Thoughts on Cordoba vs. Girona after Seville?

Hi!
I think you can easily take a night off Madrid, add it to Seville, and thus have time for a day trip to Córdoba. Or you could take it from Barcelona, but I struggle to mentally fill out 5 full days in Madrid whereas 6 full days in Barcelona seems easier.

Then, you can spend 2 nights in Girona before tackling Barcelona.

I can't help much with your actual question regarding Cordoba v. Girona (have only been to Cordoba and honestly one day would have been more than plenty for us), but I would suggest you ignore any suggestions to shorten your stay in Madrid! Madrid is an incredible city with MUCH to do, and I doubt you will run out of things to do during your allotted time. It seems many, if not most, people on this forum aren't that enthralled with Madrid, but we have loved it each time we've been, and can't wait to go back! I wouldn't shorten your time in Barcelona either. Spain is an incredible country and as you said, consider it your first visit and start planning your next one upon your return!

European cities and towns are filled with treasures. I'm sure we each have our favorites.

I feel the same way about Milan. I have enjoyed it three times and would go back. Lovely city with lots to see and do but not everyone feels the same way.

When I travel, I like to really get to know a place and not do a check-off list. I can spend a day in a good museum and enjoy a day walking around with my camera. But that is me.

Thanks,
Lee

If your visit coincides with the Girona Flower Festival, it must be May, and also time for the Patio Festival in Cordoba, which we really enjoyed.

https://www.turismodecordoba.org/-en-1-1

But the highlight of our time in Cordoba, along with the Mezquita, was the Andalusian horse performance:

https://www.turismodecordoba.org/the-passion-and-spirit-of-andalusian-horse

https://www.cordobaecuestre.com/#

Even my husband, who is not a horse lover, thought it was amazing. Our experience was made particularly enjoyable by the elderly gentleman who sat next to me——the performance was an extra one, added because there was so much demand, and took place in a practice arena without reserved seats. (We were lucky to get last-minute tickets). There was a bit of room on the end of the bench where we sat, and this wiry, well-dressed man asked if I was saving the seat. I replied in my best high-school Spanish, “It is for you, Señor”. He sat down and proceeded to talk to us about the horses and riders—-it turns out he was a retired rider and something of a celebrity (the staff members who went by all greeted him). He said the combined ages of his horse and himself was 120 years——which meant he would be around 90, given the normal life-span of horses. Leaning forward to speak more directly to my husband, he said “A good horse brings a man more happiness than a woman”, and then he gave me a little wink. Once the performance began he was silent, although he would use his hands subtly to point out particularly well-executed steps by the horses.

This story leads in to my next thought, which is to weigh in on the “Madrid” question. You will indeed get various views on the amount of time to be spent there, and I will join Balso in suggesting you could take a day from Madrid to devote to Cordoba. We found the people in the smaller cities—-Toledo, Sevilla, Cordoba, and Granada——to be warmer and more gracious than in Madrid, where they seemed “all business”, brusque and efficient, but not as welcoming. We also really like Barcelona—-have been there twice—-with its maze of small alleys and pedestrian-only streets it feels more like a collection of villages than a big city, and the Catalans have their own brand of warmth and enthusiasm. Just avoid the tourist-strewn Ramblas full of mid-day sangria imbibers.

And speaking of Barcelona—-with a week there, you will have a chance to see the Sunday Sardana dancing in the plaza by the cathedral—-don’t miss it.

https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/cultural/dancing/catalan-dancing-sardana.html

Definitely stay in Cordoba for 2 nights, it's conveniently on the AVE train line between Sevilla and Barcelona. If I had to choice I'd much rather spend 2 nights in Cordoba than Girona, and I'm from Catalonia. Lucky for you, you don't have to choice, take one night from Madrid and one from Barcelona and spend the extra 2 nights in Girona.

Or... if it were my trip I would rearrange your itinerary and leave Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada for another trip devoted to Southern Spain. So the new plan could look like this:

Fly in
Madrid (6 nights)
AVE train to
Zaragoza (3 nights)
AVE train to
Girona (2 nights)
AVE train to
Barcelona (7 nights)
Fly out

This makes more logic to me, less backtracking, as Sevilla is the outlier in your original itinerary.

I like both Girona and Toledo a great deal. In the abstract I'd vote for Toledo if forced to choose, but if you can get to Girona during the flower festival, that would change things. I'm sure you'll have more opportunities to return to Spain, but timing a future visit to hit the flower festival might not work out. In addition, although I spent multiple nights in Toledo and think the city is worth that much time, many people make it work as a day trip from Madrid. (Advance research highly recommended rather than just random wandering.) You can decide while you're in Madrid whether you're in the mood for a change of scenery. The express trains to Toledo have fixed-price tickets. Although the trains can sell out, you don't have to worry that the ticket price will spike if you wait to buy the ticket until you're in Madrid. There's also bus service, though it takes longer and the buses don't depart from near Atocha Station.

If you have trouble finding an affordable hotel room in Girona and want to see the Dail Theatre-Museum in Figueres, you might check out hotel options in Figueres. That's what I did in 2019; Figueres was a lot cheaper than Girona during the festival, and I imagine it is at least somewhat cheaper at other times. Do check on luggage-storage options in Girona, though, before planning to spend the day in Girona on your way to Barcelona from Girona.

I'm probably in the minority in this forum in preferring Madrid to Barcelona, but you're giving plenty of time to both cities. A day trip to Toledo would be quite doable in the time you're giving to Madrid.

As for your original question, I'm a fan of Cordoba but haven't been to Girona so I can't help you with that choice. Except to say that the Mezquita is one of my "top sights" in Europe, and that Cordoba could be a one-night stand if you don't want to give it two. As for Sevilla and Cordoba being "too similar," I'd just suggest comparing the two cathedrals, which have similar footprints on the ground. The Christian conquerors of Sevilla flattened the mosque and replaced it with a very fine cathedral. The Christian conquerors of Cordoba planted a fine cathedral inside the mosque, leaving most of the amazing Moorish architecture intact. I found the comparison quite interesting and illuminating.

Whatever choices you make, this looks like a wonderful trip to Spain, almost three weeks. Don't try to pack in too many destinations, assume that you'll return for more some day.

I've never been to Barcelona, but really enjoyed Madrid. However, 4 nights would be enough for me, unless I was doing a day trip to Segovia, which I also loved.

I have been to both Cordoba and Girona, and while I loved Girona, I would choose Cordoba. We spent 2 nights there, and would have enjoyed a 3rd night. I agree with your philosophy about getting to know a place and not just checking it off a list. While the Mezquita is fabulous, and I don't believe Girona has a site as historically important as the Mezquita, there is more to Cordoba than the Mezquita. We enjoyed the Alcazar, especially the beautiful gardens. We love the Palacio de Viana and its 12 wonderful patios. Take your time strolling through the Juderia (we wish we had more time). And walking across the Roman Bridge at night was so much fun with young families strolling along the bridge with their children riding bikes and eating ice cream.

The newer part of Cordoba is very nice, too. This is where we found the Mercado Victoria where we stopped for dinner. The food is delicious and reasonably priced. One of our favorite meals on this trip was at Regadera on the river bank.

Also, regarding architecture and ambiance, I think Seville is very different from Cordoba. They are not the same.

On another note, I notice you aren't visiting Granada and the Alhambra on this trip. The Alhambra is simply spectacular, and is one of the most amazing sites I have seen. Since you are already in Andalusia, would it make more sense to make this trip a Madrid/Andalusia combination. And save Barcelona and Girona and perhaps the Costa Brava for another time? Just a thought. If you don't visit Cordoba and/or Granada on this trip, it means you will most likely return to Andalusia some day.

Regarding the length of stay in Madrid, we spent 4 nights there and I wish we had a 5th night. We also spent one night in Toledo. I love Madrid, more so than my husband. I was disappointed that we didn't have time to visit the Thyssen Museum and more time just for strolling through the neighborhoods. We visited the Prado (spent about 4.5 hours here and loved it!), the Reina Sofia, Retiro Park including sangria by the lake, Palacio Real and Temple of Debod.

I find every single city mentioned here to be wonderful, and I’m sure that with an extra day or two in any of them, there are sites and neighborhoods well worth exploring, beyond the most well-known and popular sites. I’ve found day trips to be quite disappointing because these smaller cities and towns are most enjoyable in the quieter early morning and evening hours, when all the day trippers are not around.
It is interesting that in 2022, the Girona Flower Festival and the Cordoba Patios Festival, and also the very colorful Jerez Horse Festival, all seem to be scheduled at the same time in early to mid-May.
With “only” 19 nights of travel, you might give some consideration to the idea of dividing Spain into 2 different trips, with the Catalonia and Madrid regions in one trip, and Andalucia in another trip. This would allow more complete and leisurely visits to all these cities plus a few others, and avoid so much time devoted to transportation between the two regions.
In any event, all these spots are lovely and very interesting and historic, and May is a wonderful month in Spain, so you really can’t go wrong.

Madrid has a lot to offer, but as a European capital, I rank it well below most of the others. As a Spanish destination, I rank it well below most of the others. You wrote enjoy the museums, sights, culture, food, etc. the food is like that you'll get everywhere, the sights and culture in other places are more interesting, older, historically and culturally significant. Also, the "culture" is mostly borrowed from the centuries-older places you will visit. Yes, the art in the 3 museums is wonderful and worth 2 full days, but the architecture is relatively modern and photo ops are more plentiful elsewhere.

Cordoba is my favorite Spanish city and I can't imagine not spending at least a day there, when you are so close. I consider the Mesquita to be a must-see and I only have a handful in must-sees recommendation notebook.

I've only spent a few hours in Girona. I enjoyed it, but I thought it paled in comparison to Andalucia.