Spain trip advise( Sep 12 thru Sep 24 - Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Granada and Barcelona)

I think your itinerary looks good and judging by your detail, it looks like you have done your homework so I will add very little. I don't know how having a 5 year old will impact things but here is my best stab at it....I have said this in another post but be aware that we had trouble at the train station getting tickets to Toledo. The kiosks did not accept our American type of credit card and the room that housed all the agents was swarmed and it became apparent we were going to sit there waiting for 1-2 hours and miss the next connection so we bailed on that idea and explored more of Madrid. If you want to see Toledo, plan ahead. Maybe buy tickets before you go?
Get your Alhambra tickets months before you go - they sell out as the day approaches and if you don't have them purchased before, you won't get to see it.
The connections between Granada and Barcelona are few and long in duration, but if you are willing to fly, then you would be just fine.
I cannot recommend the Prado museum in Madrid enough. But with a 5 year old, you may have to do it at a sprint pace and just hit the highlights. You may have to cover his eyes with the many "Lactating Madonnas" that abound ;) I think the Alhambra will be great with a 5 year old with all the gardens and plenty of room to roam.
And finally the Sagrada Familia - I imagine your 5 year old will love it too because it is so vast but won't love the line. Buy your tickets ahead of time. So moral of the story - buy your tickets ahead of time I guess! And if you are okay with either a long journey from Granada to Barcelona or else flying...I think your itinerary looks good.

Thanks Amy for your wonderful response. I will take your advice and book the tickets in advance for Alhambra , Sagridia Familia and Toledo train ride. Do you have any good hotel recommendations for Madrid, Seville, Granada and Barcelona ? I will look at tripadvisor too.

Your itinarey looks great, especially flying into Madrid and out of Barcelona. The only suggestion I would make is consider spending the night in Toledo instead of heading back to Madrid. I suggest this for 2 reasons.

First, it would give you more time in Toledo - especially after all the tourist buses and day trippers leave. Toledo is amazing at night as well. Also, you could probably use the time better in Toledo.

Second - you can head for Madrid the next moring - or in advance of your train to Seville. That way, you are right at Atochia station and it will be easier to catch your train to Seville - again maximizing your time. Anyway, just something to consider.

Thanks - Staying a night in Toledo is a great suggestion

For hotels...In Barcelona we stayed in "el Jardi Barcelona" and it was really good. The rooms are comfy and clean but nothing special. But the location was great. We were literally lulled to sleep with Spanish serenades from the square below during a mid day nap and it is very convieniently located. http://eljardi-barcelona.com/index?idioma=en

For Seville - we stayed in Casa 1800 Seville. Great hotel, great rooms, great breakfast, great ambiance and best of all location! A great tapas bar was right outside the hotel door and numerous others sprinkled all around. We paid a little more here but I don't think it was too bad of a price. http://www.hotelcasa1800sevilla.com/en/

Our Granada hotel was nothing special so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it highly.

But then for Madrid we stayed at Petit Palace Posada del Peine. The room was a typical hotel room but again, I liked the location just steps away from Plaza Mayor. The reviews say it gets noisy at night, and I would agree but it never bothered me. But if a little noise bothers you - you may want to look elsewhere. http://en.hpetitpalaceposadadelpeine.com/

Thanks Amy - All 3 are great suggestions I will keep in mind when I will do my hotel bookings research

Sorry to disagree... to me it seems extremely rushed. Each of those destinations is worth a more in-depth visit otherwise you're hardly going to see anything at all. I can understand your dilemma: 12 days and willingness to see "a lot", but a lot can translate in almost nothing -unless your aim is just to "tick the boxes" of course ;) You're basically mentioning three areas/regions: Madrid, Seville and Barcelona. I'd choose two of them (noting you can fly to/from the States into Madrid and also into Barcelona)

For info, 18-24th Sept is La Mercè, the Major Festival of Barcelona: http://merce.bcn.cat/en... it attracts yearly over 1.2 million visitors from all over the world... just saying.

Lastly to mention that if you finally decide keep your schedule and pretend to drop by Barcelona for three days, forget about "... explore Barcelona (Figures, Girona, Montserrat, Tarragona etc)", that's simply not physically possible in that time frame. You'll have to choose.

PS: Reaaally sorry to queer your pitch, but I feel it's important to point out the reality... there's a lot to do and see in all those cities in your itinerary -that without including the numerous escapades worth doing from each one of them. Also take into account distances, journeys and transfers... with a 5 yo tagging along!

Fair point can argue that is packed- but I have never repeated any countries even the ones I liked immensely (Switzerland, Italy, France) as there is so much to see in the world.

I did a similar trip just a month ago without Barcelona. Hotel Dauro 2 in Granada is a nice place to stay with a good breakfast. I thought that Granada has more to offer than Seville. Have fun

Thanks- I am yet to refresh my RS spain shows. What specifically did you find more exciting in Granada than Seville.

ashishmendiratta,
These are some of the sites that Granada has to offer: El Alhambra, Generalife, cathedral & Albacyn (Moorish part of town). You can also do day trips to Costa del Sol beaches, Cordoba and Nerjes. You can also find flamenco dancing but that was not in my plans. Have fun

@ashishmendiratta, yes but as I said it all boils down to your style of travelling. Some people travelling to say Paris have enough visiting the Tour Eiffel, the Palace of Versailles and having a stroll in Montparnasse or the Latin Quarter...that's their "visit to Paris" and that can indeed be done in a couple of days. But with that they're missing what Paris is all about: strolling the little courtyards near Bastille, discovering small treasures at the St Ouen Flea Market on a Sunday morning, a lovely tea party at Asnières sur Seine, the numerous cultural activities happening all year around all over the city and so on and so forth. For that you need to stay more days. The same happens in the cities you mention. So, it's difficult to advise someone else without knowing first his/her travel style ;))

Btw, I might have come across incorrectly, La Mercè attracts a lot of people indeed due to the many activities happening in the city those days (600+), but in no way it "clogs up" the city... the city is far larger and only certain areas at certain times will get really crowded. To put it into perspective, September is a rather hectic month as it normally concentrates quite a few international congresses, a couple of major festivities, sport events, etc. so there's lot of travelling to Barcelona... yet life goes on for us living here as well as for those tourists willing to visit specific sites/museums/attractions.

Thanks Nestor - I might cut 1 day from Seville, I remember the names you quoted from RS show

Thanks Enric for your insight

My family did a very similar trip your a few years ago. A day or two more in Madrid, one less in Seville and Granada.

For us, we only spent one day in Granada and all felt it was a day too short. I'd also consider dropping a day from Seville (or Barcelona) and adding another in Madrid to see El Escorial and Segovia.

We did the night train from Granada (the private cabins with showers). I would say that unless you really want to experience a night train, take a flight instead.

All sounds good, and a great time to be going.
I would go to Vueling for a cheap flight Granada to Barcelona.

Thanks everyone for the wonderful suggestions that helped me retool my itinerary a lot. I was also able to watch the RS shows for the areas I plan to visit. I wanted to do Seville as well but would leave it for some other day when i will do Portugal.

Madrid – 1 night
Day 1 - Fly into Madrid on the 12, (jet lagged so take it easy) with minimal sightseeing Prado museum only

Toledo – 3 nights
Day 2 – Travel to Toledo after some morning sightseeing in Madrid.
Day 3 - Toledo full day
Day 4 – Day trip to Segovia

Granada – 2 nights
Day 5 - Travel to Granada- full day sight see
Day 6- Alhambra

Granada -- Nerja – 3 nights
Day 7 – sight see in Granada and travel to Nerja
Day 8 – full day Nerja – beach
Day 9 – day trip to Cordoba

Barcelona – 4 nights
Day 10- Fly to Barcelona and sight see
Day 11- Barcelona full day
Day 12 – day trip to Andorra – possibly a night stay
Day 13 – day trip to Monsteratt or Figures
Day 14 Fly back to NY

Personally I liked your initial ideas much better.
Toledo as a base instead of Madrid is less logical in my view.
Andorra really has little attraction compared to a longer stay in Barcelona, if it's your first time. (And I spent a whole summer based in Andorra with friends who owned a hotel there).
Cordoba from Nerja in a day is a stretch as well.

Thanks djp_syd - I have a love for visiting micro countries thought Andorra might be interesting. But hearing from your experiences and others on the forum, Andorra is out. I also looked at the distances closely and agree madrid as a base makes travel easier especially with air and Ave train. I also removed Nerja so logistics simplify a bit

Day 0 – fly in evening
Madrid – 3 nights
Day 1 - Fly into Madrid from NY ideally before 10 am or earlier
Day 2 – Travel to Segovia by bus (day trip)
Day 3 – Travel to Toledo by train and come back late by bus

Day 4- Sight see Madrid and fly to Barcelona (evening flight – 1hr 15 min)

Barcelona – 4 nights
Day 4
Day 5 - Barcelona
Day 6 – Barcelona (Montserrat) and Barcelona
Day 7 – Barcelona (Figures)

Granada – 2 nights
Day 9 – Fly early morning to Granada (1 hr. 25)
Day 10 – Alhambra

Seville – 2 night
Day 11- Take early train from Granada to Seville (3 hr.)
Day 12 Seville

Madrid - 1 night
Day 13 – day trip to Cordoba and take late train to Madrid ( Ave train 1 hr. 45)

Day 14 fly out to Madrid

I think they are sensible changes, and I am sure you won't regret. I hope others concur.
... Also, you have 5 nights in Barcelona above - Day 8 is missing.