My husband and I (early 50s)are going to Spain on Oct. 29. Our itinerary right now is: Barcelona 4 days (side trips to Montserrat, maybe Sitges, Tarragona), Toledo 1 day, Cuenca 1 day, Madrid 31/2 days. <BR> <BR>A friend thinks we should make time for Seville, maybe skip Barcelona altogether. I've read lots of postings from people who think Seville is fabulous. <BR> <BR>How similar is Southern Spain to Sicily? <BR> <BR>What do you think? Should we change our plans?

Roman ruins, warm weather and friendly people may be the only thing Sicily and Seville have in common. <BR> <BR>Although Southern Spain is a favorite of mine, I think your itinerary is fine. I would strongly suggest leaving Southern Spain for a trip on his own. To rush the other places to fit in Seville won't do any justice to neither. Have the best time!!

Rosanne, It is Bacelona that does not fit this itinerary---too far. You should <BR>maximize Andalusia and save Barcelona for another trip---it fits well with a <BR>south of France itinerary. I would skip <BR>both Madrid and Barcelona and do Seville <BR>Ronda, and Granada--and Toledo of course <BR> <BR>

I agree... Madrid and Barcelona do not need that much time! (Unless you really love big cities)... the beauty of Spain (my opinion) lies in the smaller towns in Andalusia in the south or the Basque region in the north. <BR> <BR>It all depends on where you are flying in/out of. <BR> <BR>But I say yes to Sevilla/Granada/Cordoba.. <BR>also Santander, San Sebastian ... <BR> <BR>also, just for the record, Santiago de Compostela was one of my favorite places in Spain (but it's way up in the NW corner) <BR> <BR>But if you do end up in Barcelona, the trip to Montserrat is worth it. Although, if you have ever been Zion Nat'l Park Utah or similar you might think it pales in comparison (I did, but didn't regret going by any means).

Several years ago a friend and I went to Spain for a similar amount of time, with an itinerary of: Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Madrid, Toledo, going everywhere by train, no more than 2 days in any place. Although we were both quite disappointed by Barcelona as a city, it has several individual sites so rewarding (if you are into art and architecture) that I say keep it in your plans. (I'm thinking of the Picasso Museum and every building by Gaudi you can get to, particularly the Sagrada Familia, and the Cathedral in the old city.) Seville and Granada are so worthwhile I strongly suggest you make room for them, particularly the Alhambra in Granada-definitely a site you couldn't see in Sicily! We also loved Toledo, but seeing it meant that all we saw of Madrid was the main park (for lunch) and the Prado. It was the right choice, but I'd love to have seen more of Madrid. And even though we had very little time in each location we felt like we got the opportunity to do them justice (except Madrid) and whet our appetites to go back! One final note-I can't remember but I think we may have had to incorporate at least one night train to accomplish this feat, which might not be your cup of tea.

Thanks to all of you for your feedback. It's been very helpful. We think that you are all right; it's too much to try to do the North and the South in a short time. We've decided to concentrate on the North this time with more time allocated to small towns, and visit the South next year. I really want to see the Gaudi buildings! So we've changed our itinerary to include Barcelona, Basque country,and Santiago de Compostela. <BR> <BR>Thanks again. Que les vayan bien! <BR> <BR> <BR>

Roseanne, Agree with Amy. Santiago is quite a sight. Read up on the St. James Way (Camino de Santiago). There is so much history on that area. I also loved Leon and Salamanca, just in case you have the chance to stop over. <BR>

Maira, <BR> <BR>Thanks for the feedback. I spoke to two students from Barcelona last night. They both highly recommended Salamanca, too. We're going to try to get there. Thanks.