One week in Spain

Barcelona, Seville & Granada. I'd day trip from Seville to Cordoba. Madrid & it's day trips are great, but southern Spain is awesome & Barcelona has amazing architecture. That may be too much for 7 days, but those were my highlights.

Way too much for seven days. For a week, I would consider only Madrid with alternating day trips to Toledo and Segovia. and maybe Avila and El Escorial on a third day. All easily done by bus from Madrid. With seven days it doesn't make much sense to constantly relocate from one city to city. Stay at Hotel Europa at Pureto del Sol - the heart of Madrid.

Did you find the trains versus the best way to travel? How easy is it?

Richard I am doing Spain this summer for first time,, and from what I have found out, the train system in Spain is not quite as good as it is in most other Europeon countries,, and that for many routes the bus is in fact preferable...

Richard - I have visited Spain 4 times in the past 10 years and am returning in October. I always travel by train and I have found Spanish trains (and their service) to be the equal of any in Europe. I have made short daytrips like Madrid to Toledo and Sevilla to Cordoba, as well as some more substantial ones like the 5 hour Sevilla to Barcelona. All were good! As for what to visit in 7 days, I would recommend Madrid and day trips for a first time visitor. You can choose from Toledo, Avila, Segovia, Valley of the Fallen, etc. More than enough for a great week.

Richard - are you travelling all the way from California and returning after a period of seven days or something else?
Have you a vision of what you would like to see of a hugely diverse Spain you would like to share? Who is the 'we'? Train travel in Spain is some of the most comfortable, fast and efficient in Europe. However, bus (read coach) and train costs and journey times need to be compared for any journey, dependant upon your priorities.

In seven days, keeping the overall distance traveled to a minimum is key. I'd probably stay in and around Madrid, with day trips/short excursions to Toledo, Segovia, Avila, and/or Salamanca. There are other day trip options from Madrid, depending on what you are most interested in. Another option is to make Sevilla your home base, see Cordoba as a day trip (Cordova is a short high speed train ride from Seville). Maybe do a brief excursion (probably via rental car) to see Arcos and Jerez (or add Cadiz). A third option is to see Granada, Ronda, Gibraltar and some of the Costa Del Sol. This would be hard without a car. A fourth option is to stay in Barcelona, and focus on Costa Brava and Catalonia. Maybe add Montserrat as a daytrip. There are daily bus excursions to Montserrat and the coast is accessible by train.

I agree with Frank. Make Madrid the home base. Sevilla is not far by train. That would be as far I would venture. Plenty of closer day trips from Madrid. And the city itself can fill 3-4 days.

"from what I have found out, the train system in Spain is not quite as good as it is in most other Europeon countries" Pat, I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised. The train system in Spain is not as extensive in coverage as in some other countries, but what they have is wonderful. The trains are modern and comfortable, and the AVE trains are FAST. For the areas served by AVE (Barcelona---Madrid---Cordoba---Sevilla---Malaga) the train is way the best way to go. Save money on the tickets by buying them in advance on Renfe to get the Web discounts (60% off). Or if you are a senior you can get a Tarjeta Dorada card for lesser discounts.

Lola,, I am sure the trains they have are fine,, but my reasearch definately shows the system is not nearly as extensive as most other europeon countries. Buses are definatley an integeral part of getting around in Spain, where as in most other countries they are considered a much distant second choice...

Pat was not commenting on the quality of the trains but rather the extensiveness of the system. The other problem is the the new high speed train stations tend to be on the outer edge of the cities and not city center to city center as is common with many of the older European system. The result is a very extensive and convenient bus system that does go ty center to center many times. For example, the new train connect to Toledo is located on the edge which requires a long up hill hike to Toledo or local bus ride whereas the bus from Madrid drops you at the center plaza in Toledo. For most of our Spain trips we use the buses at least half the time if not more. And buses are so much cheaper.

I am not dissing the buses. I am sure they are very nice, and they serve many areas not reached by trains. It is just that Pat's statement abou the train system being "not as good" is misleading. It could be read as saying the trains themselves are "not as good" which is not true. They are mostly new, modern, comfortable, and the AVE trains are also very fast. Yes, the trains do not go as many places, which is why I suggested the correct statement is that the system is not as extensive, instead of "not as good." And remember she is not speaking from personal experience. The stations served by the AVE trains in Barcelona (Sants), Madrid (Atocha), Sevilla (Santa Justa) and Cordoba are just as cental to the downtown areas as the buses. I believe the Granada train station is closer to the downtown area than the bus station. Toledo is the outlier, because a train can't climb that hill. Bus may well be the way to go for Toledo, unless you are traveling onward to Sevilla or Barcelona by train as we did.

Thanks for all of the great info. The reason for only a week is that I will be attending the Rotary International Meeting in June 2013 which is in Lisbon. Thus after Spain, will spend some time in Portugal. Will try to hit Morocco before heading to London for Wimbeldon.