No, sorry. It's via Madrid.

Thanks all.

Have 3 guidebooks as a start and have been playing around with schedules.

Barcelona days will likely increase (and I anticipate it will be a future landing point for a northern Spain and Madrid trip one day, so not including Madrid and surrounds this time)

Looks like Seville to Granada (train or bus), Granada to Ubeda (by bus), Ubeda to Cordoba then fast train Cordoba to Barcelona - this routing offers 2.5 hour- 5 hour travel times, without awkward changes.

I may be able to add a few days and may stop in Zaragoza after Barcelona - a different region,
interesting history and architecture, good daytrips.

DH will review my thoughts and decide….Spain or NZ ….

Much better! Personally, I think deferring Madrid and thereabouts for another trip makes sense. And if you think you might visit northern Spain one day, you might consider waiting to visit Zaragoza. There's MORE than enough to keep you busy with what you've chosen so far, and if you want to add something, you could add more of Catalunya or more of Andalusia -- each has a lot to offer. If you really want to add something, maybe Valencia?

I visited Zaragoza on a day trip from Madrid….could have stayed longer. It is in Aragon,
half way between Barcelona and Madrid
Valencia is a lovely city on the sea , very different than Barcelona.
Spain is such a diverse country, so many choices.

Ade, I just checked our vaunted Reference Library's holdings for a 'Baedekers Barcelona'.
Some of their Baedekers date from the 1870s (Syria/Palestine & Northern Germany).
But apparently Baedekers last published a Barcelona edition back in 1992.
I am done. the boox

Agree. Many choices, ….too many!

Valencia is very enticing. Las Fallas looks like a busy festival in March, and I wonder if visiting about 10 days prior might mean a lot of construction. I was in Montreux in June and the jazz festival prep made parts of it unwalkable.

Update to plans- husband chose New Zealand as our next holiday.

But thank you all for your helpful input, Spain will be on the agenda, just another time.

Thanks for letting us know!
Enjoy NZ. :)

@zebec ... nah, I wouldn't use "barna", it's only used by ridiculously posh people (and posh wannabes). The majority of us locals refer to the city as "Barcelona", and sometimes, in written form, you might also see BCN. Note also that it's pronounced "bar-sah-loh-nah", no "z" sounds here please as we don't have this sound in Catalan -the local language. Also, for reasons related to Catalan pronunciation in our area, we pronounce the "e" in Barcelona as if it were an "a". Stick to the pronunciation I mentioned and you'll see the appreciation from true Barcelonans.

And for those not knowing, please do NOT refer to the city as "Barça", as this is ONLY the nickname of the main football team: FC Barcelona :)) Not "Barca" either... that means "small boat" in Catalan, but it certainly does not refer to the modern name of the city of Barcelona.

We Catalans aren't obsessed with "shortening names" as many Anglos do. In fact, a typical misconception by many visitors when visiting Barcelona, especially from English-speaking countries, is to refer to Sagrada Família as "sagrada". That baffles many locals, as "sagrada" means nothing, it only translates as "sacred", and we have several sites in the city with this name: sacred this, sacred that.... My advice is always to write/refer to the complete names, as written, no shortening. This will achieve two objectives: (1) locals will know what the heck you are referring to, and (2) you'll be able to find the information you seek when searching online.

Gracie Enric: We don't want to come across as posh or even posh-ish!
Bahr-sa-LOW-nah. Got it.
God's Sense of Humor: Air Canada is threatening a strike.
(shakes head)
I am done. the perfect storm