Seville or Madrid

I rarely comment on itineraries, but you may have confusion. You cannot go direct from Seville to Toledo - this is a two leg train journey via Madrid. There appears no logic in flying to Seville for one night and then moving on. Eliminate Toledo, you are trying to do too much, and add at least that time to Seville for your interests. You will not see bullfighting, if that is your intent, apart from weekends or festival time, whether Seville or Madrid.

I'll partially agree and partially disagree with the good advice above. Definitely, do not fly from Barcelona to Sevilla. Fly to Madrid - if you're going to Toledo, you get there via Madrid (and I agree, it's worth spending the night in Toledo, even if you're only there for 24 hours). Also agree that it's worth stopping for a half-day in Cordoba using the fast train between Sevilla and Madrid. But there's a problem with that: you're short a day. I'd take it from Barcelona. Yeah, Barcelona is cool and it's worth more than a day. But rather than spending 3 full days (and 4 nights) in Barcelona, I'd take 2 full days there if I got a night in Toledo. A couple back-to-back one-night stands aren't going to kill you.

Do spend two nights in Sevilla, then take the AVE train direct to Madrid. If you would like to spend a night in Toledo ( which I highly recommend) you could make it your last night, unless you flight is in the morning. You would take the train from Toledo back to Atocha station( 30 minute ride) and then the airport bus from there. ,they depart from Atocha station every 15 minutes. Or you could go from Sevilla to Madrid and continue on to Toledo for your one night, and spend your last two in Madrid. Either way, spending a night in Toledo is well worth it---but not at the expense of time in Sevilla.

Cordoba is on the train between Seville and Madrid. You can see it as a day trip returning to Seville or on the way to Madrid. Or you can stay overnight there and see the Spanish Riding School show in the evening. The Mezquita is a wow. There's more flamenco in Seville, including a museum. I'd only stay in Madrid for 2 nights if I wanted to day trip to Toledo. Otherwise, just the night before the flight, the rest in Seville.

And I will both agree and disagree with David's suggestions. Fly to Madrid? I agree that can make sense in terms of itinerary, but between Barcelona and Madrid the AVE is faster, more comfortable, and just as inexpensive if you book in advance. So the itinerary could be Barcelona to Toledo (change trains in Madrid), Toledo to Sevilla (change trains in Madrid), and Sevilla back to Madrid (with or without a stop in cordoba). We actually did that exact itinerary (with the addition of Granada) for our trip last year, with an overnight in Cordoba on th eway back. It worked out great and the train travel was very pleasant and inexpensive with the Promo fares on Renfe.

First, thanks to all for the advice. I am now leaning toward 2 nights Seville, one night Toledo, 2 nights Madrid. I am aware that I need to take the train all the way to Madrid and then to Toledo, but thanks for pointing that out. I appreciated the suggestion for staying in Toledo for my final night and the directions on getting to the airport - I plan to check my departure time and may choose that option. I know I cannot 'see it all' and I am okay with that. I will just write out all the wonderful things to do and prioritze them based on my interests - that will finalize things. It was fun for me to read each person's preferences. I am a big city girl so I won't give up a day in BCN. But, I can see where someone else might choose that. Someone mentioned getting discounts by buying tickets ahead of time for the AVE train. I am having trouble doing that on their website and my travel agent (AAA) wants $35 to do it for me. Any follow-up advice on that would be most helpful. Even the Man in Seat 61 says that train tickets in Spain can be difficult to purchase online from the US. Seems strange for a modern country in this day and age. Muchas Gracias!

You need to register your credit card with a "secure" service. You can do it for both Visa and Mastercard cards. It only takes a minute or two online once you find the site. It adds one more layer of verification to transactions and you can't buy tickets on the Renfe site until you do so. That may be why you are having trouble. If that doesn't work, go to Trip Advisor's Spain forums. There is a very long but very good explanation of the ins and outs of Renfe, including explanations of all the symbols and how to get the cheaper tickets.

I forgot to add - on the upper right-hand side of the trip advisor page is a list of top questions. That's where you'll find the train info.

Seville is much more worth a visit, IMO, than Madrid. Madrid is a new city by any European standard. Architecture, history, etc. are noticeably lacking. The Prado is a great museum and there are some excellent green spaces - otherwise I find it skip-able. The downside, Seville will be very hot in summer, make sure you pick lodging with air conditioning. Normally, I advise, for a shorter trip, to pick either northern or southern Spain. In summer, I normally advise staying north. Even then, I'd skip Madrid in favor of Toledo, Burgos, and/or Salamanca, and some castles in that area. Another good summer option is to stay in the Basque region along the northern coast. Summer is by far the best time to see that area.