Spain in 2 Weeks

Guest post by regislouis

Map tips: each color represents a different day. Click a marker to learn more about the spot, and click the star in the map header to save the entire map under Your Places in Google Maps.

Day 1: Barcelona

• The Corner Hotel
• Sagardi BCN Centre
• Plaça de Catalunya

Flew into Barcelona in the early afternoon. Picked up our rental car and drove to The Corner Hotel – great, 5 stars, very helpful staff.

Had dinner at Sagardi, great meal. Walked through the Plaza to get a feel of the area, lots of shopping.

Day 2: Drive to Cordoba

• Bodegas Mezquita (Céspedes)
• Roman bridge of Córdoba

Grabbed some groceries and drove 8 hours to Cordoba. Had a phenomenal dinner at Bodegas Mezquita, reasonable prices. Multiple languages for menus and staff, easy to navigate.

Walked to the Roman Bridge, which was really pretty.

Day 3: Cordoba

• Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba
• Calleja de las Flores

Visited the mosque that was turned into a cathedral. Incredible – just do the self-guided tour.

Walked down “The Street of Flowers” and did some souvenir shopping.

Drove 2 hours to Grenada and stayed at an Airbnb in a residential area.

Day 4: Grenada

• Alhambra
• Cuevas Los Tarantos

We did a tour of the Alhambra through Get Your Guide because we couldn’t get tickets otherwise (book early if going on your own). About 4 hours, enjoyed having the guide. Must-see.

Ate lunch and went to the Sacromonte neighborhood for a Flamenco show at Cuevas Los Tarantos. The show was strange but cool. Definitely worth it for the experience, it’s where Flamenco originally started.

Day 5: Grenada

• Cathedral of Granada
• Plaza de San Nicolás

Went through the Cathedral, did a lot of shopping and eating.

The Plaza de San Nicolas has the best view of the Alhambra, so make sure to go here to see it from the outside. Beautiful spot for sunset.

They celebrate Christmas on January 6 and they had a parade that went through the city center. There was lots of candy, everyone was out and having a party in the city.

Day 6: Nerja

• Fundación Cueva de Nerja
• Málaga

Drove to Nerja (1 hour) to tour the caves, some of the oldest in the world. Worth the stop for sure. Nerja is a beach town, had a meal on the beach and walked around.

Drove to Malaga (30 minutes) to stay the night.

Day 7: Malaga

• Picasso Museum Málaga
• Málaga Cathedral
• La Malagueta

Picasso was born in Malaga, the museum was really good. The cathedral is beautiful. La Malagueta is the beach and it was crowded.

Drove to Seville (2.5 hours) and stayed in an Airbnb. Got groceries, ate in.

Day 8: Seville

• Seville Cathedral
• Royal Alcázar of Seville

The Cathedral in Seville is the largest Catholic Cathedral in the world (St. Peter’s is considered a Basilica). One of 2 places in the world that claim to have Christopher Columbus’ remains. Had another tour booked through Get Your Guide. Definitely go up to the tower for the city view.

The Alcazar’s botanical gardens were incredible. Also included with tour.

Day 9: Seville

• Metropol Parasol
• Triana
• Dulcería Manu Jara
• Plaza de España

The Metropol Parasol is a really interesting piece of architecture in the city and there’s a nearby market. We walked across the river to the Triana neighborhood. Very lively, local and non-touristy – highly recommend checking out this area. Lots of ceramics and handmade goods. Lunch there was some of the best we had on the trip.

Dulceria Manu Jara – best desserts of my life.

Walked to the Plaza de Espana for sunset.

Day 10: Drive to Valencia

Drove about 6 hours to Valencia as a way to break up the drive to Barcelona. Stayed at another Airbnb. Good tapas at Piko’s for dinner.

Day 11: Valencia

• Valencia Cathedral
• Expo Hotel Barcelona

Valencia is one place that I wish we had more time at. We did the cathedral, some markets, and walked around before we had to leave for Barcelona (another 2 hours). The Expo Hotel was by the train station and worked out well.

Day 12: Barcelona

• Casa Batlló
• Casa Milà
• La Sagrada Familia

The Gaudi sites were amazing. Did a tour at Batllo, really enjoyed it. Didn’t go in to Mila.

Went to La Sagrada Familia at sunset, had read that the stained glass was really spectacular at that time, and it was. We did the self-guided audio tour. Most amazing building in the world.

Day 13: Barcelona

• Park Güell
• Mercado de La Boqueria
• Barcelona Cathedral
• Taller de Tapas

Went to the Park, spent a lot of time there enjoying the view and the park layout. Easily worth half a day.

Shopped at the market and other stores we passed by. Didn’t go in to the Cathedral, but another awesome-looking building.

Had about as good of a meal as possible at the end of our trip. Great way to end the last night. Flew out the next day.

Weather was 50s and 60s in the south, cold in Barcelona (40s).

Traveled in January 2020