Destinations & ItinerariesBy Clever Tourists · Published · Last updated
With 2 weeks in Spain, do Barcelona (3 nights), Madrid (3), Granada (2), Córdoba (1), Seville (3) and Cádiz (2), linked by fast trains, flying into Barcelona and out of Seville. This is our suggested cut of the 60-day route we took in 2022, keeping the three big cities and our Andalusia leg and dropping the slow stretches. If you are going in July or August, or have been to the south before, the second plan below spends the two weeks in the cooler north instead: Madrid, Salamanca, Asturias, the Picos de Europa and the Basque Country.
• Days 1–3, Barcelona. Three nights for the Gothic Quarter, Gaudí and the seafront. Book any Sagrada Família visit ahead on the official site.
• Days 4–6, Madrid. High-speed train, about 2.5 hours on the fastest services. The Prado, the Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor and the Retiro; see our Madrid guide.
• Days 7–8, Granada. The Alhambra and the Albaicín. Alhambra tickets are timed and sell out, so book them before anything else.
• Day 9, Córdoba. About 1.5 hours by direct train from Granada. The Mezquita-Catedral, the Roman bridge and the patios of the old Jewish quarter.
• Days 10–12, Seville. About 45 minutes from Córdoba. The Real Alcázar, the cathedral and Giralda, Plaza de España and Triana.
• Days 13–14, Cádiz. About 1.5 hours by train. The old town on its peninsula and La Caleta beach, then back to Seville for the flight home.
On our own trip we spent 5 days in Barcelona, 4 in Madrid, and 13 across Granada, Córdoba, Seville and Cádiz. Two weeks forces cuts everywhere; the ones that hurt least are a day in each city, not a whole stop.
Barcelona to Madrid and Madrid to Córdoba and Seville are the competitive lines: Renfe (AVE and low-cost Avlo), Iryo and Ouigo all run them, so compare fares. Granada to Córdoba runs on the high-speed link via Antequera, about 1.5 hours direct. Córdoba to Seville is about 45 minutes on AVE or Avant, or 1h20 on a slower regional. Seville to Cádiz is about 1.5 hours.
If you would rather see Valencia, you can swap Madrid for it: Barcelona to Valencia is about 2h40 on the fastest Euromed, and Valencia has direct high-speed trains to Madrid if you want both. That is the order we went in, Barcelona then Valencia, before continuing south.
Full details of the Andalusia half, with what we would change, are in our Andalusia by train itinerary.
This is the half of our trip we would repeat first, and the right choice in July or August, when average highs on the Cantabrian coast stay in the low to mid 20s while Seville and Córdoba average 36 to 37°C.
• Madrid, 2 nights, then Salamanca, 2 (about 1.5 hours on the Alvia via Segovia; regional trains go via Ávila). See our Spain guide.
• Oviedo, 2, and Gijón, 2. Since late 2023 Madrid to Oviedo is a little over 3 hours by train, so you can also start here. See our Gijón guide.
• Cangas de Onís and the Picos, 2. The bridge at Cangas de Onís, the Covadonga lakes (shuttle bus only on restricted days, see our Lagos de Covadonga guide) and the Cares Gorge from Poncebos. A car makes this leg far easier.
• Bilbao, 1; Logroño, 1; San Sebastián, 2. The Guggenheim, Calle Laurel and the Rioja vineyards with Laguardia, then pintxos in San Sebastián. See our Basque Country guide and how to order pintxos. Fly home from Bilbao.
For the Barcelona–Madrid–Andalusia plan, April to June and September to October. Andalusia in July and August is hot enough to change how you travel: AEMET recorded July 2022, the month before we reached the south, as Spain's hottest since at least 1961.
For the northern plan, June to September. It rains more there than anywhere else in Spain, which is why it stays green; the Rioja harvest in late September is the best time for Logroño and Laguardia.
Visiting from 2027? The Basque Country adds a per-night tourist tax from 1 January; see our Basque tourist tax guide. Entry rules are in do I need a visa for Spain.
It is enough for Barcelona, Madrid and the main Andalusian cities (Granada, Córdoba, Seville, Cádiz), or for the north coast and the Basque Country. It is not enough for both without spending a lot of it on trains.
Both fit. They are about 2.5 hours apart on the fastest high-speed trains, with Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo all running the route.
Fly into Barcelona, train to Madrid, then south to Granada, Córdoba, Seville and Cádiz, and fly home from Seville. That avoids backtracking.
Yes, especially in summer. Madrid, Salamanca, Oviedo, Gijón, the Picos de Europa, Bilbao, Logroño and San Sebastián fill two weeks, with much cooler weather than the south.
At least a week for Granada, Córdoba and Seville; this plan gives 8 days including Cádiz. We spent 13 days across those four cities.
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