Madrid, Sevilla and Barcelona 3 nights each
 

We are a small group of 4 women, 3 of us seniors taking this trip together. We land in Madrid April 7th at 9:30 with an arranged transport to our Hotel Melia Madrid Princesa at Calle de la Princesa, Madrid 28008.
We will have Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday before taking the train to Seville on Wednesday morning. I'm the only one of the group who has been to Madrid and Barcelona. I've traveled a lot over the past 30 years, so I've been voted as the travel planner.
I will be looking to visit or sample some of Madrid's high points
I have a short list of our primary attractions we want to see:The Prado, Palacio Real, Retiro Park, Plaza Espana, and Plaza del Sol. I currently am wearing a boot brace to stabilize a broken bone in my foot. I expect to walk within most sights, but I will take cabs from hotels to sights as needed. I'm considering the idea of a full circuit ride on the HOHO bus on our first day to give everyone a broad overview of Madrid's interesting streets , monuments and buildings. My travel partners will enjoy seeing active street life and historic buildings and monuments, but are not mainly interested in art museums.

In Seville, we will arrive by noon on Wednesday, staying at NH Sevilla Plaza de Armas, Avda Marques de Parada S/N, Seville 41001 and will depart by train Saturday Morning. In addition to the Cathedral, Plaza Espana and the Alcazar, I would like to see the Alhambra if possible. More input required.

In Barcelona, we will arrive around 2PM on Saturday, staying at Le Meridien 111 Las Ramblas. I will want to go to La Boqueria on Saturday afternoon. I also want to take a HOHO bus here as well .We have tickets with guided tour on Sunday for Sagrada Familia at 13:15, and will probably go to Park Guel in the morning for a short visit, then on to visit one of Gaudi's buildings. A tour of Palau de la Musica Catalana holds interest as well.

I am currently able to walk and stand, and have 3 more weeks to further recover, but I want to have a mindset of not overdoing . I always appreciate the advice of experienced Fodorites, and would love to hear your ideas.
Barb

Our dates, hotels, and train times are fixed.

The Alhambra is in Granada, and is a very long daytrip from Seville. I would not visit Granada as a daytrip. Too grueling. There is also a lot of walking at the Alhambra. It’s a large complex that consists of the Nasrid Palace, Generalife Gardens, and Alcazaba.

To be honest, I am currently wearing a walking boot because of stress fractures in my foot, and I can’t imagine doing the itinerary you have planned. If your reservations weren’t made, I would suggest only 2 destinations so you would have time to rest your feet. But since they are made and set in stone, take taxis everywhere, and rest when necessary. If you are in pain, omit a few sites from your itinerary, and spend the time sitting and relaxing in a cafe, which is enjoyable, too. Take a carriage ride in Seville. They might have them in Madrid and Barcelona, too. Make sure to bring a cane or walking stick.

Are you flying from Seville to Barcelona?
Sadly, you really can’t fit in the Alhambra.
It is already a very short, tightly planned trip. Time in Seville is already rushed and very short, the only thing you could even consider from Seville would be a day trip by train to Cordoba for a few hours.
With times and travel fixed, you can’t add another place or city.

In Barcelona, I felt the HOHO bus was kind of a big waste of time and not much fun. Actually seeing another site is more memorable. However, We did hire a taxi to do a short drive around, showing us the exteriors of places during the day and again at night to see buildings with lights on. That was informative and fun. I enjoyed just a lazy stroll down the Ramblas, a visit to the market and lunch outside. We all loved Parq Guell. Do go to the roof top of Casa Mila. The views are great and you get a nice sense of Barcelona. Great photos too.

Good luck with your health.

Madrid, Sevilla and Barcelona
 

I appreciate the advice of the 2 posters to my thread, and recognize that Alhambra is too ambitious for this trip Thanks for the input.
What about a daytrip from Madrid to Toledo to see the Cathedral?

I would just stay in the towns that you are visiting and maybe take it slowly and enjoy the sites that are local. I actually liked the Alcazar in Sevilla a bit better than the Alhambra. It was less crowded and tile work and architecture was also stunning. Those hoho buses always make me laugh because the only time I’ve ever been on one was the day we landed in London and my kids and husband promptly fell asleep from jet lag and didn’t see anything.

I love all the Gaudi architecture in Barcelona and definitely take a tour of the cathedral he designed. Another beautiful spot is the Palau de La Musica-beautiful theatre where you can take a tour and have lunch there. Love the food in Spain! Enjoy.

I love Toledo, especially staying overnight. There is so much to see in such a small area and the cathedral is one of my favorites. For me, it is much more impressive and memorable than the Palace. However, I have mixed feelings about it as a day trip. It makes for a hectic day and walking is not easy. You don’t get to see much of Toledo, but the cathedral alone might be worth an afternoon for some. I was with a group that went to the Palace in the morning and did a two hours or so trip to Toledo, just to the cathedral, in the afternoon.

Perhaps you could leave it up to the group, or one or two might want to go while others did something else.
Again, my concern would be walking there. I am not sure of the best way to do it either because we were crazy the first time and drove into the city. That is another story. The second trip, we took a tour bus, then walked into the city center. Neither is good and I know there are other ways.

We enjoyed this walking tour in Madrid very much: https://www.walksofspain.com.

walking
 

Last year went to amsterdam after husband injured a calf muscle. It was essential for him to return to room and elevate the leg midday. Any chance you can bring or borrow one of those things that is like a tall skateboard that you rest your shin on while moving along? Of course that would be laughable on cobblestones. I hope you all have lots of laughs and create great memories!

Oh, I am sorry. I meant to post the information about the walking tour on another message thread.
However, it was a fun evening and I don't remember it being too strenuous as far as the walking went but you could email the very nice gentleman who does the tours and ask.
Have a wonderful trip!