10 days in Spain... what to do
 

I'm asking for advice, again! The deal: 3 girls in early 20s wanting to Spain for 10 days (Flying in late Oct 29th or some time Oct 30th, no set flights yet, then flying out on Nov 9th).

We were thinking (of course) Madrid and Barcelona. Also maybe Valencia (and someone also suggested Granada, Seville, and Cordoba).

Does anyone have any suggestions on itineraries? We are flexible on flights, but I was looking into maybe flying into Madrid and out of Barcelona?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

I don`t know but the one regret I have on my Spain vacation was that I did not attend a flamenco show!

Thanks Pat! I'll remember that...

The first trip (Madrid and Barcelona) sounds just fine. Fly into Madrid for 4 nights, maybe continue to Valencia for 2 nights, continue to Barcelona for 4 nights. Trip #1 can be done easily all by train.


The other trip might work better with a car rental: Fly into Granada for 3 nights, then rent a car and head to stay in Ronda 2 nights and then toward Seville (stop off in Arco de la Frontera for a few hours). Return car in Seville. Stay in Seville 5 nights (w/ a day trip via train to Cordoba). Fly home out of Seville.

The important thing to know is that these are two separate 10-day trips. Pick one.

Bardo- thanks for the advice. Do you think that Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid should be the three cities we visit? Or should we add in one more or switch one out?

Either Madrid + BCN,
or the Andalucian trio.
Try to limit yourself to one subregion, or easily traversed between cities (such as bcn-mad).

What are you into? Likes/Dislikes? travel style?

Which cities you visit is really a personal preference.

The Madrid-Valencia-Barcelona trip works well <i>logistically</i>. They are not too far apart and have sufficient time in each city. I certainly would not add any more to it.

You could also just stay in Madrid and Barcelona and do day trips from each of them. From Madrid, Toledo and Segovia are possible day trips. From Barcelona, Andorra is an easy side trip.

I strongly suggest you get a guide book for Spain from your library and get an idea which places best match your group. Then come back and get some input on feasibility, practicality, etc. of your proposed itinerary.

I guess you have no idea of what you really want to do. As already recommended by bardo1, doing a little research will help tremendously when asking questions. There are also professionals out there who may be able to help you plan this little adventure.

I agree ...you have little time left!!!

Yes get a travel agent that may help you.
Where are you in USA?

What kinds of things do you like to do? Both Barcelona and Madrid have a lot to offer and I think adding a 3rd city, outside of day trips, might make for a rushed vacation.

Speaking for myself, I spent 10 days in Barcelona a few years ago and could have stayed another 10 and still not have done or seen everything that I wanted.

I did that trip a few years ago. Flew to Barcelona, and home from Madrid with a trip to Sevilla in between. DO NOT MISS Sevilla. It was the highlight of our trip. I traveled with 5 other friends. We saw an unbelievable flamenco show in Sevilla. We also rented a car one day while in Sevilla and went to Andulucia (the white hill towns). Definitely worth it!

I agree with kgholtz: Andalucia, and Sevilla, its Capital are a Must See! You can get to Sevilla from Madrid on AVE in 2.5 hours; or, you can fly there from Barcelona in a little over 1-hour. I wouldn't go to Valencia except for the Fallas de San José or la Tomatina in nearby Buñol.

If it weren't so late in the year, I would recommend Northern Spain and Galicia; but the weather there might be too much.

Were it me, I would probably reverse the order, visiting Barcelona first, then Madrid and Sevilla. From Madrid, I would daytrip to Segovia and Toledo.

A friend of mine(plus two girl friends) made sure that she booked a spa day ouit by the Barcelona football ground. About three the afternoon the jacussi was invaded by the team of fit young men. She complained about eye candy

It depends what you want to do in Spain. If you want to shop and party and dance all night you should go to Madrid and Barcelona. If you want to to see the "Old Spain" most of us Americans seem to look for in a first trip I highly recommend 3 nights in Madrid, 3 in Seville, 2 in Granada, 1 in Malaga and the high speed train back to Madrid. Of course you can still party and dance all night in those places too.

I would say, don't stretch your trip through too many cities. The more you have to visit, the lest time you'll have to do so. Give each one a fair amount of time. A different US State can get old quick because so many of them are very similar, but a foreign country, especially if you don't know the language, can be difficult to get around in, not to mention how fascinating it will be to discover all sorts of fun facts about the place. Depending in your likes and dislikes, get a guide that fits your particular needs.

Now, when you go, don't forget to get some local cash, trust me, you'll need euro more so than dollars when you get there.

Whichever you chose, don't forget to have fun. Good luck.

Noe