familyfun

We are a family of 7 traveling to Spain at the end of March. We have nine days including our arrival and departure days. Our group includes 3 teenage sons and my active senior parents. We fly into Barcelona at 2:30pm on a Saturday and will be staying at a centrally located hotel. I had planned on taking the 22:30 trenhotel to Seville for 2 nights. I liked this option because we would not lose any of the day hours commuting (I also don't want to fly). The last leg will be the Ave back to Madrid.

Here are some of my questions/concerns: What is the best use of our time on Monday in Barcelona when many of the museums are closed?
Would it be a huge hassle to take luggage to the lockers in Cordoba and take a day tour of Mezquita on our way up to Madrid from Sevilla? How would we get from the train station to the site and are the lockers secure?
So as it stands we have 3 1/2
days in Barcelona, 2 days in Sevilla and 2 full days in Madrid before leaving the next day at noon.
Any thoughts about taking one of the Barcelona days and moving them to Sevilla or Madrid to allow for a trip to Toledo?
I realize this is not the most relaxed pace to enjoy the country....but there is so many wonderful things to see and do!!! There is still time to scrap Seville and just use the time around Madrid.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

yorkshire

My Spanish travels have been limited to Andalucia, but I would definitely limit the trip to Barcelona and Madrid. Those who have been to those cities will certainly be able to expand on my reply with more concrete reasons.

When the museums are closed: just walk around enjoying the city.

MECindylou

I think it would be easy to make a stop in Cordoba to see the Mezquita. We stayed there one night, but you could easily take a fairly early train from Seville to Cordoba, stash your stuff in a locker, and spend a few hours (or longer if you have time) seeing the Mesquita which is unique and atmospheric. On our way from Madrid to Salamanca by bus, we stopped in Avila for a few hours or so, and had no problems using the bus station locker. Well, other than me almost forgetting to retrieve my travelpack from the locker before getting on the bus to Salamanca - oops!

We walked from the Cordoba train station to the Mezquita (about 20 minutes or so, if I remember correctly), but because the really nice part of town is around the Mezquita, and because you'll have limited time, take taxis. Try not to arrive too close to closing time, to allow yourselves enough time and also just in case it closes earlier than the posted hours (as it did on the day we visited).

I guess I wouldn't try to fit in Toledo unless you skip Seville and Cordoba, and limit your stays to Madrid and Barcelona. If you did that, you could do the day trip to Toledo, and maybe another one to Segovia.

But I can certainly see why you'd like to get a taste of Andalucia. If you do go to Seville, try to do the stop in Cordoba, so you can experience a smaller town.

Have fun!

familyfun

Thanks for the suggestions!

Sassafrass

Tough choices, but I think with such a short time, I would do just Barcelona and Madrid and do two day trips from Madrid: Toledo and Segovia.

yk

familyfun-

1) Seems like a long way to go to the South just to see Seville. Are you really dying to go there? I'd skip it and spend more time in Madrid (w/day trips to Toledo & Segovia) and Barcelona. If you're set on going to the South, I'd recommend you go to Granada instead of Seville, just my IMO. You can fly ClickAir or Vueling from Barcelona to Granada.

2) For Barcelona, I really don't think of it as a "museum" city. There are plenty of sights which are not museums and are open on Mondays:
La Sagrada Familia
English guided tours at Palau Musica Catalana (advance booking recommended)
Casa Mila
Casa Batlló
Parc Guell

That's more than enough to fill up one day.

3) If you do decide to go to Seville and stop in Cordoba on your way from Seville-Madrid on the AVE, YES, there are luggage lockers in Cordoba but at the bus station across the street. See my thread for more detailed information:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35107792

I think the Mezquita is worth visiting, but that'll take another 1/2 day off either Seville or Madrid.

4) When you say you have "3 1/2
days in Barcelona, 2 days in Sevilla and 2 full days in Madrid" did you add in the time it takes to travel on the AVE? And the time it takes to get to your hotel & check-in?

5) I have never taken the trenhotel - have you read reviews about how comfortable they are and can people really sleep on the train? I understand your point about saving travel time by doing the night train, but there are people who cannot sleep well on trains and you'll end up "wasting" the next day in Seville because everyone is tired.

familyfun

Thanks. You offer some very valuable insights. I would love to see Granada, but have read the town offers less to experience for a 2 night stay. It also lacks the Ave connection and therefore requires more time in travel. I will look for a thread on the trenhotel comfort factor.
Your point regarding time wasted at check in/check out is a valid one. It always takes longer than you imagine it will.

MECindylou

I agree with yk that the overnight train can result in potential tiredness the next day. I also had the thought that Granada might be a better choice, but so many people love Seville that I didn't want to make that judgement. Also, it's so easy to add Cordoba to Seville, and you can see Moorish architecture in Seville at the Alcazar.

But I don't think 2 nights in Granada would be too many, by any means. You can easily spend a full day at the Alhambra, and then use the other half or full day wandering around the Albaycin, seeing the royal chapel, etc.

Sassafrass

I absolutely love Granada and would choose it over Seville any time. However, you really can't go wrong. Any of these places are so worth seeing, you will have a wonderful time. That being said, the cathedral in Toledo is one of the great ones in the world, and IMHO one of the must sees near Madrid. Segovia is such a lovely smaller town, it is also worth a day trip. You could still do just two bases: Barcelona and Madrid, save so much moving around, and see just as many things: two cities, one medieval town and one smaller town; with a big variety of museums, palaces, castles, and churches/cathedrals.

Please do let us know what you decide and how it goes afterwards. I am looking forward to hearing your reaction seeing to Spain.