So you’re coming to Spain for the first time, and you don’t know where you want to go. But what you do know is how many days you can travel for. That’s why we built this Spain itinerary for first-timers, organized by how many days you have: whether you have 5 days, 7-8 days, 10 days, 14 days, or even 21 days.
While we do think the best way to experience the Spanish lifestyle and culture is by slow travel, we absolutely understand the need to fit in as many experiences as possible in one trip, especially for the first one. So we’re listing our recommended itineraries for each trip length, leaving you to decide how many destinations to pack in and how many to leave out.
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5 Days in Spain – The Essential First-Timer Route
With only 5 days available, the best thing to do is to choose only one city. It should be one of the bigger cities in Spain, so there is enough to explore, and from where it would be easy to take an optional day trip. Since it’s your first time in Spain, you may be having the hardest time choosing between cities, so we’ll give you a list of possible destinations and explain why you should choose any of them.
Going to Madrid as a First-Timer in Spain
Madrid is the capital of Spain. It’s located in the center of the country and is the best-connected city by high-speed trains. It also has fantastic architecture: both classic and modern. And in terms of food, you will have endless possibilities: from the best seafood to classic tapas bars or prestigious high-end restaurants. Not to mention how many cultural activities you can enjoy in Madrid, with many great museums and music halls, and it hosts most of the music tours by well-known artists.
Why go to Barcelona as a First-Timer in Spain
Barcelona has a different vibe compared to Madrid. It sits at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea and offers a large beach filled with dreamy terraces. Along the Barceloneta Beach, there is a lot of activity: you’ll see people rollerblading, playing volleyball or badminton, just enjoying life.
But Barcelona is more than its beach: it has a rich culture, starting from architecture, with its most famous cathedral, Sagrada Família, and Park Güell. Just by walking along the streets of Barcelona, you’ll see beautiful buildings, surrounded by palm trees and lively terraces at the street level. You’ll also want to go for a shopping spree while here, because this is one of the most fashionable cities in Europe.
Why choose Seville as a First-Timer in Spain
Seville is one of the most beautiful cities we’ve ever been to in Europe, and it captures what you imagine when you think of Spain. You’ll see artists playing the guitar and dancing in squares – the famous Flamenco. The architecture is also wonderful, with mostly white buildings and narrow streets in the city center. And the orange trees are everywhere!
The food scene is unbelievable: there are so many tapas bars that it’s hard to choose! The good thing is you don’t need to choose: you can do a tapas crawl or “tapear” and get a tapa in one place, then move on to the next place and have another tapa. And the area has great local wines for you to try, or refreshing cold beer made in Seville.
It’s also a great hub to visit other amazing towns like Cadiz or Cordoba. Just make sure you don’t go in July or August because it gets very hot!
Why Valencia is great for First-Timers in Spain
Valencia has a lot to offer people visiting Spain for the first time. For one, it’s the place that invented Paella, and it’s where you’ll want to try it. Like the locals say, the only Paella is the Valencian Paella; the rest are just rice with toppings.
Second, there are a lot of activities you can do in Valencia. You can go to the City of Arts and Sciences, the Oceanogràfic, or the Bioparc Zoo. Not to mention taking a boat ride in Albufera, a lake that feeds the rice fields and is the birthplace of the Paella.
Then there’s the fact that Valencia is by the Mediterranean Sea and has a beautiful, wide beach lined with restaurants and bars. A short walk from the beach gets you to the Cabañal neighborhood, previously a fishing village, with beautiful tiled houses and a local vibe.
What sets Valencia apart from the other destinations is the weather: there are over 300 days of sun in a year. That means you don’t need to worry too much about rainy days or what to pack.
7 to 8 Days in Spain – One Week With Room to Breathe
With 7-8 days to visit Spain, you can visit two or even three cities. The best experience, in our opinion, is to take it slow and enjoy the whole experience: yes, taking pictures of the must-see places, but also having a long lunch and enjoying the company of your friends and family.
Madrid – Barcelona
Being your first time coming to Spain, the best option would be to visit Madrid and Barcelona. You get to experience two different styles, and both cities are very well connected by high-speed trains.
Madrid – Seville
If you want to experience what you imagine when you think of Spain, then you’ll want to include Seville in your itinerary. It doesn’t have a beach like Barcelona, but it feels authentic and romantic. Combined with Madrid, as a major destination for city life and shopping, this would be a great itinerary for first-timers in Spain.
Getting around is easy: you can fly into Madrid and then take the high-speed train to Seville.
10 Days in Spain – North and South in One Trip
You could use these 10 days to lie on a beach in Spain and relax. On the other hand, you can go on an adventure and see the North and the South in one trip: experience the Pintxo culture of the Basque Country, go to Madrid for the culture and shopping, then take the train to Andalusia for the free tapas and a more authentic side of Spain.
Bilbao – 1 day
Bilbao has a lot of flight connections, so you could start your itinerary here. You could go for pintxos at El Globo or at any pintxo bar in the city, or have a sit-down meal to discover the Basque Country star ingredients: txangurro (spider crab), idiazabal (sheep cheese), txuleta (beef steak), and the traditional drinks like Txakoli (white wine) or Sidra (apple cider).
Must-see places include the Guggenheim Museum, its huge dog shape floral structure called Puppy, and the giant spider sculpture called Mamá.
San Sebastian / Donostia – 2 days
Close to Bilbao, there is San Sebastian / Donostia, another impressive city in the Basque Country. Most people travel from Bilbao to San Sebastian by bus or rent a car, but you can also take the train. There are many reasons to visit San Sebastian, but what made it famous is the food: this city has the highest concentration of Michelin stars per capita in the world. You can go on a pintxo crawl and try as many as possible, have a sit-down meal at a traditional restaurant like La Cepa de Bernardo, or go for a 2 Michelin star dinner at Restaurant Amelia by Paulo Airaudo.
Besides the food, San Sebastian is worth a visit because it is beautiful: it has a beach along the Atlantic Ocean, with lively terraces and inwards, the city has beautiful architecture like the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd or the Historic Center.
Book a hotel in Donostia / San Sebastian
Madrid – 2 days
From San Sebastian, you can fly or take the train to Madrid. You can enjoy the architecture and atmosphere of a major European capital, do some shopping, and get some amazing meals at local tapas bars or high-end restaurants. Then you can visit special locations like the Prado Museum or the Reina Sofia Museum, where Pablo Picasso’s Guernica is exhibited.
If you feel like partying, Madrid has one of the best club scenes in Europe, so you have plenty of options.
Cordoba – 1 day
Start your journey to the South of Spain – Andalusia, with Cordoba. You’ll love the blue flower posts hung over the white houses, the small squares with terraces where you can escape the sun, and the typical food like Salmorejo (cold soup with ham and egg) or Flamequin (fried pork filled with ham and cheese).
Of course, you can’t miss visiting the Mesquita and the Roman bridge, but the Viana Palace and the Alcázar are also beautiful and worth seeing. And in May, there is the annual Courtyards Festival of Cordoba, when people open their private gardens for the public to vote on the most beautiful one.
Granada – 2 days
From Cordoba, you can take the train or a rental car to Granada. Home of the spectacular and an absolute must-visit, the Alhambra, Granada, is a place difficult to explain and best understood when experienced. The way you enjoy this city is not by looking at how fast you can get from place to place, but by slowing down and discovering which tapas bars you like most.
Granada is one of the few cities that still offers a free tapa with each drink. It’s as easy as walking up to the bar, asking for a drink, and then they would give you a small plate of food.
Seville – 2 days
One short train or car ride from Granada, and you are in Seville: one of the biggest cities in Spain and full of authentic charm. Must-visit places include the Alcazar, Plaza Espana, the Setas Structure, and the Cathedral of Seville.
While tapas are not free in Seville, they are moderately priced and almost all restaurants and bars offer them. For example, you can share the Solomillo al Whiskey (pork loin in whiskey sauce) from Bar Estrella Tapas or the Cola de toro a la Sevillana (bull’s tail with sauce) from the Restaurant Sol y Sombra.
From Seville you can fly back to home and bring back all these great memories!
14 Days in Spain – The Full First-Timer Experience
For your 14 days in Spain, you should set 3 hubs: Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville. These cities have different vibes and are very well connected by high-speed trains.
You’ll be able to enrich your experience with lesser know places to your friends and perhaps enjoy less crowded destinations. You may even discover different tapas than in the big cities!
14 Days in Spain – The Best Two-Week Itinerary
With 14 days to spend in Spain, you have time to discover more than a couple of cities. You can take the train or the bus and visit the towns around you – either as a day trip or stay over night.
Read more21 Days in Spain – Three Weeks With Time to Go Deeper
Get to know Spain better than most tourists. Use this three-week itinerary to see the most important cities and go on day trips to small towns and even to villages. You also get to choose from two alternatives for the third week, based on the time of year you go.
21 Days in Spain – The Best Three-Week Itinerary
If you’re lucky enough to spend 21 days in Spain, you’ll have plenty of time to explore the country.
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