LindainFL

Hi,

My friend and I both in our late 30's will be traveling to Spain 4/10. We would like to visit some of the museums, love architecture, people watching, good food etc. We both speak Spanish as well. It looks like we'll have about two weeks for this trip and in that period we will be taking a 9 day cruise on NCL to the Canary Islands and Morocoo (departs from Barcelona)

We'd like feedback on an itinerary and if we are trying to pack to much at once. Here is what we are thinking:

Day 1 - Fly to Madrid
Day 2 - Arrive Madrid, check into hotel and maybe do a tour
Day 3 - Madrid - take AVE to Seville
Day 4- Seville
Day 5-Cordoba
Day 6-Take the AVE to Barcelona
Day 7- Barcelona
Day 8 - 16 Cruise aboard NCL Jade
Day 16 Disembark cruise and check into a hotel for the night
Day 17 Fly Home

Is this itinerary too aggresive? We don't want to need a vacation after our vacation but we do want to try and see as much as we can. We are in the early planning stages so haven't really pin pointed all we want to see in each city. Your recomedations are welcome on what not to miss. We know that we would love to do Seville and Cordoba - on the cruise we will be going to Malaga and visiting the Alhambra.

Please help us plan a memorable trip .

Thanks,
Linda

greg

Of course the itinerary is aggressive.

I can offer some rationalization to remove apparent (since I don't know where you are staying) backtracking.

Is Madrid a destination or just an airport? If it is just an airport, one way to rationalize your plan is to fly into Sevilla and do Cordoba as a day trip. Fly Sevilla to Barcelona.

If Madrid is a destination, either do as you mentioned, but still do Cordoba as a day trip from Sevilla and do Sevilla to Barcelona by plane. Another way is to fly into Sevilla, do Cordoba as a day trip, AVE to Madrid, then AVE to Barcelona.

ribeirasacra

I feel you will never get to see or feel Seville in less than 24 hours. You also equally leaving little time for BCN.
In Madrid you maybe jet lagged so the tour maybe off too.

Aduchamp1

I just checked and there is no direct AVE from the south of Spain to Barcelona. Did I did read this correctly?

You can go from the south to Madrid then to Barcelona but what is the point?

Vttraveler

with the amount of time you have and assuming you are set on flying into Madrid, I would concentrate on Madrid and Barcelona. You could also fit in Toledo, Sevilla and Cordoba seems far too ambitious and best left for another trip

Sassafrass

You have two weeks for this trip. Nine days of it are on a cruise, which sounds great. However, that only leaves five days for Spain, which is very short. A good part of one day will be spent getting from one place to another, so I would limit it to two places - Max. Were it me, I might just do Barcelona with some day trips, so I had maximum sight seeing with minimum travel.

If you do begin in Madrid, I would stick with Madrid and visit either Toledo or Segovia from Madrid, then on to Barcelona. Toledo or Segovia would give you a taste of a small, Medieval city in Spain.

I hate to say it, but I would not visit Seville this time, or I would go straight there and skip Madrid altogether. Whichever I did, I would definitely skip Cordoba this time.

screen_name_taken

If you are flying into Madrid, why not just stay and do day trips to Segovia and Toledo, as well as more time for Madrid itself. You could then easily take AVE to Barcelona and on to your cruise.

In another thread, someone is asking for what to do around Barcelona because it feels too USA to them. If that's the case (I've never been to Barcelona) I would much rather see the richness of the old world that towns around Madrid have to offer. If it were me, I'd save Andalucia for my next Spain adventure.

screen_name_taken

Sorry - hit "submit" too quickly.

I suggest you make your hotel reservations (wherever you choose to stay) fairly quickly ... like yesterday!

I am also going in April, I arrive the 20th, and some hotels were already booked last week. Good luck, and have a wonderful trip.

Sassafrass

I do not think Barcelona is very USA like. You have the wonderful Gaudi architecture that makes Barcelona just so unique. Besides, it looks like you will have only two days there, barely enough time to see a few major sights (don't miss Parc Guell - the beginning of Gaudi's planned community and Sagrada Familia), and eat some wonderful food.

yk

Oh my goodness. You're basically compressing what I did last year in 12 days, into 8 days. And I thought my itinerary was rushed... I'm in my 30s and I'm used to having action-packed trips, but yours is just too much...

gatorbill

I did a 2-week trip of Madrid, Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba, and Toledo. I flew in and out of Madrid and spent 4 days there with day trips to El Escorial, Avila, and Segovia. I flew from Madrid to Sevilla and then spent a couple of days in Sevilla and then drove from there to Granada, Cordoba, Toledo and then back to Madrid. Staying at each of these locations 1 to 2 days each.

Sevilla and Cordoba are a long ways off from both Madrid and Barcelona. If you're flying into Madrid then I'd agree with screen_name_taken and recommend that you spend a few days there and do the nearby day trips of El Escorial, Avila, Segovia, and Toledo before heading out to Barcelona to go on your cruise. Andalusia is beautiful, but I think you will enjoy it much more if you can spend a decent amount of time there.

danon

"In another thread, someone is asking for what to do around Barcelona because it feels too USA to them."


surely they jest!

LindainFL

I'm liking the suggestion of flying into Madrid and exploring it for a few days, doing a couple day trips there then taking the AVE to Barcelona.

I love all the suggestions, please keep them coming.

Madrid is a destination for us and we definately want to spend some time there.

How long does the AVE take from Madrid to Barcelona?

Thanks,
Linda

kcfromcanada

I'm going to play devil's advocate here. You basically have Days 2-8 in Spain, plus the day after the cruise. Typically, cruises embark in the afternoon and disembark in the early morning, so you will have some partial days in Barcelona.

Certainly staying in Madrid and doing day trips to Segovia and/or Toledo, then taking the AVE to Barcelona, may be the best option. BUT if you really want the "commando" approach (and if your cruise will be relatively relaxing), you could consider this:

Day 2- arrive in Madrid," maybe do a tour" (sleep in Madrid)
Day 3- spend the day in Madrid (sleep in Madrid)
Day 4 - morning AVE train to Cordoba, spend 4-6 hours in Cordoba, afternoon train to Seville (sleep in Seville)
Day 5 - spend the day in Seville (sleep Seville)
Day 6 - day in Seville, evening flight to Barcelona (sleep Barcelona)
Day 7 - day in Barcelona (sleep Barcelona)
Day 8 - morning in Barcelona, afternoon embarkation for cruise
Day 9-16 - cruise
Day 16 - disembark in morning, have most of the day in Barcelona (sleep Barcelona)
Day 17 - flight home

This gives you some time in Madrid, a few hours in Cordoba without backtracking, a couple of days in Seville, and time in Barcelona before and after your cruise. It's crazy, but doable.

On the other hand, I've done a Mediterranean cruise that had us begging for mercy at the end (great cruise but just so many great ports-of-call!) and if that's the case, you'd be well-advised to take it easier on your land portion.

lincasanova

I like the last itinerary and think it is doable, although not by many people's way of preferring to travel. But it certainly will give you a feel of the diverisity of Spain.

Secure your domestic flight first, then go for the rest.

ribeirasacra

That is better, each to there own regards seeing a lot in a few days--- I personally prefer to stay in one place.

ref "In another thread, someone is asking for what to do around Barcelona because it feels too USA to them."

That is what I mean if you do not take time to absorb thinks how can you get a feel of a place....I wonder what part of the US it is like then?

LindainFL

Hi,

I like the itinerary that kcfromcanada suggested. I want to take advantage of every moment but don't want to be too too rushed.

We are so excited about this trip .

Thank you for the great suggestions.

kja

Hi, LindainFL -

> I want to take advantage of every moment but don't want to be too too rushed.

For comparison, I spent 4 very busy days in Madrid, with only one 1/2 day side trip. (I visited Toledo, Segovia, and other nearby visits on other days with overnight stays.) I spent 2 very busy days in Cordoba. I spent 2 very busy days in Sevilla, and that was definitely not enough for me. I haven't visited Barcelona yet.

It depends on what you want to see and experience, but even kcfromcanada's itinerary would have been FAR too rushed for me! With the time you've got, I would think you might want to consider trying to visit EITHER Madrid and nearby locations OR Barcelona and nearby locations, or - if you must - a bit of both.

Hope that helps!

amsdon

I agree Kcfrom canada 's plan sounds good for your situation wanting to go "commando"
We stayed a week in Madrid & were not bored, but in your case it sounds like this may be a good compromise.

lincasanova

If you take the tourist bus in Madrid, then a carriage ride in Sevilla as soon as you get there, you will have gotten a good "overview" of the cities.

Bar hop at the "cuevas" under the Plaza Mayor in Madrid.
Get hot chocolate and churros at some point.

Get discounted train tickets (hopefully) online at www.renfe.es . If no "webfare" is available you may want to just order them on the phone from them, picking them up at any station or ticket office when you arrive.

Book tickets at "La Casa de la Memoria" in Sevilla.
Get lost in el barrio de Sta. Cruz.

Visiting the museums "Artes Decorativas" can give you a good idea of handicrafts/ handmade skills almost lost with the modern lifestyle.

Enjoy your trip.