I am starting to plan a 2 week (possibly a bit longer) trip to Spain next May. I will buy Rick Steve's Guide and Frommer's and/or Fodor's, but am interested in the opinions of those who have done this as to the can't miss cities and the best route, etc. My wife and I are 50, like some art and history, food, and would enjoy a respite for a day or two at the beach. Suggestions?

Hi Frank, we got back 2 weeks ago from a whirlwind trip that included a little of Spain and 5 nights near Carvoeira, Portugal. I found www.madridman.com to be a very helpful site. I know people here will help you out but it's worth a look.

Hi, Frank. I was also thinking of taking a trip to Spain. Something I find helpful in trip planning is to look at the tours operators and see the kind of tours that they're running since they usually hit the highlights. Maybe you could piece together an ideal itinerary for you from their descriptions.

While I enjoyed Portugal, I think if this is your first trip to the area, Spain will more than keep you occupied for two weeks. What about transportation? Are you open to driving or do you want to stick with trains? Have you started yet on flights or are you open to where you will land and leave from? From what you say, I'd think you are probably best basing in Madrid and concentrating on the south --Seville, Toledo, Granada, Cordoba, maybe Segovia, and incorporating some beach time in the south. Do you think you could be happy limiting yourself to that one general area? Or since you mention art and food, would you prefer to cut some time out and head to the Guggenheim in Bilbao and maybe a day or two in San Sebastian -- "food central" for the Basque region? Just a couple of basics to think about before we offer more specifics. The ideas of looking at some guides and tour outlines are good.

Actually, Fodors own guides to Spain are really good - you might start there. I agree with Patrick, including Portugal in the time frame will fail to do justice to either country, so I'd focus on a couple of areas in Spain and save Portugal for another time. <BR><BR>Our recommendations would be two regions, recognizing that Spain's a big country and you can't see everything in one visit. I'd focus on Andalusia and Catalonia - Seville, Cordova, etc. in the south, and Barcelona and its region in the east. With only two weeks even these areas will leave you dizzy and frustrated at things you'll have to skip, but it will be a pleasant frustration. Incredible history, culture and beauty in Andalusia, incredible energy, variety and also beauty in Catalonia. If you need a beach respite, there are several beach communities easily commutable on day-trips from Barcelona (or, better IMO) stay at the beach and take the train into the city.<BR><BR>A car can be useful in exploring the countryside around the main cities in these regions, but it will be a pain in town. Rent on a day basis if you want to explore.

Actually my thought about driving was to maybe start in Madrid for several days to get used to the Spanish customs -- without a car. Then when ready to leave Madrid, get a car to drive to the other towns, and drop off the car at the airport when you fly out of Madrid. We had no problems driving in Spain, even within the cities of Seville, Cordoba, and Granada. But I wouldn't want a car in Madrid. For example if your last night were somewhere like Toledo and your flight was not super early in the morning, it would be easy to drive to the airport, drop off the car and go.

Send me an e-mail if folders of notes which I have made on a number of areas of Spain and Portugal would help nad I will attach them to a reply. Personally I am not keen on over-crowded beaches and I would suggest those of Portugal's Costa Verde and Spain's Galicia although they will not provide such warm sea as the other places suggested. I certainly support the idea of restricting yourself to a limited number of areas.

Hi Frank, You will love traveling to Spain. We did two weeks this last March. We spent about 4 days in Madrid - and did side trips to Toledo and Valley of the Fallen. Then we took the train to Cordoba. Spent a night there (well worth it!). We picked up our rental car there and then drove through the Ubeda region and down to Granada. From Granada we went to Nerja - awesome views of the Med. From Nerja we drove along the Costa del Sol and then headed up to Ronda. After spending some time in Ronda we went to Seville via Jerez. Spent about 3 days in Seville and then headed back to Madrid via train. Did one more day trip from Madrid to Segovia - do not miss this small town. WE had an awesome trip and thought our itinerary worked well - if I had to do again I would have flown out of Seville instead of having to go back to Madrid

Thanks everone for the replies. Lots of good ideas. <BR>I would be open to either driving or using trains, but agree it would be best to see Madrid before getting a car.<BR>I always like to get a bargain airfare (usually Madrid round trips seem to have better prices from the California), but would be open to other ideas. Are one-way flights within Spain reasonably priced?

Put me down as another vote for Andalusia. We spent our honeymoon there last Sept. We started with a few days in Costa del Sol. Skip touristy Marbella and park yourself at a resort right on the Mediterranean. Ours was Las Dunas in Estepona. While in Costa del Sol, we made a day trip to Ronda. It's an ancient city, built on a huge gorge. It's one of Spain's most famous bullfighting cities.<BR><BR>Next stop, Cordoba. We stayed at an average hotel right outside the Jewish Quarter. I would recommend staying inside the Jewish Quarter -- we saw a beautiful hotel there. I think it was called Amistad??? Cordoba was not our favorite city, but the mosque was beautiful and we saw a wonderful flamenco show there.<BR><BR>Then we went on to Granada -- our favorite city in Spain. We stayed at a nothing hotel right in the middle of the city. We loved the Alhambra, the people, the tapas bars. Plan to spend a few days there. Many people stay at the hotel at the Alhambra, but we preferred being in town. The Alhambra is outside of town and you'd have to cab to restaurants or bars in the evening.<BR><BR>After that, we went to Seville. We stayed at Casa Imperial -- a smallish hotel in the heart of the city. Every room is different. The room was nice and the service was great. Seville has a beautiful cathedral and other sites.<BR><BR>This itinerary would definitely cover 2 weeks without long periods of travel in between cities. Enjoy Spain!

We are planning a trip to Spain next fall to visit our son who will be in school there (Seville). We'll probably have only about 10 days. I would be interested in itineries suggestions also. We thought fly to Madrid--see the Prado. Fast train to Andulicia sp? and then rent a car to travel around there. We like art and wandering around great cities like Paris--our favorite. Also considering a quick guided tour of Moracco. Any suggestions? Our plans are just begining.

I think a trip to Andalusia for over two weeks in May would be really nice since May is probably one of the best moments to visit this area. It offers lots of varied landscapes ( green countryside, special mention to Grazalema and Alcornocales Natural Parks, sunny and warm enough to go to spend some day tanning on the beach and still some snow in Sierra Nevada mountains near Granada to make a beautiful background for Alhambra fortress, including not many tourists yet ). I would say this could be a beautiful trip. If you arrive at Madrid you could take AVE Train to Cordoba, visit the Mosque and the narrow streets around it (do not forget El Churrasco, El Caballo Rojo or Taberna Pepe de la Juderia to eat out), next stop could be Ubeda/Baeza, two small cities full of beautiful palaces and renaissance buildings and close to Cazorla rugged mountainous area, quite scenic. Then through unending olive tree fields, you would reach Granada. After Granada, head down to Nerja/Almu&ntilde;ecar/Salobre&ntilde;a area. This area is famous by its marine landscape, its cave and its many subtropical products ( avocado, chirimoya, sugar cane, etc). Follow the coastal route through Malaga and head up again towards Ronda. This city deserves a stop to admire its situation and its surroundings, probably the most attractive rural countryside (alongside with Aracena area as well ) in Central/Southern Spain. Follow the White Villages Route between Ronda and Arcos with several viewpoints as Grazalema or Zahara de la Sierra. Then you would reach Jerez ( wineries, horse shows, the Alcazar/Cathedral area ) and Cadiz ( beautifully located city surrounded by beaches, particularly picturesque Old City centre ), then taking the highway and after 1 hour you get to Sevilla, visiting it and taking the Ave back to Madrid. I think this route would be wonderful for about 2 1/2 to 3. I consider it varied regarding monuments, culture and landscapes with some chances to get into cities, countryside and beaches. <BR>