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Ten days lets Spain sequence honestly: three nights in Barcelona for Gaudí and El Born, two in Madrid for the Prado and a late-night dinner rhythm, three in Seville for Andalusian saturation (Alcázar, flamenco, tapas crawl), and two in Granada finishing at the Alhambra. AVE trains connect all four cities — Barcelona → Madrid 2h 30m, Madrid → Seville 2h 30m, Seville → Granada 2h 30m. No rental car, no internal flights, no wasted airport mornings.
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Each day is written to balance structure with breathing room. Named hotels, named meals, named activities; logistics noted where they matter.
Land at BCN, Aerobús to Plaça de Catalunya, taxi to your hotel. Walk El Born as jet lag lifts — Passeig del Born, Santa Maria del Mar (1329, single-nave Gothic mastery). First-night tapas crawl on Carrer de l'Argenteria: El Xampanyet, Cal Pep, Bar del Pla.
Sagrada Família at 09:00 pre-booked (with towers). Late-morning walk to Casa Batlló for the 11:30 slot. Lunch at Ciudad Condal on Rambla de Catalunya. Afternoon at Park Güell (Monumental Zone timed entry). Evening dinner at Disfrutar (elBulli-alumni tasting) or Cañete for classic.
Morning walking the Barri Gòtic — the Cathedral, the Roman wall fragments, Plaça del Rei. Vermut lunch at Bodega La Puntual. Afternoon cable-car up Montjuïc — MNAC (Romanesque frescoes are world-class) and the Miró Foundation. Dinner at La Cova Fumada in Barceloneta.
Morning AVE Barcelona Sants → Madrid Atocha (2h 30m). Drop bags, lunch at Casa Lucio for cocido madrileño. Afternoon at the Prado — three hours on Velázquez, Goya, and El Greco is the honest minimum. Evening tapas in La Latina (Calle Cava Baja): Casa Lucas, Txirimiri.
Morning at Reina Sofía for Picasso's Guernica (2h). Lunch at Sacha in Chamberí. Afternoon walking Parque del Retiro — the Crystal Palace, the rowing lake. Cocktail at Salmon Guru. Dinner at Sobrino de Botín (world's oldest restaurant, cochinillo asado — book 3 weeks ahead).
Morning AVE Madrid → Seville Santa Justa (2h 30m). Check into your hotel in Barrio Santa Cruz. Afternoon walking the old Jewish quarter — Plaza de Doña Elvira, Plaza de los Venerables. Evening flamenco at Casa de la Memoria (intimate, no dinner, actual flamenco not tourist show), dinner after at Eslava.
Real Alcázar at 09:30 pre-booked (Mudéjar palace, the gardens of Game of Thrones' Dorne). Late-morning at Seville Cathedral + Giralda tower climb. Lunch at Bodeguita Romero. Afternoon rest, evening tapas at El Rinconcillo (oldest tavern in Seville, 1670) and Bar Alfalfa.
Morning crossing the Guadalquivir to Triana — the ceramic ateliers on Calle Antillano Campos, the Mercado de Triana. Lunch at Casa Cuesta. Afternoon at Plaza de España (Ibero-American Expo of 1929, all 48 painted-tile province alcoves) and Parque de María Luisa. Farewell dinner at Cañabota (seafood tasting).
Morning AVE Seville → Granada (2h 30m via Antequera). Check into an Albaicín hotel. Late afternoon walking the Albaicín's cobbled lanes to Mirador San Nicolás for the Alhambra-at-sunset shot (Bill Clinton called it the best sunset in the world). Dinner at Ruta del Azafrán.
Alhambra pre-booked morning slot (Nasrid Palaces are timed entry — book 2 months ahead, non-negotiable). Full 3.5-hour circuit: Generalife gardens, Alcazaba, Nasrid Palaces, Palace of Charles V. Lunch at Los Diamantes on Calle Navas. Evening flight from GRX or AVE back to Madrid Barajas.
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For the four-city classical loop (Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Granada) it's exact. Two weeks lets you add Córdoba (perfect between Madrid and Seville), the pueblos blancos of Cádiz, or the Basque Country (San Sebastián, Bilbao). Under 10 days forces you to drop either Andalusia or the two big-city end.
While you're there
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