Is My Travel Plan to Spain Available?
 

Hi, everyone!
I have 8 days next month and want to spend a vacation from China to Spain.
Here is my general itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in Madrid, take the train to Malaga
Day 2: Malaga
Day 3, 4: Seville
Day 5: Granada, and back to Barcelona at night
Day 6: Barcelona
Day 7: Back to Madrid
Day 8: Fly back

Could I do this? Is the time too rushed? Although I want to visit all the places above, which city should I omit? Granada or Malaga?
I've got some useful information from webisites:
www.travelguidesdirectory.com
www.allmadrid.com
www.gobarcelona.biz
and so on. But still have detail pazzle. In addition, do you have any advices for accommodation?
Any advice is appreciated.

I think most will tell you that you'll be seeing a lot of trains, plains and airports but not much of Spain.
You can do the following
1 Madrid ,2,3 Madrid ( maybe Toledo), 4 train to Seville, 5,6 Seville, 7 train to Madrid with stop in Cordoba.
or split the time between Madrid and Barcelona.

Cut out Malaga and Barcelona. Train straight to Seville and then work your way back to Madrid via Granada and Cordoba.

I couldn't agree more strongly w/ nbujic that with the itinerary you propose that you will spend all your time travelling and not get to enjoy any place. I did a similar trip last year in twice the amount of time you have and still felt rushed. I would not spend any less than 3 days in any one place - which is still rushed.

Also agree that Madrid/Sevilla or Madrid/Barcelona are good options for the time you have.

Madrid-Sevilla allows for high speed rail travel (Cordoba is a stop on that line). Granada though, I believe, will be approx 3 hours by train or bus from Sevilla and then another 6 or so back to Madrid by slower train. With the short amount of time that you have, I wouldn't spend long amounts of time on trains at all. Use cheap flights to get around quickly. (check www.whichbudget.com to help you identify airlines...we used Vueling and Iberia and never paid more than 30 - 40 Euros for each flight).

I like degas' idea of going straight to Sevilla so that you can end-up in Madrid more relaxed a few days before your flight home, but it might be quicker/cheaper to just fly to Sevilla rather than take pub transit into Madrid and then catch a train since you're already at the airport (depending on flight availability). Then you could take the high speed train back to Madrid (about 2 hours).

If you haven't gotten your plane tickets already, and do a Madrid/Barcelona trip, see if you can fly into one city and home out of the other. I really think that optimizing your time through streamlined travel is key.

I do understand the inclination to want to see as much as possible, but the likely result is that you'll see very little. My advice would be to pick a couple of places to check-out and plan to go back and see more next time.

Hotels - liked these very much...
Madrid: Intur Palacio St. Martin
http://www.hotelinturpalacio.com/

Sevilla:
http://www.hotelamadeussevilla.com/
(this one is very popular though for last minute reservations this time of the year, but worth checking)

In Barcelona we did an apartment, but if I go again I would stay in either El Born or Barri Gotic -- very central with lots going on.

Lots of good recommendations from others on this forum if you search.

Thank you all for your advices! This is my first trip to Spain with my family. My mother think a single sight of a place is better than never being there. ^o^
I will consider Madrid/Sevilla, it's sounds good! Thank you all again!

Hello

I stayed for one week in april in Barcelona and choosed an apartment instead of a room in a hotel. I highly recommend this kind of stay because you have your own private sphere, you live like a local and have all the comodities of a flat like a full equipped kitchen and your own terrace or balcony. Have a look on the website cosy apartments (I stayed in apartment Finca) in the centre of Barcelona next to all important sightseeings. You get an idea of all nice areas of Barcelona and can choose an apartment in one of these areas.

Sorry I forgot to give you the URl of the website. It´s www.cocoonbarcelona.com and have a look on their wonderful apartments...

I am a lawyer. My work is so busy, so tired everyday. I like to travel all of the world when I get free time. I’ve been many countries all over the world, like Canada, Austria and Spain, etc. Spain Travel is the most wonderful trip. I like the beach in the Spain, like Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, etc. They are the best relax place for the modern humans. I recommend that if you have time, go there and have a sun bath, I am sure you will have different feeling with other place.

Your itinerary is practical only with a private jet.

And - you would spend by far the most of your time in airports, airplanes and limos rushing from hotels to airports.

You would see practically nothing.

You have really only 6 days. This will allow you to see one city with 1 or 2 day trips. (We spent 10 days in Andalusia - Seville, Cordoba, Granada - which are all close together and still didn't see much of what there was on the first trip [white towns, Ubeda, Jerez, etc].

Suggest you look into the logistics ( train and flight times, how long it takes to get to stations and airports, how long in advance you must be there, times to find and check in/out of hotels) and then make plan that works in the real world.

I think you are a bit late for Fendi who was travelling in June, 2007.