drjmark6

Hello everyone!
I will be going with my wife to pain on Aug 1st.
Im thinking of staying 10 or 11 days.
I want to visit Valencia, Granada, Almeria ,Malaga, Seville ,Cordoba and Madrid.
Not sure If i will have time to spend in Barcelona.

What is my must-do list there?
Any tips or adivces how can i do that?
I was thinking of spending one or two nights in Valencia,2 nights in Malaga and 2 nights in Madrid.
What is the best way to do that? driving? if so what routes you advice and where to make our stops?
any suggestions is highly appreciated it.
Thank you

spainlover

Hi @drjmark6 -- a couple of things I would say as a heads-up -- that is a lot to see in 10 or 11 days, and it will be very very hot in that part of Spain (40C/100+F). I don't know your preferences so maybe that's perfect for you. More details on what you and your wife like while traveling could be helpful.

Now on to suggestions/tips:
Most of the places you mentioned are very well-connected by train, specifically the AVE (alta velocidad or high velocity). Valencia is 90 minutes from Madrid by train. Sevilla is 2 1/2 hours from Madrid, Cordoba less than 2, and Malaga less than 3. You can also easily connect Sevilla-Malaga, Malaga-Cordoba and Cordoba-Granada. For Valencia, you would want to do an out-and-back from Madrid then on to the next destination to take advantage of the high-speed train.
Having a car would be critical for Almeria in my opinion as the best thing to see there is the Cabo de Gata park/reserve and its beaches, which are best seen with a car. It also could be useful for exploring some of the many beautiful places around the south - for instance, you could go to Ronda (although your trip is pretty packed as is!) and beautiful beaches south of Sevilla/west of Malaga. Not sure if you want to see Malaga for the city or for the surrounding beaches? In any case, you could pick up a rental in Malaga, for example, and then drive over to Almeria and Granada and return the car in Malaga, and do train for the rest.
I'd suggest spending 3 full days in Madrid - lots to see and do there including the Prado Museum, the Reina Sofia Museum, the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (where Real Madrid plays), the Palacio Real, the Plaza Mayor, the Parque del Retiro, lots of good food and nightlife and shopping as a starter.
Granada - the Alhambra***** - also need to reserve in advance as there are limits on number of visitors per day.
Sevilla -- the Alcazar, the Gardens and Parque Maria Luisa, the Giralda (the cathedral), the Plaza de España. This is very touristy but I love the old-time tapas bars around the Giralda/Alcazar that do a chalk mark for each thing you order in lieu of a normal bill.

Hope that helps as a start.

JR14

I'd just mention again what spainlover said about high temperatures in the south of Spain in August. For a beach vacation it's the perfect time of year, but if you go inland (i.e. Granada) you'll want to stick to nightlife over daytime exploring and probably even book a nighttime Alhambra visit (book ahead!) instead of a daytime one.

glennaa11

I think that's way too much for that short amount of time. That's 7 places in 10 or 11 days. It takes a few hours to get between those places and there is plenty to see in them to spend more than just part of day in them.

I just spent a little over 2 weeks and only went to Madrid, Seville, Granada and Cordoba in that time (plus a day trip to Toledo). I took the bus between Seville-Granada and Granada-Cordoba. I think I read here that the Granada train station is currently closed for renovation.