Hello everyone,

My husband and I are planning a thirteen day trip to Spain with our family. We had success posting on here several years ago for honeymoon planning advice. We recieved so many wonderful suggestions that helped to make our trip absolutely perfect. We'd now like some input on a birthday trip that has been several years in the making!

There are seven 30 year olds and three 60 year olds attending. We would like to do a mixture of sightseeing, exploring the wonderful food and culture, and the younger group would like to experience the nightlife.

We are have booked our flights for the end of September. So far, our itinerary is:

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placementame-cell;}--> September 28th (Barcelona):
Arrive in Barcelona
Put luggage in Airbnb (staying by Rambla de Catalunya)
Nap
Early dinner at Los Caracoles
FC Barcelona vs Real Sociedad at Spotify Camp Nou (Matchday 7)

September 29th (Barcelona):
Breakfast at a cafe
Relax or shop locally
Paella cooking class (The Paella Club)

September 30th (Barcelona):
Montserrat day trip (train, 1 hr each way)
Return from Montserrat, rest
Dinner at Restaurante Bodega La Palma

October 1st (Barcelona):
Breakfast
Visit Sagrada Familia
The Monumental Bullring of Barcelona (10 min walk)
View Casa Battlo (5 min uber)
Lunch near La Rambla (14 min walk to Flax & Kale)
Walk La Rambla + Gothic Quarter
Dinner at Ciutat Comtal

October 2nd (Barcelona):
Visit Corgi Cafe
Explore Park Guell
Sailboat Sunset tickets
Drinks at Paradiso (top 50 bars in world)
Check out nightlife (Pacha/Opium?)

October 3rd (Mallorca):
Flight to Palma de Mallorca (~1hr). Arrive around 1:00pm. ✈️
Visit Palma Cathedral
Check in at Elba Sunset Hotel
Dinner at Restaurant Illeta

October 4th (Mallorca):
Cave Tour
Hang at Beach Club Gran Folies
Check out nightlife in Palma or Magaluf (BCM Mallorca?)

October 5th (Mallorca):
Vespa rental + island tour (use vespa to see Sa Calobra/Valldemossa/Sóller)
Explore Alcudia Old Town
Dinner close to hotel

October 6th (Madrid):
Flight to Madrid (~1hr). Arrive around 10am. ✈️
Explore Salamanca and Chamberí neighborhoods

October 7th (Madrid):
Day trip to Toledo by train (~35 mins)
Explore Cathedral, Jewish Quarter, and shops

October 8th (Madrid):
Prado Museum
Circulo de Bella Artes Terraza (11 min walk)
Explore Cava Baja (20 min walk)
Madrid Royal Palace of Madrid & Almudena Cathedral (12 min walk)
Madrid Corral de la Moreria (flamenco show)

October 9th (Madrid):
Shopping or relax in Retiro
Walk Parque del Retiro
Drinks at Circulo de Bellas Artes rooftop
Farewell dinner & churros at Maestro Churrero

October 10th (Madrid):
Pack and transfer to airport for flight home. ✈️

My question for those of you who have visited these areas.. is there anything you would recommend removing, adding, or rearranging about our trip? We are open to any suggestions.

Thank you so much for all of your help!

Best regards,
Juliana

It really depends on what you want to see and experience, but FWIW:

• Many people visit Toledo as a day trip from Madrid, but i was glad to have 2 very full days (and nights) there.
• A great fan of art, I spent 10 hours at El Prado. You probably won't want quite so long, but it's a huge museum. You will need to selective to make your plan for Oct. 8 work.
• Likewise, your plan for Oct. 1 seems ambitious to me unless you have a VERY late lunch.
• You will be skipping a LOT in Barcelona and Madrid. Maybe that's intentional, but you might consider skipping Majorca to add time to those magnificent cities.

I didn't write a trip report that includes my time in Madrid, but perhaps you will find some useful information about Barcelona (and Montserrat) in this report. Start with post # 12, day 23.
Four Awesome Weeks in the North of Spain and Catalunya

I hope that helps!

Something for foodies in Madrid. Google map:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer...8_UO_blRP5RV9c

While you're on Mallorca, visit Pollensa, much more Mallorcan than Alcudia. Lovely village feel with excellent restaurants and shopping. As far as nightlife is concerned, Magaluf is loud and brash with lots of loud clubs and boozy bars. Perfect if that's what they want. Otherwise stick to Palma.

Your October 1 day sounds very familiar to ours. We visited La Sagrada Familia, then Casa Batlló, lunch at Cerveceria Catalana, a walk down Las Ramblas on the way to La Boqueria to check out the food stands, a tour at Palau de la Música Catalana, ducked inside Església de Santa Maria del Mar, downed some tapas in the L’Eixample neighborhood, strolled past beautifully lit fountains at Plaça de Catalunya at night, and finished with one of those late night Spanish dinners at Melic del Gňtic.

If we can do it ... you can do it! (see our day below in link with words and photos)
https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/cha...rnist-marvels/

I guess it depends on one's interests, one's pace, and one's timing. I spent 1.5 hours at the Casa Battló and 3.5 hours at the Sagrada Familia. I would describe my visits as comfortably paced; I'm sure one could move either more rapidly or more slowly.

Hope that helps!

Are your dates fixed? You're showing up right at the tail end of the festival

https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide....-la-merce.html

I assume you mean this year.

Oct is offseason for the islands. Personally I'd add the dates elsewhere

The 1st does seem like you're heading in every direction. I'd try and group things instead of heading off all over

I can't tell which days of the week are what. The changing of the guard in Madrid is on Wed IIRC. First Wed of the month is the more ceremonial one. Personally I didn't find the palace itself that exciting. The solemn changing of the guard and the rehearsal before hand was the highlight

The Temple of Debod isn't very far from the palace. If it's near sunset the view might be worth your time