Late Night request for Help! 23 days in Spain/Morocco/Amst/London

I think you'll hear this from a lot of people, but it does sound like a pretty ambitious trip. It's doable, but I think you'll need a vacation to recover when you get back :) If you could possible eliminate one or two cities to slow yourselves down and catch your breath, I think it would be beneficial in the long run. But, then again, I really enjoy having an extra day to just loll around in a city and soak up the ambiance, and that might not be for everyone.

It would be worthwhile to consider visiting the whole of your Spain itinerary, then moving on to Morocco, then perhaps flying out to Amsterdam from there, I think.

Hi Maria - The pace looks ambitious, but I think it's about right (at least for me - I tend to do blitz trips like this). As long as you know you're hitting things pretty hard and are ready for all that, I think it should all work and in most places you do seem to give yourself enough time - although just barely. A few specific comments...

For your side trip from Madrid: if I had to pick one, either Segovia or Toledo, I'd pick Toledo. Segovia's great, but Toledo gets the nod for me.

Day 5: if you take fast trains and time things right, it should be possible to "do Cordoba" as a stop along the way (from Madrid to Seville) in 1/2 day (we did that, but were going the other direction). The Mezquita is worth the hassles, a must-see. If you can manage to be there late in the day while the sunlight is low, it is utterly magical (and mostly empty of tourists, too - some of my favorite photos ever were taken in there late afternoon - practice your low-light photo skills first!).

Days 7 & 8: I found overnight in Arcos to be far better than overnight in Ronda, any chance you can swap the order so you send the night up on the hill in Arcos? Both towns are worth seeing, but we found Arcos (after the crowds left late in the afternoon) to be just wondrous. Ronda was nice too, but not quite so magical. I would sacrifice the side trip to Zahara for the chance to spend the night in Arcos - an unforgettable experience wandering the streets up there at night.

more....

Day 9 looks like quite a slog - good luck! Be careful upon arrival so late (and after such a long, hard travel day). Even at mid-day, the medina in Fes is all but impossible to navigate, do NOT end up wandering there at 3 am (or whenever the train actually arrives). Ask your hotel to have someone meet you at the train station, have them arrange a taxi, or make other iron-clad, reliable arrangements that don't require you to attempt to navigate (it will feel very scary and very alien when you find yourself there). Be on your guard and be wary of locals who want to befriend you (while there can be genuinely helpful people, there are also plenty of scammers - I've experienced both). I have no idea what your budget is, but if you are willing to splurge on a nice (and safe and easy) riad in Fes, let me know - we stayed in a place that was right out of an arabian fairy tale (it wasn't cheap, but we felt it was well worth it - my wife described it as "like staying overnight in the Alhambra"). Plan to sleep in the next day (if you can - in Fes you'll hear 'the call to prayer' early and often and LOUD - bring ear plugs). A day and a half exploring the medina in Fes should be enough. Great shopping for crafts (bargain like there's no tomorrow!) - don't forget to buy a Fez cap to bring back!

Two days enjoying the spectacle that's Marrakech should be enough for most (that was about right for me). Enjoy the big square (djema al fina) - a 100-ring circus. More great shopping in the medina, food in the square.

It sounds like a very busy, but a very great trip. I have one other idea to float (next post...)

OK, looking over your trip, I see you have things tightly scheduled, but it all looks doable. You seem to have 2 full days in all the major cities. I see one significant pice missing, though: Granada. It's a bit out of the way, but it's also got the Alhambra - one of the greatest wonders of Iberia
I see you have three full days(not including travel days) budgeted for Barcelona. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Barcelona, and three days is certainly not "too many". But I would trade one of those three days (skip the side trip to Sitges/Montserrat) for a day in Granada and a chance to see the Alhambra.

I don't know if you can work that in or not - it's not really "on the way" between anyplace else you're going, but consider: there are fast trains between Seville and Granada, and it's not that far to drive from Granada to the white hill towns.

What we did on our trip was drive (we were coming from the Algarve in Portugal) from Arcos to Ronda (overnighted in both), then drove to Granada (dropped the car there); overnighted in Granada, then we took the fast train to Seville, then Madrid (with a 1/2 day stop in Cordoba).

I don't know if something like that would work for you, but I think the Alhambra is a better way to spend a day than side-tripping from Barcelona. Just something to consider. And if it doesn't work out, then you have a good reason to go back sometime.

Otherwise your trip looks really super - you've done a great job tweaking your plans. You are going to have an amazing time. If you enjoy architecture, cuisine, and culture, you'll be in heaven.

In Madrid, be sure to have "breakfast" churros and chocolate - we loved the "Churro Maestro" but there's no shortage of choices. Not the healthiest breakfast, but some things you just gotta do.

Have a great trip!

David - Wow! Ja, ja. I was about to go to sleep and I just saw your posts. I'm staying up late again :) I like your suggestions, some of which I hadn't even considered. I'll review your comments again, but I know I'm changing stuff around. Will let you know what the final version is...but I wanted to say a quick GRACIAS now for taking the time!!