Please help...leaving for Spain on August 2nd.
 

We purchased our tickets to Spain last Tuesday and I'm having the hardest time planning our trip. I have the choice of two from the follwoing list, Toledo, Ronda, Marbella, or Mallorca. Where would you prefer to go? Shall I skip Toledo? I'm going to Madrid, Granada, Cordoba, Sevilla, and Barcelona. Is one day in Granada too little? Is two days in Sevilla too little?


Thanks in advance.

<i>Is one day in Granada too little?</i> Stay two nights if you want to see anything besides the Alhambra (which takes the better part of a day).

<i>Is two days in Seville too little? </i> Yes - three or four nights would be better. Five nights is not too many.

If you could answer a few questions, it would help a lot in helping you:

What hotel reservations do you already have (and their dates)?
How many nights total is the trip?
Where in Spain do you fly into?
Where do you fly home from?
Will you have a car?

Besides Bardo questions, remember it will 100 degress all week in Madrid and the south will the same.

I love Toledo and it is always a highlight of my trips there.

I think Bardo asks great questions for us to adequately answer your questions.

As I was flipping through the tv channels last night our PBS station had a great segment on Seville. We spent 5 days there a few years ago and missed some highlights.
How long are you in Madrid?

We spent only one day - starting very early - in Granada for Alhambra and we had time for some tapas, and the cathedral before we got on the road.

I think one of the key questions is the car?

Do not skip Toledo. That cathedral is a highlight of a trip to Spain. It is one I keep going back to see. Toledo, itself, beautiful! I would even skip Cordoba in favor of Toledo, though the mosque there is astonishing.

If you're short on time skip Ronda, Marbella and Mallorca. I agree with Bardo 100%.

What hotel reservations do you already have (and their dates)?
I don't have any hotel reservations...yet.

How many nights total is the trip? 10 days in Spain and 2 in London

Where in Spain do you fly into? Madrid
Where do you fly home from? Barcelona
Will you have a car? Flying from city except for Corboba

Thanks

CASTRO - Run - Don't walk - to the closest Karen Brown website. Her Spain B&B recommendations are spot on when it comes to last minute and travel in Spain.

I actually pick my B&B's from her site and then back into my itinerary because she has such great itinerary recommendations.

Wow, this is tough. Assuming 10 days in Spain means 9 nights:

Day 1-4: Madrid (day trip to via train Toledo)
train to Seville
Day 5-7 in Seville (one day trip via train to Cordoba)
fly to Barcelona
Day 8-10 Barcelona

Whoops - that's it! Out of time.

bardo - I hate to say this, but I'd pare back a day in Madrid. The only thing is that you need one lazy day there to adjust to your new time.

I'd go Madrid to Toledo to Seville in one day/evening. Leave early from Madrid, spend the day in Toledo and then move on.

However, you'll miss staying at the Hotel Pintor El Greco or Hostal del Cardenal.

By the way - if you subscribe to her site, Karen Brown has an itinerary builder like no other!

We just got back from Spain. If I were you, I'd skip Marbella. I'd do:

2 days in Madrid (one to relax and the other for a day trip to Toledo--- don't miss Toledo, it is GREAT!), take fast train to Seville,
3 days in Seville with one of those days a day trip to Cordoba, take train to Granada,
2 days in Granada and then go to Barcelona,
remaining days in Barcelona (I've never been there so not sure how many days you need for this city).

There is much more to see in Madrid than Seilla, even though Sevilla is a beautiful town. And with such a short trip, I would just spend one day in Granada.

It is very hot in Toledo and Ronda these days.

With 10 days I don't think you can adequately see all the cities you want - without a great deal of rushing. It's very tempting to try to squeeze as much in as possible I understand.

My personal minimums:

Madrid: 4 days (w/daytrips to Segovia & Toledo)
Sevilla: 4 days (w/daytrip to Cordoba)
Granada: 2 days
Barcelona: 4 days

So, the question is how do you handle very hot weather? If you don't handle it very well I'd eliminate Sevilla and Granada focusing on Madrid & Barcelona. If the heat is OK for you then I'd eliminate either 1) Madrid or 2) Barcelona or 3) Sevilla & Granada.

I must be weird, but I love Madrid. Don't understand all this advice about getting out of town almost the minute you get there. I think Bardo's schedule is good.