Spain in late March - need ideas!
 

Hello fellow travelers! I've never been to Europe, and I'm needing advice here.
I'm going to be in Spain for about two weeks in the second half of March. From the 19th to the 23rd I will be in Madrid; from the 24th to the 26th I will be in Sevilla; from the 27th to the 29th I will be in Barcelona; and on the 30th and 31st I will be in Tossa de Mar.

Some things about me:
I like seeing the stereotypical tourist things (I liked the big arch in St. Louis and the CN Tower in Toronto). I like bright and colorful things (like exploring caves and seeing the rock formations or looking at exotic fish). I like museums, especially ones pertaining to military history (armor museums, airplane museums, tank museums, etc.).

Thanks in advance,
Charlie from Florida

Did you check Fodor's destination pages for ideas?

Holy Week, Semanta Santa, is from 24-31 March this year, which will greatly impact your plans in Sevilla.

It sounds like you already have a good itinerary. You are asking what to do in these cities?
With your interests in mind (of course Madrid and Barcelona have great art museums),

Madrid -- go to the Royal Palace.
Sevilla, go to the Alcazar and along the river
Barcelona has a lot of terrific things, go to some Gaudi specimens (eg, La Pedrera and the cathedral Sagrada Familia, then Park Guell) and maybe the Barcelona City Museum down near the port.

You have just enough time in each city to hit the highlights.

As Robert says, it will be Semana Santa in Sevilla - a very special time to visit. But also quite busy. Make sure you have all of your hotels booked in advance (ie. now) and also have any long distance travel booked.

If you want to know the highlights for each city check out TripAdvisor or a good guidebook.

For Sevilla I wouldn't miss the Cathedral and Alcazar along with just strolling in exploring several areas - barrio Santa Cruz, El Arenal, Triana, Macarena.

My girlfriend and I already made reservations in each city, and we're aware of Holy Week. I was told it will be quite crowded and busy, and I was looking for some insight as to what I should do there. I will definitely see the Royal Palace in Madrid - thank you Christina. I will look for the river and Cathedral in Sevilla and go to the Alcazar.

Are there any other places people could recommend? Thank you for your feedback so far

I urge you to invest in a good guidebook or two - you will learn things you didn't even know you should ask! I found the guidebooks by the Rough Guide, Fodor's, and Frommer's particularly useful for the places you are planning to visit.

Enjoy!

When at the Royal Palace go into the Armory and see the suits of armour.. Interesting is a local sense of the importance of families to the royals.(Spain is/was very family oriented. It will be included with your ticket. Semana Sancta is a special experience and definitely will be worth your time.Have your camera ready!!!