Spain in Jan--is itinerary too ambitious?

I know that they have a fast speed train that goes from Barcelona to Madrid, don't know about any of the details though.

Train is best from Bar to Madrid.Trains are excellent and there is ofyen a RENFE office (the name of train sys) in larger stations, w English-speaking folk who, will assist you in many ways. Planes are time-consuming due to airports being far from city centers. Good bus service on ALSA as well. We'd leave Tarifa out- it is nothing special. Heartily recommend Segovia

I always think when someones asks that question, they already know the answer -- or else they would not be asking. Personally, it would be too ambitious for us. The problem with a lot of cities changes is the amount of time lost -- packing, unpacking, checking in/out, finding hotels, finding train stations, etc. We always plan on losing a half day or more plus travel time when changing cities. We are planning an eleven day trip over New Years to Spain and will do three cities. Into Madrid, on to Sevilla and home from Costa del Sol.

Everyone has their own travel styles, but this wouldn't be too ambitious for me at all.

Thank you everyone for you responses--they are very helpful. Question: to get train tickets, how far out should we make our reservations? And any thoughts on the best city to see flamenco dancing?

I just returned from Spain last week after 16 days. Take the train from Barc to Madrid (4 hrs)and then take train from Madrid to Barc. I tried to think of ways to avoid the Madrid train station because we had serious language issues so if you speak Spanish it will help. Forget Sevilla and rent a car and drive to Salobrena or Malaga/Marbella area and fly out from there. It was our favorite and the most beautiful in the south. Although we loved seeing all the sites I would definitely go back to the Costa del Sol area. We had a Ford Focus which was easy to drive around without any problems. Have fun. Just remember European trains are always on time!

I just returned from Spain last week after 16 days. Take the train from Barc to Madrid (4 hrs)and then take train from Madrid to Barc. I tried to think of ways to avoid the Madrid train station because we had serious language issues so if you speak Spanish it will help. Forget Sevilla and rent a car and drive to Salobrena or Malaga/Marbella area and fly out from there. It was our favorite and the most beautiful in the south. Although we loved seeing all the sites I would definitely go back to the Costa del Sol area. We had a Ford Focus which was easy to drive around without any problems. Have fun. Just remember European trains are always on time!

Sorry I just replied to Farisa and I meant to say take the train from Madrid to Granada and head south to Salobrena/Malaga/Marbella area.

Bon Voyage!