Yup, another "Hack my Spain Itinerary" post

What time of year is your trip? Can you add a few nights? If it's a summer trip, please keep in mind Andalucia (which I love) will be very hot.

If it were me, I would spend 4 nights in Seville, and I would spend 2 nights in Cordoba. If you can't add an extra night to Seville, then try to add the 2 nights in Cordoba at the very least.

Seville, Granada, and Cordoba are very important cities historically and culturally. They are all beautiful but very different from each other architecturally and have a very different vibe/ambience from each other. Granada has the Alhambra; Seville has the Alcazar, and Cordoba has the Mezquita. All 3 are not to be missed, IMO. Seville is the larger of the 3 cities which is why I recommend an extra night if possible. Visit the Alcazar, which compares to Alhambra, IMO; Seville Cathedral, Casa di Pilatos, the stunning Plaza de Espagne, explore the Triana neighborhood. Take a carriage ride. See a flamenco show. Seville is filled with plazas, fountains, parks, courtyards, etc.

Cordoba's Juderia is filled with narrow lanes and white-washed buildings and flower pots on walls. After the Mezquita, I recommend the Alcazar gardens, Palacio de Viana with its 12 patios, the Roman Bridge, etc.

And Granada is wonderful, too. After the Alhambra, you can visit the Cathedral, wander around the Albaicin. I recommend visiting
the Alhambra at night in addition to your daytime visit. it's magical at night; less crowded, uplighting to showcase the beautiful ceilings, and listen to the running water everywhere.

I think 5 nights is good for Barcelona. Haven't been to the other places so can't comment. But if it were me, I would omit Ronda and add that night to Cordoba. One night in Cordoba is better than not seeing it at all.

Do stay in Bilbao, but be sure it’s in the old town. It’s surprisingly flat there, with a grid street pattern. It was one of our best nights on our 2013 trip, and if it’s as nice 10 years later, it’ll make for a great last night in Spain for you. Buen viaje!

The old stone town of Potes in the Picos de Europa is very picturesque. It has definitely been discovered, but perhaps April/May will be not overrun. On the other hand, it's possible the weather will be sub-optimum. Some of the bus service into the park from Santander doesn't even run until June or early July.

I think you're trying to cover an awful lot of territory in the time you have, but I like all your destinations. Assuming you are OK with the weather in the Picos, the first destination I'd drop would be Ronda; it just doesn't rise to the level of Cordoba/Seville/Granada.

For the northern region you are ( maybe) missing the area’s two top places, Bilbao and San Sebastián. I prefer Madrid over Barcelona. However, since your son will have spent time there, he will be a great tour guide.

Edited to add that it's an end of April/Early May trip.

The flight up from Sevilla to Oviedo is actually direct and ridiculously cheap on Voltea so it's actually not a ton of hassle.

We absolutely could save northern Spain for its own trip, especially given the season/weather. That would free up 4-5 nights depending upon the last overnight location.

Part of what I was trying to do with this itinerary was mix up the types of experiences. As cool as Cordoba is, is it really similar to some of the places we would already be visiting. Is the trip shaping up to be too much "Cathedral, medieval quarter, rinse and repeat"? Is the Mexquita a big enough draw, given we will also being touring Alhambra? Am I off base? How might you rejigger the itinerary to add some different types of experiences (that don't include sitting on a beach or zip lining)?

Chris, for what it’s worth, Rick Steves didn’t used to include Cordoba in his guidebooks - it wasn’t “Best of Spain.” That’s what Seville was/is for. Now he’s added a Cordoba chapter. See Cordoba if it fits your itinerary, but it’s not quite a requirement.

With a car you should have no trouble finding places to visit in the Cangas de Onis area for the time you have. When we made our northern Spain trip mid-May to early June 2017 temperatures varied. Most days we could wear short sleeves, but in the mountains it occasionally got chilly. I’m sure you’ll have a good time.

Edited: I will add that the roads near Cangas de Onis have plenty of twists and turns, so figure you’ll be driving between 50-68kph (30-40mph) most of the time.

I definitely understand your desire to have varied experiences on your trip. And what works for one person might not work for another person. When we visited Andalusia, I couldn't imagine not seeing Cordoba, and it turned out to be one of our favorite places. But this might not be the case for you. You ask if the Mezquita is worth it. For us, it was and it didn't disappoint. However, I would rank the 3 palaces/mosques in this order for us: Alhambra, Royal Alcazar of Seville a very close second, and then the Mezquita. But I know some people would rank them differently than me.

April/May is definitely a perfect time of year to visit Andalusia. I don't know what the weather is like in Oviedo, Picos, etc. at that time of year.

While I haven't been to Oviedo and the Picos area or Bilbao, I do understand why this area would appeal to you, and based on what I've read, it will give you a very different experience than Andalusia. So, perhaps one solution is to omit Ronda, spend that one night in Cordoba instead, and visit the northern Spain destinations to give you the diversity you are looking for.

Yes, the Mesquita and Alhambra are sufficiently different to warrant visiting both. The Alhambra is a palace complex, with a variety of buildings and gardens. The plaster work and ceramic tile decorations are mind-boggling.
The Mesquita is a religious edifice, vast and awesome. You’ll probably never see anything like it again. Cordoba has a quite different flavor ftom Granada.