Ok, thanks, will take that into consideration.

Another thought, how about we stay 3 nights instead of 4 in Barcelona, leaving for Madrid in the evening instead of the next morning? Then we still have 3 1/2 days and 3 nights in Madrid. All we would be giving up is one evening in Barcelona but that way we could get an early start in Madrid. We are find with taking the 6pm train or flight from Barcelona.

My plan for Barcelona was as follows:

Day 1 - we get there around noon but after lunch and a nap, our day will probably start around 5pm. We could visit the beach and spend the evening in Barconeletta.
Day 2 Sagrada Familia and walking tour of Barcelona. Cab to Park Guell, explore neighbourhoods in the evening.
Day 3 - Montserrat, Flamenco show at night
Day 4 - Cathedral, The Casas/la Pedrera

Would we be able to leave that evening? The contents of the days can always be switched around, I was just trying to come up with a rough plan to see if we could leave the evening of Day 4. How long would a trip to Montserrat take given that we don't usually set out before 10am - if we're lucky! I'm hoping that with jet lag, we will be up earlier than usual the first few days.
Thoughts??

seville. has the feel of a college town and your son will love it. easy from madrid. you won't be sorry!

Hi Kawh, sorry, didn't mean that we would go to Seville instead of Madrid though I will give the kids that option! Was just wondering if it would be better to stay 3 nights in Barcelona instead of 4 and if that would not be taking too much away from the Barcelona visit.

love barcelona... but i think 3 nights are enough...(tough choices) unless you have jet lag problems and think you will lose the first day.

No, not the whole day, we are accustomed to jetlag. Will need an afternoon nap & then we should be fine for the evening.

Here's a fine intro to the Barceloneta district: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/201...taurants-spain

Can Solé is a classic of the Barceloneta area, but there are also plenty of small and atmospheric restaurants that are very popular with locals here.

But you are also only a few minutes walk away from my favourite in Barcelona for traditional Catalan food. Barcelona classic 7 Portes serves up consistently great, traditional Catalan food in the best atmosphere and with tons of history in the walls. Popular with tourists, but it's easy to understand why this 1836 establishment still is a favourite with locals. Very professional team. Last time, in May, we had a fabulous fish soup, monkfish/rape a la plancha and a divine Catalan speciality Arroz caldoso. We also had a great night at more gourmet hype Tickets the next day, but Sete Portes again came out on top. Reservations is a must.
http://www.7portes.com/angles/index.php
The 175th anniversary in 2011 was a Barcelona event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujDIsGzDO38

And be sure not to miss El Born district with the beautiful 14th century Santa María del Mar Church, one of the finest Gothic buildings in Europe, and plenty of fabulous tapas bars, cafés, bars and terraces: http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.c...s/el-born.html

I loved the Santa Maria del Mar church, with its gorgeous stained glass.
Would like to take exception to the recommendation of 7 Portes. Maybe they were having an "off day", but they were very rude with us and I didnt find the food that special. Service was hurried and almost non existent.

I'm with Cathy. I would spend 4 nights in Sevilla or 3 nights and the last one in Malaga.

Thanks! But what about my other question, should I make it 3 nights in Barcelona and 3 nights in Madrid instead of 4 and 2? That way we can leave Madrid in the morning, spend the day in Cordoba and continue on to Sevilla late evening.

are you going to try to do toledo out of madrid? if so-- that will take up one of your days. another day for the prado and one for the Thyssen (which i thought was one of the greatest i've been to anywhere.) so you just need to think through your chosen itinerary. there is never, ever enough time for everything!

Three days in Madrid sounds like a good plan, especially because you're there during the San Isidro festival (watch especially out for daily/nightly events at majestic Plaza Mayor and in the close by Vistillas park, music, dance, concerts, food and drink). I wouldn't think of any day trips out of town, Madrid is wonderful and three days is just enough to give you a small taste of a city it's easy to fall in love with. Madrid center is made up of very different districts with very different feel and atmosphere, almost like several villages.

Here are some suggestions I've previously posted about Madrid:

Have breakfast or lunch at Café del Círculo de Bellas Artes in down town Calle Alcalá, 42. One of the city's most emblematic cafés. Grab a window table and watch Madrid life on bustling Calle Alcalá. Take the lift up to the roof topp terrace (the azotea) for the most spectacular views of the city. http://www.esmadrid.com/en/cargarApl...ntificador=179
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/madrid/D51874.html

Watch the sunset over the Guadarrama mountains from the terrace at El Ventorrillo in the Vistillas park. Great pollo al ajillo, some say the best in town. Map, video and some pictures: http://11870.com/pro/restaurante-ventorrillo

Have lunch or some tapas at Casa Granada, on the 6th floor of an apartment building just off Plaza Tirso de Molina. Hard to find and a great terrace. http://www.tripfilms.com/Travel_Vide...ada-Video.html

Café Central, just off bustling Plaza Santa Ana, is a fabulous jazz venue with live performances from the best artists every night at 10. Changing artists every week. Entrance 15€. Good food also. http://www.cafecentralmadrid.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...al-Madrid.html

Experience world class flamenco at one of the best tablaos. Madrid is arguably the flamenco capital of the world. Although the art form comes from the South (Andalucía), everybody has to conquer Madrid to get to the top. On their way there, or as an opportunity to try out new things and get an up close audience, many of them work the top tablaos. I recommend Casa Patas and Cardamomo, both close to Plaza Santa Ana.
http://www.casapatas.com/
http://www.cardamomo.es/

A stroll in the beautiful Retiro Park. http://www.aviewoncities.com/madrid/parquedelretiro.htm

Asturian Casa Mingo for the best grilled chicken and cider: http://www.casamingo.es/
Watch the video, and you're sold:
http://11870.com/pro/casa-mingo/videos/bc313f19

Txirimiri in Calle del Humilladero, 6 gives you an idea of why the Basque kitchen is considered among the best in the world. In the midst of one of the best tapas/restaurant districts in town, in and around Calle Cava Baja in La Latina.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...ri-Madrid.html

I never leave Madrid without having had the squid in its own ink and the famous cod at Casa Revuelta, also in the same district.
http://11870.com/pro/revuelta

You should also try the excellent salmorejo, a somewhat thicker variant of the tomato/vegetable soup gazpacho, in Según Emma just behind the newly reopened gourmet-oriented San Miguel food market. http://11870.com/pro/segun-emma
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...ma-Madrid.html

The Mercado de San Miguel: http://www.spottedbylocals.com/madri...de-san-miguel/

Plenty of excellent food markets in Madrid. Mercado de la Paz is perhaps the best and a must: http://www.marketmanila.com/archives...e-ayala-madrid

The Reina Sofia contemporary art museum. The second floor with Picasso, Dalí, lots of other painitings, posters, films, photos etc., dealing with a couple of the greatest civilizational breakdowns of the 20th century, the Spanish Civil War and WWII, completely blew my mind off a couple of years ago. http://www.museoreinasofia.es/en

The Rastro flea market on Sunday, just as much about having some tapas and a vermut as about shopping: http://www.madrid-guide-spain.com/el-rastro.html

If you like shopping, the Chueca and Malasaña area north of modernistic Gran Vía is said to be Madrid's most lively shopping district that "combine both originality and the avant-garde. Specifically, the section made up of little streets perpendicular to Fuencarral and Hortaleza streets is a shoppers’ paradise".
http://www.softguides.com/madrid_gui...ne.html#chueca

This site is great about Madrid. http://www.esmadrid.com/en/portal.do

Hi, I was not planning any trips out of Madrid. Is 3 1/2 days enough in Barcekona then? (if we do 3 days in Madrid).

3 1/2 days will give you a fine taste of Barcelona as well.

Personally I'd give up time in Madrid to do a daytrip to Toledo, a World Heritage City. But I'm not too big on museums and also not a huge Madrid fan (sorry Madrid lovers).

Actually, I thought 2 days were fine in Madrid until Kimhe mentioned the San Isidro festival, that makes it sound like there would be more fun things to see/do.
The Universitat apt is not available for 3 nights so I would have to go with one of the others. Of course, now that I had finally made up my mind, I feel badly about that!
I guess I am still on the fence, 4 nights in Barcelona sounded relaxing! On the other hand, after the first night and full day in Madrid, if we feel we have seen our "must see" spots, we can always choose to do a day trip the next day. Decisions, decisions.....!

Just to make things a little harder;) Here's the promo for Córdoba as European capital of Culture 2016. Lost it to San Sebastián in the end, but a wonderful city anyhow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IykBM0j-LYk