I'd like to choose three bases in various regions of Spain in which to stay and go on day trips. Any recommendations?

Spain is HUGE and includes regions that vary tremendously from one another. With three bases -- ANY three bases -- you would see some wonderful things, but only a small portion of Spain. And with no idea of your interests or when you would go or for how long, I don't think any of us can provide a useful response.

I think you would do well to consult a good guidebook or two.

As above, plus when? Winter in Madrid can be cold. Summer in Cadiz can be hot.

I can think of several bases to cover different regions of Spain
Madrid for Castile/central Spain
Barcelona for Catalonia
Sevilla for Andalusia
Bilbao for the Basque Country, Navarre, Rioja and Cantabria
Santiago de Compostela for Galicia

And there's also Malaga, Murcia, Cadiz and Valencia. You're going to have to narrow it down for us to get any meaningful answers.

Basic info:
https://www.spain.info/en/

I appreciate your prompt response Kia despite its somewhat unnecessarily condescending tone. I am an experienced traveller and spend a lot of time accessing guide books and websites, even when I am not planning a trip. Your assumption that I need to be told to do this is suggesting that I am a green and lazy traveller. Of course I realise that Spain is a big country which is why I don't intend to "do it all" or embark on a whistle stop tour. I plan to visit a few different regions, exploring from a base town in each. My interests include architecture, food, music, scenery and meeting locals to try out my basic Spanish. However, I am more interested in what experiences come my way than following a predetermined focus and expectations. The only thing is I'm going to choose regions with different characteristics to each other. I'm not asking for things to see and do, events to attend or specific places to visit in each region. I just hoped that some friendly Fodors members like Revulgo might suggest a couple of possible base cities in a few regions considering geographical location, access to transport, and commenting on personal preferences etc. I can make my own plans of course but a few ideas from Fodorites who have travelled recently to Spain or may even live there would be welcome. You are correct that the time of my visit will influence these plans and I should have mentioned that so excuse my oversight. It will probably be in September/October.

Thank you

Thank you very much Revulgo. This is exactly the type of reply I was hoping for. I mentioned you in my reply to Kia.

No need to be so rude to kja. Her answer was realistic considering that you gave absolutely no hint of your interests, time of year, or the fact that you're an experienced traveller. People can give more useful answers if they know those things rather than spending time giving a lot of information that doesn't come close to what you're looking for. She was just trying to point you in a helpful direction.

@ SusanP: Thank you.
@ travelbroadcaster: Good luck.

Not knowing where you are coming from, hence no clues on airports etc I'd start with 2.

Madrid is wonderful and in the autumn will be cooler
Seville/Cordoba is my next obvious base with opportunity to visit Málaga and Grenada

Barcelona, is just too busy now. I prefer Girona to the north as a base and you might like to cross into France as well.

Then there are a whole bunch of pilgrimage walks. Very experiential and worth doing. The hostels still exist or you could do one the whole "supported" way which misses the point but hey, why not.

While I can note a slight stiffness in your response so far we fodirites find that teasing out the who, why, when, what, how etc from a questioner is really useful. We often find they /or we have made assumptions about a country or visitor which in discussion is resolved. I still remember trying to help a guy visit Italy, who slowly admitted that he was travelling with 20 family members many of whom would require medical support. He started with, I'm coming to Italy, where should I go. Laughable but it took time, patience and grace.

I will respond to kja SusanP.

Kja it appears that my post to you came across as rude. I am not a rude person and didn't mean to be but i felt a need to assert myself as I reacted sensitively to your comments and felt unfairly judged. This is the problem with communicating in the written rather than spoken form as it is often harder to tell what the writer means or feels. I don't want this to drag on so I apologise if I misunderstood your intentions and hope to see you on Fodors again.

@ travelbroadcaster: I appreciate your apology.

Btw kja is a pretty good egg 🥚 and offers great advice freely.

@ bilboburgler: Blushingly noting that the same (or better) is true of you!

Thank you bilboburgler for your input and explanations. I understand the possible frustrations that can arise in forums. You have reinforced this respectfully and I thank you for taking the time to do so and to offer some comments and suggestions.

;-)

No worries

With the extra information that you've given, I'd suggest avoiding the Costas. One holiday beach is much like another. I's suggest Galicia, Barcelona and Madrid as there is quite a diversity between the north coast of Spain, Catalonia and the capital.