medieval sights I think you would love to see Cordoba, it would be a shame to miss it. But yes the heat of summer a pool would be the best idea. Perhaps you can find Airbnbs with pools, I'm sure there are some in Granada, downtown with a pool. For me 4 nights in Barcelona is too much (others love it, but not me). I hope your itinerary puts you in Granada on the weekend as that is the most fun. Good luck and have a wonderful time. J

You will not be traveling down the coast when you take the train from Barcelona to Granada. The train route is generally Barcelona-Zaragoza-Madrid-Cordoba-Granada. That's the way the express rail line runs. In fact there isn't even a slow rail line all the way down the coast.

There are beaches accessible from Barcelona. It will take more time to get to a beach from Granada, which is over 40 miles from the coast. I'd recommend seeking advice here (maybe via a separate thread with a "Seeking beach near XXX" title, because much of the coast of southern Spain is overdeveloped and full of low-end package hotels, British pubs and German sausage joints. The beaches are also likely to be unimaginably packed, because this is the Florida of Europe for many, many northern Europeans. European beaches, in general, are not impressive to Americans.

There are folks here who can identify a few decent options for you, but I don't know that they will be practical day trips from Granada.

It's going to be very, very hot in southern Spain in late July/August. Check reviews of your planned hotels carefully to be sure there are no criticisms of the air conditioning.

It will be sooooo hot. You’ll want to be inside for most of the afternoon.

My 14 year old daughter, wife, and I just returned from Spain, with a long layover in Paris. First, Barcelona (four nights) was wonderful for us. Picasso Museum, Science Museum, and Sagrada Familia (Passion Tower Tour) were the teen's favorites. Then we FLEW to Granada (three nights), faster and less expensive to fly. The teen loved the vendors in Plaza de Bib-Rambla, the Alcaiceria, Generalife Gardens, and the Royal Chapel with tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella- in that order. Alhambra tickets to avoid the heat a MUST. We did the tourist train as an overview and did not hesitate to take a taxi. Granada was my favorite city of the trip. Then the train for four nights in Seville's Barrio Santa Cruz (flamenco) where she loved the Cathedral's Giralda Tower (and the spiral walk up), aquarium, Columbus' tomb, horse and carriage, and, most of all, the Alcazar. Cordoba got away from us. It was on to Toledo through Madrid. Toledo can be a day trip, as well. Toledo is as Medieval as it gets, which is why we spent a full day there. Madrid (three nights) was a pleasant surprise, and we will return. Plan, make advance rail (direct with Renfe) and plane tickets. Again, make sure to book those sights as we walked in while many waited.

Thanks to all for your comments.

@joanne1108 - Thank you for the Cordoba and pool suggestions. I will definitely look into that!

@acraven - My assumption about the train route was wrong (I was going to work out transportation later) so that is really helpful. I've made sure that all our AirBnb's have AC.

@Emily - I know, I know! If we could travel a different time, we would. Summer/school break is July/August where we live so we just have to make the best of it. We traveled to the Grand Canyon two summers ago and got lucky - 88 degrees there, whereas it was 110 degrees where I live (Seattle, very unusual). Maybe we'll get lucky again. We are generally good about getting out by 7 am to avoid heat AND crowds. My teen doesn't like to get up early but cooperates because the alternative is worse.

@tedonmaui - Your post is super helpful, thanks for sharing your teen's favorite experiences, I will note my itinerary. I will also look into flying to Grenada. Your comment about a long layover in Paris is helpful to hear. Looks like we will have to do that on the way back - 14 hours, so am looking into a hotel airport (which I've never done before, so that will be a bit of an experiment)

As mentioned the train route goes inland via Madrid. However if you are looking to add a smaller beach town sans car, you could add a few more nights to the Barcelona area and then add a side trip to Tarragona or Sitges, or for just a beach day try Garraf, just 20 min south of Barcelona, which has a more local ambiance. One can also take a bus up north to Tossa de Mar or Lloret de Mar for a few days.

Know that July/August is the height of the tourist season, you will not find any uncrowded hidden gems along the Mediterranean coast, this has been prime real estate for the last 60 years and everyone and their grandma is going to be on holiday lol!

The idea of getting up and out early will be extremely helpful in the south. I struggle to do that, but on the occasions when I've had to be up early to catch a train or bus during the hot months, I've noticed how pleasant it is for a few hours in the morning. Seville's average high temperature at the end of July is over 96F, with days over 100F being common, so being outdoors (and not in the water) for much of the day is miserable an physically draining.