Need help with first trip to Spain

I'll try to answer a few questions for you. I think you are a bit ambitious with the number of destinations and recommend dropping back to 3 primary destinations with side trips. I think 4 nights in Barcelona is enough but I don't think 2 for Madrid is enough. I would do at least 3 nights in Madrid. For flights within Spain, you should check skyscanner.net. Ryanair, Vueling and Iberia all have direct flights from Barcelona to Malaga for $105 or less per person. Ryanair does charge for luggage (best to buy this when you book the flight). You can base out of Malaga and rent a car to see the surrounding cities/towns. You can then take the train to Madrid to finish the trip.

Okay that seems to make sense. If we did 4 nights in Barcelona and 3 in Madrid we would be left with 7 nights. If we went Barcelona to Malaga I assume we could find some tours to Granada or Ronda maybe directly from Malaga? Would Seville be the city we want to spend more than 1 night in?

Does anyone know of a good winery tour around Barcelona, Madrid or 1 of the southern cities? Also, what are some good coast cities in the south?

We based ourselves in Nerja for the Southern portion of two trips to Spain. There are beautiful beaches, with many outdoor Paella

tents. We loved this and found it charming. The Balcon de Europa has stunning views of the Med! We rented a car and went to Granada to see the Alhambra, on one day, and another day trip to Porto Banus, which was interesting. (Michelle Obama took a group of her friends here, and just walking the boardwalk looking at the multimillion dollar yachts was worth the trip) You can also taike a drive up the mountains to Ronda. I know you'll have a great time there. The best Flamenco show I've ever seen in my life was in Nerja. (I've seen a number of them) I can't remember the name of the Bistro, but I'm sure you can find it out if you decide to go there.

So the way I was originally looking at it, we would fly to Malaga and kind of travel around, getting hotels/rentals in each city we wanted to visit. It seems like the better option is doing day trips to certain cities we want to visit and return to our original base (Malaga, if we still choose there). Then once you get the trips done in that general area, move on to another city you want to spend the night

Spain is too good to visit but once. Assume you will be back. Barcelona is worth at least three nights. You can take the AVE train to Madrid, spend 3 nights and day trip one day to El Escorial or Segovia. Then, train to Seville. Three nights there with another day trip idea to Cordoba. If you have an extra couple nights, add Toledo (even as a day trip from Madrid) and add Granada. I think trying to stretch and touch everything will be too much and you won't get to immerse. I am a BIG FAN of basing in cities and using daytrips to add to the trip. Less unpacking and wasted travel time. When in doubt add a day to a great city. Make it a goal to minimize or eliminate places with but one night there.

Good luck.

I agree with the others in one regard. Try to minimize your traveling as much as possible in those 8 or 9 days. Now here is where I disagree: 2 days in Madrid may not be a lot of time but Madrid in July is HOT. Being on the coasts will probably make you more comfortable, and renting a car may not be necessary as there is frequent train and or bus service between cities. Perhaps skip a couple of the other cities you mentioned and stick to the ones that are pretty close together, such as Malaga and Ronda, or Cordoba/Seville/Granada. Getting to any of those cities will be more challenging from Barcelona because it is so far away from the others. If you'd really like to get the most out of your trip, maybe stay close to Catalonia or travel near the Basque region (not really much closer, but definitely not as oppressively hot as the rest of the country.)

Okay, I think I am starting to get a much better idea of a plan for us. it could look something like this:
Barcelona: July 18-22AM
Malaga: July 22AM-25AM (Ronda July 23, Granada July 24)
Random: July 25AM-July 26AM
Random July 26AM-July 27AM
Seville: July 27AM
Cordoba: July 28
Madrid July 29-Aug1AM

The "Randoms" I mention could be just coast cities we want to stay in a night. I could also reduce that to 1 and have 2 nights in Seville. I think we would get a train to Cordoba for a night, then Cordoba to Madrid. A couple people mention Toledo so probably a day trip there from Madrid.

Any suggestions based on this? I really appreciate the help. This whole process of planning is a bit overwhelming haha

I still think the "random" one nights are too much traveling. Stay put in a place you like for a few days. You will be able to return another time to see something else. Think of your trip in nights, rather than days, as going between places involves more than just travel time. There's meals to be had, possibly delays in transport, rest breaks, etc.

For example, if you get to Cordoba in the afternoon of the 27th and leave the next morning or early afternoon for Granada, you're not going to be able to see much, perhaps a rushed tour of the Mezquita or the Jewish Quarter, but not both. Take your time. Even if you're young, travel can still be exhausting, especially if you move from place to place every 24 to 48 hours.
Relax, enjoy what the city has to offer, and move on when you're ready.

If I had 14 nights I would do something like this...
Arrive Barcelona for 4 nights
Fly to Granada for 2 nights (pick up car)
Drive to Ronda for 1 night
Drive to Sevilla for 2 nights (drop off car)
Train to Cordoba for 1 night
Train to Madrid for 4 nights
Fly home

Okay what does everything think about this revised itinerary? We already booked an airbnb in Barcelona so that is set. We plan to fly to Granada then and rent a car there until we get to Sevilla. From Sevilla we would stop a night in Cordoba via train, then Cordoba to Madrid. In Madrid we would consider a day trip to Toledo as well.

Barcelona: July 18-23AM - Fly to Granada around 7:00
Granada: July 23-25AM
Malaga(?): July 25 -27AM
Ronda: July 27 (Day trip)
Sevilla: July 27-29AM (Arrive pretty late in evening on 27th)
Cordoba: July 29-30AM
Madrid July 30- Aug 2AM

Notes: We are not set on Malaga but want to stay around there for a couple nights to enjoy the beach and sea. Marbella seems to be pretty touristy, someone above mentioned Nerja. Any other recommendations for this? From this destination (wherever it will be) would driving through Ronda and stopping to see some sites be enough? I know everyone says to stay in places at least a couple days typically but would it be worth it to stop here on our way to Sevilla?

For some help re: overnights and especially for day trips (or if you need a driver for certain segments), contact Emily at South Ole Spain Tours. You can see her excellent reviews on Trip Advisor.

After seeing her reviews myself, I contacted her and she helped us with a full-day, multi-city tour with a driver. We were in Spain just last month. She also offers small group tours for Granada, Ronda and many other destinations. Just click around on her web site.

She is excellent in responding quickly, then also staying in touch while you are traveling. When I heard her perfect English, I was amazed........turns out she if from the US, fell in love with Spain, and is now managing her excellent and quickly growing company.

If you have not yet selected your overnight places, she can also advise on those. We had already booked our overnights. If you have the time, I would recommend two nights in Granada, with a full day for the Alhambra/Generalife Gardens, then some time to visit what might interest you in town. Ideally, one night in Ronda (although it is easy to 'do' Ronda in a few hours, too). Emily can help with olive oil farm and vineyards, wine tastings, the whole bit. She definitely knows Spain. Ask, her, too about Barcelona, as she is now also covering that area.

We flew from Barcelona to Granada and used Vueling (which is essentially the exact same plane if you book thru Iberia). It was a much more pleasant experience than I anticipated. You can also go by train, but that takes much longer.

Have fun.

P.S. Consider a night in Marbella. We stayed at the La Villa Marbella (excellent Trip Advisor reviews)in the Old Town section. While the newer section (referred to as the Golden Mile is full of huge yachts and lots of glamour....fun to see), we liked the charm of the Old Town more. Charming lanes, shops, restaurants....easy to walk around. Also easy to take a cab/taxi/bus to the newer section of Marbella. And, it's right on the shore (Marbella, not the hotel where we stayed, but easy to get to the shore in a few minutes....so beaches, and it sounds like you are interested in that, too.

Another idea for Barcelona:
Something you might enjoy (if you like to eat and try new foods) is the Food Lovers Tapas Tour.

http://foodlovertour.com/tapas-lover-tour/

We found it via Trip Advisor, and because of the excellent reviews, booked it. It was great fun, and exceeded our expectations. My husband loves seafood, but I don't. I told Matthew in advance (via email) and there was a wide variety of foods that everyone enjoyed, and more than enough choices for me.

Warning: Even if you 'try' not to eat too much, you will still have that after-Thanksgiving dinner feeling.

Read the Trip Advisor reviews to determine if this is something you might enjoy....people have posted lots of photos, so you can see what the typical fellow tour-goer looks like :)

The pubs and restaurants where they took us were all charming, smaller places that we would likely have not found on our own. It was also fun to be with the group and leader.

Wow thanks for all the info, Margaret. The tapas tour sounds right up our alley!

I would vote for a day at Nerja or Malaga beaches. Consider it down time with atmosphere.