Our First trip to Spain - 9 Day Travel Plan starting and ending at Madrid - Please validate

OK, I'll say it: you're spending all your time going places, and you're not spending any time being anywhere.

You are simply trying to squeeze in too many places in too few days.

The most obvious fix: drop Barcelona. It may be in Spain technically (well, maybe not if you ask the people who live there) but it's far from everything else on your list. Save Barcelona for another trip.

On a short trip, you don't need a full day at Cordoba. A half day is enough.

Don't do Toledo as a "day trip" (or, as you have it, a half-day trip). It's too crowded in the middle of the day to enjoy. Go there in the afternoon, spend the night, move on by mid-day the next day. You'l spend about the same half-day there, but the quality of the experience will be so much better (it's not crowded in the morning and late afternoon).

Re-distribute the days you saved by not rushing off to Barcelona (and returning). Your trip is still too short, but at least you'll have a couple days when you're actually in one place and not just coming or going.

Are you airline tickets booked? If not, this is a classic example for when an open jaw (multi-city) tickets should be used. Saves time and money. For example - into Madrid and home from Barcelona or better yet into Madrid and home from Malaga. I also would vote to drop Barcelona from you schedule. It just doesn't fit well. Another thought - since you are at the airport (Madrid), why not just fly to Seville? It is kind of crazy, bounce about schedule.

Thanks for all the input..the tickets are booked and cannot be changed. Based on what I am reading the time to travel between these cities is not much- 3.5 hours by train and about an hour by Air. I could consider flying into Seville from Madrid or Flying from Seville to Barcelona. That is the reason, I had so many places :-)..
I also have heard that there is more to see/ do in Barcelona compared to Madrid, is this true ? Thanks for all input and ideas, keep it coming..also any of you had an itinerary that I can use, please share.
Thanks

This might be an option.

1. Arrive Madrid. Train to Córdoba. 2 hours 52 minutes.

2. Córdoba 1/2 day. Train to Seville. 43 minutes.

3. Seville

4. Seville-Barcelona. Afternoon flight to Barcelona. Easyjet. Around 4 hours.

5. Barcelona.

6. Barcelona.

7. Barcelona -Madrid. Train 2 hours 36 minutes.

8. Madrid.

9. Madrid.

10 fly.

Hello,
I respond to posters whom I believe can be influnced to gain more from their journey by recognizing the need to slow down and create wonderful memories. Feel free to find my other posts under Marbleskies to see the trend of how to slow down.
First, increase your enjoyment time by immediately ignoring your USA trained tummy eating schedule. There is much to be said for adopting the local culture habits of eating late and exploring entertainment options.
Second, the following is the estimated travel time impacts for your published schedule:
Madrid to Seville: 9 hours from landing at airport to entering your hotel room.
Seville to Cordoba: from your hotel to cordoba = 2.5 hours
Cordoba to Madrid to Toledo hotel room = 4.5 hours
Toledo to Barcelona hotel = 5.5 hours
Barcelona to Madrid hotel = 4.5 hours

The impact most folks miss is the time impact beyond just going from point to point and the diminishment of enjoyment creating by this impact.

You are " on the ground" for 10 days and will be in Madrid/seville/cordoba/toledo/barcelona/madrid, which is too many places. Slow down, you move too much, you got to make the moment last.

Suggestion:
arrive Madrid and stay for two nights then take the evening AVE Train to Barcelona and try to arrive at your hotel by 9 p.m. Then go out to eat.
Monday to wednesday is barcelona and catch a flight wednesday evening to seville arriving in your hotel by 10 and then going out to eat.
Thursday and friday in seville with catching the Ave to cordoba on saturday morning. Spend the day to cordoba and complete the trip to madrid saturday evening.
Sunday morning head home.

You do not need to rent a car.
You do need to pack lite in order to avoid becoming the dreaded luggage mule. Everything you need is already in spain.

Most important, settle on the itinerary then pick the sites you desire to see in each locale and purchase on line tickets in order to wisely spend your time visiting sites and avoid standing in lines.

Friday madrid
Saturday madrid
Sunday madrid
Monday barcelona
Tuesday barcelona
Wednesday barcelona
Thursday seville
Friday seville
Saturday cordoba/madrid
Sunday fly home from madrid

Thanks for all the suggestions, ideas and advice...I was reading in Rick Steve's book that things are closed on Monday's at Barcelona, that is why started with Seville. But all your advices on taking on too much is very valuable.

I agree with taking on too much. Our first trip (15 years ago) we went to Italy, and we hopped all over the place so we could see all the hill towns! It was such a blur, and I hated Italy. Fast forward, a couple of years ago we took our kids, and almost did not go to Italy because we hated it the first time. But we decided to try it, stayed mostly 3 nights at least (one 2 nighter) per place, and WOW! Italy is amazing! I loved it so much!!

We all want to see everything, but traveling eats a lot of time. My son and I just got back from Spain, we had about 5 days on our own before meeting up with his soccer trip. I wanted to see southern spain, and he wanted to see gibraltar. I did not because it is waaaaay out of the way! But we did it - I also had wanted to go to Ronda, but that would have been insane (as it was we were borderline insane). We arrived on a Tuesday night in Madrid, train to Cordoba for 2 nights, then to Gibraltar 2 nights, then back to Madrid. We had 5 days (Tuesday eve- Sunday eve) before meeting the team, and we spent in transport 10-2 on Wednesday, 8-3 on Friday, and 6-3 on Sunday. (Thank goodness we took out the extra stop).

Now, it was fine, and I did it knowing that I was losing all of that time, because my 13 year old showed a great interest in something (which he turned out to really enjoy!) - but that is A LOT of time to lose in transport. You have to think of hotel-hotel time, not just train time. If it had been solely up to me I would have cut down the moving a lot, and spend more time in the cities you are in! :)

You can travel quickly if you want - I consciously made the choice to do this - but I have traveled a fair amount and knew what I was getting into. I think the people here are trying to help people who maybe have not had that experience to see the value in slowing down and getting to know a place instead of hopping all over the place. And to understand that if you do choose to move a lot (which you can, I did) then you have to know what you are losing by making that choice.

Have a great trip! Spain was amazing!! So many places I need to go back for!

Kim

Oh, come on, squeeze in Granada !!

Day 1 - Arrive Madrid, AVE train to Sevilla - 3 nts
Day 2 - Sevilla sights - Cathedral & Real Alcazar
Day 3 - Day trip to Cordoba by AVE train - Mezquita
Day 4 - Travel (bus or train) to Granada - 2 nts
Day 5 - Granada sights - Alhambra & Albaicin
Day 6 - Fly (Vueling) to Barcelona - 2 nts
Day 7 - Barcelona sights - Sagrada Familia & Passeig Gracia+Ramblas
Day 8 - AVE train to Madrid - 2 nts
Day 9 - Madrid sights - Royal Palace & Prado
Day 10 - Depart Madrid

More realistically however, you need to choose between Granada and Barcelona.
Spend a 3rd night at whichever one you choose, as well as a 3rd night in Madrid, with a day to Toledo.

Thanks !...Would love to add Granda, but the others have made some very good points......

Day 1 - Arrive Madrid, AVE train to Sevilla - 3 nts
Day 2 - Sevilla sights - Cathedral & Real Alcazar
Day 3 - Day trip to Cordoba by AVE train - Mezquita
Day 4 - Fly (Vueling) to Barcelona - 3 nts
Day 5 - Barcelona sights - Sagrada Familia & Passeig Gracia
Day 6 - More Barcelona sights - Ramblas & Gothic Quarter
Day 7 - AVE train to Madrid - 3 nts
Day 8 - Madrid sights - Royal Palace & Prado
Day 9 - Day trip to Toledo by AVE train
Day 10 - Depart Madrid

......Based on what I am reading the time to travel between these cities is not much- 3.5 hours by train and about an hour by Air. I could consider flying into Seville from Madrid or Flying from Seville to Barcelona........

That is always a big trap because you don't consider total time ---

By train - Arrive at station maybe 30 mins prior to departure and can be as short as 15 with may be a 15 min ride via local transit - Total time 30 -45 mins.
By plane - Transfer to airport maybe 30 mins to an hour. Be at 1.30 hrs to 2 hrs early for checkin and security. -- Total time - 2.5 hours

By train - 3.5 hours - Total time 4 hrs - 4.25 hours
By plane - 1 hour - Total time 3.5 hours

By train - walk off, front of station, taxi to hotel 15 to 30 minutes Total time 4.45 hours
By plane - deplane, front of airport, claim luggage if you checked, big variable, maybe 30 mins to over an hour - Total time - perhaps 4.5 hours.

Have to add trip to hotel from airport, another 30mins or more. Total time could be between five and six hours for the one hour plane ride. Total train time of less than 5 hours looks pretty good.