21 Days in Spain
 

Hello to all,

We just learned that my husband must go to Madrid for business in early April for about a week and I will meet him there towards the end of his work week so we can then take some time and see Spain (we spent a week in Barcelona a few years ago). As April is a slower time for us, we will have up to three weeks to travel through Spain.

We have always wanted to see Seville, Granada, Cordoba and Cadiz but we would also like to see the Northern part of Spain as well. Would it be possible to get a taste of the North and also see the above southern cities in three weeks? If so, which town in the North should we travel to and base ourselves out of? As well, would we have enough time to cross into Portugal and see either Porto or Lisbon for a few days? We will be renting a car in Madrid and returning it there when we leave for home.

Thank you.

It really depends on what you want to see and do, but IMO, a rough estimate of the time for Andalusia would be about 11 or 12 days -- maybe 4 days for Sevilla, 3 for Granada, 2 for Cordoba, and 2 or 3 for whatever else in that area intrigues you. Northern Spain is immense, so of course you can see some of it, but you can't see all of it. With 3 weeks, I, personally, wouldn't try to make it to Portugal -- I'd wait until you can give Lisbon and Porto and other places in Portugal closer to 2 weeks. JMO. And BTW, you haven't mentioned the areas around Madrid, which can easily take another week (not counting your time in Madrid) -- Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca, Cuenca, etc.

BTW, a car would not necessarily be an advantage in and around Madrid or in Andalusia, and for much of that area, it would be an incumbrance instead. High speed rail and even buses are comfortable and convenient in most of the country (and those parts in particular). And depending on what you want to see / experience, a car might not be much use in northern Spain, either.

Spain is enormous and is filled with an amazing array of very diverse areas. Please get, or consult, some good guidebooks before you finalize your plans.

I haven't written about my time in central or southern Spain, but you might find some useful information about northern Spain in this trip report:
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...lunya-1047395/

Hope that helps!

I just got back from Spain (you can find my recently posted trip report on this board) and I would say that, yes, with 3 weeks, you can see a lot of Andalusia while still working in some northern Spain.

We had 15 nights, and spent 7 (total) in Madrid and 8 in Andalusia. We had a car for 3 days. There are places where a car is useful, but it will be a burden when you are actually in Seville and Granada, as you will simply have to find a place to park it (and probably pay an exorbitant rate). It may be that a 3 week lease agreement (as opposed to an ordinary rental) will make it worthwhile to pay for parking, but keep that in mind. If I go back to Spain, I would like to spend more time visiting rural areas and smaller towns that work for car travel.

Easter is April 21, so the week leading up to that will be Semana Santa, which is a big deal in Andalusia. Some people would build their trip around being in Andalusia for that, while others would run away from the crowds (I'd probably be in the former camp rather than the latter, but if you feel that way, you need to start making plans now, I would think). kja is probably right in suggesting that adding Portugal to the mix will probably spread you undesirably thin.

It's perfectly possible to visit a few places in Andalucia, a few places in Portugal and a few others in Galicia, Navarra or Basque country.
Such a trip could look like this:
Madrid - train - Cordoba - train - Malaga - bus - Granada - train - Ronda - bus - Cadiz - train - Sevilla - bus - Faro - bus or train - Lisboa - train - Coimbra - bus or train - Porto - bus or train - Vigo - bus or train Santiago de Compostela - other cities in Northwestern Spain - Trenotel - Madrid.

It's also possible do spend 3 weeks in the Southern half of the Iberina Peninsula, may be like this:
Madrid - train - Linares - bus - Ubeda - bus Baeza (both Unesco world heritage cities) - bus - Jaen (historic city) - bus - Granada - train - Ronda (trips to Cueva de Pileta and pueblos blancos) - bus - Cadiz - train - Jerez - train - Sevilla - train Cordoba - bus - Merida - train - Badajoz - train - Elvas - bus - Evora - train or bus - Lisboa - bus - Batalha etc. - bus Coimbra - overnight train - Madrid;
short cut: Merida - Caceres - Salamanca - Avila - Madrid.

Even though I have not been to northern Spain, I tend to agree with kja and twk that trying to include Portugal in this trip will spread you too thin. What are your interests? How fast do you like to travel? Do you plan on spending any time in Madrid? In September 2017 we spent 15 nights in Spain, and that included Madrid, Toledo, Cordoba, Granada, Malaga, and Seville. In April 2018 we spent 5 nights in Lisbon. We saw a lot of Lisbon (but not everything) and spent a day in Sintra. I would not have wanted to spend less than 5 nights for Lisbon and Sintra. For me, trying to include Portugal in your trip would be too much.

Have you made your airline reservations yet? If not, I suggest an open-jaw ticket (multi-city). You could fly into Madrid and home from Seville, for example. Or if you do try to squeeze in Portugal, you could fly into Madrid and home from Lisbon. Just a thought. This would save you time backtracking.

Want quality rather than quantity? Do not move around so much and pick an area you choose what you want to see. Your likes and dislikes will be more important than some random jottings scribbled on this forum, usually by someone you you will not meet otherwise.
Once you have your ideas then we can fill in the holes or suggest minor tweaks to your itinerary.
If you take a Spanish car into Portugal you will have to pay some of the toll roads in advance. More on that if you choose to go.

I think the only way for you to know is to start sketching it out. Determine how long YOU would want to spend in Andalucia (I would think at least 9 nights if you need a ball park to get started). Northern Spain is big--which part did you have in mind?
You could stick south and then cut across Portugal and up to Lisbon, but to avoid a drop off fee, you would have to do some logistics--the hassles can be overcome.

By looking at trip reports and other people's planning threads you can get a sense of how many nights for each place. For example just this thread alone people seem to be suggesting 8-10 nights between Seville, Cordoba and Granada. Personally I had 8 nights for those three and it was fine but I certainly would not have been bored if I'd had another couple. On a separate trip I spent a couple nights in Rhonda which you could easily include with the others, in which case more like 10 nights would be good. If there are other towns that sound interesting in that region you'd add more. That's how I plan how long in an area.

It might be rushed for some people, but not for others to perhaps do the three weeks in the south, then pick two other areas for 5 or 6 days each. Example Segovia, Toledo, etc. near Madrid. And 4-6 days or so in Lisbon and around. But clearly trying to include all of Spain and Portugal in three weeks would not be what most people would enjoy.

I agree with the suggestions to sit down with some guide books and see what looks interesting, then try to plot it out with a map and a calendar.

My photos of Spain are here (that's I how choose where I want to go). https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/f855477163

This is the car trip we did in 1985: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjp5co3q It might give you some ideas.

Hi to all,

Thank you for your advice and all of the information. You have allowed us to focus on what we want to see and now we have a better idea of where we want to travel. I think we will forget the northern part this time around and concentrate on southern Spain.

Isabel, your pictures are wonderful and so are yours, Michael. Thank you both very much. A picture really is worth a thousand words.

I have another question. I have read quite a bit about Malaga. Is it worth spending a few days there?

Thank you all again.

I think you are going to be spending a lot of butt time in the car if you try to see all those places in one three-week period. You may find that you are rushing from one place to the next, barely scratching the surface of each destination before heading to the next. It wouldn't be my preference, but to each his own.

About ten years ago, we visited Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca, and La Alberca in the Sierra Francia - and took a very short day jaunt into Portugal, just crossed over the border and visited a couple small villages. That was our first trip to Spain - traveled for about three weeks, and there was plenty to see and do.

Our second trip was also for three weeks, and with a car rented in Madrid, we visited Leon, Santiago de Compostela, and made a road trip over the second two weeks - north on back roads through Galicia to A Coruna and south along the coast through the incredibly beautiful Rias Baixas seaside villages to Vigo. Dropped the car in Vigo and flew back to Madrid. Again, plenty to see and do.

We are planning our third trip to Spain - for spring 2019 - and we have a month. This trip we plan to be in Seville for Semana Santa (with day trips to Cordoba, Cadiz and Gibralter) - then with a rental car we will travel to Malaga, Ronda, Granada, Ubeda, Alarcon, and Valencia. Drop off the car when we get to Valencia and head by train to Barcelona for the final week. I am anticipating a full schedule, and wishing we had even more time.

We spent 2 nights in Malaga in September 2017, and we loved it. I think Malaga is an under-rated city. The city center is beautiful, with lovely architecture and marble pedestrian walkways. In addition to beach time, there is lots of sites to see as well. We visited the cathedral, walked up and through the Alcazaba with lots of greenery, flowers, small patios and fountains and had gorgeous views of the mediterranean along the way. Also walked to the top of the castle ruins. Visited the Picasso Museum, walked along the promenade by by the port, and had drinks at a cafe overlooking the harbor while watching the sun set. There is also a wonderful indoor market. If you want some coastal ambiance, Malaga is a great place.

Hi There:I spent 17 days in late March of this year. Here is my itinerary. For me, this is a leisurely pace. I did all by public transportation, travelling in the evening. I would not dream of getting a car ��.


Seville: 8 nights. Day trips to Carmona and Cadiz Cordoba : 2 nights

Ubeda: 2 nights. Day trip to Baeza

Granada: 4 nights

If I were to change anything, I would stay in Jaen for 3 nights and rather than Ubeda and I would take a night from Granada.

Regards Ger

Me again:

I spent 17 days in September/October circling Madrid, again using public transportation.

Here is my itinerary.



Bilboa: 3 nights

Vitoria: Day trip on the way to Burgos

Burgos: 2 nights

Leon: 2 nights, with day trip to Asturia

Valladolid : 1 night

Salamanca : 4 nights

Segovia : Day trip to Avila on the way to Salamanca

Segovia: 2 nights

Toledo: 2 nights



What I would do differently?: Add another week!



Regards Ger