Spain Itinerary Suggestions

I was in Spain for 2 weeks this past October.....everyone's taste is different. For instance, I was really looking forward to Barcelona, but found I didn't really like it that much when I was there (too busy, don't like Gaudi, too messy). On the other hand, I planned to spend a day in Bilbao, and found I loved it and wish I had could have spent more time there. My favourites were Bilbao and Cordoba; Figueres was well worth a day trip out of Barcelona - the Dali Theatre-Museum and a lovely lunch made for a great day. Other good day trips include Cuenca (a small city with wonderful art and the famous "hanging houses) and Cordoba....both are 2 hours by high-speed train but well worth the trip, in my opinion. I went well out of my way to go to Bilbao, and I know most people won't want to waste the traveling time to get there, but I'm really glad I went.

Hi Mandy! If you are planning on visiting in May I would highly suggest several days in Cordoba during the Patio Festival. We visited on a day trip and wished we had planned a longer stay. Also we loved Granada and Seville and Madrid.

We did a rushed 10 day trip over New Years two years ago. Into Madrid, 3 days, Cordoba (1), Seville (3) and Granada (3) and home from Malaga. With ten days, you really don't have as much time as you think. And use an open jaw ticket to save a travel day.

Ten days is not much time in Spain, which has so much to offer. If you are set on including Barcelona, I would do that city plus Madrid and Toledo. There are great day trips out of Madrid -- el Escorial and Segovia, in addition to Toledo. Seville and Granada are great too, but with ten days it's too rushed to include those. In fact, I would go to those cities before Barcelona. We had the same misgivings as another poster the first time we visited Barcelona. We liked The Gaudi well enough, though you should not go expecting to see it on every corner. But Barcelona on our first visit was grungy with occasional encounters with heroin addicts and piles of garbage of the streets, etc. Last year I visited on business and stayed over a few days afterward. Knowing the ropes already, I liked it much better -- in fact I liked it a lot. Madrid however is one of my all time favorites. Depends on what you like, but the art, parks, overall city scene is fantastic. Such an easy city to get to know, the easiest major capital city I have been to out of a dozen countries (along with Budapest and Lisbon). I also loved El Escorial and Segovia, and the Mesquita in Cordoba is great too.

Depending on your travel style, you could add one more city . . or not. We traveled to Spain last May for 13 days/12 nights, visiting Barcelona, Toledo, Sevilla and Granada, in that order, for 2 or 3 nights each; then spent one nigh teach in Cordoba and Madrid before flying home. (We had been to Madrid previously so did not need more time there.) We traveled exclusively by train, and this itinerary works very well that way. The AVE trains are fast, modern and comfortable, and also very affordable if you book in advance to get the Web fares (such as Barcelona to Madrid for 47 euros, and Madrid to Cordoba for 27, 40). I am not at all suggesting that you do the same (you don't have enough time) but I am suggesting you consider adding one stop in Andalucia. Cordoba would be a natural choice in May, if you can include the Patio festival. Also it is the closest to Madrid, only 1.75 hours away on the train. You could also consider spending the night in Toledo instead of making a daytrip from Madrid. We spent 2 nights there and were so glad we did. The disclaimer is that we do not mind changind hotels frequently. If you do, then this option is not for you. As for Barcelona, there is much more to it than the Gaudi sights, but it is not for everyone. We certainly saw no addicts or rats as mentioned above (from a visit long ago, according to the post), but we did see lots of hucksters on Las Ramblas. No big deal and it did not mar our experience of this beautiful city. Just be aware that it is Catalunya, so the "feel" is quite different.