Hi!
My husband and I are headed to Spain the first week of January 2016. We were planning on going next summer but complications arose so we are going sooner rather than later! I was thinking about flying into Barcelona and out of Madrid and hitting andulsia in between. We will have 8 days. Any suggestions on planning our itinerary? I am feeling overwhelmed because I want to see it all! We have both traveled in Europe but never Spain. We love to expirence new cultures and try new foods so we think it's going to be a great fit. Any suggestions welcome.
Thanks!
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Eight days is all too brief to see it all, but you could try ...
Barcelona (2 nts) >> Granada (2 nts) >> Sevilla (2 nts) >> Madrid (2 nts)
However, I would probably leave Barcelona for another time.
Granada (2 nts) >> Sevilla (2 nts) >> Cordoba (1 nt) >> Madrid (3 nts)
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15582 posts
How are you counting the days in Spain? Do you mean 8 full days on the ground? It's not a lot of time, so I'd limit it to 3 stops. You'll use too much of your sightseeing time in transit otherwise. Granada's Alhambra is the top site in Spain but Granada is not one of the top cities. It's also somewhat remote and takes more time to get in to and out of. Choose either Seville or Cordoba instead. You can day trip from one to the other, less than an hour by train. So Barcelona > Cordoba > Madrid. In January, Madrid's gardens will not be a draw. If you want to see the top art museums (Prado, Thyssen, Reina Sofia), you'll want 2-3 days there. If you aren't very interested in painting, allow 1 or 1.5 days just to get a flavor of the city and visit the beautiful palace.
David's suggestions are possible if you have to connect to fly into Spain and find connections in hubs that get you into or out of Granada or Seville. They are small airports, so the big birds that fly trans-Atlantic can't use them. If you can get direct flights to/from Barcelona/Madrid, then connecting to the smaller airports doesn't save you anything and may even use up more time.
Posted by
Ohio, USA
32 posts
Even if you are in Spain for 8 full days, doing all three areas is too much for a quality trip. I would either do MAD and BCN or MAD and Andalucia. You could easily spend 8 days alone in BCN or MAD. Some who think "seeing it all" is way to go but it also can equate to a miserable experience and you WILL feel overwhelmed in planning it because it is so difficult to do. I felt like I was trying too hard to cram only BCN into 9 days.
My recommendation is to spend 3 full days in MAD plus a day trip to Toledo (a must) and, if possible, 1 day in Segovia. Do 4 in BCN. There is so much to see both places. You have two very different cultures and two very different cities to experience. Go back another time to Andalucia.
Posted by
LaGrange, Ga, USA
1178 posts
Kina gives you good advice....cut down the number of cities and spend more time in each. Madrid and Barcelona, with an overnight stay in Toledo will be a good trip and you will see much in each area. I would even suggest leaving out Barcelona as well, depending on just what you want to see. The AVE train from Barcelona to Madrid is 2 1/2 hours. From Madrid to Toledo it is 1/2 hour.. Stay overnight in Toledo if possible...it is a different place once the day trippers leave. You will likely have some rain along the way, it is winter, but not enough to dampen the trip too much. I have enjoyed many trips to Espana and hope to return again in the spring and again, and again...
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Yes, I think Kina is on to the winner here, suggesting you just split your time between the 2 big cities.
In my opinion Andalusia is best appreciated under a hot sun, rather than in the cold of January.
Day 1 Arrive Barcelona (4 nts)
Day 2+3 Barcelona sights
Day 4 Montserrat or Girona+Figueres
Day 5 Early AVE train to Madrid (4 nts)
Day 6 Madrid sights
Day 7 Toledo
Day 8 Segovia