Spain 6 weeks itinerary help
 

We are an active mature NZ couple going to Spain early September.
Interests are, architecture, art, food & wine, soaking in old atmosphere.
We fly in & out of Madrid.
We prefer to travel light, by train &/or bus & stay in pensions.
We like to HQ in one place for a few days & do day trips.
It's a big place...help!
Also want a suggestion for one stunningly interesting quiet small town to meet up with European friends (with car) for a week, in reasonable proximity to Barcelona.
Thank you.

Forgot - for about 6 weeks.

I've kind of posted before a planned 6 week itinerary to Spain with a brief stop in Portugal and got some feedback on here. I have a lot of similar interests (art, architecture, food/wine and an active lifestyle). I'll post the link when I find it.
The itinerary went something like:
Madrid + Toledo - 5 Days
Segovia - 1 Day
Salamanca - 2 Days
Parque Nacional Da Peneda-Geres 1 Day
Porto - 2 Days
Minho - 2 Days (Not really sure the right way to order the Portugal segment)
+1-2 Add-on days for Portugal for travel/finding a random place to check out
Back to Spain: Pontevedra 1.5 Days
Santiago de Compostela - 2 Days
A Coruña - 1.5 Days
San Sebastian - 2.5 Days
Bilbao - 2 Days
-->Fly to Malaga - 2 Days
Granada - 2 Days
Cordoba - 1.5 Days
Jerez (Sherry vineyards) - 1.5 Days
Sevilla - 3 Days Fly Home

Add in an extra 7 days for laundry/travel/emergency and you have 6 weeks. Sorry to hijack your thread but that's the itinerary I came up with last winter. Good mix of outdoorsy places/parks, big cities/smaller cities, wine regions, and food meccas!

The high speed AVE train connects Madrid with both fabulous Andalucian city's such as Cordoba, Sevilla and Malaga by the med, as well as with Barcelona.

Recommendations for old atmosphere restaurants in these cities that have not turned into tourist traps (and there are lots of old atmosphere, genuine places in all these cities):

Madrid, Casa Alberto: http://www.casaalberto.es/en/

Cordoba, Taberna El Gallo:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html

Sevilla, Bodegas Diaz Salazar: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html

Malaga, El Cortijo de Pepe: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html
(and of course Antiguo Casa de Guardia: http://www.antiguacasadeguardia.net/)

Barcelona, 7 Portes: http://www.7portes.com/catala/index2.php

If you consider that Spain is really many countries, it might help you establish an itinerary, each with its own history, many with its language or dialect, and all with a distinctive sensibility. There is Catalunya, Basque Country, Galicia, Castile, Extremadura, and Andalusia. This does not include other regions.

You can stay in Madrid for about 10 days and use that not only to explore that City but as a base to visit the many worthwhile towns nearby including Toledo, Salamanca, Avila, Segovia, and now with the AVE Cuenca.

There are a number of interesting towns around Barcelona both north and south. It all depends on your interests. I suggest you buy a Michelin Green for Spain as it will have the most complete listing of towns and attractions. Frommer's, Fodor's and Rick Steve's are extremely limited in what they cover.