First Time to Spain - must sees?

Depends on how much time you've got and what your interests are. Madrid is easily worth four days...two days to see the city and its sights, and another day each for day trips to Segovia and Toledo. Cordoba could take up another day and night....Sevilla another two days and nights. Stop somewhere in the white villages of Andalucia for a night as you make your way over to Granada and the Alhambra...two days there. Then back to Madrid. If you wish to tag on Portugal, I would suggest a discount flight from Madrid to Lisbon, unless you rent a car. Easyjet and Vueling both fly this run. You can book those flights any time now...the sooner, the cheaper the price, but watch for the restrictions on refunds, changes, baggage, check-in times, etc.

How long do you plan to stay? We enjoyed our 2-week trip when we flew into Madrid, took a bus to Salamanca and picked up a rental car, drove to Coimbra in Portugal, then up to Porto, then further north to Santiago, Spain over to San Sebastian with an overnight stop in Santillana del Mar. On the way to San Sebastian we stopped in Bilbao to see the Guggenheim Museum. From San Sebastian we went back to Madrid. With the exception of one night in Santillana, we spent 2-3 nights in each city. On this trip, parking and road toll fees were expensive.

On a different trip we flew into Barcelona, train to Madrid--picked up rental car in Madrid and drove to Sevilla and Granada. We took a bus to Salema, Portugal, bus to Lisbon and flew home from there.

Both itineraries worked well.

The only reason I would advise against the north of Spain, which, as Sharon says, is lovely, is because you'll be travelling in February. It can be cold with snow in northern Spain at that time of year....very dreary and damp.

We were in northern Spain in March and Norm's right--it was a bit damp and dreary--maybe heading south (Madrid, Seville, Granada, and even southern Portugal) is the way to go for a February trip. Then plan a return trip at some point to head north.

Barcelona can be hit or miss in February. I have spent long weekends during this time of year - without snow - and found it great because of the minimal crowds.

Should you decide to go - Gaudi is a must.

Seville, Cordoba - and all of Andulucia is quite lovely. The Moorish influence makes the architecture unique.

One thing that has helped me in getting about is flying with Vueling. They are much like Southwest airlines - fly to many cities - ie Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Seville, Valentia etc. Can help you get into a region quickly.

We flew from Paris to Barcelona - stayed 3 nights, then flew to Seville - rented a car - drove to Cordoba etc.

www.vueling.com