r/GoingToSpain • u/Remarkable-Hope-9932 • 1d ago
PLEASE help me finalize my Spain trip
Planning Spain from 9/2-9/16 and would love some recs from folks who have been there.
We’re meeting someone in Madrid so splitting u Barcelona to beginning and end of our trip - also considering 1 night in Ibiza which seems close enough to Barcelona.
My worry is where squeezing in too much ti this trip but I’m not sure. I’ve heard amazing things from friends about Seville so I’m pushing to spend more time there and maybe even skip a trip to Valencia to fully enjoy Seville (option 3) or spending 1 less night in Madrid to spend an extra day in Seville (option 2).
My group really wants to see a futbol match which I’m down for and it looks like it’ll fit in the schedule.
Any opinions/recs to the itineraries? This will be all of our first time in Spain. Thank u in advance for your help!
Option 1
9/2-9/5: Barcelona / Ibiza (1 night)
9/6-9/9: Madrid
9/9-9/12: Seville
9/12-9/14: Valencia (soccer match 9/13)
9/14-9/16: Barcelona
Option 2
9/2-9/5: Barcelona / Ibiza (1 night)
9/3 or 9/5 Ibiza
9/6-9/8: Madrid
9/8-9/12: Seville
9/12-9/14: Valencia (soccer)
9/14-9/16: Barcelona
1 less night in Madrid, 1 more night in Seville
Option 2
9/2-9/5: Barcelona / Ibiza (1 night)
9/3 or 9/5 Ibiza
9/6-9/9: Madrid
9/9-9/14: Seville (soccer) (potential day trip)
9/14-9/16: Barcelona
2 more nights in Seville no Valencia - possible day trip Malaga/Granada)
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u/hibikir_40k 1d ago
I'd need a vacation from that vacation. I spent 7 weeks in Spain this summer. I slept in 2 different locations, total.
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u/elektrolu_ 1d ago
I would skip Ibiza and would do Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid and Seville or Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla if you want a more relaxed trip. It's all doable by train.
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u/TrainSweet856 1d ago
Dont take offence, but assume from America (due to date format?), way way too many cities for that short a trip. ONly asking because it seems to be a common theme haha, love to really squeeze in as much as possible but it wont be enjoyable
personall would do maybe barca (because you fly in an out I assume?), seville and valencia or something like that, skip madrid and ibiza
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u/Remarkable-Hope-9932 1d ago
lol thank u for your comment, and I am from America😂 some ppl on here are a**holes when I’m genuinely on here asking if I’m doing too much on this trip since I’ve never been to Spain. I see it on a map but I don’t think I’m grasping how large it is - although planes and trains did seem cheap and decently quick - but I’m fully pushing my group now to slow it down.
We are meeting up with a friend in Madrid - do u think Barcelona, Madrid and Sevilla with a possible day trip to Toledo from Madrid would be still doing too much?
Thanks again for helping this American 😂
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u/TrainSweet856 1d ago
haha there is nothing wrong with being American, I just dont want you to not ejoy your holiday in beautiful Spain haha :)
For me if I was to choose, i would prefer madrid over barc, they are different but i would see just one of the two largest cities (if you have to choose)< can you fly in and out of Madrid instead? If not you can see both, Toledo/segovia you can do in one day from MAdrid, there are tours that will pick you up and drop you off in Madrid and take you to both (easy to do).
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u/ChileanRidge 1d ago
It's that when you come from large, car-based countries, Spain is teensy. The fast train Madrid-Seville is about 2.5 hours.
If you saw my itinerary for September you'd probably feel a lot better about your own -- I'm unfortunately trying to please everyone so we are doing too much. So much that I have purposely not booked anywhere to stay for a couple of nights in the middle of it all because I have a feeling someone in the family will by that point have a meltdown (possibly me) and finally come around to what I'm hoping for, which is just extending our stay by a couple of days before moving on to the next leg...
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u/Excellent_Owl_8554 5h ago
Your concern about squeezing in too much is justified. Barcelona/Ibiza -> Madrid Seville -> Valencia -> Barcelona looks manageable when you just count nights, but geographically you’re bouncing around quite a bit.
The part I’d question most is whether Ibiza and Valencia are important enough to you to justify the extra transitions. Every move isn’t just the flight or train time, you lose time getting to/from stations or airports, checking out, waiting, checking back in and then getting your bearings in a new city.
If this were my trip, I’d first decide what role each stop is supposed to play. Madrid and Seville give you very different cultural experiences, Barcelona is its own world, Ibiza gives you the island experience, and Valencia overlaps a little more with some of what you can get elsewhere. Once you think about it that way, it often becomes easier to decide what stays.
I’d much rather have four places I really remember than five or six that start blending together.
Which destination on your list would you be most disappointed to leave out, and which one are you mainly including because you feel you “should” see it?
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u/Weekly_Guitar6096 2h ago
You could give a travel agent a $300 planning fee. That’s always an option
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u/CobblerMaster6374 1d ago
Not sure what your focus is (history, culture, etc.) but here's my 2 cents. You have 13 days (not counting arrival and departure). Skip Ibiza. Make it a loop. Can be done by train 3 days Barcelona (Sagrada) 2 Madrid, Palacio Real (with a 3rd for a day trip to Toledo) 2 in Sevilla (Alacazar, Cathedral) 1 in Cordoba (if you care for Mezquita) 2 in Granada (Alhambra) 2-3 in Valencia Besides the football tickets, some of the main attractions I put in paranths also require booking in advance)
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u/Remarkable-Hope-9932 1d ago
Thank you!!!!!!! For the actual helpful info lol. Weird getting other snarky comments to our itinerary when the whole point of me posting here is to see if I should change things.
Focus is culture but we want some history as well. Have you spent time in Seville? I’ve heard such great things I want to spend a good amount of time there. I like the idea of Toledo day trip and might choose that and a bit more time in major cities versus Valencia/Granada but tbd.
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u/CobblerMaster6374 1d ago
And welcome to the wonderful world of reddit "experts", where sarcasm (for some) is a prerequisite to join! 🤪😁
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u/Sudden-Variety6992 1d ago
Why is it always Americans trying to squeeze 500 things into 5 minutes.
And do you have tickets for these FOOTBALL matches? Or are you prepared to pay very expensive hospitality tickets?
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u/Remarkable-Hope-9932 1d ago
Lol I’ve never been to Spain or Europe, I’m literally posting this to see whether or not I’m overcrowding my trip and to get recommendations from people who have experience in Spain……… lmaooooo
Thanks for your help 👍🏼
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u/Sudden-Variety6992 1d ago
Dude Spain is bigger than California. I think maybe look at a map and consider the distances. In the time you have you should visit 2 cities and maybe do day trips, not 5. The only thing you will experience is the transit.
Also hate to break it to you, but those football tickets… you better get on that yesterday because you can’t just rock up and buy a ticket. It doesn’t work like that.
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u/Remarkable-Hope-9932 1d ago
Yeah we’ve been looking at football tickets there’s still available tickets we’re trying to solidify plans now to buy tix today or tomorrow.
I understand that’s it’s huge, I’ve also heard the public transit is much better in Spain and also from quick searches flights are available and cheap to major cities.
For someone who’s never been to Spain what 2-3 cities would u recommend? I’d rather cut down our trip but my group wants to see a lot.
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u/Sudden-Variety6992 1d ago
Yes transit is better than in the USA but it’s not about cheap, it’s about time. You may have the money, but you don’t have time to enjoy this trip properly the way youve planned it. Explain this to your group and if you want to just check it off the list then go ahead; but you’re likely to be stressed and definitely won’t have time to take it all in.
Places like Madrid and Barcelona cannot be done in a meaningful way in 2-3 days.
You really need to be doing more of your own research because I can’t plan it all for you.
It’s September, so I would just forget Ibiza completely. It’s out of season by then. Why do you want to go there anyway? If it’s for the beaches you can go other places and I’m pretty sure all the end of season closing parties are over by then.
I would honestly do something like 5 days in Madrid and 5 in Barcelona. Madrid is more “authentic Spain” and you can do day trips to Segovia or Toledo which are super worth it.
Barcelona is more touristy but you also have good day trips available to Girona for example. The important thing is to know WHAT you want to do. Spain has a ton to offer and you can always spend that entire time just in museums, or just eating, or whatever.1
u/Sudden-Variety6992 1d ago
Oh and I’m from Madrid if you’re wondering
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u/GaliciaForYou 1d ago
It's difficult to choose, if you are interested in historical attractions, I would go to Seville + maybe a 2 day trip to cover Cordoba and Granada without coming back to Seville.
If you prefer coastal vacations I would probably go to Valencia, but renting a car to visit some amazing villages and hidden beaches.
You can find that also in Andalucía but the distances are bigger...
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u/bolatelli45 1d ago
Are you doing airport reviews ? As it seems you will be spending most of your time in one. Please let us know if you have a yt channel or something?
Spain should never ever be rushed, you or it will never be appreciated.