lyb

I'm planning on 2 weeks in Spain next September, (just came back from Venice, Salzburg & Prage, but have to start planning for the next : ) I'll be putting together a quick trip report and post my pictures within the next couple of weeks)

I definitely want to go to Barcelona and Sevilla. I was thinking of skipping Madrid but because of flights, it makes more sense for me to either fly into Madrid or Barcelona, go to Sevilla and then fly out of either city I didn't fly into.

Also, since I'll be doing this by train, are there any other cities in between these 3 that you would recommend, that I can reach by train?

I'm looking at the travel books right now and I think I'm going to have to compromise because there seems so much to be seen, but here's my initial thoughts.

Day 1: arrive in Madrid (Delta flight arrives @9:30am - at least for now)
Day 2 & 3: Madrid
Day 4: Travel to Sevilla
Day 5 - 7: Sevilla
Day 8: Travel to Barcelona
Day 9 - 13: Barcelona
Day 14: fly back home

The reason why I'm leaning towards doing Madrid first is that I've heard so many wonderful things about Barcelona and Sevilla that I'm thinking Madrid would be a dissapointment after those 2 cities. When I went to Bruges & Brussels, I went to Bruges first so when I got to Brussels, it was a let down. I think that if I had gone to Brussels first, I would have liked it better, but after Bruges, it had a lot to live up to. Therefore, I thought I'd give Madrid a fair chance by going there first.

Thanks in advance

Pegontheroad

I think your reasoning for going to Madrid first is right on! I don't know what you can reach by train, but Ronda is wonderful, as are Cuenca, Segovia, and Avila.

Have fun! Spain is a glorious place to visit. Wear your money belt in Barcelona. Much as I love that city, there are thieves there.

zeppole

You probably shouldn't go to Madrid unless you very much enjoy going to museums with first class painting collections, or you and your travel companion (are you going solo?) derive great enjoyment staying up very late and going bar hopping.

Otherwise, there is a fast train that leaves Madrid for Sevilla, and you could head directly there. Or simply take a flight connection to Barcelona. If you wish, you could return to Madrid a night early for a look into the Prado and a great meal somewhere -- and then you would have a taste of Madrid and if you thought you'd like to come back, you could do so on a future trip to Europe (for instance, on your way to Italy, because there are many connecting flights).

lyb

I'll be solo, sometimes I enjoy museum, some other times...not so much. I love architecture, history, watching people - learning about their culture. If it's beautiful weather, then I really prefer not to go inside museums. I guess the times I like museums is when the building itself, such as a castle, or home is the museum.

I'm definitely not in bar hopping, and most certainly not as a single female would I do that.

So maybe, just staying the arrival day and the next in Madrid is more than enough? and take that extra time for some other town?

zeppole

I don't know what your energy level is like when traveling (I'm VERY cranky after a transatlantic flight) but:

You won't be able to check into a hotel in Madrid until noon earliest -- and perhaps not until 2pm or 3pm.

It is very easy to take the train from Madrid Airport straight to Atocha station. From there, you can take a 2 hour fast train straight to Sevilla.

That's what I would do, and I would include a day to Cordoba in my Sevilla stay. Then travel to Barcelona.

I would tack Madrid on the end for some people watching, and you might enjoy the Royal Palace in Madrid for its over the top interiors. Madrid was reconfigured by the Fascist dictatorship of Franco and has a great deal of modern construction. It's a sophisticated capital (like New York) and has great shopping (and isn't as ugly as Brussels) but the old world atmosphere is hard to find.

Your original itinerary might delight you more if you went to Toledo (much, much more like the feeling of Bruges in its perfect antique preservation). In fact, if you hit Madrid at any point and have a negative reaction, get the first bus or train to Toledo. They run all day and it's approximately an hour to get there. You would probably find it thrilling.

lyb

Thank you about Toledo, I have to check it out as well as Ronda is wonderful, as are Cuenca, Segovia, and Avila.

>>I don't know what your energy level is like when traveling (I'm VERY cranky after a transatlantic flight<<

It all depends, this last time when I got to Venice, I didn't feel tired at all! I went to the Regatta, walked around some more, went to the room, changed, went out and had dinner. When I finally went to bed past 11pm, I fell asleep the minute I hit the pillow. I was so excited to be in Venice and the weather was so gorgeous that my body must have produced a ton of adrenaline The time that I got to Paris around 2pm, I was cranky, didn't like Paris at all, until the next day when I woke up and was rested...so who knows!

celeste60

I would strongly recommend Madrid, it is beautiful city with great arachitecture and of course museums. I just got back from Madrid last tuesday and one thing I specially enjoyed was the autmn weather. We also visited Baracelona. We Loved barcelona, the city is filled with beautiful buildings, food was great, very lively city, I thought the whole city was too crowded. There were throngs of people every where. I actually asked a security guard at the nespresso shop if something was the matter, the store was filled with about 2000 people, all buying a special coffee machine, good to see that the people are supporting the economy. The best food we had was at the Sant Joseph food market Pintxo.

zeppole

lyb,

It does tend to sound that the abrasiveness of cities gets on your nerves, maybe especially after a long flight -- and I am very sympathetic.

Like I said, if you arrive in Madrid at 10:00 am, you are not getting into a hotel room until much later that day, and while Madrid is not as noisy as Paris, it is only *slightly* less noisy than Paris.

Some strategies would be to spend your first night in Sevilla, or in Toledo. In fact, you might consider making Toledo your base and do day trips into Madrid. Not the usual thing to do, but given what excites you about travel, you might like it!

NEDSIRELAND

lyb writes: "I definitely want to go to Barcelona and Sevilla. I was thinking of skipping Madrid but because of flights, it makes more sense for me to either fly into Madrid or Barcelona, go to Sevilla and then fly out of either city I didn't fly into."

Skip Madrid completely!

After all, visiting the Museo del Prado or the Centro de Arte de la Reina Sofia or the Thyssen collection or the Palacio Réal are all just a waste of your precious time. You don't need to see Toledo with its Magnificant Cathedral, its Juderia & the Arms factory where the world's best swords are made; or Segovia, with its Aqueduct, its Alcazar and another beautiful Cathedral, not to mention the restaurants where Roast suckling pig (or lamb) is always on the Menu.

Zeppole gives you some good advice. If it were me, I would continue the day of my arrival to Sevilla (by AVE?). An early afternoon arrival wouldn't be too early to check-in to your Hotel. After a few days in Andalucia, you could either fly to Barcelona or take AVE back to Madrid. I've done the former route; after a few days in Barcelona I flew Barcelona-Santiago & Santiago-Madrid.

lyb

nedsireland,

The reason why I was thinking of skipping Madrid is that I don't like rushing through cities when I travel. I would rather spend 4 - 5 days or more in one city than just a few days in a whole bunch of city, since I only have 2 weeks, I have to prioritize.