Where to go in Spain

That's a mean stretch with not much of interest unless you zig-zag a llittle. Assuming you have no interest in Madrid and will have a car: Make the first stop Zaragoza which is darn near world-class but everybody seems to skip - - three hours from Barcelona. Make the next stop Cuenca, which is also sorely neglected - - four hour drive. Ciudad Real is another neat spot that everybody misses - - less than a four hour drive. Seville is another four hours away, so you have time to stop for a couple of hours in Cordova enroute. If you haven't used up your days yet, go ahead and spend the night.

Thank u very much I will look into those places. Would u know is Granada worth a visit or should I by pass it?

The Alhambra is worth however long it takes to see it. It's worth it just to walk on the floor that Coumbus did when he was begging Izzy for money. There's nothing really remarkable about the city. The alcazar in Seville is much better.

I am not as negative on Granada as Ed but the Alhambra is worth most of a day. If you into Spanish history and the defeat of the Moors then it is very significant. It was the last Moorish castle to fall. The Cathedral where Frederick and Eliz are entombed is worth a visit. The Albayzin area and San Nicolas church is interesting. If close I would not miss it. The Alhambra requires advance reservation as it is one of the most popular tourist site in all of Spain especially among the locals.

kathlin - do you mean that you are planning to drive from Barcelona to Sevilla? If so, why? I'm guessing from your posts that you have not been to Spain before. Unless you have a good reason to do this by car, I don't think that makes any sense. If what you're really saying is "I have four days to get from Barcelona to Sevilla, what's interesting in between?" then I think almost anyone would agree that 1) go by train - it makes so much more sense in every way, and 2) go from Barcelona to Madrid. Spend a couple days there, perhaps with side trips (Toledo, maybe Segovia), then continue on to Sevilla by train (consider a half-day stop in Cordoba, it's on the train line between Madrid and Sevilla). Hope that makes sense.

Hi there,
what i mean is that I am meeting two people in different cities one at the end of my trip in spain and one at the beginning. So i have had to work my trip around that. First i am meeting someone in barcelona, and the end of my trip i am meeting someone in madrid. so My plan is to go from Barcelona and take the train down to seville and work my way up to madrid stopping in cordoba and toledo. However, i have four days between leaving barcelona and arriving in seville and I dont know what to with them. I do not have a car, i am planning on the train. I am wondering if there is anywhere along the coast that is worth a visit. Valencia maybe?? This is my first time in Spain. Thanks

David makes good sense!!! take the trains....Madrid is certainly worth a visit, with the side trips he mentioned...and you will not be looking for parking, etc.

OK, a couple things. First, if you go by train from Barcelona to Sevilla, I believe most trains would go through Madrid. For most folks, I think the most interesting parts of Spain are the area around Madrid, and around Andalucia (south/southwest of Madrid - this includes Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba and others), along with Barcelona. You don't mention anything about where you are entering Spain, or where you're departing from - hopefully you are going open jaws, flying in to Barcelona and returning from Madrid? If not, you might consider changing your flights to avoid having to back track to Barcelona and losing the time spent doing that. OK, back to your routing. Madrid is in the middle of your plan, so it doesn't really make a lot of sense to me to go Barcelona to Seville to Madrid (you would really be going Barcelona to Madrid to Sevilla and then back to Madrid). That's not the end of the world, but you do not have any time to waste. What I think you're saying is that you have 4 days, and you'll be starting in Barcelona and ending in Madrid. So you really have about 3 1/2 days to actually spend. Honestly, to me that sounds like you should skip Sevilla entirely, and simply head straight to Madrid. You could do a quick day trip to Toledo, Cordoba or Segovia (or MAYBE a very fast blitz to Granada) but with just 3 days, you don't have time to get to do multiple cities. BTW, Toledo is not really "on the way" to anyplace. You take the train from Madrid to Toledo, then you'll be going back to Madrid to connect to pretty much anyplace else. Cordoba is on the way to Sevilla, but I don't think you have time to go there. If it were me, I would just go to Madrid and use that as my base for quick side trips to Cordoba, Toledo and Segovia (each in a different direction). Do Sevilla & Granada on another trip. Hope that helps a bit.

In response to your specific question, Valencia isn't worth the trouble unless you really like aquariums. Nothing wrong with it if you happen to be there, it just hasn't quite gotten its act together in the last twenty years or so - - give it time to resort itself out. My previous idea won't work at all, I had the idea you were driving and trying to find a way to make the enroute trip worthwhile. Do what you said. Train Barcelona to Seville, just grit your teeth and do it, blasting through Madrid like it doesn't exist except as a train stop. Stop for a few hours at Cordoba on the way back. Go to Toledo for the day if you have time. Segovia, Avila, etc, are too far away for what they have to offer in the time you have available.