Transportation in Spain - train vs car

First you need to recheck your flights. We almost always do open jaw tickets and I have never found it to substantial more expensive to use open jaw. And often cheaper ESPECIALLY if you add in your return transportation costs. Cars are not useful for any of the major cities. Spain has a more extensive bus system than the other European countries. It is cheap, convenient, and sometimes faster than the train. I would tend to use buses and trains and skip the car. Drop fees depend on where you are dropping the car. Sometimes it could be zero and other times substantial. However, the car does provide some flexibility so it may be more personal preference than an absolute answer of one or the other. PS - Just did a quick check of flights mid June on a Wednesday from St.Louis to Barcelona and Madrid to St. Louis. The RT fare to Madrid was 1299 on a couple of airlines. The open jaw was $1340 on Delta and $1359 on a couple of others. A difference of about $50. That is not substantial.

I will echo Frank's comments about flying open jaw. And he demonstrated that it is not more expensive. Maybe you were looking at two one- way flights? Use the Multi-City option and it should come out as Frank said. But it looks like you have ordered your sequence of cities to end in Madrid, so if you need to stay with that I will just comment on transport. From Madrid to Sevilla Nd between Madrid and Barcelona, the fast AVE train is the way to go. It travels at 180 mph and makes these distances seem very short. Buy your tickets 2-3 months in advance on Renfe and they will not be expensive (I.e., Madrid to Sevilla for 37-46 euro). From Granada to Barcelona, itis best to fly. Local airlines have good one-way prices. Note that the San Fermin festival is not really a daytrip thing,unless all you want to do is see a bullfight. The bulls run early in the morning, thepartying is at night, and in between those who do not go to the bullfight probably catch up on their sleep!

The plane tickets are bought - we did not, obviously, look for that ticket correctly...appreciate both comments though...thanks for the flying tip.
It was hard enough to get a place to stay in San Sebastián during the festival, I am guessing impossible in Pamplona...so it's a day trip. Does anyone know about shuttles or buses that travel early to and late back...we will be there on July 7th (the actual feast of San Fermin), the procession and the running of the bulls is what she wants to see (no interest in the bull fight).

I'm also worried about travel time in your itinerary, especially for a two week trip. But if open jaw isn't an option, it isn't. I just don't see how you can see Madrid (3 nights), Tarifa (2 nights), Barcelona (3 nights) plus 2 nights in San Sebastian and have any time to see Seville, Granada, Bilbao, Toledo, and Segovia. Personally, I'd drop plans for Cadiz and Tarifa because you don't have time. Even then five nights is a bare minimum for a swing south to Seville and Granada. I'd want a full day in Seville (and a half day in Cordoba), and at least two full days in Granada. Normally I plan 4 nights equals three days, with travel days on either side of those. 3 nights is two days, 2 nights is one full day, 1 night is a look around and some sleep. 14 nights isn't much to see everything you want to see.

Regarding your question, in Spain there are two options other than train and car that should be considered - buses and cheap flights. It sounds like you're going in July (since you plan to see the festival in Pamplona). Remember, Spain - especially in the south - can be REALLY hot in July, so don't book a hotel without air conditioning. You start in Madrid, you won't want or need a car in the city. Toledo is easily reached by train or bus. I'm not sure about train service to Segovia, buses are available, nice, and cheap - or you can do a one day car rental. Toledo and Segovia are in opposite directions so, if you stay three nights in Madrid - both days are a day trip elsewhere. If that's the case, why stay in Madrid? The lodging is much more expensive than Toledo or Segovia. Train to Seville (I'd suggest a half day stop in Cordoba on the way to see the amazing Mesquita). Book your AVE train tickets early to get a much better deal. After Seville, if you really want to see Tarifa - go by car or bus. If you had more time, I'd suggest seeing Jerez (primarily to tour the Bodegas), it's on the way to Cadiz. From Cadiz, you pass the best coastline, IMO, in Spain going toward Tarifa, the Costa de la Luz. A car would allow you to pick a quiet beach and stop for awhile. But, again, I really don't think you have the time to enjoy this stretch. If you drop Tarifa, you can train to Granada and save a lot of time. From Granada, I'd opt for a budget flight to Barcelona, there really isn't good train service for this leg - and it's a long trip.

After Barcelona, rent a car. It's a good idea to avoid booking a hotel in Pamplona during the festival. A room that's normally 50 euro will go for 400 euro during San Fermin. You can drive from San Sebastian and experience the 24 hour wall to wall crowds. The bulls run early (I think 8 am) so you may have to get up early to get there, get parked, and try to find a vantage point. The car will be useful for getting to Bilbao and back to Madrid, where you can turn it in prior to flying home.

Thanks so much! I think we have got some good ideas now for every leg of the trip....Though I think we are still trying to figure out how to get from Toledo to Seville, if we try to spend the night in Toledo - instead of Madrid. Yes, I am aware we are squeezing in too much - part of this is trying to reason with a teenager (trust me, we have cut out things - like Santiago de Compostela -and I have now talked her out of Andorra as well).
So we will do what we can do and there will be a bit of silent "I told you so..."

Spend the night in Toledo, rather than doing it as a day trip. You'll have a MUCH better experience. Toledo during the day is jammed shoulder-to-shoulder with mass tourism (and in the summer they're all sweating profusely). They are all doing it as a day trip. Don't make the same mistake. Here's how to do it right: take a mid-day fast train from Madrid to Toledo. Arrive Toledo mid afternoon. See all the crowds? It's uncomfortably crowded, hot and miserable, isn't it? Sure is. Find some shade and wait. Around 3 or 4 pm, watch the sea of humanity line up and board their buses, watch the buses all roll out of town, note how it is empty, pleasant, it is, and how completely unlike it was when you arrived. Enjoy the magic of this city, and have it almost all to yourself in late afternoon and into the evening. Sleep in the old center. Get up early and enjoy it in the cool, quiet morning hours. Watch the endless lines of buses bring the day-trippers, watch the crowds squeeze in to the little streets, and get ready to leave by around 10 am. Pick up the rental car (that you arranged before you left home) on the outside of the old center, then drive away. Head for Segovia, by way of Avila. Break up your drive by stopping in Avila, one of the great walled cities of Europe. Climb the ramparts for an hour or two to stretch your legs (some of the most extensive walls you'll ever see anywhere). Back in the car, continue on to Segovia. Drop the car off, and enjoy the evening, spend the night and the next morning. Jump on the fast Train to Madrid (not far - 90 minutes or less). There's how to do Toledo and Segovia (plus Avila as a bonus) in about 48 hours, starting and ending in Madrid. It's a fast pace, but by doing it this way (a "day trip turned inside out") you get the best of it. I still think you need to cut something. I'd suggest Tarifa.

Go to Autoeurope.com and rent your car here. Fiddle with pick-up and drop-off locations. You will see that if you pick up a car at an airport it usually costs more, and the drop off location usualy does not affect the price. Bring your drivers license, and your International Driver's Permit that you pick up at your local AAA office. Use Skyscanner or Whichbudget web sites to find lo-cost flights between cities. You are trying to pack too much in, and you won't have time to really "meet and greet". Tell your daughter to cut out at least two stops. We took my Cousin to Spain a couple of years ago. She had never been to the EU. We had a minimum!! of two and three nite stops. You know what she liked best about the trip? Not all the amazing sights, but the the people that she got to meet when we were just walking around the streets, or in the Tapas restaurants, etc. She still talks about them to this day. Slow down and smell the roses.

If it's any consolation, I've yet to hear from someone who doesn't think Andorra is a waste of time. A lot of people want to go to check off a "been there" box for the country, but no one ever says it's worth seeing.

Toledo to Sevilla on the train is ver easy. We did that after spedning 2 nights in toledo (which we loved). You do have to return to Madrid, but it is the same station from which the AVE to Sevilla departs. Just be sure to leave enough time, like 30 minutes) between the trains, as you cannot simply transfer from one to the other on the platform. You have to exit the track area and come back in through the boarding area to get on the Sevilla AVE.

thank you all!

Regarding train from Toledo to Sevilla. Yes, the AVE will be fastest - even though you have to go back to Madrid first. The AVE is run a little more like an airline. The platforms are secured. You clear security, it's quick, then go to the platform to catch your train. For picking up a car in Barcelona. Figure out where you are staying, then choose a pick-up location closest to there. I think we ended up with AutoEurope for this rental, but most agency websites I shopped had downtown choices for pick-up.