Weekend Travel/Itinerary Ideas with our study abroad student

I'm not sure there is a non-rainy season in the Basque Country. I think it's a take-your-chances area. You could consider combining SS with Bilbao. The latter has indoor attractions in the form of museums and is only a little over an hour from SS by bus. But getting to that area is a bit time-consuming.

For me, Toledo is worth an overnight or possibly two day-trips, but others will disagree. Segovia is a great day-trip destination. In the other direction you have Cuenca, which is workable as a day-trip only if you take the AVE. That's affordable only if you snag one of tne promo fares by buying early. Another day-trip possibilitymis Salamanca. And Alcala de Henares is a university town with a very pretty historic center. It looks quite different from Madrid. As I recall, it's about an hour from Madrid via a local train.

Although I suspect it could still be pretty warm in Andalucia, Cordoba/Seville sounds like a good idea to me, preferably for the longer weekend.

There are lots of other possibilities in Spain, but for a weekend, much depends on your tolerance for burning a fair amount of time getting there. If your chosen destination isn't served by AVE trains, driving could be a lot faster. Are you prepared to rent a car?

Thanks for your reply! Lots of interesting ideas for me to research! Yes we would be willing to rent a car. But also as you pointed out, we are not looking to spend a lot of time in it (i.e. spending half the weekend getting to and from...)

Lots of things to see beyond Barcelona elsewhere in Catalonia:

• Heritage: http://patrimoni.gencat.cat/en/discover/search
• Costa Brava: http://infocatalonia.eu/w/AioW1 and for text info: http://www.costabrava.org/en
• Catalan Pyrenees and Vall d'Aran: http://infocatalonia.eu/w/3jo1E and for text: http://www.aralleida.cat/en/
• Plenty of "urban" alternatives to Barcelona, like the historical cities of Jewish medieval Girona ( http://infocatalonia.eu/w/aj5on and text: http://www.girona.cat/turisme/eng/activitats.php ) or the glorious Roman Tarragona ( http://infocatalonia.eu/w/IltXs and text: http://www.tarragonaturisme.cat/en/ ) among other.

This is only a sample of course, there's more. Read about it...

Welcome to Catalonia
Catalonia Experience
Routes and getaways

Fantastic! Will look into all of these. Thank you!

One hears so much about all the "can't miss" top destinations in any country but I find I sometimes prefer the off the beaten path, less touristy things to see too....it's just hard to pick when there seem to be so many great options in Spain!

No one has mentioned Granada? University town, but also home of the Alhambra - a world renowned landmark.
You could do thematic road trips from Madrid. Don Quixote complete with windmills and then there are all the castles from the earlier days when that was the 'front lines' for the Reconquista (before Isabella, Ferdinand and Christopher Columbus).

Andalucia is warm and dry. October should be a great month to visit. You could go to Granada for a 3-day weekend and see Spain's top tourist sight, the Alhambra. A 4-day weekend in Sevilla/Cordoba sounds great. From Sevilla you could also day trip to Jerez for a show at the Royal Equestrian School then on to Arcos for the afternoon/evening. Cordoba is quieter, more romantic, at night then Sevilla so consider 2 nights in each.

I like the idea of a good chance of warm/dry weather!

From Madrid to Andalucia destinations do you recommend train or car or plane? Especially considering travel would be split into 2 weekends?
From Madrid to Catalonia, would need a car to do destinations outside of Barcelona (arriving there first by train or plane?)

Food for thought...

This is, of course, very personal, but I always prefer not to spend unnecessary time travelling up and down like a headless chicken, dragging luggage, packing and unpacking... so when travelling I tend to focus on "areas" -where I can have one (or two base camps) and do day escapades here and there- instead of trying to cover a lot of ground, sometimes biting more than one can chew. The latter often turns into lots of moving up and down, but little seeing, doing so superficially and not really 'living' the places you visit. But, as I said, it's very personal... everybody's got his travel-style of course.

I can understand that this is not around the corner from home and that one doesn't have the chance to visit that often so it's only natural to try to go for "quantity". But here in Europe, there are often many wonderful things to see and experience in the most unlikely places, certainly outside the cities too, in the countryside: art, architecture, history, landscapes, etc. So quite often it's well worth exploring the possibility. So, perhaps choosing one (or two) areas and then planning for daily activities in the area can provide a less stressful and equally (or even more) enjoyable experience.

I can speak for my homeland, Catalonia, an old European nation now under Spanish rule, not bigger than the state of Maryland, with golden beaches, high peaks and mountain ranges (+10000ft), natural parks, dense forests, a mosaic of agricultural patches with 948 towns and cities packing 7.5 million people, gardens, oyster and mussel farms, bears, boars and flocks of wild goats, tonnes of different species of birds, magnificent castles, ancient ruins... and most importantly, heritage festivals, traditions and popular festivities and celebrations everywhere. And everything relatively well communicated and with easy access, often by public transportation.

So instead of planning for a flash visit to Andalucia, then Catalonia, then Madrid, the Basque Country, and if there's time left also Galicia and Balearic Islands... all in two weeks -which reminds me a lot to the humorous "If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_It%27s_Tuesday,_This_Must_Be_Belgium)- perhaps a much lighter travelling plan can achieve a much more rewarding experience.

I know this is controversial and many visitors (and members of this forum) think otherwise but this is my reflection for those that share my point of view.

Enric: Thank you so much for your thoughtful, insightful comments. I tend to be a "vacation-maximizer" with a need to see and do all the must-sees and get as much as I can out of my travel experience. I absolutely love to travel and probably have FOMO (fear of missing out). The "I'm here so I must see it all in case I never come back!" attitude. And it can drive my family a little crazy!

But the more I research this trip, the more I am convinced you are absolutely correct. And no, I do not want to be the headless chicken! I want to savor and enjoy. Sip and not chug! Relax and dig in - not rush and just scratch the surface.

I still have to decide an itinerary - and that is challenging with all the fabulous choices - but I am going to take your advice on not trying to do it all! Thanks again for your perspective. And my family thanks you too (although they do not know it yet!) :)

I am going to 'crystal ball', and look beyond this trip, and suggest that you are most likely to return to Spain. So leave Andalusia (Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada) for another time. Spend the longer weekend in Barcelona, and the shorter one visiting Salamanca and Valladolid.
By train you have ...
1hr 05 mins from Madrid to Salamanca.
1hr 05 mins from Salamanca to Valladolid.
1hr 35 mins from Valladolid to Madrid.

Thank you David!
My daughter wants to save the trip to Barcelona as one to do with her friends, vs. her parents but I may be able to convince her otherwise. Especially because the more I look into it, 4 days seems too short/too much travel to do Sevilla/Cordoba/Granada and return to Madrid?

I will look into your ideas for the 3 day weekend!

Any itineraries/logisitics ideas for the 4 days appreciated (once again leaving from and returning to Madrid)

Although Spanish trains are not as expensive as some, there's still quite a difference between early-puchase fares on fast trains and last-minute fares. You'll need fast trains to make longer trips workable with the limited time you'll have. So if you decide to head to Barcelona, the Basque Country, Andalucia, Cuenca/Valencia, you'll save a lot of money by getting the tickets early. You can check Renfe's prices for tickets tomorrow vs. as far out as you can book and see the difference.

You can make a last-minute decision to travel to Toledo, Salamanca, Segovia or Avila (not my favorite) without spending much. Of course, those are also places that can be visited on a (rushed) day-trip from Madrid.

I wouldn't try to cram Cordoba, Seville and Granada into a 4-day weekend trip from Madrid, but Seville and Cordoba would be OK for me.

Any itineraries/logisitics ideas for the 4 days, once again leaving from, and returning to Madrid?

I would choose Cuenca & Valencia.
55mins by AVE train from Madrid to Cuenca (1 night).
Then another 55mins by AVE train from Cuenca to Valencia (2 nights).

Sorry I misunderstood your intention, and thought Barcelona was preferred for the 4 days.

Ou son is studying in Madrid this fall also. He is meeting us in Seville, and we will spend the weekend exploring the White Towns by car. We figured he can reach many other places on his own, but since he cannot rent a car, this might be a good place to visit with him.

That's a very good point, Digbydog.

Thanks for all the input!

Yes that is a very good point as she will definitely not be renting a car on her own!

Hmmmm....more food for thought.....

Maybe my suggestion wasn't clear. . . . one 4-day trip to Sevilla/Cordoba (possibly 2N in each or 1N Cordoba and 3N Sevilla), with a day trip to Jerez and/or Cadiz. . . . then a 3-day weekend trip to Granada. It will take you 5-6 hours each way from Madrid, depending on where you're staying in Madrid, so that doesn't give you much leeway to add anything else.

If San Sebastian is high on your list, then drop either the Granada or Sevilla/Cordoba plan.

As David said, assume you will be back. Barcelona is worth a lot more than a couple days and is a pretty good year-round destination.

By a 4 day trip, do you mean 3 nights away?

Good question. Actually it would maybe be one 4 night trip (leave Wed night, return Sunday) and one 3 night trip (leave Thurs night, return Sunday) - as long as transportation logistics allow - i.e. the train leaves after my daughter is out of class, etc...

With 4 nights ...
27min by train from Madrid to Segovia (1 night)
1hr 08min by train from Segovia to Salamanca (2 nights)
1hr 08min by train from Salamanca to Valladolid (1 night)
1hr 03min by train from Valladolid to Madrid

With 3 nights ...
55min by train from Madrid to Cuenca (1 night)
55min by train from Cuenca to Valencia (2 nights)
1hr 41min by train from Valencia to Madrid