Debbie

Hi all -
Thinking about taking my first trip to Spain this October.
Would be traveling with a newcomer to European travel ( I have done Ireland & England at least) , so we are thinking of doing just one town for 5 or 6 days.

Which town would you choose? what is best about each one? I saw the tread about not liking Barcelona, but I know each place has good & bad points.

Would either place hold our interest for all 5/6 days? Which has the best options for day trips? ( get car or use train? )

thanks for any help you can give me -
Debbie

kenderina

For 5 o 6 days in any of the two cities you have time to do one or two day trips. For day trips in Seville you will find the car makes it easier while in Barcelona you can do most of them by bus or train.
They are very different, I love both them But maybe for a newcomer I will choose Seville and you can do a day trip to Cordoba or even an overnight one to Granada and see the Alhambra.

cambe

In October I would opt for Seville as it will be warm but not overpowering as in the summer months. Barcelona might be warm but it could also be wet as the climate there is less predictable at that time of year. 5 days in Seville itself is IMO too much but you could go to Granada, Cordoba Cadiz and see all the sights of Andalucia with fewer crowds and in a very temperate climate.

fastnbulbous

I went to Spain last October (hmm, it appears I was loving Barcelona at the same time the other person wasn't) and as for temperatures, Madrid and its surroundings were cool, Andalucia was pretty warm and Barcelona was hot! And I come from Atlanta, a place that has its share of searing climate! I'd think it would have been somewhere around 90 degrees (please forgive my Centigrade ignorance).

I'll refrain from giving my thoughts as to preferences, because they're only my thoughts and yours may be different...but I think people are giving Barcelona a pretty hard time...

Myer

In 6 days I would do both.

Check Iberia for very inexpensive flight between the two.

Both were my favorites when we there last year.

Make sure you see the Alcazar and Casa Pilatos (both main floor and upstair - 2 tickets) in Seville.

RobinBinNYC

Like others who have weighed in, I love both cities, but I think if I were you I'd opt for Seville, one of my favorite cities. It just feels more like the Spain you'd want to see on a first trip, complete with flamenco and Moorish tiles and architecture. I was there 5 days, including a day trip to Cordoba (I wish I had a bit more time there). Granada was also wonderful. Barcelona is also a great city, but seems a bit more modern, more 19th - 20th century, with the wonderful architecture and Gaudi structures. You wouldn't go wrong either way.

susanteach

Seville for sure. I think 2 days would be sufficient there, 3 tops. I'd take a train to see Granada and Cordoba. Also, check for a possible trip to Gibraltar.

mamc

I suggest Seville. It is more manageable and, as noted above, would allow you to take a day trip to Cordoba. I think you could also visit Granada by bus for the day - long enough to see the Alhambra, one of the most amazing sights in Europe. I love Seville.

artlover

I LOVE both, but I think what you would love depends on if you like begger/ buzzling cities or smaller, more intimate romantic towns. Barcelona is more exciting with more to do and is a great place to see Gaudi architecture, Seville is smaller, more romantic, and is a great place to see flamenco. Or, as suggested, if you get a flight between the 2, you could do both.

Carta_Pisana

I've been to both. Sevilla at the end of March and Barcelona at the end of October. It rained a fair amount while in Barcelona. My vote is for Sevilla - you could do day trips via the train to Cordoba and Jerez.

Debbie

Thanks for all the replies.

I think we will be concentrating on Seville. More "old" Spain than new.

Ok now - best day trips? or should we move around?

We will have 6 nights, but I don't want to move around too much - spending too much of our time in transit/ checking into different hotels, getting our bearings.

thanks in advance =
Debbie

kenderina

If I were you, I would be 4 days in Seville (you can do a day trip to Cordoba) and 2 days in Granada. Maybe you can do Granada in just one day, but I don't know how are you arriving to Spain and later on to Andalucia.

Debbie

Right now - REALLY ROUGH DRAFT would have us
fly into Seville on Sunday -
all day Monday Seville
Tuesday AM - train to Granada
Wednesday all day - Granada
Thursday mid- morning/afternoon - Train back to Seville
Friday - day train trip to Cordoba (only 90 min by train) overnight in Seville.
EARLY Sat - Fly home out of Seville.

options are - if we want more time in Seville - we could catch the early train out of Granada to get back into Seville by about noon

m_kingdom2

See my recent trip report on Seville.

I much prefer it to Barcelona.

kenderina

I like your schedule very much. Another option is on Tuesday take a PM train to Granada (around 2 o 3 PM) and stay the full morning in Seville instead of taking the early morning train on Thursday.

Myer

I think you've got too much time in Granada and not enough in Seville.

I would leave for Granada early, spend the rest of the day walking around. The next morning for the Alhambra and late afternoon back to Seville.

Keep the extra day for Seville.