tomseeley

Here's another of those msgs I hate: how do YOU think I should spend MY time? How would YOU know what I like, anyway! Well I'll ask anyway...

I've worked out a 19-day trip to Spain that includes 2 full days in Barcelona plus a day for a day trip around Barcelona; 2 day trips from Sevilla to white towns and Jerez plus 1-1/2 days in Sevilla itself; 1-1/2 days in Cordoba; 1-1/2 days in Granada; 2 full days in Madrid plus 2 days for day trips from Madrid; and we could tack on 1 or 2 more full days anywhere along that itinerary. The fractional days above are days we'd be taking a train from A to B, and in each case we'd have about a half day in "B", as noted above.

So what d'ya think? If we added a day or two, where best could we spend it? I'm thinking maybe adding Cadiz after Jerez and before Granada, for one of them, and maybe more time in Granada so we could see the Alhambra during the day and again during evening hours. What else do you all suggest we consider?

Robert2533

Two full days in Barcelona! Wonderful! Is that at the beginning or the end of this 19-day adventure. Without seeing your complete itinerary, your mention of only two days in Barcelona tells me that your are trying to cover too much ground, two-thirds of the country.

CathyM

It's wonderful you're able to add a couple more days! 19 days is adequate for Madrid, Barcelona and a taste of Andalucia however the way you've outlined the trip perhaps it makes it sound like more rushing than it may be.

I believe it would be helpful to have a better understanding of how many days in total for each place and then what you plan to do for daytrips and how to get around.

Something like:
Madrid - 4 nights w/2 daytrips (Toledo & Segovia);
travel to Sevilla by Train
Sevilla - x nights w/x daytrips to xxxxx

tomseeley

Good suggestions.. so here is the itinerary in more detail:

5/2 fly to Barcelona
5/3 in B
5/4 in B
5/5 day trip around B; (obviously, the order of 3, 4, and 5 could be rearranged; we're thinking of the Dali museum in Figueres or a scenic train trip into the Pyrenees)
5/6 train B to Sevilla; half day in S
5/7 full day in S
5/8 day trip to Jerez; escorted; horse shows only on T, Th
5/9 day trip to white towns; escorted
5/10 train S to Cordoba; half day in C (unless we do C as day trips from S,
to minimize packing/unpacking)
5/11 full day in C
5/12 train C to Granada; half day in G
5/13 full day in G
5/14 train G to Madrid; short time in M
5/15 full day in Madrid; Prado, Guernica, etc
5/16 full day in Madrid
5/17 day trip from Madrid; Toledo, El Escorial, Segovia, etc.
5/18 day trip from Madrid
5/19)
5/20)alt flight home days
5/21)

We're experienced travelers, we speak poquito espanol, and I at least (but NOT my DW) LOVE train travel, so we'll move about by train except where it may be more practical to hire an escort for the trips out of Sev to white towns, etc. I do NOT plan on renting a car to drive myself.

Right now, the options for spending another day or so that I've thought of include:

another day trip near Madrid, so we could see Toledo, El Escorial, AND the Roman aqueduct in Segovial;
Cadiz
Malaga (I do have one former professional acquaintence I could look up there, but that's not a high priority at all, and we're not beach people at all, at our age!)
more time in Sev or Granada

Any and all thoughts welcomed!

Thx.

tomseeley

Got a suggestion already on Ricksteves' board and I'd like this board's "take".

Given this particular choice: should I add a day in Cadiz or an overnight stay to spend more time in Toledo?

I should mention that having grown up in Detroit, I'm reluctant to spend a night in Toledo if I don't have to! [Sorry, Ohioans; I couldn't help myself!]

julia1

I'd vote for including Toledo and/or Segovia, either from Madrid or on their own. Malaga also has more to it than beaches.

If animal cruelty bothers either of you, I encourage you to get a little more information about the 'horse show' in Jerez. The riders used long spikes on their boots to dig into the flanks of the horses and make them 'dance.' I and several others left in tears after a short while.

CathyM

I would probably add one day each to Barcelona & Sevilla.

You currently only have 4 nights in Barcelona plus have a daytrip. I'd generally advise 4 days for Barcelona w/o any daytrips plus one of your days will likely be jetlagged. So, I'd add one day to Barcelona and plan to just hang around in Barcelona. If you want to have an idea for a daytrip prepared you could take one if you had the desire - but I doubt so as Barcelona has much to offer.

As far as a daytrip to Figueres unless you are very interested in Dali there are many more daytrips I'd choose over Figures. Girona and Tarragona are my personal favorites. Vic a close third. Many people enjoy visiting Montserrat too.

I'd consider flying between Sevilla and Barcelona if you can get a good fare. It will make a long day with 2 trains and transferring in Madrid.

Better yet - is there a reason why you can't fly home from Granada? Even if it means a connecting flight in Madrid. This way you could go from Barcelona to Madrid and then head to Andalucia (Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada). You avoid the long travel day from Barcelona to Sevilla and then backtracking again from Granada to Madrid.

You have 4 days/nights in Sevilla. However 2 are dedicated to daytrips with escorted tours so you are locked into the decision. The first day you'll likely be tired from the traveling from Barcelona. So this is why I'd add a night to Sevilla. If by chance you feel you've seen enough of Sevilla you can always add a daytrip and play it by ear (ie. Cadiz is an easy 2 hour train ride). You'll likely want to savor Sevilla - May is a wonderful time to visit.

Cordoba - I can't confirm for sure but looking at a few websites I'm nearly positive the Patio festival will be happening when you're in Cordoba. For this reason I think it would be nice to spend a couple of nights versus visiting as a daytrip from Sevilla.

Granada - 2 nights is adequate to visit

Madrid - 5 nights and it looks like you want to do 2 daytrips. This is also adequate to get a feel for Madrid. I'd probably vote for Segovia and Toledo as my daytrip choices.

This is 19 days and you're hitting the highlights. If you had more time I'd consider adding more cities. I think you may be a little ambitious on some of the daytrips (from Barcelona & Sevilla) which is why instead of adding more cities as overnights I'd spend more time in the places you've already chosen and have more flexibility in your schedule. You can always add a daytrip but if you have a scheduled city/hotel change it's more difficult to alter the trip if you want to slow it down and play it more by ear.

Hope this helps. I'll try to confirm some dates on the Patio Festival in Cordoba for you.

CathyM

"I'd consider flying between Sevilla and Barcelona if you can get a good fare. It will make a long day with 2 trains and transferring in Madrid."

I need to correct myself - there are 2 trains from Barcelona to Sevilla that take 5.5 hours. By the time you factor in the airport arrival time requirements, getting your luggage and then getting into town it may be OK for the train.

I'd still investigate the idea of returning home from Granada with a connection in Madrid. It would flow much better logistically.

tomseeley

good point on the horse show, julia. thx

kja

I spent just an hour or so shy of 2 full days in Toledo - very full days. Had I travelled at a more relaxed pace, I suspect I would have enjoyed even more time than that.

Enjoy!

CathyM

I've also spent 2 full nights in Toledo and not been at all bored. However given the choice of an additional day in Sevilla and Barcelona when the time in these cities is more rushed I'd opt to do Toledo as a day trip from Madrid. Just my opinion. The best solution would be to have twice the amount of time to cover this area in order to add more base cities but it's probably not practical.

lincasanova

Madrid
Barcelona
Valencia
Sevilla

the 4 largest cities in spain.

I would take the train from B to Valencia. then fly to Sevilla/Malaga. You could give this beautiful city a shot, even if for an overnight would be better than nothing. You are so close and well connected, it is a shame.

kimhe

In Madrid you will hit spot on the San Isidro festival, the huge celebration of the city's patron saint. Music, dance, drinks, free food (Madrid specialities such as cocido and callos) "all over town" in the days leading up to the 15th. Especially Plaza Mayor and the beautiful Vistillas park are full of activities. Be sure to catch the parade and music, dance in the Vistillas park (next to the Royal palace and the Almudena cathedral) on the 15th itself.
San Isidro in Madrid: http://www.madrid-guide-spain.com/san-isidro.html

The 2011 San Isidro program in the Vistillas park: http://sanisidro.esmadrid.com/musica-en-las-vistillas/

In May, Andalucian towns - especially Granada and Córdoba - celebrate the "Cruces de Mayo": http://www.spanish-fiestas.com/spani...es-de-mayo.htm

Córdoba in May is something very special, the "cruces" celebration is followed by the patio competition leading on to the flamenco inspired Feria by the end of the month.
Córdoba patio exposition and competition: http://www.andalucia.com/cities/cordoba/patios.htm
The Feria in late May: http://www.andalucia.com/festival/co...pring-fair.htm

CathyM

Unfortunately the poster will miss the May Crosses celebrated on May 3. However the Feria in Jerez is May 6-13. I'd definitely spend at least a couple of hours at the festival during the already planned day trip to Jerez.

tomseeley

so many towns, so little time (and euros...)

thx all for the great ideas!

janisj

You've received lots of good advice --I'll just add that you'll probably want at least one more day in Barcelona. You arrive after a loooong over night flight and will likely be jet lagged (at minimum) or totally zonked. Don't count on doing much other than getting to your hotel and some basic walking around/acclimating on day 1

tomseeley

CathyM, great specific tips! thanks. As for flying, we're using miles so we're locked in to B or M as ends or beginnings. Since we'll have rail passes, any flight inside Spain would cost extra, and we don't mind trains, even up to the length of the Barcelona-Sev trip w/change in Madrid.

As for other tips: Are you and others who mention the festivals saying that we SHOULD be there during such events or we should NOT be there? Seems to me you're saying they're a good reason to be in Madrid or Cordoba or wherever, not the opposite, but I'm a literalist with language and I want to be absolutely certain I understand what you're advising.

Finally, it's still December, and the trip isn't till May. I know I'll lock in freq flier flights ASAP before "the seat" is gone, but how important would it be to do the same with hotels, B&Bs, etc, esp given these festivals? Should I get out of my planning mode and make some decisions soon, or would waiting till, say, early February not be taking too much of a chance of missing out on preferred places to stay?

CathyM

Are you positive you're locked into Madrid and Barcelona as your end points? Even when using FF points the airline alliances can be used. For example, I have alot of mileage with Delta and can use my FF points to fly into Malaga & Valencia (Air Europa partner), or Bilbao (Air France) even though Delta doesn't have their own flights to these end points.

Rail passes??? Oh no, these generally aren't a good choice for Spain. It's usually much less expensive to purchase the tickets point to point especially with greatly reduced web fares. I'd reconsider purchasing a train pass.

Regarding festivals - I love visiting during festivals. You can get a much richer feel for the tradition and culture than just walking around and seeing sights. It takes time away from the "list" of sights in all the guidebooks but I think it gives you the opportunity to experience a destination.

For hotels you could probably wait until February. However, if there are particular hotels you want and if they are smaller more boutique type places or highly rated by travelers they could be full. If you were visiting during the big festivals (Las Fallas, Semana Santa, Sevilla feria) many of the smaller and/or more affordable hotels book months in advance. But the festivals you are visiting around are not as large.

Egbert

If you get a chance to be in a town having a festival it is a major plus. The culture is one of the best parts of traveling to Spain. Hotel prices usually go up though because so many people come home for their festivals.

enzian

I don't know about the other festivals you might have a chance to see, but it looks like you visit may coincide with the patio festival in Cordoba and I'd say you SHOULD be there. The streets with the "best" patios can be very crowded, but the nearby areas, just a block away, need not be. It is fun to see the residents partying.

Pay heed to CathyM's suggestion that you pass on railpasses and look into Web fares on Renfe instead, at least for the AVE trains. by th etime you pay for a pass + the supplement required to use it on AVE trains, I believe you are better off with the Web fare.