Spain travel plan

Wendy -

There will be many many responses to this; you can also find a lot of very valuable advice by doing a search for spain itinerary on the helpline (use google advanced search and limit domain to www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/

We haven't gone yet but based on my poring over all the good advice from here I'd say your route is fine but many have said to skip Valencia on a trip your length. Our trip is the same length as yours and our itinerary is:
Madrid - 2 nights
Toledo - 2 nights
Seville - 3 nights (with day trip to Cordoba)
Ronda or other small southern towns - 3 nights
Granada - 2 nights
Barcelona - 4 nights
Cadeques - 1 night
Madrid again for final night.

Caution - beware of where you spend Mondays, most museums are closed. We reversed the direction of our trip once and cleared all thos conflicts nicely.

Have fun reading and planning! It is fun to do, so much advice and sources....

AND - You should think about taking a day trip from Toronto to Ottawa and taking Norm out for a drink .....

I'd add Avila and Segovia to the Toledo loop. Valencia is not really worthwhile unless you like aquariums. I wouldn't devote a heck of a lot of time to Barcelona -- a couple of days plus one more if you want to make a day trip to the north.

I agree with Ed; Avila, Segovia and definitely Toledo. We did El Escorial, Valley of the Fallen ( you drive right by Valley of the Fallen National park on your way to Escorial ) and spent the rest of the afternoon and night in Segovia. We drove back to Madrid that night. The next day we drove out to Avila and spent the rest afternoon and evening in Toledo. If you can rent a car and get a good map, you can drive and take your time. If you stay anywhere in the old town of Madrid ie; ( Plaza Callao, Puerta del Sol or Plaza de Espana ) you can rent the car in advance and pick it up at Hertz in Plaza de Espana and a Euorpcar close to Plaza de Espana or Avis has an agent at 62 Gran Via. also close to Plaza de Espana. I know we all hate to drive on vacation, BUT it was worth it. The highways in Spain are empty but the parking in Madrid can be expensive ( if you find any ). If you plan it just right, you only pay for one nights parking. The parking in the small towns is not bad. Now my favorite city, Barcelona. Four days for us was definitely not enough. We could go back, see and spend time in places we never saw! If you like Piccaso, the Piccaso Museum is definitely worth it. Remember that the time your planning on going can be brutally hot in Spain. Many Spaniards that can afford it head for the mountains to stay cool. But the beach is open and full in Barcelona. We split Spain in two ( north and south ). One trip to the north on vacation and the other trip to the north to visit the family in Asturias and Galicia. The next trip to Spain will be to the south. Don't forget the International Driving Permit. ENJOY!

Madrid works nicely as a base, as does Sevilla. Toledo is worth an overnight and a full day or could be done as a day trip from Madrid. I found Segovia a great day trip from Madrid and easy by train. If you stay a night in Toledo, you will not need to stay overnight the next night in Madrid, just head out to your next city the same day.

Sevilla is worth 2-3 days and Cordoba would be a great day trip to see the Mezquita. Plan a full day for Cordoba in that event.

Granada is well worth it for La Alhambra but can be hard to get to. Plan carefully with trains or buses - there are lots of buses but few trains. Don't forget to pre-book your visit to La Alhambra.

Unless you have something specific to see there, skip Valencia. You'll spend more time getting there then is worth it.

One last caveat - remeber that most Spanish trains require seat reservations even if you have a railpass. Lines are long. Plan ahead.