Spain for 7 days
 

Hi! We will be in Spain at the end of August for a week. I really want to go to Madrid, Granada, Seville and Barcelona. Can someone please give me some advice or recommendations on my itinerary. Any advice on whether to take trains or flights?

This might be a stretch or an overkill, not sure and hence need your help.
18 -20th Aug: Madrid
20- 21st Aug: Granada
21- 23nd Aug: Seville
23- 26th Aug: Barcelona

Many thanks.

That sounds extremely rushed. You are counting your days twice and forgetting the travel time between cities.

Are you arriving in Madrid on the 18th? You are unlikely to get into your hotel before noon, even if your plane lands early ín the morning. Sure, some hotels let you dump your bags before you can check in, but some don't. So that means you have a day and a half, maybe two in Madrid.

Madrid to Granada by train takes over four hours, according to Renfe. That's half a day if you include time to get to the train station in Madrid and then from the station in Granada to the new hotel. I doubt taking a plane would be any faster, since you'd have to be at the airport at least an hour (maybe two) before the flight.

Then you plan to leave for Seville next day. Ok. That's a much shorter journey. You could probably find an afternoon train, giving you the morning of the 21st to see the Alhambra. There's a lot more to see in Granada, but you aren't going to have time for much of that.

Seville probably deserves more time than two days, but that's about what I had there, too. It's barely enough time and some people here will tell you that you need at least four days there.

Getting from Seville to Barcelona is likely to take another half day.

Are you flying out from Barcelona on the 26th or the 27th?

Honestly, I think you need to drop one city.

As above this is tight (and hot), I love Madrid but in August. If it were me I would drop Madrid and catch the train to Seville. I'd think that was the next logical city but check renfe for timings

Sorry - In 7 days you have time to get to 2 places. You need to pick them and rearrange your schedule.

Agree that you are triple counting some days - so your "itinerary is nothing like what you have listed. What you really have is:

Madrid: arrival (1/2 day jetlagged) plus 19 and 20
Granada: 1/2 day travel, then .5 days there (the 21st)
Seville: 1/2 day travel, then 1.5 days there (1/2 22 and 23rd)
Barcelona: 1/2 day travel on the 24th, then one day there (25) and depart on the 26th)

Madrid: 2.5
Granada: .5
Seville: 1.5
Barcelona: 1.5

As you can see - this is just a mad rush through the train stations or airports of Spain.

You really need to allocate each day to what you will actually be doing.

I have been to Madrid twice this year and will return this Friday again. It is 100F there already. To me, Madrid is not a city that "grabs" me like Barcelona. It is home to one of the world's top museums, but I would rather spend the Madrid time in Barcelona seeing all things Gaudi.

Sorry - do be aware that the temps in Madrid are likely to be around 100 and in Seville and Granada can easily be 110 plus. Plan on sightseeing only early morning and evening and spending the afternoon at your hotel pool.

To me, it seems a bit strange that people would want to visit Southern Spain under these extreme temperatures, being so many beautiful places on the North, with a much more moderate climate. But of course it´s vacation time and quite often it´s during July and August. The North of Spain was a popular tourist resort for the sovereigns of Spain, that fleed away from the torrid temperatures of Madrid.

If you are not a museum goer, I would skip Madrid this trip. And it takes 2 1/2 hours for travel between Granada and Sevilla which wastes about 4 hours.

We just fly back from Madrid and thankfully it was a lot cooler than the same time last year when it easily broke 38ºC at midnight. As mikelg notes, it's a lot cooler in the north at this time of the year. And with only 7 days, why spend them in an oven?

Things like rstaurants and shops close in the afternoon. People go inside for rest during that time. You have to adjust sightseeig and travel to match. Museums will be open, so you should plan walking for morning and museums, pool or rest for afternoon, then very, very late dinners.

You cannot count the same date twice when planning. Lay out your plan and include all time for travel, getting from hotel to train or airport, time waiting, etc.

A half day in Granada does not work. Neither does a day and a half in Barcelona. I love Madrid and (no choice at the time) have been twice in July, but there is little point going to Madrid unless you plan to visit some of the fantastic nearby places like Toledo and Segovia, and the Prado is a prioriety for you.

Questions.
Are your flights already booked into Madrid and out of Barcelona? I so, then that is what you have to work with and at least makes it reasonable to go to both cities. If you are already booked RT from Madrid, that is more problematic.

Seven days is a very short time for a big country. You have to cut down to your top two big choices with perhaps a side trip or in-between stop that works logistically. Is there any way to add two or three days to your trip?

The train is best between Madrid and Barcelona.

However, if you go to Seville or Granada, it is likely better to fly to Barcelona from one of those cities.

If you can deal with the heat, and know you will slow down during the day, great. I have been fine with it, actually like the late hot nights, but I sleep during the day. Otherwise, consider other suggestions of going North for this trip.

As Sassafrass alludes, Segovia and Toledo are both great side trips from Madrid. I did both of those when I was there in May. Very easy train rides from Madrid.

And for more on the trains between Madrid and Barcelona, see this recent thread: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...omment-8814967

Many thanks for your responses and feedback. I figured my initial itinerary was more than a stretch. So I have decided to do only two cities instead. I am definitely going to Barcelona at the end of the trip. Now I was wondering what the second city should be. If the south is going to be that hot, I wondering if it would be better to visit San Sabastian. The other option is to go to Valencia (which would probably be as hot but close to barcelona). What would you guys recommend? This would entail 4 nights in either Valencia or San sabastian and then spend 4 nights in Barcelona.

18th: Fly from London to Barcelona, take the train to San Sabastian or Valencia (depending on which city wins the maximum votes and sounds most enticing)

Check out 22nd and take the train to Barcelona and stay for 4 nights there. Check out/ fly out on the 26th.

Rather than flying into Barcelona and then taking the train, why not fly from London to San Sebastian? By time you add the cost of the train, the total cost might be about the same and save some time, which would great for you.

It will probably he hard to get a room in San Sebastian/Donostia at this late date.

Sounds painfully rushed to me. I recommend that you get some good guidebooks (or spend some time with a few in your local library), identify the things you most want to see in each location, note their opening/closing times, and mark them on a calendar. Then pencil in your transportation, including AT LEAST two or three hours on either side (for getting to/from the airport or whatever, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, obtaining currency, and getting oriented). Then see how things fit together.

Thanks! Booked for Valencia (direct flight from london to valencia), staying for 4 nights and 4 nights in barcelona. SO excited!! Thanks again for the help guys!