Spain itinerary too ambitious?

I would probably skip Madrid, unless you really want to see the Prado collections. Cordoba is my favorite Spanish city so I say yes to an overnight.

But since you booked round-trip Barcelona and don't have much time, you could simply stay in and around Barcelona - there's plenty to see and do in and around Barcelona, maybe spend an overnight in Girona, and/or 2-3 nights in Valencia.

Well, golfer, 9 nights is a pretty short trip, and Spain is a pretty big country. You don’t say what your particular interests are, other than golf maybe, that’s just a guess. Are you most interested in history, art, food and wine, nightlife, watching the scenery go by, or other things? That would help pinpoint which locations would give you the most enjoyment. As your draft itinerary reads now, you will spend a lot of time in trains, train stations, and getting to and from train stations, and very little time in these wonderful cities. My thoughts: (1) you could easily spend your whole trip in and around Barcelona, I spent 9 nights there in 2016, and still missed various sites that were on my list, so I’ll be back in Barcelona for a short visit this June; (2) if you are big into art museums, that is a principal reason to include Madrid, which is home to the Prado and two other excellent museums; in that case, you could include Barcelona and nearby, Madrid and maybe a short visit to nearby Toledo; but if not, you might leave Madrid for a future trip; (3) Sevilla (and Cordoba) are the outliers, in terms of distance and travel time; Sevilla certainly merits more than a day plus a fraction; you might leave Sevilla and Cordoba for a future trip, or else just divide your time between Barcelona and Sevilla, maybe with a stop in Cordoba on the return trip. By the way, since you are traveling a few days from now, there are various popular sites in Barcelona that really call for advance reservations/tickets, so you better get on that. Good luck and happy travels!

thanks for all the replies..

i think i will pass on madrid. I guess now im torn with just staying in barcelona and surrounding areas or splitting in between sevilla cordoba and barcelona. My wife and i are most interested in seeing historical sites and just enjoying spanish culture and food if that helps. Also which attractions would you suggest i need advance reservations for. Thanks again. This is really helpful.

so this is the itinerary im thinking now.

day 1 - arrive in barcelona at night
day 2- explore barcelona and deal with the jetlag
day 3- explore barcelona
day 4- 6 hour train to sevilla
day 5- explore sevilla
day 6- day trip to cordoba
day 7-6 hour train ride back to barcelona
day 8 - explore barcelona
day 9 explore barcelona-maybe day trip to montserrat

day 10- fly out of barcelona

all opinions welcome and thanks again!

Alternatively this is another plan i was thinking

day 1 - arrive in barcelona at night
day 2- explore barcelona
day 3- barcelona
day 4- early train to madrid
day 5- madrid - day trip Segovia
day 6- madrid-day trip to toledo
day 7-madrid in the morning and head back to barcelona
day 8 - barcelona
day 9 barcelona
day 10- fly out of barcelona

please critique!

I think either of those 2 last itineraries would work. One variation of the itinerary including Sevilla would be to stop in Cordoba for a few hours for the Mesquita, etc. (storing your baggage in the train or bus station, very nearby I think) and then continue on to Barcelona, rather than return to Sevilla for the night. I think that could get you an extra day in one place, either Sevilla or Barcelona.
Among the places in Barcelona where advance tickets would assure you can see them, and save you long lines trying, would be:
Sagrada Familia
Casa Mila
Casa Batllo
Picasso Museum (early works, not much cubism I understand)
Camp Nou soccer experience
Also Park Guell.
Maybe other people can add others.

A good travel guide, like one of the Rick Steves Spain books, will help you choose sites, take historical walks, and learn how to try to get tickets, plus guidance on restaurants and things. You may have some difficulty with hotels at this late date. I would rely on booking.com at this point.

I don’t recommend itineraries since how long you stay someplace depends on what you plan to see, but you don’t want to spend so much time traveling that you can’t fully enjoy the places you visit. With only 8 full day’s, I think it’s ambitious. You could easily spend your entire time between Sevilla, Córdoba, and Barcelona. Yes, Córdoba is worth a night, but if all you’re going there for is to see the Mezquita, then you may better spend that night elsewhere.

Be smart with your train times and you can spend the best part of 1.5 days in Madrid, even on a single night stopover. This still allows 3 full days for Barcelona. Good value near Madrid Atocha here ... http://www.hostalbarrera.es/

day 1- arrive in barcelona (stay overnight near airport)
day 2- morning flight to sevilla (2 nights)
day 3- sevilla
day 4- train (45 min) to cordoba (1 night)
day 5- early train (1hr 45min) to madrid (1 night)
day 6- late train (2hr 45min) to barcelona (4 nights)
day 7- barcelona
day 8- barcelona
day 9- barcelona
day 10- fly out of barcelona

To include Madrid as above ...

Day 5
am...Train from Cordoba
pm...Prado Museum

Day 6
am...City Walk

Retiro Park
Puerta del Alcala
Plaza de Cibeles
Metropolis Bldg
Puerta del Sol
Plaza Mayor
Plaza de Oriente

pm...Royal Palace
eve...Train to Barcelona

thats a great itinerary which i think im going to do...actually my flight comes in at 630 so im going to book a flight straight to sevilla so that can save me a half a day of travel... Would it be wise to take the 1030pm flight instead of 930? There is a 930 one which would save me an hour at the airport but wasnt sure that would give me enough time to get to the other terminal

Gee, I wouldn’t be risking something like that, unless you have your booking reticketed through to Sevilla. That way the connection becomes the responsibility of the airline.