This itinerary summarizes a 7-day trip to Spain, visiting Barcelona, Seville, and Madrid:
Day 1 was spent in Barcelona, visiting landmarks like La Rambla and Park Güell. Day 2 involved traveling from Barcelona to Seville. Day 3 featured sights in Seville such as the Cathedral and Royal Alcazar. Day 4 consisted of traveling from Seville to Madrid. Days 5-6 covered attractions in Madrid including the Prado Museum and Royal Palace. Day 7 included a day trip from Barcelona to the Montserrat monastery. The itinerary provided tips on transportation, accommodations, and must-see destinations in each city.
This itinerary summarizes a 7-day trip to Spain, visiting Barcelona, Seville, and Madrid:
Day 1 was spent in Barcelona, visiting landmarks like La Rambla and Park Güell. Day 2 involved traveling from Barcelona to Seville. Day 3 featured sights in Seville such as the Cathedral and Royal Alcazar. Day 4 consisted of traveling from Seville to Madrid. Days 5-6 covered attractions in Madrid including the Prado Museum and Royal Palace. Day 7 included a day trip from Barcelona to the Montserrat monastery. The itinerary provided tips on transportation, accommodations, and must-see destinations in each city.
This itinerary summarizes a 7-day trip to Spain, visiting Barcelona, Seville, and Madrid:
Day 1 was spent in Barcelona, visiting landmarks like La Rambla and Park Güell. Day 2 involved traveling from Barcelona to Seville. Day 3 featured sights in Seville such as the Cathedral and Royal Alcazar. Day 4 consisted of traveling from Seville to Madrid. Days 5-6 covered attractions in Madrid including the Prado Museum and Royal Palace. Day 7 included a day trip from Barcelona to the Montserrat monastery. The itinerary provided tips on transportation, accommodations, and must-see destinations in each city.
This itinerary summarizes a 7-day trip to Spain, visiting Barcelona, Seville, and Madrid:
Day 1 was spent in Barcelona, visiting landmarks like La Rambla and Park Güell. Day 2 involved traveling from Barcelona to Seville. Day 3 featured sights in Seville such as the Cathedral and Royal Alcazar. Day 4 consisted of traveling from Seville to Madrid. Days 5-6 covered attractions in Madrid including the Prado Museum and Royal Palace. Day 7 included a day trip from Barcelona to the Montserrat monastery. The itinerary provided tips on transportation, accommodations, and must-see destinations in each city.
- At BCN we purchased a sim card -> 10G for 20 € o Tip: between terminal 2B and C is the bus terminal + hotel pick up spot - From the we hotel went to Barcelona via bus -> took bus D21 -> dropped off right in front of Port Vell - Went to visit the Columbus monument in honour of Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to the Americas - Across from this is the La Rambla – a famous street lined with trees – it has many shops and restaurants o Tip: delicious food + snacks – Tapas – however it is more pricier than restaurants a few blocks away; Really cool cobblestone alleyways - Came across Placa Reial o Fun fact: Lanterns present there are one of Gaudi’s first works in Barcelona - After perusing the La Rambla, we walked along Ave. Paral-lel towards Placa D’Espanya - Placa D’Espanya -> One of Barcelona’s most important Squares – connects various major roads o Fun Fact: this was previously an execution site however this was stopped in 1715 when the gallows were moved - Right Across this was the Barcelona Center (plaza de Toros de las Arenas-> went to the top to get a 180 view of the city (free) - Across from here, we walked to the Venetian towers then to the Montjuic Fountain / Magic fountain which is at the base of the Palau Nacional o Visiting the Magic Fountain was def worth it -> has a light / water show every evening - Bussed it back to the hotel
Day 2 – Barcelona to Seville
Transportation: walking, bus
Hotel: Eva Recommends
- Shuttled back to the airport – Flight to Seville
- Arrived to Seville -> took the Bus to our hotel/AirBnB -> Eva Recommends Gamazo (really good) o The hotel was really good -> spacious and clean but more importantly close to all the touristy sites o Tip: Take the Tussam bus to City; stop at bus station – Prado de San Sebastian – and walk from there; can buy a bus pass from there if needed however everything is walkable in Seville; we did not purchase a pass although you can purchase a 1 Day or 3 Day pass if needed - Walked to Cathedral de Seville -> one of the worlds largest Gothic cathedrals o Tip: I highly recommend this site as it gives an in depth look into the cathedral, also lets you see the Giralda bell Tower o Tip: can order tickets online in advance, can skip lines this way - Climbed the Giralda Bell Tower – 180 view around the city; attached to the cathedral - Continued to explore the narrow streets of Seville -> got gelato + snacks - Explored Plaza Nueva -> This is the City Center of Seville -> City Hall is located here o Lots of good restaurants + cafes o Monument of Fernando III (Conquered Seville for the Christians) - Continued our way through the Streets of Seville, went to a local Deli to pick up wine and cheese - Walked along the Canal de Alfonso XIII -> nice water way - Near by was the Torre Del Oro – Military watch tower that you can climb to the top o Was able to go to the very top o Tip: free on Monday, probably wouldn’t pay to go - Made our way to the Plaza de Toros -> Bull fighting stadium o Tip: Every Monday they give an in depth tour for free - Returned back to hotel, got dressed and headed to dinner o Went Habanita -> good local restaurant with tasty Tapas - Walked around during the evening time, got dessert, ate at plaza nueva
Day 3 - Seville
Hotel: Eva Recommends
Transportation: walk
Breakfast at a local cafe
Walked around Plaza del Triunfo – nice square surrounded by historic sites Visited Royal Alcazar – royal palace in Seville; built by Castilian Christians on the site of a Muslim residential fortress o Can purchase tickets ahead of time or at the site; wear comfy shoes o Massive garden present, built over the years Spent time at the hotel – enjoyed wine and cheese Explored Las Setas De Seville – a giant wooden parasol located at the Encarnacion square Dessert break! Really good one Amorino Explored Plaza de Espana – plaza built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 o Can do boat rides here if interested Dinner at Bodega Santa Cruz – very good authentic Spanish food Flamenco Show - Tablao Flamenco El Arenal o Authentic dancing -> combines, voice, guitar, clapping and stomping – very intense o Tip: purchase tickets ahead of time, head there early so you can get good seats Day 4: Sevilla to Madrid
Hotel: Agora Juan De Austria
Transportation: bus + train / Metro
Took Renfe train from Seville – Santa Justa to Madrid – Atocha
o Buy tickets in advance Took cab to our hotel Walked to Puerta del Sol – famous and busy square, on route to Plaza Callao Walked to Plaza Callao – square located at the center of Madrid; tons of shopping centers and restaurants o Don’t have to spend much time here Close to this site was the Plaza Mayor – giant square, was previously the center of old Madrid o Don’t spend too much time here, good for a few pictures Nearby was Plaza De La Villa – one of the oldest but well preserved squares in Madrid o Good for pictures; surrounding buildings are cool to look at A few minutes away was the Cathedral de Santa Maria o Can go in for free, really nice interior Beside this site was the Royal Palace of Madrid – this is one of the largest functioning Palaces in Europe o good for pics, can book a tour if interested Walked to Tempe de Debod – an ancient Egyptian temple that was dismantled and re-built in Madrid o Come early (Before 7pm) if you want to go inside; the surrounding park is also very nice Took train back to hotel Dinner – Vega
Day 5 – Madrid
Hotel: Agora Juan De Austria
Transportation: bus + train / Metro
Went for breakfast at a cafe – Toma Olavide Cafe
Walked through plaza de Olavide (just a fountain, don’t need to see this) Took the subway (metro) to Plaza de Cibeles – connects you to museum and gardens Went to Royal Botanical Garden o Have to pay to get in; if you’re short of time, can skip Walked to Parque de El Retiro o Free to enter park o Has tons of fountains, lake around monument for boating; similar concept to Central park o Highly recommend boating at this site Walked to Prado Museum o Main Spanish national art museum; has some of the world’s finest master pieces from the 12th century o Half off tickets after 6pm during the week – if you’re not planning to spend a lot of time there, could be worth going later Snack at El Cambalache o Really good empanada; worth visiting Dinner at Albur o Very good Paella; well worth it o Another excellent paella place is Socaratt Valencian Food
Day 6 – Madrid to Barcelona
Hotel: Acta 47 Transportation: bus + train / Metro
Woke up early, took Renfe train from Madrid to Barcelona
Checked into hotel Lunch at Ramen place – Oh Ramen Purchased a metro pass – 10 ride pass Walked to Hospital de la Santa Creu Sant Pau o Just see it from outside, built very well o UNESCO world Heritage site Went to La Sagrada Familia – large unfinished Roman Catholic Church; designed by Gaudi; UNESCO world Heritage site o Breathtaking, worth visiting. You can purchase a ticket to go inside but I highly recommend getting a tour -> it will teach you more about the site o Book in advance as getting tickets the day of is impossible Took a shuttle to park Guell – giant piece of land owned by the Guell family which was eventually transformed into a park o We took a tour for this as well – taught us a lot about the site; highly recommend the tour as you won’t get as much out of just visiting the site Train back to our hotel Snacked at Panens -> very good treats and empanadas
Day 7 – Montserrat
Hotel: Acta 47 Transportation: bus + train / Metro
Took metro/subway to Montserrat (line R5)
o For full step by step instructions: https://www.barcelona-tourist- guide.com/en/tour/barcelona-montserrat.html o Be sure to get the “trans Monserrat” ticket – this gets you a ride to and from Monserrat, 2 free metro tickets, tickets for the cable cart or train to and from the mountain; tickets to cable carts if you want to go higher up; this option is much cheaper than buying each individual ticket Train ride takes about 1 hr – be sure to bring lots of water; maybe even a snack Because of the heat wave, parts of Montserrat were closed off in fear of a forest fire We first went to visit the Monastery – this leads to the Placa of Santa Maria o You can directly go into the Basilica to see hall – Do this first o There is a separate line to stand in to see “Black Madonna” – Highly recommend doing this Black Madonna: statue was hidden in Montserrat back in 718 by Christians during an invasion by Islamic armies In 880, Sheppard saw light and heard singing from the cave – they contacted the priest to investigate; he too saw the same phenomenon; this occurred for weeks. They went to investigate and found the statue in the cave They tried to move it; but it was so incredibly heavy, they decided to build around it (interesting because the statue is small!) Walked along the Passieg de l’Escolania towards the Memorial to Ramon Llull o You’ll get amazing pictures of the mountain from here Unfortunately we did not get to do this but because of the heat wave / trails being closed, but many people hike down the mountain (not strenuous), along the way they have a little picnic Back to Barcelona Dinner + drinks
Overall Tips
Wear comfortable Shoes – you’re going to be doing a lot of walking
If you’re looking for authentic food that’s not overpriced -> walk a few blocks away from touristy sites Buy tickets for Renfe (speed train between cities) ahead of time to save money – even 2 weeks in advance is cheaper than waiting until the week/day of Buy Tickets for tourist sites in advance so you don’t waste time ie: Sagrada de Familia and Park Guell; you can buy it there for cheap but I suggest a tour Bus and Train System are really good for transportation, but prior to buying bus passes scout out the area you’re staying – you may not require one o If you do purchase one – the T-10 passes are better (10 ride passes) Bring lots of water! tap and fountain water is safe to drink Highly recommend going to grocery stores for water and snacks as eating out daily can get a bit pricy o Can get 1.5L of water for 20 cents at a grocery store (Lidle) as opposed to 1L for 1.30 Euro at some convenient stores