ranchochic

My husband and I are planning a trip to Spain and would like to rent a car, We can either fly in to Madrid or Barcelona and drive south and visit some of the cities and towns - Sevilla, Granada and Cordoba - . We are planning on staying 20 days and would like to spend some time in Barcelona and Madrid - are we stretching it too far?, Thank you for your input and suggestion.

Graziella5b

Personally , I feel there is so much to see in Spain, that I prefer to visit them on separate trips. When going to Madrid I like to included nearby cities and regions and vice versa. However if you feel this will be your only trip to Spain maybe you can include both.

Doh

I don't think it's unreasonable to try and visit Madrid, Andalusia and Barcelona in 20 days. Of course some people would be happy spending that time in 1 or 2 places but it's up to you.

I just wanted to mention the high speed train from Madrid to Seville, because one possibility might be to take the train to Seville and use a rental car around Andalusia. From Barcelona to Seville, I'd probably fly over either the car or the train.

CathyM

Many people try to squeeze this all into 2 weeks which I think is too quick. With 20 days you will have enough to adequately visit the highlights of Madrid, Barcelona & Andalucia in my opinion. I would suggest only renting a car for portions of the trip - otherwise it will sit idle in the larger cities. I'd definately fly open jaw (into one city and return from another). If Malaga is a potential gateway city you could fly into Barcelona and return home from Malaga (or vice-versa). Rail connections are excellent between Barcelona & Madrid, and Madrid and several points south (Cordoba, Sevilla, & Malaga).

Quick suggestions on the minimum I'd start with for planning this itinerary:

-Madrid - 4-5 nights, daytrips to Toledo & Segovia
-Barcelona - 5 nights; several potential daytrips depending on interests (Montserrat, Girona, Tarragona, etc...)

***Andalucia (I'd budget 10 days in Andalucia)
-Sevilla 4 nights (more if you want to use as a base for several potential daytrips - Cordoba, Jerez, Cadiz, Sanlucar)
-Granada 2 nights
- 4 other nights - all depending on your interests. Malaga is a great city often overlooked by people in a hurry to get to the Costa del Sol resorts. Cordoba is a great place to spend a couple of nights (but can also be done as a daytrip from Sevilla). The white villages are great to explore. Then there are some places off the main beaten path - Ubeda, Priego, Antequera, Osuna, sherry triange, etc...

I'm assuming this trip is not during the months of June-August where it can be extremely hot in Andalucia. If so, I may reconsider this part.

Of course, if you cut out one of these areas and focused on two it would give you a more in depth experience (as Graziella 5b suggests). But if this is potentially you're only trip to Spain 20 days is not too rushed for covering this geography - you'll get a good feel for each area (enough for you to want to return someday).

Aduchamp1

As noted, three weeks is sufficient time to see all three areas. You do not want a car while in Barcelona, Madrid, or Sevilla. If you rent at all it would be to see some of the other towns in the south, but I would first consider the buses and trains.

WomBatt

ranchochic,
Just to reinforce - a rental car is a waste of expenditure, additional expenditure and a burden when visiting the cities in your original wish list.

ira

Hi R,

>We are planning on staying 20 days and would like to spend some time in Barcelona and Madrid ....<

Sounds good to me. Fly into one, rent a car, travel through Spain, drop car in the other.

I've had good experiences with www.kemwel.com.

Egbert

I just want to say that you should follow Cathy and Aduchamps advice. Many people want to "do" this trip in a week or 10 days. With 20 days you can have a really good time. (I would go to San Sebastian instead of Barcelona but most people would disagree with me). You do not need a car in Spain. The only place I would rent a car is if you drive Seville to Malaga and want to stop in Ronda and visit one of the "white villages" like Grazalema or Zahara. Otherwise high speed train is great, slow trains really good, buses are bearable and you can fly really cheaply within the country on Vueling or Ryanair. Too much long boring drives through a very big country, I'd rather get to where the action is and have fun.

ekscrunchy

I would agree with the above posters who counseled not to have a rental car in Madrid or Barcelona. Cathy and Adu have given you good advice. The only place you might choose to rent a car would be Andalucia, if you decided to venture to a few of the "white villages." Or, if you choose to detour to Extremadura on your way from Madrid to Andalucia.



Ira's suggestion makes little sense, as the drive between Madrid and Barcelona, and the drive from either to Andalucia, is long and not particularly interesting and the train connections are so good. Don't think Ira has even been to Spain so.......


To avoid backtracking, I would investigate a departure from Andalucia to your home city. For example, several months ago I did an open jaw to Madrid, took the train from there to Granada, and flew back to the US from Granada.

Keep in mind, too, the ease and rapidity of the new train route from Madrid to Valencia.
I visited Valencia several months ago on a trip that combined that city with Barcelona; we flew into Valencia and home from Barcelona. You can read my trip report for more information on that beautiful and much underrated city.