Spain Itinerary: Suggestions Please

With just 10 days or less (which is what it sounds like you will have), you will find many here who would advocate that three locations is all you have time for.

Personally, I'd probably give up Salamanca, and swap in a night in Toledo (do spend the night) but others will probably advocate for Seville (with a quick stop in Cordoba). In any case, you probably don't have time for more than 3 stops.

August will be hot in all these places...

Thank you! Yes, I figured 3 would be the max. I'm used to traveling in late August & the heat (it's the only time of the year I can do international travel). Salamanca is on my to do list...aside from the University & Plaza Mayor, it's where my great-grandparents are from. So, it's a long overdue visit.

Swapping around some of the nights, I would do something along these lines:
Fly in to Madrid (2N)
Train to Salamanca (3N)
Train to Toledo (1N)
Train Granada (3N) - with day trip to Córdoba via bus.
Train back to Madrid (1N)
Fly out of Madrid.

Personally, because of the few available days and that Madrid, Salamanca, and Granada are non-negotiable, I would save Sevilla for another time.

I was just in Spain in April and I don't think you need 4 days in Granada. You can easily do the Alhambra (buy tickets well in advance) and the town in 2-3 days. I haven't been to Salamanca so no opinion on days there. We did 3 nights in Madrid and it was plenty. I would suggest (if you can swing the time) Seville and Cordoba. We flew into Granada, drove to Seville only because we were spending a few days in Andulucia, but you can take the train and then took the train to Cordoba and Madrid. Unless you're going to Madrid to see the museums I would leave it for another trip. It's nice, but I don't think it was a interesting as the other places we visited in Spain.

To me, Granada is worth 2 nights at most, and Salamanca 1 to 2 nights depending on what time of day you arrive. However, if you wanted to take day trips from Salamanca, Zamora, Tordesillas (Royal Monastery of Santa Clara), Alba de Tormes (has relics of Saint Teresa de Avila in a church), Avila (worth a few hours ar most) are worth a visit. A day trip from Granada could include going to Lanjaron. It has a castle a nice main street and worth a couple hours. You don’t want a car in Madrid or Granada as parking can be hard to find and traffic a pain. Street signs, although they exist, are almost impossible to read while driving. Small cities like Salamanca, Zamora, etc., are not too bad.
Toledo and/or Segovia are each worth at least a full day.

I'm unclear on exactly how many nights you'll have in Spain.

Salamanca has a rather large historic district. One could spend a full day wandering around, including a visit to the university (not always open). Three nights is probably more time than strictly necessary.

I am a huge fan of Toledo, so my heart agrees with Carlos's suggestion that it be included. However, traveling by train from Salamanca to Toledo means either taking a 7:32 AM train (arriving at 11:53 AM) or departing at 10:50 AM and not getting to Toledo until 2:23 PM. ViaMichelin estimates about 3 hours for the drive without any stops or searching for parking, etc., so that's not much better. I wouldn't go to Toledo for just a half-day. It gets worse if your next stop is not Madrid and you're using public transportation, because Toledo is on a spur train line that connects only to Madrid. Going from Toledo to Granada, Cordoba or Seville requires a detour back to Madrid. Even with the detour, making the trip by train will be faster than driving to Cordoba or Seville because of the huge speed advantage of the AVE trains.

I think the train trip to Granada still includes a segment of bus travel, because they're still building the line to support AVE traffic. The bus service is integrated with the trains service.

Thank you for the great feedback/suggestions. Kinds of cements my belief that the car rental situation can be iffy (poor signage, parking, etc.). We rely heavily on public transportation both at home & abroad, so fingers crossed that things are running smoothly (and on time). I gave ourselves the most time in Granada because I wanted to do a day trip to Nerja & possibly (don't know if feasible w/o car), Frigiliana. If not, I may add Toledo or Cadiz (was thinking Cordoba but after spending a week in Rome I've had my fill of ancient ruins). I know not having a car may limit us. Just trying to figure out the train & bus schedules. Not as fluid/easy as I had anticipated. In terms of time, I planned 12 days total (but I'm not counting the travel time to and from Spain- so I guess 10 nights). Thanks.

Day
1. Fly to Madrid (3N)
2. Madrid
3. Possible day to Toledo
4. Train to Salamanca (2N)
5. Salamanca
6. Train (via Madrid) to Seville (3N)
7. Seville
8. Possible day to Cordoba (Mezquita)
9. Train to Granada (2N)
10. Visit the Alhambra
11. Fly from Granada with Madrid connection home

As a footnote, Córdoba is not a city of ‘ancient’ ruins.

I agree that Cordoba is not a city of ancient ruins. It was one of our favorite cities on our trip last September. The Mezquita is magnificent; however, Cordoba offers so much more, such as the gardens of the Alcazar, the Roman Bridge, the Palacio de Viana, and just wandering around the Juderia, with its white-washed walls and colorful flower pots attached to walls.

Since you are pressed for time, I suggest 2 nights for Granada. Make sure you purchase your Alhambra tickets as soon as they go on sale, approximately 3 months before your arrival.

Yeah, I was thinking "Roman" ruins....It's tough to narrow down. Seems like many prefer Seville. My main reason of making Granada a base for Andalusia (and thus the extended stay) was because of the Alhambra & including a day trip to the beach. Now I'm wondering of maybe foregoing the beach for Toledo or even Cordoba (which seems to be very popular)? I guess I'll check train/bus travel & which one is easier for day trips. So, regardless if you fly into or out of Granada, flights connect in Madrid? Thank you.

Thank you all for the feedback! The suggested itineraries were very helpful. Once I took a good look at a map & the commutes/travel times, I decided to revise my plan & possibly add a day or two. I'm still including Granada, but it will be my last stop and no more than 3 nights. After further research, Seville & Cordoba seem very tempting. So, my last question, Seville or Cordoba as a base? If you've visited both, which one did you prefer & felt was more "special"? I'm sure they're both fantastic, but this will also be an anniversary trip so I wanted something a little off the beaten path. I may start a new thread if suggested, but thought I'd ask here first. Many thanks!