Maximize 10 Day Spain Trip

You certainly do not have to go as far as Italy to get some variety. Spain has some very diverse regions and there is much more on offer than art and museurs-great food and wine, cultural and historical sites, architecture, beaches (Barcelona). Close to Madrid, you can visit Segovia, Avila and Toledo-the last is a beautiful walled city on a hill, well worth an overnight visit. The Catalan capital of Barcelona is only 2.5 hours away by high-speed train. I check on Renfe and there are still discount fares available from Madrid to Barcelona on June 17, 18, and 19, (mostly Mesa and Estrrella fares) and lots of Web fares from Barcelona back to madrid on June 21 (but not June 22). And then there is Granada, with the Alhambra and other Moorish sites, a bit farther from Madrid but well woth a visit. You could do a loop Madrid -Cordoba (or Sevilla)-Granada and back to Madrid instead of heading to Barcelona. But Barcelona has that beach, which is appealing this time of year.

I really appreciate these comments and should have stated that I would like to minimize shelling out high expense tours. It sounds like there is enough to do w/o incurring additional expense to fly to Italy. So I need to break it down: 1. Since we are arriving to Madrid on the 12th - How many days would you suggest in Madrid. - I would prefer to not rent a car, is that a good choice - Should I consider Hotel stay or apartment (airbnb.com) -What are some good places to stay at in Madrid? 2. Should I consider Barcelona? - And if we do then how many days there
- and does the loop work to include Barecelona 3. What is Renfe, Mesa and Estrella? 4. What is the loop madridcordoba?

Hi again-sorry, I was typing too fast and did not proofread. The "loop" is from Madrid to Cordoba or Sevilla (both are on the same train line) to Granada and back to Madrid. adrid to Cordoba is 1.45 hours by high-speed train; to Sevilla adds another 45 minutes. Regular trains go from either one to Granada in about 3 hours. From Granada back to Madrid is about 4.5 hours by regular train. You cannot really include Barcelona on this loop unless you fly there from Granada. Check this map of the train system and you'll see that Barcelona is in the opposite direction: http://petrabax.com/renfe/spain_map.html Also, in 10 days you don't have time. You should choose either (a) Madrid, with a daytrip to Toledo, Segovia and or Avila, these are all short day-trips from Madrid), and either Cordoba or Sevilla plus Granada, OR (b) Madrid and Barcelona, again with a daytrip or two from Madrid. All of these are linked by train. The Spanish train system is very good. The regular trains are not expensive. The fast AVE trains are, but you can get discounts by purchasing well ahead on Renfe.com, the Spanish train website. some people can't get their credit cards to work there so there are agencies that also sell the discounted tickets, but at a slightly higher price. Petrabax, rumba.es (only in Spanish) and RailEurope all do this. Mesa and Estrell fares are discount fares. There are also Web fares, which are the best. Those are around 60% off. Estrella fares are 40% off. Mesa fares are for the whole table of four; you have to buy all 4 to get the discount but even if you only use 3 of the seats the price is better than full fare.

This is good information and we are proceeding with researching this out. 1. I think I need to get my accomodations in Madrid booked: Do you recommend a Hotel or Apartment? And where in Madrid makes sense? 2. What should I do about Cell Phone Usage, I am with Verizon?
3. Should I get a calling card?

For someone leaving in 4 days, you really have a lot of work to do. 1st step before anything else: Go buy a couple of guidebooks. Doesn't have to be the RS one, just have something to show you the places to see, museums, and listing of hotels and restaurants. 2nd step: READ THEM. I'm sorry if I offend, but this forum is better suited to helping with specific questions and advice then just acting as a travel agent. And you'll need them once you are in Spain to answer questions, give you museum hours and give you maps and directions. For cell phones, you'll need to check with Verizon whether your cell phone is able to work in Europe, and if so, then you'd either have to sign up for an Internation calling plan with them, or sign up for a third party plan. There are other options too, such as buying a SIM card there for your phone if it's unlocked (unlikely). It all depends on how much you will use the phone and for what purpose. Keep in mind that smart phones with data incur huge costs, so be sure to turn off the data portion and use only the phone itself.

Sheesh, I'd put cell phones waaaaaaaay down on my list of things to worry about at this point, given your shocking lack of preparation. That lack of preparation is going to cost you dearly - take that as a lesson for future trips: the more prep you do, the better/easier/more enjoyable/more efficient your trip will be. As it is, you're going to spend a good portion of your trip just figuring out the basics, but that's unavoidable at this point. You'll have a long flight ahead of you - I suggest you plan to spend most of it reading your guidebooks and doing the research you should have done months ago. My advice would be to do the following: Figure out your itinerary quickly. You've only got 10 days there, and you're flying in and out of Madrid, so that's going to simplify things a lot. You'll want to spend a few days in Madrid, and you'll have time for a few days in a couple other places. Obvious choices include Toledo (usually done as a day trip but much better if you spend the night), Sevilla (with a quickie stop in Cordoba), maybe Granada instead of the above, but you must plan this stuff. Set your itinerary and book hotels NOW. You're going during the hot, busy season. It's going to be a challenge. Forget your cell phone, you have much bigger things to take care of. Good luck.

I love the brutal honesty. You will be glad to know that my daughter is on this. She has complete the itinerary, Booked the Bullfight, Segway tour and the train. Got books from the Library and DVD. Also booking the accommodations right now.
Stay tuned for more updates. All kidding aside, I really appreciate all the feedback and you are correct, this should have been planned a long time ago.

Have lots of fun. I see people are saying you should get guide books and should have planned months ago. Yet there are some who chastise others for planning too much or asking too many questions... Am very amused because I hope that camp
Comes by and say something, lol Have loads of fun. You'll probably have lots of surprises and a great time. Do come back and let us know how your "spur of the moment" planning worked out.