Spain itinerary - feedback welcome!
 

My husband and I are planning a trip to Spain for the last two weeks of May 2012. We will be there for 12 full days. We'd like a good mix of culture/history/sightseeing with also some relaxation time, preferably some time on the beach and some bicycling in the countryside or along the coast. We love food, Spanish food in particular, and are not above going out of our way for an amazing meal (see day trip to Girona). This will be our (delayed) honeymoon, for what it's worth.

The only thing set in stone right now is our flights:
Arriving in Barcelona, 9:40am, Friday May 18th
Departing Seville, 10:30 am, Wednesday May 30th

Our proposed itinerary is:

May 18: sightseeing in Barcelona
May 19: day trip to Girona (lunch at El Celler de Can Roca) and Figueres (Dali museum) by train
May 20: sightseeing in Barcelona
May 21: Barcelona, depart in afternoon by train to Alicante
May 22: Alicante
May 23: Alicante
May 24: rent car and drive southward along coast, stopping along the way in towns. Spend the night somewhere along eastern edge of Costa del Sol, possibly Nerja.
May 25: Spend time at beach, then in the afternoon drive up to Granada. Return rental car in Grenada
May 26: Sightseeing in Grenada
May 27: Sightseeing in Grenada, take late afternoon train to Seville
May 28: Seville
May 29: Seville
May 30: morning flight back to New York

We'd love any feedback on this itinerary - if we're staying certain places for too long or not long enough, any stops we should make along the way, etc. I've been to Spain once, for a weekend in Barcelona while living in Europe, my husband has never been to Spain. We are purposefully skipping Madrid, for a variety of reasons, no offense to Madrid.

Thank you for any insight you might have!

I would take less time in Granada and add more around Seville and the white villages between Costa Del Sol and Seville. I would say Seville and Barcelona were my all time favorites; I could do Granada in a day or day and a half personally.

Thanks - is the Alhambra the main attraction in Granada, or is there much else to see as well? I'm afraid this is the city I currently know the least about, but my husband is very interested in Moorish art and architecture.

With only 12 nights I'd probably question why to include Alicante in the choice of places to visit. It's a nice town but I think you've neglected time in both Barcelona & Sevilla.

You only have 3 nights in Barcelona and one day as a daytrip to Girona. Your first day will likely be jetlagged. I'd spend at least 4 nights in Barcelona. Similarly I'd spend 4 nights in Sevilla and do a daytrip to Cordoba.

I'd consider flying from Barcelona to Granada, spend 2 nights in Granada and 4 nights each in Barcelona & Sevilla. This still leaves 2 nights. I'd probably take these nights and use them to either explore the white villages between Granada & Sevilla. OR spend the 2 nights in Malaga and use as a base to visit Nerja and/or Ronda (or spend the 2 nignts in Nerja). If you chose the Malaga option you could also fly from Barcelona into Malaga.

pbeth- Just saw your reponse on your husbands interest in Moorish art & architecture. I'd highly recommend adding the time in Sevilla to allow for a daytrip to Cordoba. The Mezquita is breathtaking.

The Alhambra is absolutely the main attraction in Granada and well worth the trip. We toured it both day & night and both are great (just do day if you're only going to do one, though).

Granada has some nice tapas bars in the old section of town below the Alhambra. Exploring the Albayzin and visiting Plaza de San Nicolas is a great way to get a beautiful view of the Alhambra from a distance. Although you could find more things to do there, I agree that you'd be better off taking one less day in Granada and adding it on to Sevilla. Heck, I'd even consider one less day in Alicante and adding that on to Sevilla as well (or in the neighboring areas of Andalucia).

I like CathyM's idea (unless beach time is super-important to you)!

I agree with the above plus Girona and Figueres is an awful lot for one day.

If you spend a night in Nerja on a delayed honeymoon, I suggest you stay in small and expensive Hotel Carabeo above the cliffs in seafront Calle Carabeo, the oldest street in town and close to everything: http://www.hotelcarabeo.com/

For the freshest and no fuss seafood in Nerja - as good as you get it in all of Andalucía - go to extremely popular La Marina. Perhaps not the most romantic place, but then again, it just might be: http://www.guideofnerja.com/pages/gu.../marina_en.htm

For a local gourmet experience, I would suggest Sollun: http://www.sollunrestaurante.com/
Customer reviews: http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restau...Andalucia.html

And perhaps visit the spectacular Nerja caves? http://www.cuevadenerja.es/index.php?lenguaje=en

Nine small and large beaches in small Nerja, many of them almost hid among the cliffs. My favourite is El Salón beach, relatively secluded and tranquile and a favourite among locals and Spanish visitors: http://www.nerjatoday.com/nerjabeachguide/el-salon/

In Sevilla (culture/history/sightseeing till you drop), you should take note of Azahar's advices for tapas bars and restaurants. She lives there and knows what she's talking about. Guide by districts, and be sure to visit places outside the beautiful but touristy Santa Cruz area: http://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilletapas

Take a closer look at
Eslava: http://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilletapas/category/eslava/
Vinería de San Telmo: http://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilletap...ria-san-telmo/
Enrique Becerra: http://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilletap...rique-becerra/
Rinconcillo (from 1670!): http://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilletap...l-rinconcillo/

24 restaurants in Sevilla mentioned in the Guia Repsol, the Spanish equivalent to the Michelin guide. Three places with "soles"/suns as opposed to the Michelin stars: http://www.guiarepsol.com/Gastronomi...taurantes.aspx

And I think even delayed honeymooners should consider a vist to the Arab bath house Aire de Sevilla: http://www.airedesevilla.com/

A short intro to Sevilla, the undisputable queen of Andalusian cities; http://www.andalucia.com/cities/sevilla.htm

Comprehensive and updated on Sevilla: http://www.exploreseville.com/

In general, spring blossom in full, not too hot and some weeks ahead of the tourist invation. A fabulous time of year to go.

... and both your husband and yourself might take interest in the BBC documentary "An Islamic History of Europe". Of course as controversial as any display of Spain's multifaceted history, but nevertheless informative and relevant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0IaCK-7z5o

It sounds like we will definitely chop a day off of Granada and add it on to Seville (which may hopefully give us time for a day trip to Cordova). I'd prefer not to fly within Spain - I really hate flying and get stupidly stressed out every time I have to get on a plane. I'd also really love to get off the beaten path a little bit, which is why I'd like to rent a car for a couple days. The trip to Alicante was on the recommendation of a friend who lived there for a year, but I'm curious to hear if others think this is unnecessary.

kimhe - thank you so much for all those recommendations/links - I have a lot of reading to do!

> The trip to Alicante was on the recommendation of a friend who lived there for a year, but I'm curious to hear if others think this is unnecessary.

I wouldn't use the term "unnecessary" in reference to Alicante - I haven't seen it yet and have heard positive things about it. It's just that I would not like to have so little time in the other places you plan to visit.

As others have said, if you have an interest in Moorish art and architecture, skipping Cordoba is hard to understand. And IMO, there is much more to Cordoba than the breathtaking Mezquita. (And - again IMO - there is much more to Granada than the Alhambra.)

Hope that helps!