There is much to see in both Madrid and Barcelona.
Your first day in Spain will be in Madrid. There is more to the city than museums …from the beautiful park Retiro, to elegant buildings, leafy streets and upscale shops just north of the park, to the huge bullring .
Barcelona is more compact, with unique architecture and obligatory visit to Sagrada Familia .
As a frequent visitor to the country, I am not sure what to say..
Perhaps , think about what interests you the most and the “ endurance” 🙂 factor ( including 85 F temps)
Madrid..possible jet-lag and new environment…
Barcelona…possible fatigue from zip/ zagging the country.
Good luck…sorry, cannot decide myself 😳
btw, if you can arrange to see Alhambra the first day..one night might do it.

have we covered religious festivals and dates in Seville? Just be careful.

Granada, for me was just the Alhambra and wanted to stay as long as possible with no crowds in the afternoon. So choose your time slot carefully. The actual construction technique showed the builders were slap dash and at the end of their budget so shadows are, in many ways more beautiful than clear brick and plaster photo shots. Remember once Granada fell the Queen sent her army of second sons, bastards and violent men to ... find America. Anything but keep these guys around her new kingdom.

Madrid often has evening out door shows you might want to go to, if not and you have had enough of great world museums I'd focus mainly on Seville and Barcelona. If in doubt Seville and Cordoba is the best.

Just MHO, but you kind of asked

You will not have religious festivals (Holy Week falls this year in March) or the April fair to contend with in Seville, of course, in MAY.

Evening outdoor shows in Madrid in May? In July and August there are evening musical events during the annual Veranos de la Villa summer festival and Las Noches del Botánico. In Madrid there may be evening events during the Fiesta de San Isidro, in and around May 15.

I wouldn't cut back to 3 nights in Madrid since it will be your arrival city and you'll need to account for jet lag plaguing you on your first day. But I also wouldn't cut back in Barcelona with so very much to see.

I would fly from Granada to Barcelona rather than endure a 7+ to 9+ hour train ride with obligatory train change in Madrid. It´s just the most efficient use of your time. The Granada airport is tiny so no need to arrive 2 hours in advance for an internal flight.

Maribel..having now changed our plans to mid Sept 11-25 2 weeks.As far as the flight from Granada to Barcelona,how far in advance to book and what airline would that be?

Hi downtown,
As to the Granada to Barcelona flight, the further in advance you book an internal flight, *usually* the better the fare but check Vueling, which will be the carrier. It's the low cost airline of IAG and is a code share with Iberia.
The cheapest basic airfare for September right now is 69 euros for the 9:30 am flight. But I always choose the "optimum" fare, which includes one carry on bag and one checked bag plus seat selection. That fare right now for a dummy booking September 11 is 114 euros. That doesn't include priority boarding or fast track, but the Granada airport is tiny, so certainly you don't need that.

Thank you Maribel..I'm sure Ill be back to you with other questions is if you don't mind. Appreciate it

Revised to 9/19-10/3..13 nights
Originally thought May would work but since it cant we are going to give it a go for the above dates for 13 nights.

3 Nights Madrid- train to Seville
4 Nights Seville/w day trip-train to Granada
2 Nights Granada-flight to Barcelona
4 Nights Barcelona
Any thoughts on this draft with visit highlights to be filled in?
Your thoughts appreciated. Thanks

Don

3 nights in Madrid is short, just coming off a transcontinental flight with jet lag (but not so much from Newark as from the West Coast!), so I wouldn't attempt any day trips.
Just use your 2 full days for Madrid sightseeing, maybe taking an afternoon train to Seville, to have the 3rd morning free in Madrid to see a bit more of the city.
And stay in a very convenient, walkable district, such as the Barrio de las Letras, especially if you want to visit any of the museums of the Art Triangle, the Royal Palace, Retiro Park. From here you can walk to most of your sightseeing.
2 nights, Granada, making sure you secure your Alhambra tickets well in advance. They're already on sale for September at www.alhambra-patronato.es
Fly to Barcelona for a 4-night stay. Again, here I would stay in the Eixample district for safety, less density of tourist traffic, and to be surrounded by beautiful Moderniste architecture and nice places to dine.

Maribel.Thanks for these suggestions especially the areas in Madrid and Barcelona. Have you any suggestions for neighborhoods in Seville and Granada?

You mean hopefully 4 nights in Seville with a day trip to Cordova. I do like Andalusia and enjoyed driving around but it seems you do not have the time for Rhonda, the white towns etc. I think you latest itinerary is sensible and you are getting excellent advice.

Hi Don,
Yes, I do have suggestions for neighborhoods in Sevilla and Granada.

In Sevilla
I like the neighborhood of EL ARENAL because it's not so tourist-soaked, souvenir shop-filled as the Barrio de Santa Cruz now, where there are more tourist beds than there are local residents.
EL ARENAL is an easy walk from the Cathedral and Alcázar and is filled with lively tapas bars, and it´s. also closer to the river for a stroll over to Triana across the Puente Isabel II bridge. See the most recent additional posts to lrice's lovely TR here with photos of the places I love in Sevilla.
Another good and more local area would be around the Plaza de la Encarnación where you'll find Las Setas, the largest wooden structure in the world, where visitors go at night to climb around and view the light show.

In Granada
With just 2 nights, I would just stay in the center, close to the Cathedral/Royal Chapel or the Plaza Bib-Rambla rather than in the former Arab quarter of the Albaicín, where you would have steep hills to climb; ditto to staying on the Alhambra hill itself.
In the Granada center, at night, you can enjoy the lively tapas scene (a complimentary tapa is given for each round of drinks) and watch the locals at play and if time allows, perhaps visit one of the dripping-with-gold Baroque churches, such as the Real Monasterio de San Jerónimo or San Juan de Dios.
Or,,, the lower Realejo is a charming and authentic quarter, but you only have 2 nights so I would stay very central.

Just a note: The hotels directly on the Carrera del Darro are in the direct line of fire of the Segway, red mini bus, tourist train and pedestrian route, so that street that runs along the river gets very crowded.

For your visit to the Alhambra you can of course take a quick taxi ride directly to the Justice gate (with tickets/passports in hand) or take the red minibus 30 from the Plaza de Isabel la Católica to the Alhambra Entrance Pavilion.
The red minibus 31 will take you from the busy Plaza Nueva up to the Albaicín (if you don't want to climb) and will stop below the famous lookout point, the Mirador de San Nicolás, where visitors go to view the Alhambra at sunset. Carmen de Aben Humeya, a 3-min. walk away from this viewpoint, is a lovely spot to dine and enjoy these views.

The Alhambra in September offers night views of the Nasrid Palace but they don't start until 10 pm and end at 11:30.

Thank MJ

Maribel,thank you for these awesome suggestions..The neighborhood suggestions I know will be super helpful
I know you said fly to Barcelona from Granada it is helpful that the airport in Granada is small and am trying to convince my wife to fly and not take a train.
But in case, can you offer any insights on what a train ride from Granada entails? I mean we dont mind relaxing on a train for 6-7 hours as long as there maybe some scenery to take in. I'd rather fly so your insights on this of course would be helpful..
Updated thoughts here:3 nights Madrid
4 nights Seville
2 nights Granada
4 nights Barcelona
We will be flying into Madrid and out of Barcelona
So far on the sights we have:
Madrid: Tuk Tuk tour for site and city overview ,Royal Palace,Prado,Retiro park and a Sunday bull fight
Seville: Alcazar,Plaza de Espana,Cathedral,Giralda,Santa Cruz District,Triana district,Bull fight if not seen in Madrid (will be in Seville on a M-Th,not sure there will be a fight ) Flamenco show and possible day trip to Cordoba
Granada: Alhambra,Alhambra museum,the caves..Maybe need to flesh this out a little

not sure if we are flying or taking the long train ride to Barcelona if its scenic?
Barcelona:Maybe a Tuk Tuk welcome tour,Sagrada,Park Guell,La rambla,Picasso Museum.

Again, I would fly but...
Granada to Barcelona Renfe train: The morning train leaves at 6:45 am!!. The afternoon train departs at 3:35 pm. The morning ride takes 7 hrs. 25 min. with an hour 5 min. layover at Madrid's Atocha station. The afternoon train takes 6 hrs. 19 min. but doesn't arrive at Sants station until 9:54 pm. No layover in Madrid. The train skirts the city to the south.
But if you book a Premium ticket for a larger seat, 2-1 seat configuration in the "preferente" car and a meal served at your seat, the Premium fare today is 151.70 euros/p.

The train ride from Granada to Madrid will be scenic in parts, passing through La Mancha, Don Quijote country, you may see a windmill or two or a castle on a hill. The ride from Madrid to Barcelona is somewhat scenic going through Aragón, and when coming into Barcelona you may see a tiny bit of the coast. I don't remember off hand, as it's been a while.

More later.

Maribel
Idea I wanted to run by you.Would it make any sense to skip 2 overnights in Granada and do it as a guided Viator 12 hour day trip to Granada and fly Seville to Barcelona?..I would be able to allocate at least 4 nights in Madrid as opposed to 3 and and 4- 5 nights in Seville or 4-5 nights in Barcelona for a total of 13 nights?
Maybe not for most people but I am going to the Maestranza in Seville for a fight as the San Miguel fair will be on. Also are you aware of any holidays or festivals in the Seville, Granada,Barcelona or Madrid in the time frame of the last 2 weeks in Sept to the first 2 weeks of Oct?..Aside from your neighborhood suggestions have you any experience or and chatter about a hotel group named Petite Palace? Muchas gracias Maribel!

Don

Just note that Viator does not run tours. They’re simply a middleman, a reseller of other companies’ tours. Viator has no buses, tour guides, etc. I imagine the actual company offering the day tour to the Alhambra would be Pancho Tours or Naturanda. I never recommend a day tour from Sevilla to Granada as it means sitting on a bus for 6 total hours r. t. with a rather rushed visit through the Alhambra and little time to see other parts of this beautiful city. Just my personal feeling.

I do have experience with the Petit Palace group. I would stay away from the ones closest to the Puerta del Sol-Callao-Gran Vía axes as it’s busy, busy , busy like NYC’ Broadway/Times Square, unless you prefer to be smack dab in the middle of the street action.
The top tier hotels of the Petit Palace group are the Icon properties. There are very many of this group all over the city. The Petit Palace Lealtad Plaza has a lovely location near Retiro Park.
This hotel group is popular with families on a budget since they offer quad rooms.


National holiday— October 12, a Saturday.

Maribel..Thanks
I know trying to do Granada as a day trip would definitely be squeezing it..Just put it out there for your consideration and opinion
I figured doing this would (A) Give us more time (4 nights instead of 3) in Madrid to relax slightly and see a few sights
and (B) give us more time and not have to jump to another town/hotel/train for 2 nights and stay in Seville longer (5 nights instead of 4)

So much to consider! I know this is a personal decision but dont you think whether I stay for 2 nights Granada (basically 1 1/2 days) and a 9:30 am flight as opposed to an entire day trip would leave us a bit more time and not as much shuffling around in Seville? Really need your thoughts on this.

Hope to book our flights soon and get right to ticket booking for Alcazar,Alhambra (if staying in Granada not as a tour day trip) Maestranza San Miguel Fair.
I guess I would also have to book timed tix for Sagrada?
I also have to dig deeper into you neighborhood suggestions.. I know your suggestions on areas to stay are to be considered and followed..Thank you

Don

Don,
I understand the three reasons why you were considering the day trip from Sevilla to Granada, and since these day tours do exist, people do take them just for those reasons, kind of "to get it out of the way the easy way" so as not to have to change hotels. It really is a personal decision. I've been to the Alhambra multiple times and can go back whenever I want, so I don't want to sway you one way or the other. I just wanted you to consider that it will be six hours of sitting on a tour bus, but again, it's your personal decision.

If you do indeed decide to make this long day trip to Granada from Sevilla, I would book directly with the actual provider, Naturanda. Again Viator is simply a reseller. They are not a guided tour company.

For Barcelona, yes you will need to prebook the Sagrada Familia. Other extremely popular sites that need advance booking in September (if you plan to see them): Parc Güell (timed ticket required), La Pedrera (Casa Milà), Casa Battló, Picasso Museum, and if you would like to take a tour of the Moderniste masterpiece, the Palau de la Música, the English tours do sell out. Or... you could enjoy visiting this concert hall by attending an evening performance.
See the September schedule here.

Maribel,

Thank you for your time and your timely response. Your guidance has been and will be the foundation of this trip.You can understand that I am trying to get comfortable with the logistics and bookings. I am not looking for a perfect trip, just a memorable taking in important sites and leaving casual time to "soak it in". I hope you realize It is people like yourself and the others who respond here with boots on the ground and multiple visits to the countries in question that help make memories that last a lifetime for people. For this I am extremely grateful. I am sure I will have some other finer details to iron out that I will need your assistance with. Thanks Maribel

What a very nice, kind, reflective, thoughtful post, Don. Thank YOU!