Need feedback on 10-day Spain itinerary
 

Hello everyone https://www.fodors.com/community/ima...ted/smiley.gif

My fiancee and I will be doing our honeymoon in Spain in late January for a total of 12 days, including travel time. We decided on Andalusia for the weather (considering it's going to be winter) and Barcelona for experiencing one of the big cities. We both want to experience the local culture, sightseeing, visit museums and historic buildings and some activities like hiking/nature would be great.

The following is the itinerary we have come up with:

• Arrive in Barcelona, fly to Malaga
• 4 nights in Malaga
  • We want to relax and wind down in the first 2 days so decided to start with Malaga and take more time here..
  • Day trip to Gibraltar.
• 3 nights in Seville
  • Day trip to Cordoba
• 1 night in Granada
  • Should we consider making this a day trip instead of spending a night here?
• 3 nights in Barcelona
• Depart from Barcelona

Does the above itinerary make sense or should we consider changing something? I would really appreciate some feedback/advice on the above itinerary to make this a memorable trip :)

Stay overnight in Granada rather than doing it as a day trip. You have a nice mix of places to visit and are wise to give yourselves some down time after your wedding.

Of all the places you mention, Malaga has the lease of interest. Not that it's not a worthwhile place to go, it is , it's just not AS wonderful as the others. And while Gibraltar is kind of interesting, for a first trip to the region it also is not really worth it. If it were me I'd fly to Malaga and at most spend one night and then move on. Three in Seville is minimum, and Cordoba and Granada deserve at least an overnight each. Three in Barcelona is a minimum. I'd probably do 1 Malaga, 3 Seville, 1 Cordoba, 2 Granada, 4 Barcelona.

Here's my photos from those places.
Seville, Cordoba, Granada - https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p414429517
Malaga, etc. -https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p424622511
Barcelona - https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p307332452
Gibraltar - https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p144323870

If you haven't purchased your flights yet, I would try to fly into Malaga and home from Barcelona. This will be faster and possibly cheaper if you buy a multi-city ticket.

If you are doing Cordoba as a day trip, which is OK in winter, then stay four nights in Seville, so you have at least two full days in Seville and one full day for Cordoba. That is the bare minimum.
Definitely stay a night or two in Granada. It will likely be colder there, so have warm clothing.
If it were me, I think I would start in Seville. The center is small with easy walking, nice cafes, etc.
Give Barcelona four nights (three full days). There is a lot to see and do there.
In winter, I would not give the extra time and travel to see Gibraltar.

Skip Gibraltar, it is just not worth the effort. I like Malaga, it is a great city once you get under the skin a little. We lived about 30km north for around a year and spent may happy long weekend there. That said, if not going to Gib. lose a nigh there, add to Seville and then you will have 2 full days for Sevilla and a day trip for Cordoba which is about right.

Alternatively, add the extra day to Granada or drop that completely as I cant see how you will have enough time there for the Alhambra without really rushing it.

I would also check out very carefully the logistics of flight/train, transfer and airport waiting times every time you change locations. if they don’t fit together pretty seamlessly, you are going to end up spending an awfully of time in transit negating all the R&R you have planned on arrival post wedding.

You could also look at staying in Paradores or even do one of their pre planned driving routes. we did a couple of those when we were over there and they were really excellent. we stayed in some stunning historical buildings, castles etc. that I would describe as memorable.

Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding BTW!!

I would re-order your trip slightly, mainly because we've visited the Alhambra twice and on both occasions spent the whole day there.

Fly to Malaga
Malaga (3 nights - 2 days) - I don't think you have time for Gibraltar
bus or train to Granada in the afternoon (we found the bus had more frequent services and may have been faster)
Granada (2 nights - 1 day)
Seville (3 nights - 2 days)
Barcelona

My information may be out of date but I think there are more train services from Seville to Barcelona than from Granada.

Longer in all these places would be better if at all possible, especially Seville. If it were my holiday (which of course it isn't) I'd drop Barcelona in favour of more time in Andalusia. Barcelona is a fine city but I prefer Andalusia and I would feel less rushed (and the weather is likely to be better). No matter what you decide, you'll have a great time.

Not my trip and my honeymoon was 40 years ago, so take it for what is worth.

After a dozen or so trips to Spain in past 6 years we have yet to set foot in Barcelona or Granada.
We found Malaga to be a lot more interesting than Seville.
Been to Seville twice, first time for a school reunion,
second time we bailed out after two of four prepaid nights and moved to Merida.
The Macarena district of Seville would be my choice for a taste of "local culture" which is usually different from "tourist culture"
It take at least four night to get a feel for the rhythm of the place, and for the " local culture", warts and all.

If time and budget permits, at least a couple of nights at the Parador Malaga Gibralfaro, will give you a lifetime of memories.
You can easily experience both Pillars of Hercules by taking a day trip to Ceuta from Algeciras.

So far, our favorite city on the Med coast has been Almeria.

Malaga, Almeria and Cordoba would my choices.

Would skip Gibraltar and add one night to Sevilla.

I agree with dreamon’s itinerary. Obviously, I am in the minority but I enjoyed Gibraltar very much… spent 2 or 3 nights there. But, you don’t have the time for a visit.

Couple of points.
Granada is a lovely city, but you will want to keep in mind, the famous gardens of the Alhambra will be dead in winter, and hiking offers great views in Spring through Summer, but will be bleak in Jan. If you decide for sure to include it, read Tales of the Alhambra before your trip. You may also find some interesting music and dance events.

Barcelona has a lot of wonderful things. Of course, architecture, also an incredible indoor market (nice in winter) and music and dance venues if you want to attend a concert or go to a club. Get a few REC’s for restaurants and food. From my experience, generally avoid eating on the Ramblas, except for a salad or if you are sure of what you want.

I know you will be in Spain and will want to eat local foods, but there are also some really good Italian restaurants in Seville and Granada.

Cordoba is one of my very favorite cities in Europe, so I suggest more time there and less in Malaga. Also, I would drop Gibraltar. We wound up going to the Mezquita twice, once late afternoon and the next day early morning, jus to see it in a different light. A place where pictures cannot come close to the experience. Also, in Cordoba highly recommend Casa Mazal for Sefardic cuisine and Bodegas Campos (eat in the tavern).

Thank you everyone for your valuable thoughts - I really appreciate it!

It seems the majority think Gibraltar would not be a good day trip to add, so we will drop that. This will give us a free day in Malaga. We do not want to add any more stopovers as moving around with the luggage and packing/unpacking will get uncomfortable. Since we want to wind down and not rush things right after the wedding, it might still be worthwhile spending the 4 nights in Malaga.

Do you think we should reduce our stay in Malaga to 3 nights if there isn't much to do in the area? If so, where would it be best to place the extra night - Seville or Granada?

Regarding the logistics, I believe public transportation should get us around within Andalusia. We plan on flying back to Barcelona to save us travel time. If possible, we will definitely consider flying directly into Malaga.

Thanks again :-)

https://www.museopicassomalaga.org/en
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attrac...Andalucia.html
https://www.guidetomalaga.com/see/ma...museums-guide/
https://www.guidetomalaga.com/do/sho...ets-in-malaga/
Gibralfaro Castle in Malaga

When weighing up whether to fly or train from Seville to Barcelona, do factor in the door to door travel time. The train is centre of town to centre of town, with no need to get to the station particularly early. You may find that there isn't as much difference as it first appears from the flight time. Plus you get to see stuff along the way.

One important consideration on a relatively short trip such as this is that 2 nights in any one location will only give you 1 full day of sightseeing etc. 3nights, 2 days Etc. personally I would stick with the 4 nights in Malaga especially after the wedding and a long trip to get there via Barcelona. It may lack certain iconic sights such as the Catedral in Sevilla, the Alhambra in Granada etc, the Mesquita in Cordoba but it more than makes up for that in other ways. There is still lots to see and do and it It is a wonderful place to relax and chill. It’s Mercado Central de Artarazanas is one of the best markets in Spain ( and a terrific place for lunch) . I would heartily endorse the suggestion of Parador Malaga Gibralfaro, it would be an excellent choice to start your honeymoon.

if you do just want the three nights in Malaga then add the extra night to Granada or just drop Granada completely and add more time to Sevilla and Barcelona.

As for getting from A to B to C is concerned, dreamon makes some very valid points re "door to door" travel. Flying anywhere will add 3-4 hours travel and check in time every time. Trains Amy take a little longer in journey time but you can turn up 15 mins before and a taxi to the station rarely takes much longer for most cities. I try to schedule flights or trains immediately after breakfast that way you can just dump your bags on reception on arrival and get on with your day. When booking rooms, make sure to tell all hotels that it is your honeymoon. You may or may not get upgrades etc, but they will likely allow early/late check in /out - which can make a huge difference. Travelling in January it is highly likely you will get both!

i don’t know where you are flying from, but if at all possible , try to get open jaw tickets into Malaga and out of Barecelona ( or even vice versa)

Although the parador in Malaga is lovely, it is located high on a hill about a mile from the historic center of the city. If being able to walk around easily to restaurants, museums, etc. is important to you, it might not be very convenient. The views from there are wonderful, though, and you could certainly enjoy lunch there and perhaps visit the Gibralfaro Castle a few minutes away.

Thanks for the tip! Definitely something to consider

Thanks so much for your input and tips! We are indeed considering sticking to 4 nights in Malaga. The trains options is something to consider - we will be travelling with two large bags and 1 handbag so not sure if that will be fine for the train ride, but we will look into it.

Regarding Parador Malaga Gibralfaro, MaineGG makes a good point about it being on a hill. Since we will have 4 nights, there will definitely be some time for walking around and exploring the city, visiting museums, restaurants etc. Unless the hotel is willing to provide frequent transport, this may become difficult.

We spent 2 nights in Malaga in 2017 and enjoyed it so much more than we thought we would. We wish we had an extra night. There is a lot to do in Malaga, IMO. We spent almost a day walking to the top of the Alcazaba. Of course, I don't know what it will be like in January, but in September it was such a beautiful walk with small patios, gardens, lush vegetation and flowers, a small palace at the top, and stunning views of the port and Mediterranean. The indoor market, Ataranzas, is fun. There are lots of small museums. We enjoyed the Picasso Museum. The old city center is lovely. And we also loved the Cathedral. And you make a good point that coming right after your wedding, you will want some down time.

We also loved Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Barcelona! If you wish, you can click on my name to read my 2017 trip report about Andalucia. My Barcelona TR is about 11 years old and under a different screen name.
We spent 4 nights in Seville, and 2 nights each in Cordoba and Granada, along with the 2 nights in Malaga. We wish we had extra nights in each place.