Spain was a last-minute trip between my Paris and Iceland trips. There wasn’t much flexibility on the number of days, except to maximize them - of course, we used all 11.
Spain is thoroughly impressive. It was incredible to experience the deep history of a nation that had a far-reaching impact on the 16th-century world and even at present. The diversity of cultures I witnessed from the medieval city of Toledo and the religious retreat of Montserrat was eye-opening.
Spain was hard to plan because there were just so many cities I wanted to check out. I was flying in and out of London, which offered more options for me to fly in and out of. I picked two main cities on the ends - Barcelona and Seville - and squeezed everything else in between. There were so many other cities like Girona, Valencia, Mallorca, and neighboring Andorra that I wish I could fit in.
TRANSPORT | Traveling between cities was easy with Renfe. I booked everything through Trainline since I had the app on my phone, so booking and managing my trips was easy.
DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY | If I could redo the itinerary, I would keep it the same because every city was magical.
HIGHLIGHTS | Sagrada Familia, Toledo, Alhambra, Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba
Day 3: Montserrat (Barcelona Day Trip)
Montserrat is a beautiful Benedictine monk mountain retreat (a little bit of Meteora vibes). We hadn’t heard of Montserrat before the trip. We booked a hot air balloon experience that happened to be in Montserrat, which was unfortunately canceled due to inclement weather. We found a day trip to Montserrat the night before from Barcelona, and we went on it. It was chill - we saw the monastery and had lunch at a farmhouse restaurant. Great experience!
Day 3: Montserrat (Barcelona Day Trip)
Montserrat is a beautiful Benedictine monk mountain retreat (a little bit of Meteora vibes). We hadn’t heard of Montserrat before the trip. We booked a hot air balloon experience that happened to be in Montserrat, which was unfortunately canceled due to inclement weather. We found a day trip to Montserrat the night before from Barcelona, and we went on it. It was chill - we saw the monastery and had lunch at a farmhouse restaurant. Great experience!
Day 4 - 6: Madrid & Toledo Day Trip
ROYAL PALACE OF MADRID
CATEDRAL DE LA ALMUDENA
PLAZA DE ORIENTE
PLAZA MAYOR
MERCADO SAN MIGUEL
PLAZA DE LA VILLA
LAVAPIÉS
REAL JARDIN BOTANICO
PARQUE DE EL RETIRO
Madrid was a 3-hour train ride from Barcelona, but with everything included, it took most of the day, so we didn’t have three full days in Madrid.
Much of Madrid’s history and culture is hidden in plain sight. Doing a walking tour is the best option before planning the rest of the attractions around it. The Convento de las Carboneras and its cloistered nuns are among the places we wouldn’t have known about without the guide. The other significant part about having a guide is recommendations on the best churros (the only one I remember is Chocolatería San Ginés), tapas, and flamenco in Madrid. I do not have a recommendation because I am guilty of dozing off during the flamenco.
I was bumped that I left Madrid without visiting the Royal Palace of Madrid, the largest palace in Europe. The King, who now lives in Palacio de la Zarzuela near Madrid, decided to be there the day I chose to visit and closed the grounds to visitors. Bummer!
Since we were in Madrid, we also had to fit in Toledo. It is a historic quarter with its medieval architecture exceptionally well-preserved, and the best is that it’s only 30 minutes from Madrid Atocha station. In Toledo, we booked a tour bus that covered the whole area and provided a panoramic view of the city. There is a lot of walking between the stops, e.g., from the Toledo railway station at the bottom to the top of the hill where Toledo is, so maybe a half-day or full-day tour from Madrid would have made everything more convenient.
WE STAYED IN an Airbnb close to the center (around a 12-minute walk to the palace), and almost everything was within walking distance except Parque de El Retiro. In hindsight, I prefer staying closer to Calle Gran Via or the Sol, where everything is. On the bright side, we chanced upon a fusion restaurant, Bipolar Casa De Comidas 2.0, that brought a novel perspective to traditional Spanish cuisine.
Days 7 & 8: Granada
ALHAMBRA: NASRID PALACES, ALCAZABA, GENERALIFE (WHY DOES IT SOUND LIKE AN INSURANCE COMPANY)
MIRADOR DE SAN NICOLÁS
MIRADOR DE SAN CRISTÓBAL
CATEDRAL DE GRANADA
FUENTE DE LAS GRANADAS
I was excited for Granada because the Alhambra was at the top of my Spain bucket list. It was worth it - the grandeur and the intricacy of its decorations, specifically the Nasrid Palaces, are genuinely on its level.
WE STAYED AT Granaxperience Apartamentos La Maleta. The apartment was average, but I liked the convenient location.
Day 9: Cordoba
MOSQUE-CATHEDRAL OF CÓRDOBA
ALCAZAR OF THE CHRISTIAN MONARCHS
ROMAN BRIDGE OF CÓRDOBA
PLAZA DE LA CORREDERA
PALACIO DE VIANA
I wanted to visit Cordoba for the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba - an architecture that has lived through different religious and cultural influences through the centuries. While it currently functions as a cathedral, much of the architecture of a mosque under Muslim rule remains intact. The Hypostyle Hall is probably the most iconic and recognizable aspect of Cordoba.
Since we were in Spain, we had to experience an integral part of Andalusia’s Moorish heritage - the hammams. We booked a slot at Hammam Al Andalus, and it was the most comforting part of our trip, for me at least.
The other attractions were beautiful, and Cordoba was worth the visit, but I probably would have skipped Cordoba if I hadn’t had the time.
WE STAYED AT Eurostars Palace. Modern with great rates - super worth it.
Day 10 & 11: Seville
SETAS DE SEVILLA
IGLESIA COLEGIAL DEL DIVINO SALVADOR
LA GIRALDA
CATEDRAL DE SEVILLA
PLAZA DEL CABILDO
ROYAL ALCÁZAR OF SEVILLE
PLAZA DE ESPAÑA
PARQUE DE MARÍA LUISA
PLAZA DE AMÉRICA
Seville is small in a way that every location, except for the airport, was within walking distance. It was pleasant, but that also meant the accommodation location was important!
The only thing to note was that the Catedral de Sevilla required allocated time slots. Booking in advance would be good to avoid the long queue outside the Cathedral or the poor time slots. We didn’t know about this - we only got an afternoon timeslot after queuing in the morning and had to return in the afternoon.
WE STAYED AT numa I Jondo Apartments. I was quite surprised by this stay. It felt like a hotel in an Airbnb setting. It was very well run, and the company behind it has other apartments in Seville and other parts of the world. The location was optimal - within walking distance to everything and beside De Nata Santa Cruz (Fábrica de Pastéis de Nata). How much better can it get? Overall, this ranked at the top, along with Praktik Rambla for me.
