Spain itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Spain is big enough that the itinerary question is really a routing question. The mainland high-speed network (AVE and its competitors) links Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Córdoba, Granada, Valencia and Málaga, so a trip built along that spine needs no flights at all. The islands and the north coast are the two places where you either commit several days or leave them for another trip.

The four plans below are the ones that work. Each keeps one direction of travel, uses trains for the long legs, and ends near an airport that flies home. Nights are minimums that do the place justice, not maximums.

Three nights in Madrid covers the Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen, plus one day trip — Toledo is 33 minutes by AVE, Segovia about 30 minutes. Then take the AVE south: Madrid to Córdoba is roughly 1 h 45, and Córdoba to Seville about 45 minutes. One night in Córdoba is enough for the Mosque–Cathedral and the old town if you arrive by mid-morning.

Seville gets two nights: the Alcázar, the cathedral and a flamenco show, all walkable in the old centre. Granada gets one night, which is tight but workable if your Alhambra slot is booked for the morning and you leave in the afternoon. The last leg back to Madrid by AVE is about 3 h 20; alternatively fly home from Málaga, about 1 h 30 by bus or train from Granada.

What to cut: Barcelona. Adding it to a 7-day Madrid–Andalusia trip means losing a night somewhere that needs it more, and the Barcelona–Madrid AVE is 2 h 30 each way.

At 10 days you can run Barcelona 3, Madrid 3, Seville 3 and Córdoba 1, flying into Barcelona and out of Seville or Madrid. The Barcelona–Madrid AVE takes about 2 h 30, Madrid–Seville about 2 h 30, so the whole route is trains. This is the plan most first-time visitors should take if they have the time.

At 14 days the same loop gains Granada and Toledo and ends on the Costa del Sol: Barcelona 4, Madrid 3, Toledo 1, Seville 3, Granada 2, Málaga 1. Toledo is a day trip from Madrid by AVE (33 min) but worth a night once the day-trippers leave. Seville to Granada is about 2 h 30 by bus or train; Granada to Málaga about 1 h 30. Fly home from Málaga.

If you would rather trade cities for coast and mountains, swap Barcelona for the north: Bilbao for the Guggenheim, San Sebastián for pintxos and La Concha, then Santiago de Compostela. The north is green, cooler in summer and much less crowded in August.

Three weeks lets you do both halves of the country without rushing: Bilbao 2, San Sebastián 3, Santiago de Compostela 2, then Madrid 3, Seville 3, Cádiz 2, Granada 2 and Barcelona 3. The northern legs are slower — San Sebastián to Santiago is a long day by train or bus, and a flight via Madrid or Barcelona is often the practical choice.

Cádiz is the addition most people miss on shorter trips: Atlantic beaches, a walkable old town and Jerez and its sherry bodegas an hour away. From Cádiz, Seville is about 1 h 40 by train. End in Barcelona and fly home from there, or reverse the route and finish in the north.

Three weeks is also the length at which a walking or cycling section starts to make sense — a few days on the Camino into Santiago, for example, rather than the whole route.

Trains beat flights on the mainland for anything under about four hours. AVE and its competitors (Iryo, Ouigo) run Madrid–Barcelona, Madrid–Seville, Madrid–Valencia and Madrid–Málaga; Granada is the weak link, with fewer direct services and slower times. Book 2–8 weeks ahead for the lowest fares; walk-up prices can be several times higher (2026 estimate).

Spain runs on late hours. Dinner starts around 21:00 and later in summer, many shops close for a midday break, and museums often have free or reduced evening slots. Sundays and public holidays close more than you expect, including some restaurants.

Heat is the planning constraint in the south. Seville and Córdoba regularly pass 40 °C in July and August; sightsee before 11:00 and after 19:00, or move Andalusia to spring or autumn. The north coast stays mild in the same weeks.

Add one spare night per week. Spanish strikes, rail works and summer road traffic are common enough that a tight plan breaks.

April to June and September to October are the best windows for Madrid, Barcelona and Andalusia: warm days, cool evenings, and no August crush. March and November are quieter and cheaper, with more rain and shorter days.

July and August are the months to plan around rather than avoid. The coast and the north are at their best; inland Andalusia and Madrid are hot, and August is when many Spanish businesses close and coastal hotels charge peak rates. If you must travel then, put the south at the start or end of the trip and keep the middle in the north.

Winter suits the cities — Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Granada are all pleasant in December and January, with short queues and low hotel rates — and the Canary Islands, which stay warm year-round.

Three things sell out or get expensive: the Alhambra in Granada, the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, and high-speed train seats on popular dates. Book all three as soon as your dates are fixed. The Alhambra releases tickets on a rolling basis and timed entry means a late booking can leave you with an awkward slot or none at all.

Everything else — hotels, most museums, restaurant reservations outside the top tier — can wait until a few weeks out, except in Seville during Semana Santa and the April fair, and in Barcelona during major trade fairs, when rooms in the centre go first.

The most common one is trying to see Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Granada and the coast in a week. Each move costs half a day once you count packing, the station and the walk to the next hotel. Four bases in seven days is the practical limit.

The second is treating Granada as a day trip from Seville. It is 2 h 30 each way, and the Alhambra alone takes half a day. Give it a night.

The third is booking the islands into a mainland trip. Mallorca and Tenerife each need four to seven nights to be worth the flight; a two-night add-on is a wasted flight.