Hi there,
We will be arriving in Madrid, then train to Seville, then train to Granada, then flight to Barcelona. This is my first trip to Spain. I’m a little nervous about buses and metro. Not for safety reasons, but concerned with navigating and understanding how to get around each city. I'd love any advice or feedback on how to easily navigate our way from place to place within each city. Thanks in advance :)
those are major tourists cities multilingual on how to get around; use google maps if you are familiar with that to map out point a to b.
the people at your lodging will have paper maps and explain stuff as long as you ask
always supplement information you get from asking by doing your own research also; guide books on Spain would have maps and explanations on transportation in Madrid Seville Granada and Barcelona; it is not instant if you do not want to just take a taxi everywhere
All the historic centers are relatively small and easy to navigate. Pick up a Plano turistico/street map at your hotel and you shouldn’t have any trouble. The metro in Madrid is easy to use. My wife and I enjoy just wandering looking for restaurants, since you never know what you’ll come across. If concerned about getting lost, keep your hotel’s business card and address with you, in case you want to taxi a taxi back.
You didn't inquire about Barcelona. Will you be there for a time, if so, getting around Barcelona, as others have said about the other places you mentioned, is easy and inexpensive. The metro is Barcelona is well marked, but if you prefer to travel about ground the bus system in Barcelona is among the best I've ever experienced. You can even download a map of the entire bus system in Barcelona, and plan your route(s) to various places you want to visit right from home. There is also an internet site enter link description here where you can understand the railway routes between/among the places you'll visit. Don't fret about transportation, enjoy your trip.
Unless you've already made hotel reservations for the order of cities you'll visit, and unless your flight into Madrid and out of Barcelona (you didn't you had a flight out of Barcelona, but I'm guessing this is the case), you might want to start in Barcelona, then Madrid, then Granada, then Seville. Or alternatively, arrive at Seville (probably no international flights, but get one from where ever your "gateway" is), then visit Granada, then Madrid and then Barcelona. Just an observation.
There is another great source for maps on the internet enter link description here When you open the map, you'll be in the US, just use the mouse to "Europe", then zoom-in using the "+" key. You can make your own maps of Barcelona, Madrid, Grenada and Seville. If, when you're in a city of your choice, go to the icon that looks like layers, and click on "transportation" and you'll get an idea of where buses run. Note that the bus route numbers could be a bit "off", but you'll get a general idea of how to navigate each city with buses. The maps usually show Metro/subway stations, but not the underground routes.
Hope you have a fun time in Spain.
