Hi All
I am landing in Barcelona with my wife on 26th May evening and flying back on 4th June early morning giving me around 9 nights.
We want to see as many quality places as possible, and not emphasize on quantity (as we have very limited time).
One of the place I really want to visit is Ibiza and Madrid if possible.
Can some one please suggest an itinerary for this.
Thanks a lot for your time.
I would definitely not recommend visiting all three places. You only have eight days. Barcelona and Madrid are large cities with many interesting sights. I could easily fill all your time in Barcelona alone. For Madrid, I'd need to add some side-trips, but it has magnificent ones (Toledo, Segovia and Cuenca just for starters). Ibiza would require flights to and from, and any time you insert airports into the mix, you are going to lose more than half a day in transit. On a short trip like yours, you really can't afford to lose the time needed to fly to Ibiza.
I can't get a sense of your age from your brief post, so I feel I should warn you that Ibiza has the reputation of being a party island.
To figure out how to split your time, you need to get a guidebook and read about the sightseeing opportunities in Barcelona and Madrid.
At a very, very high level, Madrid is great for art lovers (three major museums) and folks interested in fabulous side-trips (can be just one day) to places like Toledo, Segovia, Cuenca. It has an ornate royal palace and a variety of other museums. The oldest buildings are 17th century and very handsome.
Barcelona is great for lovers of funky modernista architecture. It's older and has medieval neighborhoods to wander around in. It has many art museums, but it doesn't have the Prado. There are good side-trips to the charming Girona, Montserrat and Dali sights in Figueres and just outside Cadaques. Barcelona has beaches that are easily reached. I can't comment on whether late May/early June will be swimming weather.
I'm not doing either city justice, I know. But I hope you can see that they are quite different. Even should you decide to split your time between them, you'll need to decide how to divide that time.
Hey Thanks for the info. Extremely useful.
About us, we are 25, and certainly not looking to party in this trip. So can skip Ibiza.
Not interested to visit Museums too. But yes certainly interested in ancient architecture and iconic sights, scenic beaches/drives/places.
I hope the above cuts down many places for us.
We want a romantic getaway too. My wife wants to get a feel of high-end shopping (or window-shopping depends) too. So were thinking to add in Paris. (take a flight).
Apart from Barcelona and Paris, which other city would you recommend which can cater to our interests ?
Also would you suggest doing Barcelona and Paris only or also add in one more city around it ? (based on out interests above)
I think Barcelona + Paris would be a good combination if you're looking for a big-city vacation. Lots of good shop-ops (though I'm not a high-end shopper myself). I do feel that for people not too keen on traditional museums, Barcelona has more to offer than Madrid. Others here may disagree, however.
It's a shame you're going to have to return to Barcelona for your flight back home. If you decide to add Paris, I'd head there early in the trip so you aren't rushing back to Barcelona on your last full day with a flight hanging in the balance.
You may still have time to save some money on your flights or trains between Barcelona and Paris. As your travel dates approach, the fares will increase, perhaps by several multiples. Check Skyscanner for flights and SNCF for trains. Bargain fares on both modes of transportation will be non-changeable/non-refundable, so be certain of your schedule before buying.
Bargain airfares often come with very stingy luggage allowances, including low size and weight limits for carry-ons. If you're considering flying, you should do speculative bookings (stopping before entering your credit card number) to see what the total cost will actually be. And be very careful about the airports being used. Some budget airlines fly into obscure, inconveniently located airports that result in a lot of wasted time and money.
You have good (and cheaper) shopping in Madrid and Barcelona. If you are tied to a flight out of Barcelona then I would not be thinking beyond Spain.
May
26. Arrive late in Barcelona (1 night)
Stay in a hotel near Sants Station
27. Early train to Madrid (4 nights)
Consider day trips to Toledo & Segovia
31. Train to Barcelona (4 nights)
June
04. Depart Barcelona
