I am traveling to Spain with my 2 adult daughters in March and really need help with planning our trip. We fly into Barcelona on Sat. (arrive 2:15) and depart from Barcelona the following Sat. in the AM. Jet lag will not be a problem as we will already be in Europe. With my research I have decided to choose between Madrid, Toledo, Sevilla and Granada. I was planning to see Barcelona Sat. and Sun. I then want to have Mon. through Fri. in how ever many of the cities that I mentioned would be reasonable. We need to fly into Barcelona Fri. night to get our flight out the next morning.
Any advice would be appreciated. I realize that seeing all of these cities is probably not a good idea with only 5 days, and am interested to see what others would consider which are the best places to see.
Thanks so much for any advice that you can give!
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Madrid and Toledo group. So do Sevilla and Granada. Pick one set, based on preferences. Both have merit.
My preference would be in and out of Madrid and skip Barcelona.
All three areas can't be done well in the time available.
Posted by
Des Moines, IA
2193 posts
You really have just six full days if I’m doing the math correctly. If you’re already booked for flying into and out of Barcelona, I would suggest cutting out southern Spain completely and focusing on Barcelona and Madrid. You’ll have three hours of AVE train to Madrid and three back, so you’re probably down to 2.5 days for each city (excluding train travel time). There’s so much to experience in Madrid, but perhaps you could squeeze in a daytrip/sidetrip to Toledo from Madrid…I sure would try. If I had to choose between spending more time in one city and less in another, I would choose to spend more time in Madrid. Another idea with limited time might be to focus just on Barcelona and Catalunya daytrips, but you’d miss out on Madrid. Hope that helps.
Posted by
Atlanta, Ga, USA
2023 posts
Agree with Michael--Madrid and Barcelona sounds doable. We loved Barcelona and regretted very much allowing only two days.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
I agree with Michael...I, too, would lean towards spending a bit more time in Madrid than Barcelona, if only because day trips to places like Toledo and Segovia are experiences in themselves.
Posted by
OP
Tulsa, OK, USA
56 posts
Thanks for all of the suggestions. Since flights are already booked in and out of Barcelona will probably spend a little time there and most of the time in Madrid where we can take day trips. Thanks again!
Posted by
Breckenridge, CO
239 posts
We did a similar trip in 9 days and still had to cut out Sevilla and Granada because of time constraints. I actually enjoyed Segovia (west of Madrid an hour) more than Toledo, but that's just me. We then drove through the wine country of Rioja to Barcelona. I think you will enjoy it more if you take time to enjoy Madrid and Barcelona instead of trying to squeeze in too much.
Posted by
LaGrange, Ga, USA
1178 posts
Michael's comments, and the other of similar nature, have my vote!! Go to a smaller number of cities and enjoy them more! Toledo is 1/2 hour via train from the Atocha train station. One day is ok, two would be better...Madrid has so much to offer...
Posted by
OP
Tulsa, OK, USA
56 posts
Again, thanks to all. Think we are all set now!