Please Vote: Barcelona or Southern Spain
 

My wife and I have been debating for a month on where to go in Spain. We will be there at the end of April for 8 days.

Itinerary A: Madrid, Toledo and Barcelona
Itinerary B: Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Ronda, Granada.
Itinerary C: Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona, Seville, Ronda, and Granada.

Please vote as if this is your only trip to Spain. Your help will be greatly appreciated!

I think B & C would be too much for 8 days. These cites are pretty far from each other. You would spend all your time schlepping.

Your trip all depends on what you think is most important. You obviously think Madrid & Toledo are imortant b/c they are #1 & 2 on every list. Why not just concentrate on those two?

For me, Granada & the Alhambra would be #1.

If you want to add something to Madrid and Toledo, I would vote for Grenada. Barcelona is a unique destination, but what draws many people there is the nightlife, the seaside and the Gaudi. If those things aren't hugely important to you, I save Barcelona for another time.

Thanks for your replies so far! Just wanted to mentioned that we are flying home from Madrid so Madrid and Toledo are in every option. Also, option 3 is a lot of areas to cover but we are planning to fly from Barcelona to Seville and we plan to start every day early. Please vote as if this is the only trip to Spain and not coming back at a later time.

Ronda is a day trip. Granada is a must...maybe day trip from there to Ronda? Madrid and Barcelona could take up your week in themselves. Also, a neat day trip (train) from Barcelona is Girona..often overlooked.

As for Barcelona, I really think it depends on how much you like Gaudi or how much you want to be in party central for Spain. The food in Barcelona is great, the culture is quite off-beat, and there is a general air of revelry and youth all over town.

I may never get to go back to Spain, but if I do, it won't be to visit Barcelona. But I would go back in a flash to Grenada, Toledo and Madrid, and while I like Sevilla quite a bit, I wouldn't make it a focus.

I vote for Madrid, Toledo & Granada. That still gives you less than 3 days in each city PLUS travel time. I still think it is too much.

i woul dalso prefer mad-toledo and whatever suits you best to the granda-sevilla option.

with a car i think you can do this.AVE to toledo.
pick up car in toledo after finishing touring.
drive to granada, then drop off in sevilla (before touring).
then AVE back to madrid.

but if YOU are most interested in big cities.. then i see no way you can add them all to include barcelona. You will have to drop someting elsewhere.

Thanks to all who have responded so far! This is really helpful. My choice is Itinerary A(Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona) and my wife is Itinerary B(Madrid, Toledo, and southern Spain) and Itinerary C(Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona, and southern Spain) is for both of us. From the responses so far, it looks like Itinerary B is winning. I was hoping that some may vote for Itinerary C since Rick Steve's and Tauck guided tours have a similar short days for each city itinerary. Is Itinerary C really impossible? Will I regret not going to Barcelona since it will be a slim chance that I will be back to Spain?

Only you know what is important to you.

The Alhambra or Gaudi. Ancient or Modern. Granada or Barcelona. They are both marvelous cities, each in their own way.

If you don't care then flip a coin. At least that way you can be sure that you don't secretly want one more than the other.

What are your expectations of Barcelona? Of course you will be sorry not to see absolutely EVERYTHING in the enitre country. But it is impossible to see everything in 8 days.

I think with all the wonderful sites you will see in Madrid, Toledo & Granada you will be sorry not to be able to spend MORE time in each & not long for more.

May I suggest Itinerary D? Stay in Madrid w/daytrips to Toledo, Segovia and Sevilla (Yes, that's possible! We daytripped to Sevilla for Good Friday Processions using this same suggested schedule a few years ago). Why??

Sevilla's Feria de abril begins around 24 Apr. Take an early AM (07:30) AVE from Madrid and be in Sevilla at 10. Do a 'same day return' (25% discount) and return Sevilla-Madrid on the 8PM AVE - just in time for supper.

If you buy 'Visit Spain' passes from SpanAir or Iberia, you might be able to fit in a day in Barcelona, also.

I made the mistake of skipping Barcelona on my first visit to Spain.However,I was able to go back last year on my honeymoon.

Barcelona is culturally quite unique and distinct from the rest of Spain.

My wife and I stayed in Bari Gotic - the Latin Qtr, close to the famous La Ramblas.

Besides the Sagrada Lafamilia, there is the Picasso museum,La Ramblas,Montjuic, the Joan Miro park and lots of stuff by Gaudi.

Barcelona also has a very vibrant cultural scene/nightlife.

My wife and I have very fond memories of this city.

Do consider spending atleast a couple of days in Barcelona.

Cheers

If this will be the only trip to Spain, I'll go for #3.

I saw all these places (in three different trips) and I liked all of them.
It is very difficult (for me) to compare, Madrid, Barcelona and Seville, Granada,Cordoba are three very different things but each of them has its charm.

I love Spain!

Barcelona is not mainly "party central"..you want that then head for Ibiza. And it is a lot more than just Gaudi architecture, too. It is a wonderful contrast to Madrid.

IMO, the only major site in Granada (note I said "major") is the Alhambra which is nice for a full day. Madrid and Barcelona both offer a wealth of things to see and do.

Your ONLY trip to Spain and only 8 days I would pick "A"

Itin A.

Barcelona is not just nightlife and there is so much to see, do and experience there that it should not be reduced to that. Pretty much any city can be what you want it to be: beautiful and sight-filled, party-central, etc. I am extremely partial to Granada as well, but would not go there in lieu of Barcelona. I would substitute it in place of Toledo, though. . .

One thing against A is that BCN is far from Madrid and getting to and from can be frustrating by train.

I haven't been to Barcelona so I can't comment on that but I have been to Madrid twice and some of the other cities you mentioned.
Last September, my husband (it was his first trip to Spain) and I were there for 8 days and did:
Madrid for three days
Sevilla for two days
Granada-left Sevilla in the early morning, saw the Alhambra and then rented a car and drove to...
Valencia: where we visited a friend of my husband's who had been an exchange student when they were in high school 15 years prior. We were there for two days and then we drove back to Madrid for our flight home.
It was alot and I don't know if I would go to Valencia if it weren't for our friends but we really loved Southern Spain. And for me, I really really wanted to visit the Alhambra. So I guess my vote is for Itinerary B (oh and we used Rick Steves for much of our trip)

Depending on the way in which you travel, (C) is a viable option. Its actually very close to what we did a couple of years ago. We visited Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, Cordoba, Granada, Sevilla, and Barcelona. This was our itinerary:

Day 1:
1) Arrive in Madrid
2) Hotel Check-in & Train To Toledo
3) Toledo: Cathedral, Lunch, Church with El Greco's "Burial Of Count Orgaz" (5 hours)
4) Train back to Madrid
5) Reina Sofia Museum (2 hours)

Day 2:
1) Prado (4 hours)
2) Thyssen-Bornemisza (3 hours)
3) Walking around & Plaza Mayor

Day 3:
1) Royal Palace
2) Train To Segovia
3) Segovia: Aqueduct, Lunch, Walking, Veracruz Church, Alcazar (5 hours)
4) Train Back To Madrid

Day 4:
1) AVE to Cordoba
2) Hotel Check-In
3) Mezquita
4) Wandering Around

Day 5:
1) Bus to Granada
2) Alhambra (4 hours)
3) Lunch & Wandering Through Albaicin
4) Bus to Cordoba

Day 6:
1) AVE to Sevilla
2) Alcazar (~2 hours)
3) Lunch
4) Cathedral (~2 hours)
5) Walk back to AVE through Jewish quarter
6) Taxi to airport, fly to Barcelona

Day 7, all Barcelona:
1) Cathedral (~30-45 min)
2) Santa Maria Del Mar (~15 min)
3) Picasso Museum (~1.5 hour)
4) Lunch
5) Walk along Las Ramblas (15-20 min)
6) MNAC (2-3 hour)
7) Fundacion Miro (~2 hour)
8) Dinner

Day 8 (All Barcelona):
1) Casa Battlo (~1-1.5 hour)
2) Sagrada Familia (~2 hour)
3) Lunch In Eixample
4) Park Guell (2 hour)
5) Wandering around, seeing Casa Vicens & sampling cheese shops (~1.5 hour)
6) Casa Mila (1 hour)
7) Dinner in Barceloneta

Day 9:
1) Morning flight Barcelona-Madrid
2) Flight Home

So I guess we were technically there 9 days...Granted we were a pretty physical wreck at the end of our 2 Barcelona days, but we regretted nothing. I know that we basically romped through Toledo & Sevilla particularly, but ultimately I'd probably do the same thing if I could do it all over. This was about 18 months ago, so my memory of time is hazy, but we more or less got up early in the morning (usually 7-7:30) & kept going until around midnight. We treated it as our one and only time in Spain...for what its worth.

Barcelona is wonderful and not to be missed. It just does not fit with the rest of Spain. Since you are tied to Madrid, I would do that and Andalusia, to include Seville and either Granada or the blancos villages--not both.

If you are going to be in Sevilla during the Feria, it will be very crowded and that is something to consider.

What is it that attracts your wife to Southern Spain? Is she possibly more interested in small towns than Sevilla?

Also, even though you are flying in and out of Madrid, we won't tell anybody if you skip touring Madrid and just use it a transport point to other places. Apart from the Prado, Madrid does not have the outstanding cultural attractions of other major European cities (because of its 20c violent political history). And its social culture is still quite conservative. This is not to diss Madrid, which I really like and would happy spend six months in, but if you dearly want to see Barcelona and your wife dearly wants to see Toleda, Grenada and Andalucia, Madrid can go.

Sorry if people read my remarks as reducing Barcelona to "party central." Barcelona indeed has many art monuments and museums. But many people, especially many northern Europeans and Brits, head for Barcelona for a lively sunny holiday, and many Americans want a taste of its welcoming hedonism. I have friends who go to Barcelona to relax and enjoy that, along with the great food.

I vote for itinerary A adding Granada to see the Alhambra. You can do Granada-Barcelona by plane.

Wow, thanks for all those replies! 50% of the votes seems to be Itinerary B. I would never have known that Granada is a must from reading the tour books. Currently, we are leaning toward Itinerary B. If you have any more feedback, it will be greatly appreciated.

I vote for a variation on C: Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona, and Granada, not necessarily in that order. I think you can do it in 8 days. I did this trip a year ago, plus Denia to visit my son, for a total of 9 days. We drove (not a great idea), and took in ALL the museums & major sites. I WOULD go back to Barcelona. Maybe not Granada, though it's wonderful. If you are early risers, and don't mind some late nights, this is a great country to visit. If you like history, spend more time in Granada & Toledo, if you love architecture &/or are religious, spend more time in Barcelona. Enjoy!

a comment about when people say they need not go back to granada.
it is such a visual experience.. that once you have seen it, i imagine many feel .. been there, done that.

on the other hand, big cities always do offer endless possibilities for dining and museums. thus.. many times you can always go back because so much was left "undone".

this does not mean granada isn't worth an intense visit. i think it would be a rewarding addition to any itinerary. study a little of the history to get the real feel of the place and what happened there, and when.

all of your itineraries are interesting and can provide a wonderful variety of spanish architecture and culture.

for me, part of the experience is hanging out and letting the world go by.. take in a concert, an exhibit, which does eat up a lot of time.. but so worth it!

Adding on to what lincasanova says. . . I have been to Granada 8 times. My host father was determined that I see the Alhambra in all 4 seasons, so we did 4 separate trips there. Since then I have taken 3 different people and gone once just for myself. Each time has been different and has really colored my way of seeing the city and the Alhambra. Places are as dynamic as people and where construction is one day, finds a building the next. So, if you have "already been there," you may be surprised to find that you "remember it being so different." Perhaps it was.

As art conservation is extremely important to me, I like to visit places and study how well they have held up under strenuous tourism. Not only does it get me paying attention to little details, but it is really helpful to understanding why things were made like they were. I can tell you that from that point of view, no place is ever the same.

Claire

Hi, We did b and it was fun. Ofcourse you;re talking about 1 day in Madrid, 1 in Toledo, train 2 1/2 hous to Seville for 2days (1 night). Before getting off in Seville, spend a few worthwhile hours in Cordoba. After Seville, rent a car and drive to Ronda for 1 day and then on your drive to Granada maybe you can stop at other white villages or drive straight through and spend 2 days, 1 night in Granada. Sure its just enough to wet your tastes, but you will see the major sights in each stop and will give you a reason to reason to 1 or more of your stops some other time. If that seems like too much moving around just do the AVE line from Madrid to Seville and use those as your bases for taking a few day trips from each place. Have a great time.

At the risk of being overly simplistic, I would comment that when you are in Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Ronda, you know you are in Spain. When we were in Barcelona, we knew we were in another large cosmopolitan European city -- which is not a bad thing -- but it may not be the "Spain" you are looking for.

Although Barcelona is my favorite city in Spain, it is not typically Spanish. I would go with Itinerary B. Sevilla and Granada are "must-sees" and unlike anywhere else.