spain trip advise

Here is my two cents:
Madrid - do not miss the Prado. Best art museum I have ever been too. We spent 7 hours there. We attempted to go to Toledo as a day trip, but the train station was not going to let that happen. The kiosks did not accept our type of credit cards and the room with ticket agents had a long long wait - we weren't going to make it in time to the next train departure so we abandoned that idea. Wish I could have gotten to see Toledo. Skip the Madrid market. It was beyond crowded and what was being sold there was just kitche.
Sevilla - as Rick's book states, this is a place to linger and I would agree. If I were you, I would take a night from Barcelona and give it to Sevilla so you at least have three nights.
Malaga - no idea...never been.
Granada - we did Granada in 2 nights and that worked for us. Make your reservations for the Alhambra well before your trip or you will not get to see it. Across the valley there is a wonderful overlook that you can see the Alhambra from a distance - great photo op, but also there is a bar just below that overlook that we spent an afternoon relaxing, drinking wine and eating olives. Probably most relaxing day of the trip.
Barcelona - not my favorite city, though I know this his hotly debated. The Sagrada Familia, awesome and wonderful and one of the most impressive sights to behold. The line is long and we didn't purchase tickets ahead of time. If I did it over again, I would seek out tickets beforehand to avoid the 2+ hour line. And be aware - Spanish folks take a lot of pride in their ability to budge in line. I am not kidding - its a national sport for them. But besides that, I didn't fall in love with Barcelona. The beach was a real let down. It was crowed for sure, but I wasn't expecting that every two minutes someone was walking by selling something; drinks, towels, massages, tshirts...it was never ending and annoying. I personally wouldn't spend more than 3 nights in Barcelona but if you are serious about doing daytrips, then maybe you can fill up 7 days.

Hi Rob,

I think your overall itinerary sounds good, but I have a few suggestions/alterations. I would agree with Amy and add a day to Sevilla. If it were me, I'd forsake Malaga for the Pueblos Blancos - the white hill towns south of Sevilla. You can rent a car when you leave Sevilla (pick it up at the airport to avoid driving in the city) and drive south to Arcos. Spend a few hours seeing the town, then drive La Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos through the mountains to Ronda, spending 2 nights there. Then drive to Granada, dropping the car at the Granada Airport (again, to avoid driving in the city), and spend 2 nights, before flying to Barcelona, which is much faster than taking the train. See www.skyscanner.com for flight options.

Malaga is not one of Rick's favorite places, as the Costa del Sol is very overdeveloped. That being said, it does have several interesting museums (Picasso, Flamenco and interactive music museum to name a few), an old Moorish fortress, beautiful cathedral, nice seaside promenade and of course, beaches. But, it is a big city and I'd skip it to see some of small town Spain. Driving outside of the cities isn't a problem, so don't let that sway you. You will just need an international drivers license, which you can get at your local AAA office. See www.autoeurope.com for rental options.

In the Barcelona area, if you are looking to spend a night or two in a smaller town, I'd choose Cadaques. My favorite day trips are Sitges (nice beach town), Montserrat Monastery and Tarragona for some good Roman ruins.

Being the father of daughters and having made this journey......
Your intinerary is fine.
However....... Give your daughters the challenge of finding second hand/consignment shops via the internet. This way they can affordably shop and bring back clothing to which they can say "this old thing? I picked it up while in (madrid, barcelona, etc).

Barcelona is one of my favorite cities in all the world, but I do agree that you could shave one day off the time there and add it to Sevilla. There are lots of day trips you can do from there, including Girona and Cadaques. Someone mentioned the beach. If you must spend time at a beach, I'd suggest one of those on the Costa Brava, rather than that in Barcelona.
You don't say where you live, so I'll warn you that it will be sizzling hot in most of your destinations. When I was in Sevilla in mid-June, it reached 103-104 every day. My travel partner, who had confidently stated that she never slept during the day, gained a new appreciation for the Spanish cultural instituion of the siesta. But then, we're SF Bay Area weather wimps.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I think I will add a night to Sevilla but need to figure out if I reduce Barcelona or just take Malaga completely off the trip. Thanks all

For years we have used malaga as our base to explore andalucia and find it to be a great rewarding experience. That said, on a first journey to spain I advise to skip malaga and add a day to seville and granada. Fact is you are goong to run into huge crowds and, most likely, very high temps which will prove frustrating, reduce your effective time and prove exhausting.
Please provide the opportunity to gain greater enjoyment from your journey by doing the following:
Stay WELL HYDRATED. I cannot overstress this issue.
Take a siesta during the heat of the day. Yes, you want to max the return on your travel dollar, but there are some battles which should not be fought. Head for a pool or just get out of the sun and take a shower.
Suncreen lotion is a must!
On the first day of arrival commence living by the spanish time table. Start by overcoming your USA tummy feeding schedule and get on the late evening spanish feeding schedule. There are a ton of things to do late night which will immerse you into the spanish culture and add value to your trip experiences.
Finally, walk several blocks away from the main tourist zones and check out tapas bars and restaurants which are not predominently tourist customer focus. You will be amazed at the price difference and dont worry about language barriers, take the risk and go for adventurous food experiences. This advise is especially apt gor Granada, where one of our daughter's did her study abroad program. Locate the University of Granada on a map and try the eating/entertaining experiences in this area.
Oh! "Arabian baths", research and try at least one of them out in order to learn a new meaning of "letting the stress escape".
In barcelona the academy of music at the palau is a great tour and experience, especially since the building is air conditioned.
El Cortes Ingles, a large national department store, is your new friend. Bathrooms are in the corners starting on the third floor (sometimes the second) and the basement usually has a full grocery store. The dept store is air conditioned and makes a great place to dive into to refresh yourself. I do not recommend eating at their restaurants, but "window shopping" inside the store is interesting to gain a perspective on spanish products.
Enjoy

A few random thoughts about your trip. . .
It will be hot, really hot, especially in Cordoba and Seville. Pack with that in mind. I'm not sure what the Spanish church dress code is, but be prepared for covered shoulders and covered knees. The Mezquita in Cordoba is a church.
Don't expect to do much in Madrid. It sounds like you have only 2 full days and you'll be jetlagged and sleep-deprived. The Prado is wonderful, but if your group isn't big on European painting up to the 19th century, you are entitled to skip it. The Thyssen is nearby and more or less covers the period of the Impressionists (where the Prado stops) and up to where the Reina Sophia begins (modern 20th century art). You might like spending half a day at the Palace instead. Do go to the San Miguel Market (indoor) for the biggest array of tapas and drinks you'll find. Plan to have lunch or even dinner there. It's fun and you see everything, pick what you want. Go back for more. Waddle or reel out, depending on the amount of alcohol consumed.
Top things in Seville - the Alcazar and the cathedral (don't miss the view from the tower). See a flamenco show.
There are several day trips from Barcelona and the beaches. If you don't want the beach time, 7 days may be too much.
I also haven't been to Malaga and I'd drop it and add a night each to Madrid and Seville. That would give you time in Madrid to see more museums or take a day trip to Toledo (get train tickets a day or more in advance).

Looks fine, but here are some random thoughts:

7 nights in Barcelona is a lot. Yes, you can easily fill it - it is not "too much", but given limited time I'd drop it by a night. I'd add that night to Sevilla. 2 nights in Sevilla isn't enough, especially if on one you are arriving late (if you do Cordoba as a day trip on the way, you won't be arriving in Sevilla until evening, right?).

3 nights in Madrid is fine. Pick your priorities, and don't plan on a lot the first day. The Prado is unmissable, unless you just don't care about art. As is at least seeing Guernica at the Reina Sofia. If you aren't into art at all, and won't be partying, then 3 nights in Madrid is too much ;)

I personally would skip Malaga, and do 4 nights Seville (with the Ronda trip from there), and 3 nights in Granada. Then 6 nights in Barcelona. But Malaga is a good place to visit, I'm not advising skipping it in general, but I personally try to avoid 1-2 night stops.

Others have commented and I would agree - drop Malaga, extend Sevilla, consider Ronda, stay Cordoba, beach from Barcelona...

Madrid - 3 nights
Cordoba - 1 night
Sevilla - 3 nights
Ronda - 1 night
Granada - 2 nights
Barcelona - 6 nights with day trips or possibly overnite to Sitges/Tarragona or Girona/Tossa de mar?

Two nights in a place gives you one day so you don't have time for a day trip to Ronda from Malaga. I would drop Malaga and have one more day in Seville and throw in two nights in Ronda or at least one if you arrive early in the day and leave late in the day to Granada. Granada needs 3 nights -- one day for the Alhambra and one day for the city but two is okay if you only want the Alhambra or if you arrive early on the first day for the city.

I would cut a couple of days from Barcelona so that you could add to Seville and fit in Ronda and perhaps expand Granada.

Definitely agree about the Prado in Madrid. We spent a week there and went to the big three museums. We wished we hadn't saved the Prado for last because we would have gone to it twice and probably spent less time at the Reina Sofia. The later is worth it for Guernica but pretty underwhelming otherwise. While the Thyssen is a great eclectic museum, it is not a significantly different experience from the Art Institute of Chicago which is about a mile from our home. The Prado is wonderful and of course the concentration of work by the great Spanish masters is what makes it so.

We once spent 5 nights in Barcelona and had plenty of time to immerse ourselves in Gaudi, eat great food, and take day trips to Figueroa and a village on the sea, and on another day to Montserrat.

I love Barcelona. One time I spend 10 days and never is enough! You must to visit Tarragona, they have a fantastic Roman Museum and the city is very charm. All Catalonia is crowed of fantastic wine routes, specially in Penedes and Sant Sadurní de Anoia. For your daughters, pherphas a day in Puerto Aventura, just for changing.

Our Barcelona Guru is Enric, HE LIVES in the city, I recommed you a private mail to him

Good Trip...