10 Days in Spain: Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and Granada

If you're still deciding whether Spain should be four cities or three, the itinerary selection guide breaks down what each additional city costs in travel time.

At a glance

Booking deadlines at a glance

Four reservations shape this trip more than any single sight does. This is the short version to screenshot before departure — the day-by-day sections below cover the reasoning for each. Rules reflect each official page as of this writing; recheck anything closer to your travel dates, since these systems have changed before without much notice.

Why this order, and when it doesn't matter

Madrid to Barcelona is the longest rail leg of the trip, and running it on day 3 puts it where energy is still fresh. Trainline's schedule data shows a fastest direct AVE of 2h29-2h30, but the typical journey runs 3h02-3h17 — plan the connecting afternoon around that wider number, not the best-case one.

If flights land in Barcelona instead of Madrid, run the loop backward with no real time penalty, since the point-to-point rail totals don't change based on direction. What doesn't work is starting or ending in Granada: there's no direct AVE from Granada to Barcelona, so any route touching Granada first or last forces a backtrack through Madrid or Seville.

One pattern worth watching for: some itineraries round every leg to a flat "2h30m." The real spread is wider — 2h29 fastest to 3h17 typical on Madrid-Barcelona, and 2h09 fastest to 2h33-2h47 typical on Seville-Granada, per Omio's route data — and that gap is the difference between a same-day connection that works and one that doesn't.

Day 1 — Madrid: arrival and the Prado

Land, settle into a hotel in Centro or Salamanca, and go straight to the Prado in the afternoon rather than saving it for a dedicated day later.

According to the Prado's official site, hours run 10:00-20:00 Monday through Saturday and 10:00-19:00 Sunday and holidays, with entry cutting off 30 minutes before close. A 5pm arrival still leaves a real two to three hours inside.

Skip the free-admission window on this particular visit. The discounted evening hours draw the heaviest crowds of the week, which works against a jet-lagged first day when you want room to move at your own speed.

Close the day near Plaza Mayor for dinner, roughly a 15-minute walk from the Prado. No booking needed, no itinerary padding required — this is the one evening on the trip built to be unplanned.

Day 2 — Madrid: Royal Palace and Retiro

Spend the morning at the Royal Palace, then cross to Retiro Park for the afternoon instead of trying to wedge in a second museum. The two sit on opposite sides of central Madrid — figure roughly a 30-minute walk across, or about 15 minutes by metro with one change — so build in time to actually eat lunch somewhere in between rather than rushing straight across.

If Day 1 at the Prado felt rushed, this is the day to add Reina Sofía or Thyssen-Bornemisza as overflow. Otherwise leave it out — two major museums plus a palace in 48 hours is where Madrid days start to blur together.

Leave the evening open for tapas in La Latina. Madrid's food scene doesn't run on advance reservations the way Barcelona's headline sights do, so there's no fixed booking to make here.

Day 3 — Madrid to Barcelona: travel day and Gothic Quarter

Book the AVE for a morning departure. The fastest direct service runs 2h29-2h30, but plan the rest of the day around the 3h02-3h17 typical journey so the afternoon isn't scheduled too tight if the faster train isn't available.

Arrive by early afternoon, drop bags, and walk the Gothic Quarter and La Rambla at a pace that doesn't need a schedule — the two sit roughly a 10-minute walk apart. This is the trip's other unplanned stretch.

Reserve Sagrada Família tickets tonight at the latest. The basilica's own site has shown temporary walk-in closures, and same-day entry isn't something to count on arriving tomorrow morning.

Day 4 — Barcelona: Sagrada Família and Park Güell

Morning at Sagrada Família, entered on a timed ticket booked in advance — not at the door.

Afternoon at Park Güell, but only with a ticket bought online ahead of the trip. Per the park's official FAQ, box-office sales ended entirely on July 1, 2024, and there's no walk-up option left at all. The two sites are roughly 4km apart and not a realistic walk — figure roughly 30 minutes by metro with one transfer.

The booking window for Park Güell opens three months before the visit date, and slots release on a rolling basis. Popular afternoon windows close first, so this is worth setting a calendar reminder for well before the trip.

Day 5 — Barcelona: Barceloneta and flexible day

Use this as the trip's one truly unscheduled day: beach time at Barceloneta, or a return visit to anything rushed the day before.

This is also the easiest day to cut if the trip needs to shrink to 8 or 9 days. Nothing here requires advance booking, which can't be said for any other day on this itinerary.

Day 6 — Barcelona to Seville: travel day and Barrio Santa Cruz

This is the longest travel day of the trip. There's no direct Barcelona-Seville AVE, so the route typically connects through Madrid, adding real transfer time on top of the point-to-point averages used elsewhere on this itinerary. Check the connecting schedule on Renfe's booking site before locking in a departure time, since a tight transfer window isn't worth the risk on a travel day this long.

Arrive by evening and keep plans light: a walk through Barrio Santa Cruz and dinner near the cathedral, all within roughly a 10-minute walk of each other.

Book Real Alcázar tickets tonight if it hasn't happened already. There's no formal online-only rule, but summer queues at the gate have run past an hour on some mornings, which settles the question in practice if the goal is getting inside before midday.

Day 7 — Seville: Real Alcázar and Plaza de España

Morning at the Real Alcázar using a timed online slot. Per the official site, hours run 9:30-19:00 from April through September and 9:30-17:00 from October through March, with last admission 30 minutes before close.

Afternoon at Plaza de España, roughly a 10-minute walk from the Alcázar, and no ticket required.

For the evening, pick a smaller tablao in Triana or Santa Cruz over the larger flamenco shows pitched to tour groups near the main squares. A smaller room tends to feel like a late-night performance rather than a staged stop on a bus circuit. Pricing and showtimes vary by venue and season, so check the specific tablao's site directly rather than relying on a number here.

Day 8 — Seville to Granada: travel day and Albaicín at sunset

Book the faster Seville-Granada service where the schedule allows it. Per Omio's route data, the fastest run is 2h09, but many timetabled services average 2h33-2h47 with intermediate stops — check the specific train rather than assuming the short time applies.

Arrive early afternoon and free up the evening for the Albaicín and Mirador San Nicolás at sunset. No ticket is needed, but arriving 30-40 minutes before golden hour matters for claiming a spot with a clear Alhambra view — the mirador is roughly a 15-minute uphill walk from the lower Albaicín streets.

No car is needed anywhere on this route. The AVE network covers all four cities, and each city center is walkable or taxi-distance from its station.

Day 9 — Granada: the Alhambra and Generalife

This is the booking deadline that should have been handled before the trip started. Per spain.info's official ticket guide, Alhambra tickets sell up to three months ahead, and per the Patronato's own ticket portal, same-day availability inside a two-hour window is not guaranteed.

Visit both the Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife gardens on the same ticket — they're roughly a 10-minute walk apart within the complex — and allow a half-day minimum rather than rushing through on a tight afternoon slot.

If the three-month window was missed, check the official ticket portal daily rather than assuming the trip has to be rerouted around it. Availability does open up, just not predictably.

Day 10 — Granada: Albaicín by day and departure

Walk the Albaicín's streets again, this time by daylight. It's a different texture than the sunset view from Day 8 — the same alleys read differently with the light coming from a different angle and the shops open.

Depart in the afternoon, either from Granada's airport or on a return train north if flying out of Madrid or Barcelona instead.

How to choose: who should cut, swap, or extend a day

Cut Day 5 in Barcelona first if compressing to 9 days — it's the only day with zero bookings tied to it. Going the other way, extend in Seville or Granada rather than Madrid or Barcelona if 10 days becomes 12; the Andalusian stops reward an unhurried extra morning more than a third day in either capital would.

Swap Madrid and Barcelona's order only if flights force it — the total rail time is a wash either direction.

Don't add a fifth city. Toledo or Córdoba as day trips are common suggestions, but Day 1 in Madrid and Day 6 in Seville are already travel-adjacent and absorb delays poorly; stacking a day trip onto either one risks the whole schedule.

Fortrip's itinerary validator flags which days in a plan like this one still have an open booking risk, which is worth a quick check before locking in flights. If your own flight dates or city order don't match this plan exactly, running the four cities through the AI trip planner adjusts the day count and booking deadlines without starting the research over.

FAQ

Is 10 days enough to see Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and Granada without rushing?

Yes, but only if the four reservation deadlines — Sagrada Família, Park Güell, the Real Alcázar, the Alhambra — are booked before departure. The itinerary itself isn't tight; the risk is arriving at any of these four sites without a ticket already in hand.

Do I need to rent a car for this route?

No. The AVE network connects all four cities directly or with one change, and every city center on this itinerary is walkable or a short taxi ride from its train station.

What if I can't book the Alhambra three months out?

Check the official ticket portal daily rather than rerouting the trip. Cancellations and released slots do appear, just not on a predictable schedule, so it's worth a daily check rather than assuming the window is permanently closed.