qur16

Will be spending 2 weeks of july in Spain and Greece. Interests are sight seeing, history (little bit) and good food. Do not care for night life or partying ( Reason for skipping Mykonos)



For greece, I will be spending 1 days in Athens and then flying to Santorini and spending 2 more days there. Rest of time will be allocated for Spain.

Need help with must visit places in Spain ( Barcelona, Madrid, Sevielle, granada, cordoba, malaga, barcellona???) Which places are worth visiting and which ones would u skip?? Also how many days required for each place. We will be travelling by air or train. Do not have option of renting a car.

PalenQ

Do not have option of renting a car.>

Well of course fly Greece to Spain but in Spain the pain is no longer mainly on the train as it was years ago but they have a high-speed rail network that would put countries like the UK to shame. For lots of info on Spanish trains check www.renfe.com - book your own tickets online here and look for discounts if you book far in advance to get those limited in number ducats. www.seat61.com has great advice on doing just that - for general info like where to go also www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com (nice online European Planning & Rail Guide for suggested rail itineraries.

Fly to Barcelona or Madrid and home out of say Seville.

artsnletters

can't help with Spain, but how many nights do you have in Greece? Is your day in Athens your arrival day, or the day after? Are you allowing enough transportation time to get to Santorini, or is that coming out of your two days there? In general, three days in Greece doesn't seem worth the bother.

PalenQ

Only 3 days for Greece -including arrival and departure?

Hardly seems worth it - Spain could absorb those days and it has nice beaches galore too.

qur16

I just want to spend two days in Santorini its my dream to visit the island since forever. Also I'm flying from India so instead of flying directly to Madrid, I can break my journey and stop at Greece on the way.

PalenQ thank you for the links they are very helpful.

qur16

Still need help what places would you all recommend in Spain. And what places you dont really care for. RIght now my plans are all over the country. I need a realistic itenary for around 10 days in Spain

Robert2016

That's this July? Next month?

PalenQ

10 days and no special interests places you really want to go to?

"what places are worth visiting and what would you skip?

If winter I'd head south to Andalusia and Seville area - but in summer Seville BOILS - avg hi I think in July about mid-90s!

Based of multiple trips to Spain here is my (and only mine) most worthwile spending of your time if it were me:

1- Land in Barcelona
2, 3
4 - High-speed train to Seville (about 5 hrs)
5,6 Seville
7 - Day trip to Cordoba - great former mosque now cathedral and really old-worldish type manageable sized city
8- Train to Madrd
9- Madrid
10- Madrid possible easy day trip to Toledo, a historic hill city less than an hour from Madrid by bullet train.

11- Fly home

Well dat's my way I'd used only ten days - you can't go wrong with that itinerary but again you may for some reason say have to go to Granada and the awesome Alhambra - but a major detour off the straight as an arrow route I suggest. All easily done by train.

emily71

For Spain, there are so many different regions my first question would be what attracted you to Spain? The beaches-Barcelona or Malaga. The "Spanish" culture-Granada or Seville. Art museums and culture-Madrid.

kja

With an interest in history, 1 day in Athens is not much.

With about a week and a half in Spain, you will need to be very selective. Frankly, I would find the itinerary suggested to PalenQ too hectic for my tastes. Instead, I would consider 10 days in Andalusia (Granada, Sevilla, Cordoba, maybe Ronda, maybe Malaga) OR 10 days in central Spain (Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, maybe Salamanca, maybe Cuenca) OR 10 days in Catalunya (Barcelona, Girona, maybe Tarragona, maybe the Costa Brava). BUT it really depends on what you want to see and experience.

A good guidebook or two should prove invaluable. And read some trip reports and planning threads on this forum; they contain a wealth of information.

Good luck!

janisj

Are your flights booked? It sounds like they might not be since you say >>We will be travelling by air or train<<

You really haven't allowed for travel time. Is your entire trip 2 weeks/14 days? If so you will only have 11.5 days on the ground -- and 1.5 of those will be spent traveling between Athens/Santorini and Spain. So a grand total of about 10 days to play with. To have 1 day in Athens and 2 days on Santorini -- you need 5 nights (2 nights in Athens and 3 on Santorini). Then you have about 5 days for Spain -- which is enough for Barcelona - or Barcelona and a day or two in Madrid.

It will be VERY hot most places on your list.

lancer11

Fly into Madrid 3 nights Madrid with a day trip to Toledo. If you arrive early enough that will give you 1.5 days for Madrid. Train to Seville. 3 nights ( or maybe 4 ) for Seville. One day trip to Cordoba. If 4 nights one day trip someplace else. 1.5 days for Seville. train to Granada 2 nights Granada. check the Granada airport see if there is a flight to Athens if so, flight to Athens and flight to Santorini. 3 nights Santorini then flight to Athens. remaining time in Athens 2 nights and flight back to India from Athens.

kimhe

<interests are sight seeing, history (little bit) and good Food>

In July in Spain, you would want to be by the sea. I suggest medieval and modernistic Barcelona, a food paradise and tons of Things to see and do. http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/

Or Málaga city, Andalucías "city of culture with its so-called 'mile of art' being compared to Madrid, and its dynamism and fine dining to Barcelona." https://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/andalucia/malaga

Or go to San Sebeastián, the food capital of Spain and perhaps all of Europe, some of the finest city beaches on the continent and a local culture that people take great pride in: http://www.euskoguide.com/places-bas...stian-tourism/
Video intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRWCdjw1C8Q

PalenQ

my first question would be what attracted you to Spain? The beaches-Barcelona or Malaga. The "Spanish" culture-Granada or Seville. Art museums and culture-Madrid.>

All of the above except beaches which in summer are packed to gills of the fish.

qur16

No I don't care for beaches or art museums in Spain. The Spanish culture and historical sights are what attracts me. The fact that it is different from Central Europe which I have been to before, attracts me. Reading comments above I have tried to revise my itenary. Is it doable???
Day 1 arrive Barcelona
2,3 Barcelona
4 Early Train to Seville
5 Seville
6 Day trip to Cordoba
7 Train to Granada
8 Granada
9 Train to Madrid
10 Madrid
11 Fly to Athens
12 Athens
13 Fly to Santorini
14 Santorini
15 fly back via Athens

PalenQ

Yes it's doable - many I think will say too much but if you just want have aqucik look at some of Spain's most historical cities it works and trains are a great place to view upclose Spaniards and their culture. You'll be on trains a lot - check into the Spain Railpass if doing all those trains.Or book your tickets online at www.renfe.com or www.thetrainline.eu - similar fares but easier to use many here say.

janisj

Day 15 is a VERY bad idea . . . IF you mean traveling from Santorini to Athens the same day you fly home. You need to be in Athens by the evening of day 14 if you want to fly back on day 15.

PalenQ

why spend all the moolah going to Greece for a few days - half traveling - spread those days out in Spain and you'd have a sweet itinerary.

Just curious?

qur16

Option no2. IF I skip greece altogether (looks like it might get too hectic) I would have 4 additional days. Would going to some place in nearby Portugal make sense?? If not then what place in Spain do u think I'm missing that I should add to this itenary

qur16

PalenQ ALWAYS wanted to visit Santorini... dont want to visit any other place in Greece atm though I know there's alot to see there. AND im going back to India so its not spending all the moolah. Im just splitting my journey home by stopping over at Greece for a few days. Instead of flying back from Madrid to India i will be going from Madrid- Athens -India this way..... Am i making sense??? Hope so