Spain in May 2022

We are both travelling to Madrid and taking a day trip to Toledo, but I am giving myself 5 nights in Madrid. I will arrive in time for my first night in Madrid, Then I have 3 full days for Madrid museums and one day for Toledo.

We are both spending 4 nights in Seville, but I have 2 nights in Cordoba instead of Cordoba as a day trip. It is possible that I am giving myself too little time in Toledo and too much time in Cordoba.

I hadn't considered Mallorca. I am skipping Barcelona in favor of Granada, Cordoba, and Seville in Andalucia in Southern Spain.

I have 2 nights in Granada. That is 13 nights in Spain total. There is a 14th night on the plane on the way to Madrid. I gave you what I am doing for comparison. I thought about spending a night in Toledo but the two old synagogues there are closed on Mondays and/or Tuesdays.

Not that I know there is anything wrong with flying to Seville to Mallorca and Mallorca to Barcelona, but is there a ferry to Mallorca?

If wandering and enjoying ambiance is your travel MO, I'd cut this to just two, maybe three of these mainland destinations.

I notice that you don't have Granada and the AMAZING Alhambra on your itinerary. The Alhambra is a very important cultural and historical site, and is absolutely stunning! I can't imagine going to Andalucia and not seeing the Alhambra.

When is your trip? Keep in mind that Andalucia is VERY VERY HOT during the summer. Spring and fall would be a better time to visit.

I have been to all the places on your itinerary except for Mallorca. I assume you want some island/beach time so I won't suggest you delete Mallorca from your trip.

If it were my trip, I would omit Barcelona from your itinerary and save it for another trip to Spain. Based on my first-hand experience, I think it's better to spend 1 or 2 nights in Toledo and the same for Cordoba. Both places are so wonderful and charming at night when they are illuminated and the daytrippers and tour buses have left.

So, I would take the 3 nights from Barcelona and spend 2 nights in Granada and 1 night either in Toledo or Cordoba. That means you will see one of these places as a day trip, which isn't ideal but is better than not seeing it at all.

Can you add an extra night or two to your trip? If so, spend 2 nights in Cordoba and at least one night in Toledo, along with the 2 nights I suggest for Granada.

A second trip to Spain, and I am sure you will want to return, could be to Barcelona, Girona, and the Costa Brava. We spent 6 nights in Barcelona and still did not see everything. And as you state, you want time for wandering and exploring, too.

I highly recommend buying train ticket passes to get from city to city within Spain. The AVE is super convenient and they even have discounted passes for out of county visitors, more info here. It will also save you so much time, a train from Madrid to Granada is maybe 3 hours.
I would also consider looking into the hop on and off buss tour passes as a way to get to all the major city attractions in Madrid and Barcelona. The cities are very vast and while the metro isn’t confusing, the busses are pretty convenient.
Also, look into buying any tickets for attractions ahead of time as those fill up and might determine when you will be in certain cities. Like the Alhambra in Granada or Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and the Alcázar in Sevilla.
Spring or Fall I would say are the better months to visit. The weather isn’t too hot or too cold. However, December is lovely to visit because of all the Christmas markets.
Definitely wander and stay away from the super touristy areas for food. Not the greatest and always over priced. There’s a ton of whole in the wall places to eat at. Mía restaurants will also have a lunch prix-fixe menu called “menu del día” and it’s a steal! Highly recommend that to taste a lot of dishes.
I would see how close cities are in relation to one another and plan your itinerary from there. Córdoba is 45 minutes train from Sevilla, for example, so that’s an easy day trip. Toledo, Ávila and Segovia are easy day trips from Madrid. Barcelona is kind of on its own and I would save that for the shagle beginning or the end.

Thanks for the information everyone. I thought I posted a reply yesterday but I don't see it.

I think we will bag Barcelona and add Granada. That will also allow us to fly into and out of Milan. Still tweaking the day trips and excursions. We will certainly arrange our transportation and entry tickets ahead of time. Yes, we do want to explore Palma and the beautiful island and beaches. I'm sure I'll have more questions. This forum was very informative and helpful for our Italy trip!!!!

Have a great day
Sharon