Hello! My husband and I are planning our first trip to Spain in late September 26 for two weeks. We are thinking of starting maybe in Seville and working our way up to Madrid and Barcelona. Maybe even take the train from Barcelona over to Paris just for a few days at the end of the trip. Any advice you can give on driving vs trains? Things we should see/do in Madrid? Any tips in general?
I have seen on some blogs, towns to see from Seville, so advice on what to see. Is two weeks not enough time to add Paris and we should just spend 2 weeks in Spain. We have not been to Paris either, so trying to decide if we want to add it or not.
Thanks so much!
Posted by
Ohio
181 posts
With just two weeks I’d stay in Spain. Save Paris for a different two week trip. Fly into Barcelona then go to Madrid by train. Cordoba. Granada. Ronda. Seville. Stay 3-4 nights in Madrid so you have time for a day trip to Toledo.
Barcelona 3 nights
Madrid 3 nights
Cordoba 2 nights
Granada 2 nights
Ronda 1 night
Seville 3 nights
Posted by
Citizen of the World
3697 posts
Stick to Spain.
Take the trains.
Seville—Cordoba 45 minutes by high-speed train; Cordoba—Granada 1:30 by high-speed train; Cordoba—Madrid 2 hrs. by high-speed train; Madrid—Barcelona 2:45.
The bus is a good option to get from Seville to Granada.
Lots of daytrip options from Madrid ( Toledo, Segovia, El Escorial) and from Barcelona ( Girona. Tossa de Mar, Montserrat, Sitges, Tarragona).
You can buy train tickets now from IRYO. The others will go on sale next year.
Posted by
Oregon
2924 posts
I recommend 5+ nights in Paris for a first trip. This gives you time to see a few of the “must-sees”, plus some time to just soak up the city. You could then combine with 3 nights in Granada (you can fly directly from Paris to Granada or vice versa), 3 nights in Madrid, and have 3 nights to explore other cities nearby: Sevilla, Cordoba, Toledo. I would save Barcelona for another trip. Or skip Paris and sub Barcelona.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
7665 posts
How many nights do you have? Is your travel time included in your two weeks? I don't think you have time for Paris, and a train from Barcelona to Paris is a minimum of 7 hours. You would want at least 4 nights in Sevilla, 5 nights in Barcelona.
Posted by
State of Washington, USA
341 posts
My wife and I stayed 11 nights in the Andalusia region and Madrid in Sep 2023. It was our first visit to these places. Our trip report might have info that can aid your planning: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-spain-aug-sep-seville-ronda-granada-cordoba-madrid
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8436 posts
Spain is a much larger country than many people realize. And there are a number of completely different cultures within Spain. We have been to Malaga and down on the south coast which was very congested and like a sea of high rise condos.
We flew into Madrid and stayed about 4 days. Great large city. Took a bus down to Granada for a weekend and we stayed in an apartment just under Alhambra. Loved the town, and it was very inexpensive.
Then we flew on Vueling over to Barcelona. The flight took 1 hour so it was still pretty far over there. We really enjoyed Barcelona too.
Took that fast train from Barcelona to Paris. It was 650 miles in 6.5 hours with the train hitting 185 mph just outside of Paris. And as always, Paris is . . . . . Paris.