Need Help with My Itinerary to Spain - including Granada, San Sebastian and more!

Hmmm..... Why not use the wisdom of youth (aka the niece studying in Granada) to help plan this trip? After a month of being in Granada she may be able to utilize local contacts to help best direct the logistics.

The direct train from Granada to Barcelona is slow and tedious, so I am going to suggest an alternate that includes Toledo and the train to Barcelona from Madrid:

Fly into Granada and spend time there. Train to Cordoba ( 3 hours) and spend 1-2 nights. Early May you may hit the Patio Festival which is fun. Take in the Andalusian horse performance, it is amazing.

Train from Cordoba to Toledo ( via Madrid, the AVE from Cordoba to Madrid is fast and the change at Atocha station is easy.). One night in Toledo.

Train Toledo to Barcelona, again via Madrid. Madrid to Barcelonanonnthe AVE is under 3 hours. Buy tickets on Renfe.com 3 months in advance to get great prices ( same for Cordoba to Madrid).

Fly Barcelona to San Sebastian-Donastia.

My thoughts:

I like staying three nights in Granada. There is plenty to see and do there. My top sights are (of course) a full day for the Alhambra, and another full day to see other sights. One of the evenings can be used to see a Sambra performance in a cave home in the Albayzin.

The train from Granada to Sevilla is pretty easy. If you're comfortable, however, this is a good place to have a car. We left Granada and stopped in Antequerra, for a quick visit to some neolithic passage tombs, on the way to Ronda. After a night in Ronda, we drove to Gibraltar (parked in La Linea and walked across) and stayed the night in Tarifa. We felt all were good choices.

We didn't go to Morocco, instead we drove up the coast to Cadiz. We liked the Baelo-Claudia Roman ruins (where we stopped on the way), but Cadiz was run down and a disappointment. Jerez (between Cadiz and Seville), however, was a pleasant surprise (can also be an easy day trip from Seville by bus). Jerez (the name means sherry) is famous for its Bodegas - and most can be seen without reservations - unusual in Spain. We toured Tio Pepe (Gonzalo Byass) and Pedro Domecq. I'm glad we chose both, one was big and very organized, the other relatively small and accommodating. The tour guide at Domecq was the ONLY person I heard speak proper Castilian Spanish during our month-long Spanish visit.

Outside of festivals, I agree that Seville can be seen in a full day (two nights). The Alcazar is the best in Spain and the Cathedral isn't something I would skip. The quarter around those two is a nice area to explore (but no nicer, maybe more green/shade, than Cordoba). I'd try to add a Flamenco performance one evening. Seville has the longest bull fight season and will be going in May, if a Corrida interests you.

From Seville, a train connection to see the Mesquita in Cordoba (and surrounding quarter) is an easy day stop on the way to Madrid, give yourself at least four hours and taxi to and from the train station.

I like Toledo much more than Madrid, it was our favorite "twisty" medieval street city. Madrid is modern. The Prado museum is certainly worth a look and I also liked Temple Debod (a gift from Egypt). In May, you may enjoy Madrid's nice parks/green spaces.

A good castle area is near Valladolid. There are three outstanding castles in the area, La Mota, Coca, and Penafiel. These are Spanish castles, rather than Moorish alcazars. If those interest you, book a car from Toledo and plan some stops, possibly Segovia (aquaduct, castle, templar church), Avila (great walled city), Salamanca, or Burgos. If you are going to San Sebastian, you can drive through Burgos and Vitoria on your way. A bodega stop in Vitoria, the center of the Rioja region, would be great - but you need to make a reservation a day or two ahead (no drop ins).

Personally, I'd skip San Sebastian (Basque name is Donostia) this trip. We went in April, it was rainy and cold. This area of Spain needs to be experienced in summer to be fully enjoyed. It's also the most expensive place we visited. If you REALLY want to see Donostia, however, you can either drive from Burgos or train from Barcelona to Zaragosa, visit the town center, then pick up a car and drive first to Olite (one of the best castle visits in Spain IMO), stay a night in nearby Pamplona (a quick look around is about all you need in Pamplona), then drive to Donostia the next morning. You might be able to pack that into one long day - but I'd rather leave plenty of time for the castle.

Barcelona is a great visit too. I'd want a minimum of three nights there, if you can spare it. The Modernist architecture is unique and the Gothic quarter is worth visiting.

I've intentionally given you too much to do in 10-11 nights. It's best to stick to the main stops and plan one "side trip" - Gibraltar, Vallodolid, or San Sebastian - for a few nights by car.

WOW Brad, just printed this out!

You said yourself that Seville (3 times!) wasn't the wow everyone here says it is. That's first-hand advice. Use it. (I agree with you, although I'm not sorry I visited on a three-week trip.)

My favorite city in Spain is Madrid (... more than 3 times.) I think it's hard to understand why Spain was such an important country if you only go to places like Granada and Barcelona. And Madrid is plenty of fun, too.

There are plenty of day trips near Madrid, including Toledo and El Escorial. These combinations of art and history make up for missing Seville in itinerary 3. Madrid is a perfect air travel destination, too. Have you established yet that your itineraries don't involve Madrid's airport anyway?