Hola! I'm thinking of taking my 60 something parents and myself(30-something female) to Spain next March for 2 weeks. I'm trying to par down my cities since I know Spain is a large country. I'm the traveler who want to stay in the same city for a few days to get to know it. I want to visit Madrid and see the Alhambra and perhaps Seville or Salamanca. My mom wants to visit Barcelona instead of Madrid. So we are at a bit of an impasse. I took Spanish in high school and college so while not fluent, I can understand the basics.

If we visit Madrid and then travel south to see the Alhambra, what other city would you recommend we visit? We will most likely be taking public transit.

Having trouble finding recommended apartments to stay in Madrid for less then a week. I've looked at Spain Select but most of their rentals are for a month or more.

I took Latin American Spanish, and notice that Spain have a different accent and pronunciation. Did anyone find it difficult to be understood using American Spanish?!

Gracias a todos. I've visited the UK and France many times but this is the first time I'll get to use my Spanish. Looking forward to seeing all the sites my Spanish teachers raved about such as Granada and the Prado-Las Meninas is one of my favorites.

You will find different accents throughout Spain - and a lot of Catalan spoken in Barcelona in that direction. I wouldn't worry about accent - even most basic spanish puts you far ahed of most tourists.

In 2 weeks you're going to have to make some hard choices.

I find Andalusia by far the most interesting part of Spain and would definitely include Seveille, Cordoba and Granada. If the compromise is Barcelona rather than Madrid I wouldn;t let it worry you. Madrid is IMHO one of the less interesting parts of Spain (primarily a modern high-rise city) and I would think Barcelona and Andalusia makes perfect sense for a 2 week trip.

we stayed in Barcelona, then flew to Granada, then flew to Madrid and exited the country.It really depends on want you want to see-another trip we found Valencia wonderful-smaller and less touristy and has the festa in March with fireworks, costumes etc.
Love the architecture of Barcelona, the galleries of Madrid and the Alhambra and the Albacin in Granada.
Not sure what you mean by American Spanish-probably South American which doesn't have the lisp!! lots around Barcelona don't use that anyway and Catalan is still spoken in some places.I am sure you will be understood using basic Spanish in any accent.
Seville and Cordoba I hear are wonderful but as you say it's good to spend at least a few days in a place.So you need to make decisions!

My personal favorites were Toledo and Seville. I was on a tour several years ago and the short day we were in Toledo was not enough. If possible, I would have spent the night.

Also, my tour went first to Madrid with a daytrip out to Franco's memorial (I can't remember the name of the other site close by where the kings/queens are buried).

After the tour we added 3 days in Madrid. Way too long! In a couple of days you can visit the palace and the major museums. What is difficult is that the city (and probably all others) close down from noon or so to approx. 2-3. My travel partner didn't want to go out from our hotel (ridiculous) so I spent some time during these extra days sitting in a cafe. All stores, etc., were closed!

Looking back: a bit of Madrid, Toledo, Seville. Granada was only interesting for the Alhambra.

If I were you, I spend perhaps 3 days in Madrid (bearing in mind that the museums are the highlights) and just move on as you can.

You will not have trouble with your Spanish, just stay away from Latino idioms. In the South they clip the end of the some words but around Madrid you will not have problem at all.

Although they speak Catalan in Barcelona, most take great pride in the fact they also speak excellent Castilan.

Madrid has world class museums and is the perfect hub for visting the towns around it.

You should research what you want to do. Personally, I found Southern Spain the most interesting part of Spain. Seville, Granada, Cordoba and Ronda where all great. I liked walking about the old part of Granada a lot and thought that it was super interesting.

Thought Barcelona was better than Madrid fwiw.

Emily71
We just returned from 11 days in Spain: 4 days in Madrid and 6 days in Barcelona. One day trip to Toledo from Madrid. The high speed train from Madrid to Barcelona worked well. We liked museums, art, shopping, sights, churches, palaces, neighborhoods, markets - so those amount of days were perfect for us. Minimized packing and re-packing and traveling too much.

Have fun
Gohedwig

You should fly into Madrid and out of Barcelona. I would skip Barcelona but if your Mom is intent than you should spend 3 nights in Madrid with a daytrip to Toledo. Then at least 3 nights in Seville with a daytrip to Cordoba. Then at least one night, preferably two in Granada. I would skip Barcelona in order to spend more time in Andalucia to visit places like Cadiz, Jerez, Arcos, Ronda or Malaga. However after Granada you could fly to Barcelona to finish your trip. This is the part I don't like as I find all the traveling around such a big country combined with the long flight from the U.S. (?) to be awful. Spain is a relaxing wonderful place to visit, especially Andalucia.

Honestly, if you're the type of traveler that likes to get to know a city I'd skip Barcelona for this trip. You specifically mention Madrid, Salamanca, Sevilla and Granada. If you are going to do a trip to Toledo (which I recommend at least as a daytrip, if not an overnight) then I'd budget 3 nights for Madrid (2 for Madrid, 1 for Toledo). You may even want to add another night in order to visit Segovia (another great place). I'd budget at least 2 days each for Granada & Salamanca and 3 for Sevilla. With these recommended minimums you've got 10 full days and only 4 left - not including the fact that 1-2 may be travel days arriving and departing from Spain. I'd rather use the additional 2-4 days to add a day for Segovia (overnight or daytrip from Madrid), Cordoba (overnight or daytrip from Sevilla). I'd also add time between Sevilla and Granada to see the white villages (Ronda, etc....).

Will you be using public transportation or renting a car?

Also, Semana Santa (Holy Week) starts March 28. If your trip coincides with this time I'd definately want to skip Barcelona and focus on Andalucia. But you'll need to reserve hotels, particularly in Sevilla, very soon and prices are at a premium during this time.

We arrived in Seville on Easter Sunday in mid-March 2 years ago (our son was doing a semester in Seville)and would highly recommend this for a 3 day visit. Great walking city, largest Gothic Catedral and the very interesting Giralda tower built by the Moors. It was warm (70's) while Madrid had drifting snow when we flew in! Hotel Amadeus in the oldest section,with winding alleyways, near the Catedral, was max quaint & perfect:http://www.hotelamadeussevilla.com/ Outdoor bars/tapas. No bullfights in March (no problem for me!)

"You should fly into Madrid and out of Barcelona. '

good suggestion!
or vice versa
Barcelona is smaller and easier to navigate.. I would not skip it
Stay 4 days in Barcelona ( get over the jet-lag), fly to Granada for 2 days, take a bus or train for Seville ( 2-3) days, AVE to Madrid for 4 days , including one or two side trips depending on your interest ( or lack of it) in museums.

Thanks for all the replies-looks like I've got some more research to do. First the idea of Madrid and Andulusia sounds the best. We probably will rely on public transit since none of us agreat with directions.

I've heard Granada can be seen in a day. Sounds like Madrid and Seville should be the two main cities to stay. Also, are there any smaller town that we can get to by bus or train that would be culturally interesting? A day trip from Madrid to Toledo is a must- can we buy cheap return tickets like England or will we have to book in advance?

There are many trains and buses that run between Toledo and Madrid.

You can visit all the cities you've mentioned (in addition to the additional side trips I posted) using public transportation. However, I'd definately save Barcelona for another trip if you're relying on public transport. I'd book my train tickets in advance for Madrid to Toledo as they can sell out. If you're traveling during Semana Santa I'd definately book in advance particularly on the Ave between Madrid and Sevilla. I think you're heading in the right direction to do a bit more research.

The Fallas festival in Valencia will be in full swing from about the 12th of March til the ending evening of the 19th. Two days should be sufficient to get a good feel for it. Take the train from Barcleona to Valencia.

www.fallas.com