Where and what to see in spain?

First thing you should do is go to your local library and check out two or three Spainish guide books and all the travel DVDs. Spend several evenings watch and reading. No way to answer your question briefly since we have no idea as to you budget, likes, dislikes, etc.

I don't subscribe to the concept of "must-see", since everyone's interests are different. If you truly are not interested in art, why spend your very limited (and costly) time in Spain going to the Prado? And so on. But by just about anyone's definition, there are far more than 10 days' worth of great things to see in Spain. I spent 89 days there last year without going very far south of Madrid. So you just need to pick places that sound interesting to you--ideally places that fit together geographically so you don't waste a lot of time whizzing from one end of the country to another. Remember that a good trip is about how much fun you have, not how many cities' sidewalks you pound.

Push to get as much time as you can. The airfare cost will (I presume) be the same for 10 days or 12 days or more, and daily costs in Spain need not be very high.

If you want to see Barcelona and Madrid, I'd divide the time between those two cities and plan a few side-trips. I'd allot more time to Barcelona if you're not into art. And remember that your arrival day will probably be of little use due to sleep-deprivation and jet lag. My #1 side trip would be Toledo, easily reached from Madrid. Other great ones are Segovia and Cuenca (also from Madrid) and Girona and Monserrat (good walking opportunities) from Barcelona. If you're interested in Roman ruins, Tarragona's a short trip from Barcelona. There are beach resorts accessible from Barcelona but I don't know about water temperature at the end of September. It may be fine; I'm not a beach person.

Both Barcelona and Madrid are very lively in terms of nightlife; if that's what you're looking for, you'll be more than satisfied.

If you can stretch your trip to 12 days (not counting your travel days), you could fit in a stop or two in Andalucía (Seville, Cordoba and/or Granada). Try to resist the temptation to change cities every 2 days in an effort to see "everything". You cannot see everything even if you have many months. What you'll see on a rushed trip is a lot of train stations and bus stations, and the view out the window of a moving vehicle.

Santiago de Compostela is an interesting city, and I imagine you'd enjoy meeting with the many young pilgrims who gather there. But it's time-consuming to reach and would really fit in better with a trip across northern Spain or perhaps a trip to Portugal. I suggest leaving it for another time unless you want to drop Madrid from this trip and visit Barcelona, the Basque Country, perhaps Burgos and/or Leon (lively smaller cities) and Santiago de Compostela.

Morocco is fabulous, but it takes a day to get there from just about anywhere you're likely to be in Spain (unless you snag a cheap flight, which might take you to the dull, modern city of Casablanca--not where you want to go), and the same on the way back. It would be a really long slog from Madrid, and that trip would take you past several really worthwhile Spanish cities you wouldn't have time to see. Morocco would be a great trip all by itself, ideally a 2-week trip (or longer). Incidentally, I'm assuming you're male (for no good reason). If you're a female, you might find Morocco more comfortable if you had a travel buddy.

From the financial standpoint, you can save a substantial amount of money by buying non-refundable/non-changeable tickets for your long-distance train trips (such as between Barcelona and Madrid) not long after they go on sale. But don't do that until you've pinned down your itinerary. Buses are often cheaper but can be much, much slower.

Also, try to get flights into Barcelona and out of Madrid, or vice versa, so you don't have to double-back on your next-to-last day to position yourself near the departure airport. Depending on the length of your trip and your itinerary, you could also check flights into or out of Malaga or Seville, but I'd be pretty shocked if Madrid/Barcelona wasn't cheaper.

Acraven, thank you so much for your response it's exactly what I'm looking for. I need a place to start and I'm going to be doing a lot of research but you were very very helpful. And by the way I am a female and I'm traveling with another female. We love just being part of the culture part of the people running around the cities And really living like the people live there. So no hotels for us Airbnb's are going to work perfectly. We do like culture but it can be overwhelming so yes a museum or two a cathedral or two the rest of our time we want to spend exploring and seeing The great little areas that most tourists miss. So I'm thinking Barcelona Madrid Toledo and a few day trips should do it.

I think you'll have a grand time. In case you plan a future trip to Morocco: the two of you should be fine. I traveled there with my mother back in the early 1990s, not with a male. It's not a safety issue, I don't think, just a cultural one in that in the more conservative parts of the country, it's not so typical for a female to travel alone. Or at least it wasn't; things may loosened up by now.

Toledo, incidentally, has a large number of sights. It's worth more than a day trip if you don't mind changing hotels one more time. There's a set of "minor" sights that Rick doesn't seem to favor, joined on a shared entry ticket that includes short tours at most of them. Not knowing anything about Spanish history or mudejar architecture, I really enjoyed those tours. Hot-footing it from one site to the next to catch the next tour was quite a challenge, though. Sort of like a scavenger hunt, because Toledo is one of those cities (like Venice) that's not built on a grid. Have an electronic map on your cellphone so you can follow the little "You are here" dot and get yourself oriented!

i would recommend with just 10 nights in Spain that you set a good pace to see a diversity of sights.

1. Arrive in Sevilla (3 nts)
2. Sevilla
3. Day to Cordoba for Mezquita
4. Train to Madrid (4 nts)
5. Madrid
6. Day to Toledo
7. Day to Segovia
8. Train to Barcelona (3 nts)
9. Barcelona
10. Barcelona
11. Depart Barcelona

With 2 additional nights you could include a visit to Granada for the spectacular Alhambra.