8 days, 3 cities, am I crazy?

[Ashley]

Ok, I've got flights booked for a week in Spain, 5/11-12/11! My flatmate (who's never been to Spain and speaks no Spanish) and I will be flying in to Malaga and out of Barcelona. We don't actually plan to stay in Malaga, it was just a lot cheaper to fly in there and then catch a train to Sevilla.

We're aiming to see Sevilla, Madrid, and Barcelona (overnight train to BCN to save time) but is this really realistic? Not counting travel days, our time basically works out to be 2 full days in each city. We thought about staying in the south and going Granada instead of Madrid, but with the AVE it looks like the train to Madrid is faster than the one to Granada, and we'd have a shorter trip to BCN.

Any advice? Are we trying to do too much? Part of me says if I have to ask then I already know what the answer is going to be...

[Ben]

If you consider that some tour groups fly all the way in from places like the states and do 7 places in 7 days then I would say don't worry! The AVE and the overnight train will make this trip possible. If these are the places you really want to see, then I say go for it!

[greytop]

I did a trip from the UK some years ago. We flew into Malaga and first night in Torremelinos. Then by coach to Granda (for the Alhambra), Cordóba (mosque/cathedral), Seville (cathedral), Gibraltar (apes and shops) and back to Torremelinos for the last night. It was a bit hectic but as someone else was driving I did not find it too tiring. We had the advantage of guides so did not waste time getting to the interesting bits and they allowed us a fair bit of "free" time in each place. It is certainly a good way of getting a flavour for each area and I've since been back to Granada for a longer visit.
You will at least rest on the train! And didn't someone say it is better to travel than to arrive?
Have good one.:thumbs-up:

[Tony]

We travel a lot in spain and find that 3 days at each location is ideal.
Your plan sounds good so go for it - here are a few travel tips (trucos de viajar) to help you -

Sevilla - lots of attractions are free to EEC member countries - take an photocopy of your passport with you - see the cathederal and giralda next door (free on mondays) - see a live flamenco (casa carmen or casa de memoria are good)

Barcelona - las ramblas a must, gaudi stuff a must, keep your wallet safely in your zipped pocket though as there are pickpockets about...

Enjoy it.... the spanish people are very friendly ..... try a bit of spanish conversation every day.... its amazing how you improve!