Spain in Ten Days

Spain

Spain in Ten Days

Protected by the Pyrenees, Spain developed differently from the rest of Europe. Spain was a Muslim country for more than 700 years, and the Moorish influence lends a unique character to the country. Spain offers bright sunshine and beaches, whitewashed villages, massive cathedrals, rich culture, and great food. With more time, pair this with a trip to Barcelona at the end and check out our itinerary here.

Day 1 – Madrid

Day 2 – Madrid

Day 3 – Granada

  • Cab to the airport and pick up rental car
  • Drive to Granada (4h6m drive)
  • Tour Granada (what you don’t see today do after the Alhambra tomorrow)
    • Albaicin (Arab Quarter)
    • Capilla Real
    • Catedral Santa Maria de la Encarnacion
    • Albayzin neighborhood
    • Granada Cathedral
    • Royal Chapel
  • Check into your lodging, consider Mirador del Jazmin or Hotel Santa Isabella Real (night 1/2)

Day 4 – The Alhambra

  • Tour the Alhambra
    • Make sure to get tickets in advance and pick up in the morning 
  • See any site you did not see the previous day in Granada
  • Lodging—same place, (night 2/2)

Day 5 – Marbella and Ronda

  • Drive to Marbella and have lunch on beach and poke around the town (2h drive) 
  • Drive to Ronda (1h drive) 
  • Check into hotel, Hotel San Gabriel (night 1/1)
  • Tour Ronda:
    • historic Bullring
    • church of Santa Maria la Mayor
    • gorge
    • new bridge

Day 6- The White Hill Towns to Sevilla

  • Drive through and tour the white towns (3h 19m drive in total): 
    • Zahara, stop for a snack or lunch
    • Grazalema
    • Arcos de la Fronterra
  • Arrive Sevilla
  • Check into Hotel Alimar (night 1/2)

Day 7 – Sevilla

  • Sevilla walking tour
  • Visit the Cathedral de Sevilla
  • Tour the Palace (Real Alcazar)
  • Wander through the Parque de Maria Luisa
  • Explore the neighborhood of Bario Santa Cruz (old Jewish Quarter)
  • With more time you can see:
    • Hospital de la Caridad
    • Basilica de la Macarena
    • Bullfight Museum
    • Flamenco museum
  • After dinner, take in a Flamenco performance
  • Lodging—same place, (night 2/2)

Day 8 – Sevilla to Cordoba

  • Speed the morning in Sevilla seeing whatever you did not get to before then head mid day to  Cordoba (1h38m drive )
  • Visit the mosque/church (Mezquita)
  • Explore the town
  • Lodging—consider the Patio del Posadero, (night 1/1)

Day 9 – Holy Toledo!

 Day 10 – Segovia and El Escorial

  • Drive to Segovia (1h41m drive)
  • Explore Segovia: Roman Aqueduct, cathedral, castle
  • Drive to El Escorial (42m drive)
  • Explore El Escorial, a monastery and palace
  • Drive back to Segovia
  • Check into your lodging, Parador de la Granja (night 1/1)
  • Visit the palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso

Day 11 – Fly Home

  • Drive to Madrid airport (1h14m drive)
  • Drop off rental car
  • Fly home

With Additional Time….

Head to Barcelona via overnight train or flight for a long weekend with our detailed itinerary!

Detailed Itinerary

Days 1 and 2 – Madrid

Welcome to Madrid, Spain’s vibrant capital. Madrid is a large city (home to 3 million) but the city center is relatively easy to navigate. If you arrive via the airport, make your way to your hotel. Cab costs a fixed 30 euro, and expect to be stuck in traffic. The Expres Aeropuerto bus (5 euro) runs from all terminals to Atocha station – from there you can grab a taxi or metro to your hotel. If you will be renting a car in Spain (recommended), don’t pick it up yet – get it when you leave on the way out of town. You do not want a car in Madrid.

The center of action in Madrid is the Puerto del Sol. Consider staying at the lovely Hotel Europa right on the Plaza. Key sights to see (beyond wandering around) include the Plaza Mayor, Royal Palace, Prado, and Reina Sofia (for Picasso’s Guernica).

Peurto Del Sol

If you arrived from the western hemisphere you may be a bit jet lagged and I’d put off the art museums until tomorrow. Instead, stroll down Calle Mayor and detour along Calle de Postas to Plaza Mayor. If it’s around lunch time, grab a bite at the San Miguel Market.  Explore the Corpus Christi convent and town hall right nearby. Then continue on to the Royal Palace. Return via Carlos II then Calle de Arenal. You might consider a “free” walking tour to orient yourself.

Plaza Mayor

This is your first day, so don’t overdo it. Dinner in Spain doesn’t start till 21:00 at the earliest. Either nap and get up for dinner (which will seriously screw up your time zone acclimation) or find tapas and turn in early.

The next day, wander down to the Prado (13 minute walk from Puerto del Sol). and see this world class museum. After you have satiated yourself with El Greco and Velasquez, walk 10 minutes to the Reina Sofia Museum and see Picasso’s amazing Guernica. Between museums or after take a break in the Botanical gardens/El Retiro park.

Guernica

Day 3 – Granada

Unfortunately this is not a very interesting drive. The train trip takes forever, and we suggest a car for flexibility and to be able to see the hill towns, so you’re stuck with a 4 hour, 25-minute drive from Madrid to Granada. We don’t recommend seeing the Alhambra today. Instead visit the lower town. At one point, this was the grandest city in Spain. Take a stroll through the old town past the Alcaiceria Market, Granada Cathedral, Royal Chapel, and up along the river. Either today or tomorrow wander up into the old Moorish quarter, the Albayzin neighborhood.

We didn’t love where we stayed in Granada, but for our next visit we would try Mirador del Jazmin or Hotel Santa Isabella Real, both of which get great ratings and in are ideal locations.

Day 4 – The Alhambra

I’d allow a half day for the Alhambra, the greatest of Spain’s Moorish places and a place steeped in history. If you see nothing else in Spain, see this. The main attraction is the Palacios Nazaries but the gardens and Charles V palace are worthwhile and part of the package.

Alhambra
Alhambra
Alhambra in Granada
Alhambra

When you’re done here, head back down the hill (the Alhambra is about a 30 minute walk above the main part of town) and see whatever you did not get to yesterday. Enjoy another night in Granada at the same lodging.

Day 5 – Marbella and Ronda

This is when you head to the heart of the white towns of Andalucia. Total drive time will be about 3-4 hours, but a fair amount of the drive is near the coast. Time it to stop for lunch in Marbella. The route from Marbella to Ronda as you ascend the mountains is quite scenic. Marbella is the classiest of the Costa del Sol beach towns, many of which can feel chaotic and overrun by expats. We parked and found a lovely restaurant on the beach and had lunch gazing down towards Gibraltar. After lunch head up to Ronda.

Ronda is in a spectacular setting – all white (as most of the frontera hill towns are), perched precariously on top of steep cliffs and built on both sides of a dramatic gorge, with a bridge between the old and new parts. Sights include the Bullring and museum, church of Santa Maria la Mayor in the old town, gorge, and new bridge. The delight really exists in wandering through the town and enjoying the views and ambience. We really enjoyed tapas in the new town (on one side of the bridge) but liked staying in the old town (other side of the bridge) at the Hotel San Gabriel. 

Ronda
Ronda
Ronda

Day 6 – The White Hill Towns

This is a day to visit some beautiful villages and countryside. The hill towns of the frontera are so called because they were the front line between Moorish and catholic Spain during the reconquista (the time that the Christian Spaniards gradually won land back from the Moorish Spaniards).

From Ronda head to Zahara, a cute town tucked under a castle on a hill above the town overlooking a reservoir. Stop for a snack or lunch then head on To Grazalema. This is another picturesque town in the heart of the Sierra de Grazalema national park, with trails, rugged limestone, caves, and gorges. The area is surprisingly green countryside and the mountain roads offer a very scenic drive. Continue onto Arcos de la Fronterra, the largest (yet equally picturesque) of the hill towns. Wander through it’s windy streets on foot. Continue onto Sevilla. Park as directed by your hotel (we had a heck of a time finding the designated lot – ask for a detailed map). Stay at Hotel Alimar (night 1/2). Grab a late dinner.

Zahara
Zahara / driving in Europe
Grazalema

Day 7 – Sevilla

Sevilla may be our favorite city in Spain. It’s an easy walking city full of attractions. In fact, strolling here has been elevated to an activity (the Paseo), and every evening starting around 18:00 locals are out strolling various neighborhoods.

Take a walking tour with Connie. You’ll see a lot of Sevilla and then the cathedral. Then if you have the time and energy, see the Alcazar (otherwise find another day to see it) and the Bario Santa Cruz neighborhood, Sevilla’s old Jewish Quarter. Sevilla is a charming city, so enjoy exploring. Tonight or tomorrow arrange to see some Flamenco. Stay at Hotel Alimar (night 2/2).

Sevilla
Sevilla
Sevilla
Sevilla

Day 8 – Cordoba

Drive to Cordoba and tour the Mezquita and explore the town. Consider staying at Patio del Posadero (night 1/1).

Mosque at Corbova

Day 9 – Holy Toledo!

Toledo

Drive from Cordoba to Toledo (3h 27m drive). Check into your lodging, Hacienda del Cardenal (night 1/1), where you can leave your car. From here head up into town. Toledo sits atop a hill in a bend of the Tajo River. It has a fantastic medieval atmosphere, the best cathedral in Spain (not the largest – that’s in Sevilla),- and is custom-made for walking around. If tourist crowds get to you, just wait. They clear out at night and you’ll feel you have the city to yourself. Pull out a map and start your rambles. We’d suggest starting on the west end and seeing San Juan de los Reyes Monasterio (a Franciscan monastery and church), Sinagoga del Transito (Spain’s National Jewish museum), El Greco Museum, Santo Tome (chapel with El Greco’s most famous paining, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz), then heading back to the most famous Toledo site, Toledo Cathedral.

Toledo Cathedral

After that see the Alcazar (military Museum), then Plaza de Zocodover, then Santa Cruz museum.  Find yourself a place for a drink/tapas while waiting for dinner.

Day 10 – Segovia and El Escorial

Drive to Segovia (1h 41m). Segovia is famous for its Roman Aqueduct (the best roman structure in Spain), cathedral, and castle. It’s also a delightful town for a stroll. After a tour of Segovia head over the mountains to El Escorial, Phillip II’s Monastery/palace.

Aqueduct at Segovia

Return to Segovia and stay at the delightful Parador de la Granja (night 1/1). Right next door is the “mini Versailles” palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso. Stop by to see an 18th century palace and beautiful gardens.

Parador de la Granja

Day 11 – Home

All good things must come to an end. Bid farewell to the Parador, drive to the Madrid airport, drop the car, and board your flight home.

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