Spain.........can you help me with the best way to work out itenerary ?

I think it would be a big mistake to have your only day in Madrid the day you get off the plane. You are not going to be able to do much that day because even if you sleep some on the plane you will be really tired and jet lagged. Maybe visit the Prado earlier in the day on the day you head to Granada. More generally on this itinerary, I would save Barcelona for another trip, stay at least a couple of night in Madrid and slow down in a couple of other locations. There is so much to do in Madrid, and that's before you even get into any of the great day trips.

Your second proposed itinerary seems to flow a lot better to me, such that your various stops in southern Spain make sense without any backtracking. You could do Avila as a day trip from Madrid or follow your original idea of spending a night there, then finish up in Madrid for El Prado.

I am a huge fan of El Prado Museum, but unfortunately, not Madrid. And i know my husband would much rather spend time in smaller cities and towns........except for his desire to go to Barcelona. I am much more fond of Barcelona than Madrid, to be honest. From all the posts that I have read about Spain, I know there are a lot of Madrid lovers out there but it just didn't sing to me like Barcelona did. Sorry. The whole get off the plane and start the game running has been my/our thing for the past 8 annual trips to Europe; so getting off the plane, hitting up a major museum and a few more sites doesn't phase us. Yes, we are tired but we are troopers. I always count the first day as a day of travel and wander. The 2 days here and there for the smaller cities/villages, to me is appropriate, especially if I am in the area. The one thing that I feel I could tweek would be to spend 2 nights in Madrid, leaving from Madrid, but have the 2nd day there be a day trip to Avila. But honestly, I could live with myself if I had only one night in Madrid. But I present my second option. 0 12/25 Tues: Leave 1 12/26 Wed: Barcelona 2 12/27 Thurs: Barcelona 3 12/28 Fri: Barcelona, side trip to Figueres 4 12/29 Sat: Granada 5 12/30 Sun: Granada 6 12/31 Mon: Berchules 7 1/1 Tues: Berchules 8 1/2 Wed: Berchules 9 1/3 Thurs: Berchules 10 1/4 Fri: Berchules 11 1/5 Sat: Ronda 12 1/6 Sun: Ronda 13 1/7 Mon: Sevilla 14 1/8 Tues: Sevilla 15 1/9 Wed: Madrid 16 1/10 Thurs: Madrid, side trip to Avila 17 1/11 Fri: Leave
I would consider flying from Barcelona to Granada to save some time. Or still connecting in Madrid, then off to Granada. night train doesn't seem to be all that great with a lot of people stating sleep will be lost.

Seems like you're expecting to instantly teleport yourself from one location to another. I think you need to acknowledge the fact that you'll be spending anywhere from a half-day to most of the day every time you move from one of these places to another. So rather than "two days in city X" you have one day and 2 nights, plus travel time. If that's OK with you, great, but if I were you I would reduce the dashing from one place to another (and eliminate the "side trips" you mention). So much to see and do there it's a shame to miss so much while trying to hit one more town. Also, I'm not sure that Ronda deserves 2 nights on a trip so short. Personally, I'd skip Ronda entirely and spend a night and a day in Arcos instead. Just my 2 cents.

I can think of several reasons why someone might not prioritize Madrid. Given that, this itinerary makes sense. In your place though I would investigate flights from Sevilla to Barcelona. Not to knock Avila (where I've never been anyway) but it sounds as though you just want to get to Barcelona as quickly as you can. If so, why not fly? Gets you an extra day. Other variations: Fly into Sevilla and do your itinerary backwards to Madrid, then take the train to Barcelona. Or fly into Granada, if you can do that without breaking the bank.

I second looking into discount flights on your second itinerary from Barcelona to Granada. Check out skyscanner.com for great prices. The earlier you book the flights, the cheaper the flights are. READ the fine print closely or pay dearly at check in. Most charge for extra bags and pounds, assigned seats, printing your boarding pass, ETC. Cheap flights but must follow rules closely. Flight is one hour and saves time over the very lengthy train journey.

Try visiting one of the white towns, e.g., Arcos de la Fronterra. Check Rick Steve's book and see what he says about it. It's a treat. I'm with you re: Madrid v. Barcelona. The trouble is the latter is so far out of the way compared with the other "must visit" places in Spain. Toledo and Cordoba should be on your list. Also, consider renting a car. It speeds thing up a bit and you get to see the countryside.

The annoying thing about spain is that train travel is a bit on the slow side and distances are huge. I have taken that into consideration when it comes to pre-planning this trip. Sometimes my downtime is being on a train. Like others have mentioned, I have a city on my list that throws things off: Barcelona. But It won't be missed on this trip. I think that maybe next trip, I can focus on everything madrid and its surrounding towns and villages. I would love to see Toledo, Segovia, and Avila. I have been to Cordoba before, so gonna leave it off this list this time. My fear of driving in Europe keeps me from renting a car; I even drive manual transmission. Madrid flights base out of Atlanta on Delta which outs me at ease when it comes to winter weather. I would have to fly out of NYC if I did Barcelona first. So I am still considering flying into Madrid, and once again it will be to spend time in the Prado. I have done big museums on our first day of travel a few times before and then got on a train to the city I desire to stay in. Last year we flew into Brussels, went to The royal fine arts museum, the modern art museum, and the Magritte. We ate lunch that then boarded a train to Bruges. I have considered More time in Sevilla and Barcelona to make up the fact that I will be on a train for some time; still gonna look into flying from Granada to Barcelona. 1 12/26 Wed: Madrid/Sevilla: I can handle a 2.5 hour train ride. Might take a nap:) 2 12/27 Thurs: Sevilla 3 12/28 Fri: Sevilla 4 12/29 Sat: Ronda, wishing i could fit in Acros de Frontera but maybe next time 5 12/30 Sun: Ronda 6 12/31 Mon: Berchules 7 1/1 Tues: Berchules 8 1/2 Wed: Berchules 9 1/3 Thurs: Berchules 10 1/4 Fri: Berchules 11 1/5 Sat: Granada 12 1/6 Sun: Granada 13 1/7 Mon: Barcelona 14 1/8 Tues: Barcelona 15 1/9 Wed: Barcelona
16 1/10 Thurs: Barcelona