Kwoo

I am not as knowledgeable as the other posters on this forum, but I would not delete Barcelona from your itinerary, even if you only have 2.5 days there. IMO, 2.5 days is better than none. YOu will get an idea of what Barcelona is like & can decide for yourself whether or not you want to return at a future date & spend more time there. At least you will get a taste of the city & will see what it looks like architecturally compared to the other places you are going. We spent 5 days there in 2010 and saw a lot. YOu won't see as much as we did, but that's ok. There's nothing wrong with that. I would definitely see Sagrada Familia & maybe one other Gaudi site, such as Casa Battlo and/or perhaps Parc Guell. Because it will be light longer at night, you can spend the evening walking around the Barri Gothic, Eixample, etc.

THR

Thanks Kwoo - much appreciated. I will look into some of those sights

kimhe, thanks again for your contribution. I'll definitely not cut off any time from San Sebastian

Kwoo

THR, thought I should mention that Barcelona has a Hop on/Hop off bus that you could take. We didn't do this, but since you will be in Barcelona for only 2.5 days, taking this bus would be a nice way to see the city & get your bearings as to where things are.

Also, to give you an idea of how long things take, I remember that we spent one day seeing Sagrada Familia in the morning (bought the audioguides) & make sure you get there by 9AM, then had a quick drink & snack at an outdoor cafe, then walked to Parc Guell & spent several hours there. YOu could take a cab (they are inexpensive) to save on time. The next day you could see Casa Battlo, then also see Casa Mila (La Pedrera) which is diagonally across the street. That all depends on how interested you are in seeing the Gaudi sites. Other neighborhoods to walk through are Born-Ribera, and Barceloneta (along the Mediterranean).

In the evening, when it is still light out, you could walk through Parc Le Ciutedella (sp?) to see the beautiful La Cascada Fountain, and the Arc de Triomphe is just outside the park. Because you will be there in June, you can take advantage of the longer days. Since you are coming all the way from Australia, it would be a shame to miss Barcelona.

THR

Thanks Kimhe, you really are wonderful (I've noticed your advice on numerous threads the last couple of days as I've been researching). I, and I am sure many others, appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

So, I have made a couple of adjustments (see update here: http://imgur.com/zSYfQ ). I've taken a day off Rome and added a day in Cordoba (as many suggest it is actually a good place for a day/night, rather than just a stopover). I've retained Barcelona and Madrid; one of the days in Madrid will be a day-trip to Toledo.

I've added that day from Rome to Paris.

Realistically I don't see how I can eke out any more time in any destinations other than to remove Paris from the journey. I suppose one might argue that it would be better to take the days from Paris and distribute elsewhere. We are pretty keen to go back to Paris though.

THR

Kwoo, thanks! I actually thought it was Kimhe responding but the comment stands for both of you!

I think if we're visiting Barcelona a primary reason is for visiting Gaudi and appreciating the Catalan atmosphere. We're not there for the beach.

As you say, we're coming a long way so we can't just turn around and return shortly, so I'm keen to at least see it, even if it's only for a couple of days.