Me and two friends of mine just got a couple of tickets to Madrid in mid-July. I know this isn't the best time of year to go, but we were otherwise constrained. We will be arriving early on a Monday morning, spending 13 days, 12 nights, but the last day is solely devoted to flighing, with an early flight.

I'm a novice traveller, and we are all in our 20's. Looking for ideas and suggestions for some places and wanted to try out a sample itinerary. The members of my group and I have separate plans; I take on too much, they seem to be less ambitious. Just looking for a fun trip and certainly want to enjoy what we see. Any thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated. I will be searching this site quite frequently and reading through your posts as well.

Sample Itinerary
- Day 1-Day 2: Madrid
- Day 3-Day 5: Barcelona
- Day 6-Day 11: Granada and Seville
- Day 12: Toledo
- Day 13: Madrid and Airport

- Would like to add in a couple of days to Lisbon or North Africa, if possible.

From my preliminary review of Spain, Andulusia seems to me to be the most attractive. Madrid is a must due to the flights, and Barcelona seems fascinating as well. I would love to add in either a day trip (or overnight trip) to North Africa or spend a couple of days in Lisbon, but I don't know if this is taking on a bit too much. And, partly because we are seemingly world-hated Americans : ), would North Africa be safe for us to visit?

Any suggesions of things to see or other notable reviews or links to information would be very much appreciated.

We are also travelling there this September, and were doing this itinerary planning a few weeks ago. Our trip length is marginally longer than yours (15 days). Based on my research and feedback from various threads, here is what I would recommend:
a) Definitely include a few days in Lisbon. You could go there directly from Seville (by road), and fly back to Madrid on a cheap Vueling flight (about 30 euros).
2. To accomodate Lisbon, you may have to cut short Barcelona, or eliminate it altogether.
3. While travelling between Granada and Seville, do find a day each for Ronda and Cordoba.
These are my suggestions, from an inexperienced traveller !

You may get info - but you'll get more if you re-post w/ a better title. 90% of the threads on here are "Requesting help planning an itinerary" and you could be asking about anywhere in Europe.

Try something like "Help w/ 12 day Spain itinerary"

You can start your planning by reading a few decent guides, including Fodor's Spain, and read a few of Maribel's Guides, which you can download free of charge (http://maribelsguides.com)

I would not substitute Lisbon for Barcelona.
You might consider adding Salamanca (especially), a beautiful university city with lots of history

It depends a lot on what your interests are.

Your plan looks good except the 6 days in Granada and Seville -- it's too long for me. 2 days in Granada and 2 in Seville should be fine. I suggest renting a car in Granada and driving to Seville.

On the way visit the coast and maybe stay there. There are ferries to North Africa.

The Paradors offer a special for people in their 20's which may be helpful for the coast.

I agree with the other poster, do stop in Cordoba on your way to Toledo/Madrid.

Don't miss Barcelona!