I am thinking about bringing my family to Spain next summer. What cities do you think are MUST sees? We move fast...last time to Europe we did Rome - 3 days...Florence 2-days Venice for a day. Paris - 3 days London - 3 days. Was thinking about starting in Barcelona - 5 days...then what? Considered flying to South of Spain...and working our way into Portugal. My kids are 17 and 14...like to stay busy. Would be open to any suggestions!
Posted by
California 🦋
5293 posts
Kim,
I am thinking about bringing my family to Spain next summer.
- What month do you plan to travel?
Keep in mind that the South of Spain gets very hot in the summer.
- How long do you have for this trip?
We enjoyed visiting Andalucía (Córdoba, Granada & Sevilla) last October, & the weather was still warm (low 80's - mid 90's).
Posted by
OP
billings, mt, usa
8 posts
We only have the opportunity to travel in July or August...trying to work around kids sports and drivers ed. I thought we'd leave the US on July 10...we have between 2 - 3 weeks.
Posted by
Washington DC
27812 posts
Madrid and points south can be extraordinarily hot then. Barcelona is usually a bit more moderate, and I had a lot of much cooler days on and near the north coast (Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias, and parts of Galicia. The Picos de Europa, a small mountainous region, is beautiful and I think has some adventure-travel opportunities your children might enjoy.
However, if you want to maximize your sightseeing time and minimize your time on trains and buses, you'll look at where the AVE trains run. They are much, much faster than other trains. They are good at getting you from Madrid to other major cities but the network is still sort of sparse. Spain is a large country where transportation can take far longer than anticipated (and getting to Portugal can be a trial), so it's prudent to investigate the links between cities before becoming too attached to them.
The Deutsche Bahn website can be better for initial exploration of train schedules than the Spanish rail (Renfe) website. For some trips buses work better; Rome2Rio.com attempts to provide information on buses as well as trains. And of course flying is also an option.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
This would give you 19 nights on the ground in Spain, allowing for a trip of 3 weeks.
Arrive in Barcelona - 5 nights
Fly to Granada - 3 nights
Train to Ronda - 2 nights
Train to Córdoba - 2 nights
Train to Sevilla - 3 nights
Train to Madrid - 4 nights
Depart from Madrid
Everyone on here will say it's hot in Spain, but it's not as though you are working. The A/C is good, the drinks are chilled, and so is the gazpacho.
If you think the heat in the south may be a real concern, then substitute your 10 nights in Andalusia with a road trip across the north ...
San Sebastián >> Bilbao >> Santander >> Oviedo >> Santiago de Compostela
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15777 posts
I like David's allocation, but with these changes: rent a car from Granada to Ronda to Sevilla, then Cordoba, then Madrid. As you may have noticed, no one has included Portugal. It is not well connected to Spain by rail or road. You could drop a night each from Granada, Ronda, Sevilla/Cordoba, and Madrid. Fly from Madrid to Lisbon for 4 nights. Or Barcelona - Madrid - Cordoba/Sevilla - Ronda - Granada, then fly from Malaga to Lisbon.
That's fine if you think your group can handle really hot weather. There's a reason why July is high season in Italy and LOW season in Sevilla. It is common for temps to be 100+ in Sevilla, Cordoba, Madrid, and Granada. Many sights are not air-conditioned and you'll be outside walking in the sun and heat for hours at a time.
Barcelona is a great choice, lots of varied sights and activities, including the beach. Madrid's big draw is its wealth of paintings at the Prado, Reina Sophia, and Thyssen museums. Based on your description of your last European trip, it doesn't sound like there'd be enough to interest everyone. You can fly anywhere from Barcelona . . . consider other options.