mmodrich

So I've managed to put together a rough draft of our itinerary for this May. Just a little bit about ourselves, it will be myself and my husband and our four year old son and two year old daughter. We want a mix of beaches, history and food. Please give me your thoughts on if we are spending too much time in certain places, or if you have recommendations. We plan on doing a couple of trips from Barcelona, but haven't figured that part out yet. Also we don't have much interest in spending too much time in Madrid since I've already been. Thank you!

May 13 - Depart Raleigh
May 14 - Arrive in Barcelona
May 15 - Barcelona
May 16 - Barcelona
May 17 - Barcelona
May 18 - Barcelona
May 19 - Barcelona
May 20 - Barcelona
May 21 - Barcelona
May 22 - Depart Barcelona via airplane to Granada
May 23 - Granada
May 24 - Granada
May 25 - Granada
May 26 - Granada
May 27 - Depart Granada via bus to Malaga
May 28 - Malaga
May 29 - Malaga
May 30 - Malaga
May 31 - Depart Malaga via train to Seville
June 1 - Seville
June 2 - Seville
June 3 - Depart Sevilla via train to Madrid
June 4 - Madrid
June 5 - Depart Madrid for Raleigh

iberiantraveler

8 nights in Barcelona? 5 in Granada? If this is your first time in Spain, I would cut Barcelona back to 5 nights and do only two in Granada, three at the most. I would also add a few more nights in Madrid so that you can enjoy Spain's capital city. It has a lot to offer.

iberiantraveler

I know you mentioned that you've been to Madrid before, but what about the rest of the family?

mmodrich

The reason for the 8 nights I was thinking so my kids could get adjusted to the time change and get settled in. Do you think that is too much still? 5 in Granada because we have family friends there that we want to visit, but maybe we can cut that to 4. Would you suggest adding another city if we cut back on Barcelona? If we were traveling by ourselves we would definitely be going to a lot more cities, but I am trying to pace it with the kids a little.

kja

Unless you have a very specific reason for doing so, I would cut the time in Granada to about 3 nights and shift those nights to Sevilla. I personally would probably also shift a few nights from Barcelona to spend 2 nights in Cordoba, even though many people just visit Cordoba as a day trip from Sevilla..

mmodrich

kja - would it be best to go Granada to Cordoba to Seville to Madrid or Granada to Seville to Cordoba to Madrid?

kja

Sorry, mmodrich, I don't know the answer to that, nor am I sure there is an answer that is right for everyone. I would check the train schedules to see which route fits my interests the best, and I would keep in mind that some (not all) places one might want to visit in Spain are closed on Mondays. Good luck!

BTW, you can probably squeak by with just 2 nights in Granada if that frees up time for other high priorities.

flipflops123

Having been to all those places myself i would spend less time in Barcelona and more time in Granada or seville. Just the alhambra itself in Granada can take a whole day if you like to move slow. And as for seville its an amazing city with a great small town feel charm.

danon

I love Barcelona...number of day trips one can do ( Girona , Sitges, Tarragona. Zaragoza etc ..
plus the city itself has a ton to see ( I have visited seven times)

perhaps, less time in Granada and more in Seville.
We all have different preferences and interest.

mmodrich

I am liking everyone's suggestions. I agree danon - it seems like if we get tired with the big city we can venture out for some day trips. I like the idea of making Barcelona our home base. I am looking into two less nights in Granada now and adding time in Seville.

iberiantraveler

Since you have friends you want to spend time with in Granada, I would keep those days like they are and cut a couple of days from Barcelona. The children adept quicker than most older adults do, so that isn't such a major issue. Traveling from Raleigh, you should find the that the jet lag will not have that much effect on your bodies after a good nights rest.