My husband and I are going to Spain (in and out of Madrid) for 8 nights in early April. Since this is our first time in Spain, we really want to make the most of it. We'd like to go to 3 places, ideally having different experiences: history of Madrid & Barcelona, small village town, Seville, etc. I have seen many different estimates on travel time by train and by car (ranging anywhere from 2 to 8 hours to Seville by train). Any suggestions on where to go and how to get there (car, train, plane, bus) in the 9 days would be greatly appreciated. We're young and energetic, so we're open to a somewhat agressive schedule.
Spain in 9 days - where to go? what to do?
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My first suggestion would be to get a little background on the areas you're planning on visiting. You can download a copy of Maribel's Guides to Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla (http://maribelsguides.com), which should answer some of your questions.
Also, depending on where you live, you can contact the nearest Tourist Office of Spain. They will be happy to send you some additional information at no charge.
Madrid and Barcelona are two good ones but we enjoyed Granada much more than Sevilla. We stayed at the AC Palacio de Santa Paula which was only about 120 euros and it was fantastic for walking around the city at night. The Alhambra was a special place to visit as well.
Tienen un viaje bueno!
We visited Spain on a tight 10-day sked in May: Madrid-Granada-Nerja-Barcelona-with 2 days in Paris tucked onto the end.
It's dooable but exhausting. I'm really into big cities, dining, clubbing and nightlife, so we spent the most time in Barcelona and Madrid. There are lots of small places (Toledo, Segovia) that are easy day trips from Madrid, and that works out well because as a city, Madrid isn't as awesome as Barcelona.
Because of your tight sked, you might want to fly between the faraway spots. Intra-Spain airfares are as cheap (and sometimes cheaper) than the train. Madrid-Seville by AVE is fine, but I'd fly from there to Barcelona.
You'll want at least 3 days in Barcelona and probably 3 in Madrid if you plan to take the day trips. Two probably isn't enough to get the full flavor of Seville but on your short sked, it makes the most sense.