r/spaintravel

My wife and I (U.S.-based) get very limited time off work. Every few years we try to travel to a new country, and Spain has been on our bucket list for a long time. We plan on splurging a bit and taking of this year's vacation time in September to do a 13-day trip to Andalusia.

Our draft itinerary has us hitting all the major sight-seeing spots. We fly into Madrid, then take the train to Toledo, Cordoba, Sevilla, and Granada. It is a pretty aggressive schedule, with only one full day in each city between days containing travel. We have a good family friend who lives in Alicante, and we were hoping to end such an intense trip at her home to relax for a few days at the beach before flying back to the U.S. (connecting flight from Alicante to Madrid to the U.S.). This would help us ease back into work rather than going from a high intensity vacation schedule immediately back into the office.

However, I have the sinking feeling we are trying to do too much in the amount of time we have set aside...

I've been incredibly stressed thinking about what to remove from this trip, knowing it likely will be many, many years before we can return.

I would love some recommendations from others on changes to make -- whether it's removing a location, or perhaps shifting from going to one city to another to reduce in-between travel time. (Alicante seems to be a bit out of the way, taking about 5 hours by bus from Granada.)

If it helps, we do not have / are not traveling with kids, and I'm fluent enough in Spanish to have basic conversations.

Thank you so much in advance!

Next month I will be in Spain! 3 nights in Barcelona, 2 Nights in Santander, and 4 nights in Leon. Any recommendations are welcome for food, sights, and recreation. While avoiding tourist traps. Unless it’s worth it.

I generally like the countryside and food so Basque country seems perfect for me. I'll be landing on a friday and currently plan to stay in between Mungia and Bermeo.

I have a car and I'm wondering whether the towns like San Sebastian and Bilbao are necessary to get good food or are they too touristy and I can still get a great experience visiting smaller towns and restaurants for a more personal/local experience. Also heard that parking in smaller towns are a nightmare.

Currently my plans are quite random and focused on walks, hikes, and older ruins. I'll also have a car:

• San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
• Getaria (small town for grilled seafood)
• Bermeo (another town for seafood)
• Flysch Rocks
• GR 121 Guipúzcoa
• Anboto

Would really appreciate any thoughts on whether Im missing out by omitting the bigger towns. My thoughts are, since i live in the UK, i can always fly in next time and do those towns individually.

I’m planning a Spain trip for August and wanted to sanity-check the actual set of places I’m including. For a first Spain trip focused on food, photography, historic areas, architecture, museums, etc. Does this seem like an ok route? I've already booked my hotels so the nights in each city are set, but time in cities can be shorted/lengthened some by traveling earlier or later in the day. Thanks!

Sat Aug 8 Arrive Barcelona

Sun Aug 9 Barcelona

Mon Aug 10 Barcelona

Tue Aug 11 San Sebastián

Wed Aug 12 San Sebastián (Morning) / Sahagún (Afternoon+ for the Eclipse)

Thu Aug 13 A Coruña

Fri Aug 14 A Coruña (Morning) / Madrid (Afternoon+)

Sat Aug 15 Madrid

Sun Aug 16 Madrid

Mon Aug 17 Madrid

Tue Aug 18 Granada

Wed Aug 19 Granada

Thu Aug 20 Málaga

Fri Aug 21 Málaga

Sat Aug 22 Málaga

Sun Aug 23 Valencia

Mon Aug 24 Valencia

Tue Aug 25 Valencia

Wed Aug 26 Palma

Thu Aug 27 Palma

Fri Aug 28 Fly home from Palma

What is the best eSIM to use for traveling to Spain?

Hi everyone! My mum and I are heading to Europe in September - she is doing a 3 month solo trip and I’m flying with her to send her off. We will spend 2 weeks together in France & Spain before parting ways.

I’ve come to the big beautiful reddit community because I am immobilised on an itinerary decision. 😂

Mum wants to avoid internal flights as she doesn’t like flying (she is not against it but prefers trains).

Option A was my original itinerary idea, but option B has no flights, although it makes the whole trip seem a bit rushed. So…. hit me with your opinions - am I mad? Is option B too rushed or is it fine? Are we spending too long or little in any of these places?

Thank you in advance. ❤️

OPTION A - one flight (no Barcelona)
Paris: 4 nights
Train to Marseille
Marseille: 3 nights
Flight to Seville
Seville: 3 nights
Train to Granada
Granada: 4 nights 

OPTION B - No flights (adds Barcelona) 
Paris: 4 nights
Train to Marseille
Marseille: 3 nights
Train to Barcelona
Barcelona: 2 nights
Train to Seville
Seville: 3 nights
Train to Granada
Granada: 3 nights

Any recommendations for the first week of September you’re coming into Barcelona. We have six nights trying to figure out what to do three nights in Barcelona and it’s three nights we’re thinking in Begur and doing day trips and beach time. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated for our family of four adults.

I have 4 tickets for match 84 Spain vs Austria, Sofi stadium LA Thursday July 2, section 533 row 20 seats 14-17. $1440 each

Couple, first trip to Spain. Into culture/history and architecture first, food and atmosphere close behind. We fly into Barcelona from there to Seville and out of Madrid, everything else is flexible. Prioritized enjoyment over cramming — only 4 hotels the whole trip. Thoughts?

• Barcelona (4 nights) — Sagrada Família (first morning slot), Gothic Quarter + El Born, Casa Batlló, Park Güell, a day for Barceloneta + beach + seafood. Tapas crawls in Eixample.
• → Seville (4 nights) — flew down (BCN→SVQ, ~1h50). Real Alcázar, Cathedral + Giralda, Plaza de España, Santa Cruz wandering, a flamenco show. Using Seville as a base.
• Ronda — day trip from Seville
• → Granada (2 nights) — train across Andalusia (~2h35). Alhambra (Nasrid Palaces booked weeks out), Albaicín, free-tapas culture, sunset over the Alhambra from Mirador San Nicolás.
• Córdoba — stop en route to Madrid: drop bags at the station, see the Mezquita, back on the AVE.
• → Madrid (1 night) — arrive evening, fly out the next night. Basically a churros-and-a-stroll finish.

Booked the flights, nothing else yet. Main concern: I keep going back and forth on Córdoba — it feels like a 3–4 hr stopover might shortchange it, but I genuinely don't know where I'd steal the time from. I already cut Caminito del Rey (was on my original list) to give Seville more breathing room and keep hotel changes down, so I'm kind of out of easy things to trim. Where would you find the hours?

Any Spaniards can speak on the heat wave? I heard people are dying?

I was excited to go to Gibraltar and the white towns but people are encouraging me not to go because of heat. This will probably be my last free summer and time for a while before law school.

I’m planning a trip from 10/20-10/30 or 10/31 and would like to visit Madrid, Barcelona and a beach town. I’d like to spend a day or 2 in Tossa de Mar, but given it will be in later October, I’m reading that many shops and restaurants will be closed and the city will be pretty dead. Is there another coastal city with a similiar vibe to Tossa de mar that we can visit? Or will Tossa de Mar still be a pleasant visit that time of year? From the pictures I’ve seen, I love the vibe of the city, the buildings and architecture. We don’t plan on doing any major beach activities, but would just like to be near the water, walk around town, explore and eat.

Hello. I will be visiting Spain for 13 days with my family, starting and ending the trip in Barcelona. We are planning to rent a car to go and visit different cities. Do you think it is better to explore only the north-east part of Spain, from Madrid to Barcelona and the cities in between; or is it possible to also add Andulisia and other major cities without getting overwhelmed?

My wife, myself, and a few friends will be spending time in the Alcossebre & Peñiscola areas this summer. What are some can’t miss places in and around both cities? We will be staying on the beach in Alcossebre and will have a rental car to get about.

Thank you in advance for any insight!

I am from India, planning a solo Spain trip in mid July. I’ll land in Barcelona on 17 July and have a flight back from Barcelona on 25. Looking for other places that are worth visiting as a solo traveller. This is my first solo trip. I was thinking to do Mallorca also and wanted tips on that. Also any safety/ precautions that i should take.

We are tentatively planning for two weeks in Southern Spain in February (heading to the Canary Islands afterwards). We are interested in the outdoors/hiking and general sightseeing. I know February will limit us in regards to hikes and we won't have microspikes/winter gear. We don't mind cooler temperatures, just won't be equipped for snowy trails.

How is this for a first pass? Any awesome hikes or locations we are missing? Is the pacing okay? I'm still researching and reading, but wanted to at least have a starting point. Thanks for any advice or recommendations you may have!

Day 1: Arrive Madrid, overnight Madrid

Alternative: fly to Malaga, compare prices for flight and train

Day 2: Half day Madrid, train to Malaga (3-3.5 hrs), overnight Malaga

Day 3: Pick up rental car, El Torcal de Antequerra (1 hr drive), overnight Malaga

Day 4: Caminito del Rey (1 hr drive, book tickets ahead of time), overnight Malaga

Day 5: Day trip to Ronda - explore the town, easy Los Molnos del Tajo walk - the Gorge Loop (1:20 drive), overnight Malaga

Day 6: Drive to Nerja (50 minute drive), visit Frigiliana and Nerja Caves, overnight Nerja

Day 7: Hike around Nerja, such as Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo (Maro Cliffs) and/or visit Playa del Canuelo, overnight Nerja

Day 8: Drive to San Jose (2:15 drive), overnight San Jose

Day 9: Los Genoveses to Monsul Coastal Trail in Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park (close to San Jose, less than 15 minute drive), overnight San Jose

Day 10: Additional day in San Jose, possibly Mesa Roldan lighthouse and volcano dome, or something else along the coast, overnight San Jose

Day 11: Drive to Granada (2:10 to 2:20 drive, depending on route - see if any stops along the way), overnight Granada

Day 12: The Alhambra, Zambra performance in Sacromonte, overnight Granada

Day 13: The Three Villages Hike in Poquiera Gorge, (1 hr drive), overnight Granada

Alternative - can drive to Malaga after the hike, overnight Malaga

Day 14: Drive to Malaga (1.5 hours), return rental car, fly to Canary Islands

Hey guys, my friend and I are doing a last minute trip to spain in August and would love some help with our itinerary. I want to split it between Seville, Barcelona, aand a coastal town since we’ve heard the beaches outside barcelona are nicer. Is that too ambitious for 7 nights and should we cut something out? Also, we’d love recommendations for good coastal towns that are budget-friendly.

We’re both under 20 and mainly interested in architecture, culture, good food, local bars, and of course some time at the beach.