first time travelers madrid, barcelona, paris itinerary

Thanks Harold About Toledo - we were thinking of just going for one day, and getting back to Madrid very late, because we dont want to do a check out in Madrid, find a hotel in Toledo and then have to find another hotel in Madrid for one more night (26-27)...still working on that Train to Paris vs air - i have check "easyJet" it looks like good rates, still and it says BCN and CDG for Paris... do you know other good airlines for that trip Book - i have his book but old (2009) but im planning to get new books from him they are just the best... thanks for your help

Looks pretty good to me (congrats, most people try to cram in way too many cities in on their first trip, you didn't; good job, your friends should let you do all the planning. :) ). So you have 3 full days in Paris, 3 full days in Barcelona, and 3 full days in/around Madrid. Plus you'll be "spending" 1 day each to connect each city (so you will get a few hours in one or the other before/after you arrive, but you have wisely not tried to include a list of sights to see/things to do on those days). Looks like you've done a great job in prioritizing, you're not trying to cram in every city in four countries. You're only "counting" your full days in Europe, not your arrival or departure days. Plus you're planning to fly open jaws, to Madrid and from Paris. Looks to me like you've already got a lot of things figured out - good for you. You're going at a good time of the year, before things get super hot in Spain (well, hot for me, maybe not for you ;) ) and before the worst of the summer crowds arrive. You're starting in Spain (warmer early) ending in Paris, going south-to-north, which is the smart way to play the weather. I think your plan looks very good. Only things I'd consider tweaking would be: 1. Maybe fly Barcelona to Paris. Less stress on you (many people get zero sleep on night trains), more time to enjoy things, maybe even less expensive.
2. I really believe Toledo is best done as an overnight, rather than a day trip. Everyone does Toledo as a day trip, and it's badly jammed with crowds from 10am - 4pm. After 4/before 10, it's empty, magical and beautiful. If you can manage it, consider arriving mid-afternoon, spend the night, and depart noonish - you'll like Toledo much better when you have it almost all to yourself. Great job with your planning - have fun!

thanks David for your great comments and advice..
we will consider your advice on Toledo and flying to Paris from Barcelona. we are now doing each one our wish list for every city to see what we have in common so we can add it to the schedule. thanks

Shira - let me be the second, after David, to offer my congratulations on your excellent planning! As he said, you didn't make a single one of the most common mistakes. Good job! The subject of night trains is very divisive-people either like them or hate them. Look at some threads here, and you'll see that many people say "never again." Do look at how much a cheap flight, booked in advance, would cost, but don't forget that you have to add in fees for checked baggage, using a credit card, etc. Also, some budget airlines use Girona airport and call it Barcelona, and use Beauvais airport and call it Paris. These are each about 90 minutes from the city, so you have to allow time and money to get to them. Other budget airlines use BCN (Barcelona's "real" airport) and ORY or CDG (Paris's "real" airports). If you have a choice, ORY is closer and smaller than CDG, but either one is fine. I do agree with an overnight in Toledo. And I'm glad to see that May 25, your Toledo day, isn't a Monday; I went to Toledo on Monday and lots of sights were closed. Do you have the Rick Steves books for Spain and Paris? They will be very helpful, along with other books, for planning specific things to see and do in each city, as well as places to stay.

I also recommend Toledo as an overnight. It's a great place to de-jet-lag, and you miss a lot as a day tripper. To minimize the logistical impact, you should either start there the first night (Tol > Mad >Barc) or go Mad > Tol > Barc. Don't visit Madrid twice, in other words, except to pass through.

Adam is right; you should only pass through Madrid a second time to change trains. To look for flights within Europe, use http://www.skyscanner.com/. Yes, EasyJet is fine. But do a dummy booking now, so you can see what I mean by the extra fees, and so you'll be prepared. Budget airlines like EasyJet strictly enforce rules, and that's how they make money. So, when they say you can carry on one bag, they mean ONE - not one plus a purse. And, as you'll see if you do a dummy booking, there's one fee to check luggage at the time of booking, a higher fee to check it at the airport check-in, and an even higher fee to check it at the gate. Again, as long as you're prepared, it's fine. But don't think you can squeak by any of the rules. If you're over the weight limit, pay for the extra at the time of booking, not later when it will cost more. Rick updates his Spain and Paris books every year, so it's definitely worth getting the newest editions. According to the links on this website, the Spain 2013 book is due out December 18, 2012, and the Paris 2013 edition is due out November 6, 2012.

Thanks again for your help.. So we have change it to: may 22-flight 23- arrive in Barajas airport, train to Toledo, check in at hotel, see the Cathedral and Alcazar and then eat and night out 24- Sinagoga de El transito, Museo El greco, Puerta Nueva de la Bisagra, train to Madrid, check in hotel, tapas night (Museo del jamon, casa del abuelo..), desert at Chocolateria san Gines and night out at Puerta del Sol 25- Prado, Puerta de Alcala, Parque del Retiro, Dinner (watch Flamenco) 26- museo Reina Sofia (free), Palacio Real, catedral santa Maria and Plaza Mayor 27- Madrid in the morning, walk around , check out, train to Barcelona (mid day) chek in , Ramblas, eat at La Boqueria, Pinotxo bar 28- Gothic Quarter, PIcasso Museum 29- Gaudi (Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, Cata Batllo, Park Guell, La Pedrera) 30- Cathedral, Park de la Ciutadella, Monjuic (watch the fountain show) 31- Barcelona in the morning, flight to Paris.....
31-4 Paris