fishskis

I am going to Spain in mid April. I have been to Barcelona and I liked it very much, but I have not traveled anywhere else in Spain. I am traveling for two weeks total, but plan to spend my last four or five days in Paris. So I have about 9 days after arrival in Madrid for Spain. I love great walking cities, and I am into experiencing the culture, food and nightlife more so than ticking off the list of major attractions. I am very into architecture and history. While I enjoy museums, I am not one to spend hours in an art museum. I am more likely to be interested in a unique smaller museum or attraction rather than the giant standard tourist destination (for example: in Paris, I love the Rodin Museum; in London, The Cabinet War Room (or whatever its current name is)).

I am faced with the classic issue of wanting to do too much in too little time. I would like to spend time in all three cities, but it suspect the advice I will get will suggest visiting two, and seeing the third on the next trip. My current plan is to spend four nights in Madrid, then four nights in San Sebastian, then leave for Paris. But I am trying to fit Seville in, if it is possible.

My first priority is San Sebastian; I am into great food, and this is a destination that has been on my list for a while. I also will want to see The Guggenheim, and plan on a possible day trip to Biarritz. While I am looking forward to Madrid, the more I hear about Seville, the more I want to spend a few days there.

So, ideally, I think I would spend three or four days in each city; but the only way I can do that comfortably is get rid of Paris, or reduce it by a two or three nights, which I am hesitant to do. Logistically, to try to do all three just seems like I will be wasting too much time on transportation.

Any thoughts or suggestions on whether I should try to squeeze in all three cities, and how best to do so? And if not, is four nights in Madrid, and four in San Sebastian the right amount of time? Is Madrid all about its well-kwon museums, or is their a great city there independent of this? Please note that my plane arrives in Madrid, and I probably cannot change this.

Thank you for the help.

danon

SS is lovely costal town , mid April is not beach weather...often rainy with not much to do.
(for four nights.) Yes, there are famous restaurants to visit, but one can find excellent food
all over Spain.

Madrid is a great city with Toledo and Segovia nearby ...easy day trips.
Seville is the "queen " of Andalusia , much more to see than in SS.

I would stay with Madrid and Seville ( maybe a stop in Cordoba )

kja

Personally, I would defer Sevilla until you can spend time in Andalusia's other great destinations, including Granada and Cordoba. YMMV.

Bedar

I agree with Danon about SS. Now, if you could bear to drop Paria from your trip ( I know, I know that would be difficult !), you could have a lovely trip doing Madrid (and Toledo and Segovia) and Andalucia (Seville, Cordoba, and Granada).

nytraveler

I don't think April is the best time for SS. It's on the Atlantic coast and has a completely different climate from the rest of Spain - that's why so many people go there in July and August - it's about 25 degrees colder - and in April may be very rainy.

It it were med I would do just Andalusia (for which 2 weeks is a good time to explore, and which will have beach weather - highs in the 80s - in April) including Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Ronda, some time at a beach time and some of the other towns (Cadiz, Jerez, etc).

If not Andalusia I would do just Madrid and Paris with some day trips.

fishskis

Thanks for the replies. Everything written makes sense. Now the hard part, juggling the possibilities and making a decision

The concept of dropping SS is difficult since that is one major reason for the trip (I am not a fan of the term "foodie", but I guess I am one). And as for dropping Paris, that is always a struggle; though I might grudgingly accept reducing it.

Regarding SS in April, will it be desolate? Is it like a true summer beach resort, with a very quiet off-season? I would be more concerned about this than the weather; I enjoy cool weather, though I wouldn't be crazy about constant rain. I guess SS is a true summer destination; and other than that the only other big draw is the tapas and the Michelin stars?

danon

We were in SS mid May last year. (four nights.)
Luckily , the weather was nice..the town was not at all desolate. It is very lovely and upscale.
At night, the Old Town was hopping, the rest was very quiet ( unlike Madrid ).
There are a few attraction including an interesting museum
of Basque history.
if you wish to see it, go !
Bilbao is only an hour away and worth visiting.
From Madrid, you can fly or take a train...(more than five hours.)
Perhaps ,you can allocate five days to Madrid ( 2 day trips ? ) - it has all you like,
including smaller museums, the rest to SS ( including Bilbao).