Hi. Trying to plan a trip to Spain for 9-10 days. We've already been to Barcelona but not the rest of the country, so Madrid and then other cities. Hoping to incude Tarifa so we can do day trips to Tangier and Gibraltar. Is this too ambitious??
Posted by
4936 posts
Is anything booked?
Madrid is often paired with Andalucia. Of course, you should always plan the trip you want and the masses are not always the end-all-be-all, but just about everyone who has ever commented on them both has had little positive to say about Tangier or Gibraltar. In this case, I think the masses are correct--Morocco is too great a destination to waste a day trip on that will be time-consuming and not give you the best experience. Gibraltar just pales in comparison to the stunning cities of Cordoba, Sevilla, and Granada to me. Again, if it is something you feel passionately about, you can certainly squeeze it in.
Madrid is smack in the center and the transport hub, so you can really do anything with it, but don't forget you'll need to be back the night before your flight out (That is at least 7 hours of travel from Tarifa for example), so that means at least one night devoted to Madrid. Decide first how many days you would like to spend there, then you'll have a better sense of what else you have time for. I would delve into an Andalucia book first. Good luck!
Posted by
Washington DC
28022 posts
What time of year will you take this trip? The south is miserably hot in the summer.
Exactly how many nights can you spend in Spain, not counting the night on the plane? I think 9 to 10 days (which would be 10 to 11 nights) is about right for Madrid, Cordoba, Seville and Granada. It will help if you don't want to spend two full days in the Madrid's art museums. It's questionable whether you'd have time for side trips from Madrid to the wonderful options like Toledo and Segovia.