This is obviously the dreaded hybrid of the "chose a city for me" and "plan the logistics of my trip" threads, but hopefully some people can chime in. I know these are wildly different ideas with many pros and cons. I know I probably cant go too wrong. But this is a very important trip for my wife and I and so I'd love some opinions.

Our almost-set-in-stone shell itinerary is NYC-AGP-BCN-NYC, in late september/early oct. While I could be convinced to alter that, We have heard many great things about Malaga, and its proximity to Granada seems like a no-brainer for 3 or so days in that area of Andalucia, especially since we will be missing Seville on this trip. Hopefully the Lisbon/Seville/Ronda/etc circuit will come another time. And We 100% want to spend time in Barcelona. in the interim week, we have some thoughts/options:

1: from Granada/Malaga, go to Valencia for a few nights and onto Barcelona. If choosing this option, I would like to stop and overnight in at least 2 smaller towns. If the better options or nicer drive are between VLC and BCN, then I could just train Granada-Valencia, stay a few nights and then pick up the car there. Vice versa if the preferable options are further south- nice drive to Valencia with stops, ditch the car there, then onto Barcelona. Obviously I could also just keep the car the whole way up, with Valencia parking the only added hassle.

2: go to Madrid, see the Madrid/Toledo/Segovia/Cordoba group, then onto Barcelona. I understand that both of these drives (southern part to Madrid; MAD-BCN) are less than fascinating, so an all-train itinerary is preferable here, no?

3: get to Barcelona as quickly as possible, and (likely via car) spend some nights in places like Girona, Zaragoza, perhaps even Toulouse or San Sebastien.

Additional info:

-We can do without Madrid but are not opposed to it. Know very little of Valencia. Both cities have the bonus for us that we can use SPG points.

-We would prefer at some point to rent a car even if only a few days and do some semi-random days of exploring with not much of a plan.

- We want romance. Sounds silly but we want this trip to be more about simply "being away" and feeling apart from our stresses than about feeling the need to absorb every museum/trendy restaurant/etc.

Thanks so much.

A few things:

1) timing: you have a week and Spain is not a small country. I highly recommend sticking with 2 cities (Málaga and Barcelona) and not stopping along the way. Besides. . . there are direct flights between the two, so neither Valencia or Madrid are on the way. that means option 3.

2) Málaga: this is definitely a place for romance and relaxation, and should be 3 days. Have drinks at the Hotel Larios (very cool Art Deco lounge), eat dinner (tapas) at El Pimpi and see if they have a flamenco show. Make sure to have a breakfast of chocolate con churros at Casa Aranda (just off the atarazanas market), and if you want some great relaxation, there is a nice Hammam (Arabic bathhouse) where you can get massages or just use the facilities with your partner. www.elhammam.com). If you rent a car one day, you can get to and from Granada and really enjoy the trip. Just make sure you buy your tickets to the Alhambra with an afternoon entry time (they go in waves), as Granada is really confusing for parking and driving around.

3) Barcelona: fly direct and go ahead and rent your car at the airport (Pepe Car is usually the cheapest) and take 2 days or so to drive around. Toulouse and San Sebastian are way too far away, but Girona is just over an hour, and Zaragoza (a favorite of mine) is a 4-5 hour drive. If you just want to stay in Catalunya, visit Girona that day, then drive to Poblet (the monastery is amazing) and go through wine country (Montsant and the Priorat). There are paradores which are really romantic and comfortable, and it is a less rushed and beautiful experience. After that side trip, go back to the city, leave the car at the airport, and head into Barcelona. There is tons to do there, some excellent food, and some truly beautiful art to see at the museums (not to mention the architecture).

Just my 2 céntimos.

Stay with Málaga, it's a great city with lots of character and perfect for romance. http://www.andalucia.com/magazine/en...ed2/malaga.htm

I also love Antequera, some 35 miles north of Málaga (pop. 40 000) and on the way to Granada. Known as the "heart of Andalucía" with its dolmens, Roman baths, a Moorish Castle, Gothic churches, Renaissance fountains and baroque bell towers. Antequera was the first of the Granada emirate towns to fall to the Christians in 1410.
http://www.andaluciacoastandcountry.com/antequera.html

Just outside Antequera: great hiking in the spectacular El Torcal Park Nature Reserve:
http://www.andalucia.com/antequera/torcal/home.htm

And talking of romance, this video might speak in favour of Valencía? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds8ryWd5aFw

In Barcelona, you might want to consider Banys Orientals in the atmospheric El Born district. Great tapas bars, cafés, just by the fabolous Santa María del Mar church and the Picasso museum and close to the Barceloneta beach.
http://www.hotelbanysorientals.com/

I did Málaga-Barcelona as a 5 day road trip last winter, and it was great. But: I wanted it exactly that way to check out several places I considered a future vacation destination but was not sure if they lived up to my expectations. So it was a totally different background than is your planned leisure trip.

I only had a few "must see" destinations, like the impressive Cabo de Gata national park, the palmtrees of Elche, Valencia, and the again impressive Ebro delta, until I got to Barcelona. I did not plan ahead but just visited whatever I found interesting, and also did not pre-book any hotels.

So this is very easily possible, and driving is a breeze on Spain's excellent highway system, but I'm not quite sure if this is something for a first trip to the country.
Maybe you are really better off when flying directly from Málaga to Barcelona, and have more time in both cities/areas.

Thanks for the replies. I should have been clearer- we already have 3 days in Malaga and 3/4 in Barcelona built in to our preferred itinerary....so we would have 6 days or so not including time already budgeted for those cities.

I'd visit Granada for 2 nights and Sevilla for 4 (with a daytrip to Cordoba). Fly between Sevilla and Barcelona. This would be 4 cities in 2 weeks - not too much and all very romantic choices.