Do any of you travl experts on Spain have a recommended itinerary for a family that has never been there?? 2 adults, 2 children 13 & 10 for 10 days in March. will travel by car or train....looking for interesting places and good food...thanks a lot

What kind of interests do you have. There are many places in Spain that are interesting. Do you want mountains, small villages, seashore? Your children might enjoy a day trip over to Morocco. They would probably enjoy the Rock with the Gibraltar apes. Segovia and Avilla are a day trip from Madrid Segovia has a 2000 year old Roman aqueduct that is still in use carrying water from the mountains. Avilla is a medieval village with the wall around it still intact. <BR>Regards, <BR>Art <BR>

Thanks for the start. I realize that it is such a general question. I am not at all familiar with the different areas of Spain, so I am not sure which one I should start with (Madrid? Seville? Barcelona?).. <BR>We love to see historic areas as you metioned and I think your idea about visitng Morocco is great. Is it hard to do in one day? Is it a ferry trip? To do the itinerary you suggested, would it mean flying into Seville? Do you have any books that you can recommend I can read so I can become more familiar with the area? thanks again <BR>

Here might be a suggested itinerary. <BR>Fly into Madrid for 3 or 4 days. Avilla and Segovia are an easy day trip. We took a tour that we purchased at the Hotel. El Escoral could be another partial day trip. You could take a train or bus. Toledo is a very good day trip or 2 days if you wish. Take your children on the AVE train from Madrid to Seville. It covers 360 miles in 2 1/2 hours including a stop in Cordoba. You could also arrange to stop in Cordoba. Wander around Seville for a day or 2. From there, the best way to get to the coast would be to rent a car. The roads are very good. We drove from Seville to Algecora in a very easy day with a stop in Tariffa for lunch. There is a ferry that goes from Algecora (pronounced algethora) for a day trip to Morocco. If you go to Gibraltar DO NOT DRIVE INTO THE CITY. Park on the Spanish side and walk over. It takes hours to drive through customs. You could go on to Granada to see the Alhambra. This might be pushing it for 2 children though and IMO the Alhambra is overrated especially compared to castles in Germany, but the Gardens are great. We went on to Barcelona from Granada which is a good days drive but might be too much for you. I'm not sure where you could fly out of, you'll need to check. You might have to fly back into Madrid. <BR>Have a great trip. <BR>Regards, <BR>Art <BR>

I've only been to Barcelona and that was before having a child, but my husband and I (and friends) truly loved it there, and I can't wait to take my girl. We did a lot of museum & church seeing, mixed in with the Gaudi stuff (park, Sagrada Familia & buildings). And their parks are great, including Tibidabo amusement park. We also rented a car and went up the Costa Brava, stopping at whatever beach struck our fancy and you can go all the way up to the south of France.

The kids might like Barcelona and a tour of Andalucia. Madrid and surroundings are absolutely beautiful but considering your timing and the weather in March, you might like to spend 3 full days in Barcelona, then fly to Sevilla and make a tour including Cordoba, Ronda and Granada.