We were originally going on these dates but decided to push it back to the first week of December as the flight loads are lighter (I work for an airline so we fly free). Same destinations apply.



Ok, got some firmer dates although flexibility remains the key.

Dep. ATL Sep. 1
Arr. BCN Sep. 2

Sep. 2 Sagra. Tour to be booked.

Sep. 3 Monserrat Tour to be booked.

Sep. 4 Pick up car. Drive to aqueduct in Terragona / Layover *****cola Castle and beaches.

Sep. 5 Drive to Valencia / Tour city on our own and cooking class.

Sep. 6 Still in Valencia. Hike to Montenegro's Thermal Springs. Tour needs to be booked.

Sep. 7 Long drive to Granada. Wander city and have nice dinner. , Allehambra next morning on Sep. 8 Need to book tickets. Same day drive to Malaga. Beach seafood dinner. Spend night in Malaga.

Sep 9. Drive to Gibraltar. Self guide to paid tour. Then drive to Cadiz. Tour Cadiz and dinner.

Sep. 10 Drive to Ronda for lunch at Hildago Garcia Winery. Bullring / Bull Fighting Museum. Explore city. Then drive Sevilla for 3 days.

Sep. 11 In Sevilla. Explore Alcazar Castle / Flamenco show.

Sep. 12 Caminito Del Rey tour / hike. (or something else if anybody does not want to hike again!)

Sep. 13 Drive to Toledo via Cordoba. Mezquite Mosque and Roman Bridge. Visit Consuegra Windmill town just out side of Toledo.

Sep. 14 Drive to Madrid for 2 nights: Plaza Major, Bull Fight, Prada and Royal Palace.

Sep. 16 Dep. for ATL.
We do have the options of flying in/out of JFK as the flights dictate.


Might cut a day in Barcelona and Madrid as we've been there many times.

Completely agree. My wife would kill me if I put an itinerary that aggressive together. You are seeing a ton and that's awesome and maybe that's how you guys like it so go for it. If you stick with it, I'd switch the order of 9/9 and 9/10.

A slower pace with 2-3 days in a couple of base areas seems more efficient to me. For instance, base out of Granada/Sevilla and Ronda is a doable day trip, so is Malaga. Cuts the drive, activity, eat, sleep, unpack, repack and drive down a bit. Montserrat was really great and incredibly beautiful on a clear day. Take advantage and go up high on the funiculars and do some hikes. Beautiful views. Have fun.

IMO, cut time off in Madrid & Barce since you've been there.
Anything else that hasn't been booked, don't. Slow down & enjoy, you're burning up way too much time driving, packing & checking into hotels.

Don't go to a country thinking you'll never come back again

I loved Sevilla and wished I had spent more time there. Just wandering through the town - I also felt it had more to see than some of the other smaller towns you have listed.

I really enjoyed Pamplona and Zaragoza (was there in June of this year). I also loved traveling by train. Not sure if you're open to that but it was a great way to cover ground and relax.
Have fun!

We've been to Barca so many times that we're considering flying into MAD and taking the train to Malaga to spend more time down range. Will rent the car there.

I did the Sept 7 - 12 part of your trip a few years ago, and it took a solid two weeks.

As others have said, I think you're driving too much and checking in & out of too many hotels. And you have not factored two huge points into your calculations: dinner & the siesta.

You lose at least 2 to 3 hours each afternoon to the siesta. Dinner is also another two hours, sometimes more.

If you're checking into & out of so many places, you had better be packing light. You will need to do laundry a handful of times during your trip.

Spain has a much slower pace of life. Based on your aggressive itinerary, I fear that you will stay frustrated because of the slow pace of others. Also, there is so much to see & do off the beaten path in Spain, and you will miss almost all of it.

Your schedule will require driving during the siesta, which I would highly recommend. But it will also require very early mornings and very late nights. And without a nap during the siesta, you may not survive!

Yeah, we do like to keep moving. I work for an airline so we've been fortunate to be able to travel extensively while working and on off days. We've never rented a car - always public trans, that's why we want to drive here.

I would really reconsider dialing it back some. There is so much lost time on this itinerary, I cannot see how one could really enjoy themself.

A car would be useful in Andalusia, but I think I would scale back some on the rest of the trip and try to do it by train.

If you are going in December, days are going to be short, so you will have to see the countryside in a limited window. I believe Gibraltar is about the same latitude as Stillwater, OK, so it's not like you're in northern Europe and only have six hours of daylight, but its not the ideal time for a driving trip.

If you want to start in Barcelona, do whatever it is that is a priority in Catalonia, then take the train down to Granada and pick up a rental car there. You can use the car to see Ronda, maybe Zahara and Grazalema on your way to Gibraltar (park in the parking garage in La Linea, cross the border on foot, and take a taxi tour of the Rock; it's by far the best way to do it), Cadiz, maybe add Jerez and Arcos de la Frontera before dropping the car in Sevilla. Take the train to Cordoba, then Toledo (you have to go into Madrid to make this connection).