Spain in 14 Days
Want to explore Spain in just 14 days? It sounds like a dream to discover 7 cities and travel through the vast amounts of stunning countryside all while on a budget. I am here to tell you it can be done! We have just returned from our two weeks in Spain during the month of January, which is the cheapest and coldest time of year there. We spent over 30hrs flying, traveled 2,344 kilometers by train, and walked a total of 227,953 steps. This trip is not for the faint of heart, it is only for those who have the stamina and ambition for pure adventure!
Skip To: Barcelona Valencia Malaga Seville Toledo Madrid Zaragoza Last Day
Before the Trip
Preparation for this trip took at least one year. Everything from picking cities, checking average temps, luggage options, and what we wanted to see!
Packing
After traveling many times to other countries we decided to no longer use your typical luggage. Any type of wheels can be a real pain on cobble streets and trains or metros can become a nightmare. Not to mention the space in most hotels is limited for storing such cases. We decided to try something completely different for us, backpacks! This meant we were limited on space and on liquids since they would be carry-on only aswell. Packing cubes were definitely the only way this could work. I also hauled a purse, which is also a non-obvious camera bag. To see more on the type of packs and accessories we used check out my Peak Design Review.
Travel Prep Tips:
Documents - Get your Passport, possible needed Visas, and any other required documentation (like vaccine cards etc.). These requirements change frequently and you should be sure to check on it multiple times before your trip. Also take photos and/or get paper copies of all your needed documents and keep them in a separate spot.
Safety - Take bags that zip closed and less exterior pockets, this will prevent most theft from happening. Most areas in Spain felt very comfortable and safe! I was even able to wear my camera openly without any worries in the majority of cities. A couple areas, mainly high tourist, had pick-pockets and scammy folks trying to get you to buy things. The police and security presence was excellent, they were very approachable and friendly. Paying attention to your surrounding and trusting your gut is so important when traveling anywhere.
Money - The currency in Spain is Euros. If you choose to take cash try and get a bank at home to get you Euros before resorting to the high rates at exchange places in airports or train stations. They also use a ton of change, including 2 Euro and 1 Euro coins, so bring a change bag/purse to keep it all in (trust me, you will have a ton!). If you choose to go credit card then check with your bank/credit card company on what exchange or transaction fees they charge to make sure you use the best card possible.
Transportation
With one of the worlds top public transportation systems there are so many ways to travel through Spain. We really enjoyed the quality of the high speed trains! The seats were comfy, plenty of room to store our backpacks above our seats, charging plugs everywhere, and some trains even had coffee service and a cafeteria for snacks or meals.
We opted to purchase a high speed train system rail pass from Rail Europe. This gave us 8 travel days in one month for $328 each. You will still pay Tax and Fees per train ticket when you purchase them. The irritating part of this specific type of pass is you cannot purchase the tickets via the mobile app, you have to purchase at the ticket counter. This caused us to have to arrive early to the stations to wait in line to buy the tickets, every time.
After this experience we learned that we should have bought the Renfe Travel Pass! The majority of trains are ran by the rail company Renfe, we would have spent a little more ($350 per person) for the same travel pass directly through them. You can buy, reserve and get your ticket all online or on their app with their travel pass. We watched many people move in and out of the stations with ease using this system. Keep in mind things change all the time so be sure to do your research with the rail companies before you pick the best one for you.
Taxis are also a great way to get shorter distances. Keep in mind taxi rates in Spain have tariffs, and each city is different. Rates are posted on the window of the cab and normally are more expensive to or from the airport or train station.
Spanish Cuisine
This is a serious topic for me because I love food. Expectations were something along the line of Mediterranean, fresh seafood, spices, flavor, etc. So when we experienced the real Spanish cuisine we were quite surprised! Anything spicy is not common in Spain, you can expect more cream sauces and mild vegetables. The seafood is mostly shellfish or squid unless you go to a high-end place or a market where you can get fresh fish. Tapas are a thing, like a really big thing. Breads and pastries are fantastic! You will find there are specialty foods in each region, and I highly recommend trying them all. Find more info on specific cuisine and great eateries per city in the Journey section below.
The Journey
The activities and possibilities are endless in every city of Spain. We visited 7 cities during our trip and even though they all had their own beauty we definitely have 3 favorites: Valencia, Seville, and Toledo! Here is the story of our crazy journey through Spain:
Day 1 - A city with so much going on! This was the start and ending to our amazing two week journey. The architecture was very modern compared to other cities, the beach was pristine, and the cafes were lovely. On Day 1 we started with the a quick cab ride from the airport and went directly to the Barceloneta Beach where we knew our hotel was close to. This is an amazing area that shouldn't be missed if visiting. The amount of activities always happening along the beach paths is CRAZY! Outdoor gyms, swimming (yes some nude), roller-skating, bicycling, and just a general great healthy feel. Due to the jetlag we did not plan to explore much on the first day. Time traveling 8hrs ahead is hard, and we definitely struggled for a few days!
For our first and second night we were booked for Hotel H54, which was nicely located with great customer service, however had many other problems. Construction going outside and inside the hotel constantly, shower was broken and leaking all over the room, and the actual neighborhood was a little "iffy" at night so we decided we would find a different place for the next night.
The first dinner was special so we picked a spot nearby that was highly rated and perfectly named Barceloneta. We were amazed with the quality of squid and everything was just delicious!!! You would not believe the amount of yachts parked in the Port, made for fun watching but we also noticed we were extremely under-dressed... But that did not matter, it was a great first day!
Day 2 - First thing on the books was a long walk to the Familia Segrada which took us through some of the inner city, past beautiful statues, a quick stop at a café, and Spain's personal Arc de Triomf.
The Familia Segrada Cathedral was designed by the artist Gaudi and started in 1880. This cathedral is still not complete, and looks like it will be a while. Definitely different from any other Cathedral we have been to, much newer and modern. The inner ceiling looked like trees, and there were many architectural references to nature which was quite stunning! I did find the cost a little high for a cathedral, and it was definitely worth buying online about a day before the visit. We opted to add one of the towers to our ticket purchase, providing the best views of the city. There is an elevator that takes you up, but you do have to go down the narrow winding stairway.
We then made our way to the Barcelona Cathedral, which was much older and sadly under construction in sections. Parts of this cathedral were constructed as far back as 500AD, with the updated portions of the structure completed in 1420. The geese were a nice surprise, and the smaller more ornate carvings and sculptures likely get overlooked due to the impressive gothic ceiling.
The new Airbnb, which was located close to the gothic quarter so a bit of a walk, had a rooftop private terrace on both sides of the apartment giving it the best views of the city! It was perfect sunset as we prepped to head for Valencia.
Day 3 - We woke up and crawled to the main street in search for some go juice and a cab, finally stumbling across a Starbucks! You see, most cafes do not open early in Spain, they are creatures of the afternoon and sometimes the corner café would not open until 10am. Happy to get some coffee in our systems we were in the cab and headed for the train station!
So much vintage and old town feel, this was definitely one of our favorites! The town square was quaint and the bell towers rang beautifully through the town. There was a strange amount of fireworks and pretty sure a building caught on fire, but it was awesome!
We hit the ground running as we only had two nights to visit, luckily our awesome Airbnb hostess had the room ready to go upon our arrival. The place was also a rooftop "penthouse" with private terrace. We had planned this spot for washing laundry which would have lasted us 2 more days but they do not have dryers in Spain, so figure in an extra day to hang dry everything. After getting some laundry going we headed for our very first Spanish market!
The Central Market of Valencia is one of the largest in Europe, it was started in the early 1800s and covers more than 86,000 square feet. This was incredible, I could literally see myself living here just for the fruits and vegies. We also walked through the main town square, which felt so perfect.
Day 4 - We had researched so much on Valencia with so many different museums, cathedrals, and towers to visit we knew there had to be something different here. So we decided to do something unusual, we started Day 4 at the aquarium! I know, sounds silly to travel that far for an aquarium, but this was the largest one in Europe covering 1,200,000 square feet with tanks that combine to 11,000,000 gallons of water. Turns out this was perfect for us! We had such a great time finding funky looking flowers among the gardens, exploring all the different eco-system based tanks and seeing animals we have never seen or heard of before. I highly recommend you make time for a half-day excursion here, although you could easily do one and a half!
Luckily, when leaving the aquarium you get this fantastic walk through the most beautiful modern architecture. This then guided us to the long stretch of park that would take us along the city. This was not your average park, it is one of the largest urban parks in Spain and was developed in an old riverbed. Since it was a river there are bridges EVERYWHERE! Which makes it full of constantly changing arch styles and so many trees and plants providing plenty of shade. It was one more thing to make Valencia one of our favorite cities!
The food in Valencia was the best on our list. Known as the birthplace of paella we knew we had to give it a try, and they were right! The paella was fantastic, pizza and mussels were also amazing. Nick loves horchata, so we definitely hit some up here too!
Day 5 - Valencia was coming to an end, and we were so sad to have to leave. But the excitement of the journey stayed with us! We hopped on a train in the morning for the super long ride to Malaga.
A small town with more of an island vibe. Everything is so relaxed! The town circles around a beautiful cathedral with shopping and restaurants. The warmest weather of our whole trip. We arrived and after going out to eat with my Mum and Stepdad I was unsure if it was allergies or a cold coming...
Day 6 - Woke up feeling very sick with a head cold the first day in Malaga, Nick ran to the Pharmacy to get some cough drops and anything else that could help. In Spain you cannot buy regular meds anywhere but the Pharmacy. Even Tylenol! So if you are headed over there be sure to pack some extra options just in case. Pharmacies are all over the place there, and cost is not bad, but their meds can be slightly different. One of the nasal sprays I tried made me high as a kite for half the day! Found out it was something you would need a prescription for in the US. So if you are not down with the hard stuff be sure to let them know LOL! We pressed on with most of our Malaga plans, and the sickness faded over the next few days.
After dosing with meds we were on our way to the cathedral, which happened to be right across the street from our fabulous Airbnb! This was a last minute change in our reservations, and we had no idea it was so big! Customer service was great and the apartment was definitely five stars: Airbnb Malaga
We met with my Mum and Cy (my awesome Stepdad) who had decided to stay in Malaga for a while during our trip, we were so happy to get time with them! The cathedral was so pretty, and I really mean that. It was old and little but had a special feel to it.
Day 7 - This was our last day to explore this gorgeous town, we knew that my sickness could not hold us back from the hike needed to see the Fort and the Castle! We made our way to the fort, aka Alcazaba which was easy to access, but the walk up to the Palace was a whole other game. This is a 1.3 mile walk but it goes up 135 feet in elevation and its on slick, flat, slate style rocks. But my oh my was it worth it!
Ended the time in Malaga with dinner at a tapas bar with even more great family! My uncle Ian, aunt Katrina, Mum, and Cy made for one hell of a party ;) Glad they didn't kick us out!
Day 8 - Up before the sun, packed our things (yes, it only takes minutes with the bags and packing cube system!), off to the train station for another journey to Seville.
A truly romantic city, lining the sides of a river. The hustle and bustle takes it to the level of a small London or Paris, while the charming architecture feels so welcoming. We chose to take it easy the first day and walk to the Plaza de Espana, which is a government building still in use. It has the most gorgeous tile work surrounding the plaza and the pools made it feel so Mediterranean.
We continued our wandering and found an amazing market! The most vibrant and delicious looking vegies, fresh pastas and anything else you could need or want. We picked up some goodies and proceeded to the Airbnb, which has to be the best view we have had on this trip. We proceeded to enjoy the veranda until the stars were bright and the city was quiet :)
Day 9 - Woke up feeling refreshed and ready to conquer the largest Cathedral also the largest Gothic structure in the world, the Seville Cathedral. We could see the cathedral from the balcony of our Airbnb, it is definitely reminiscent of Notre Dame which made sense knowing they were both built starting in the 1100s. We first climbed the tower to the bells. Now, understand, they did not say how many floors you had to climb... nor did they mention that there were no stairs, just inclined stone (felt like I was back in Malaga!). There were 35 floors that went by a lot faster once you noticed the stunning views out the windows. When arriving to the top we were overwhelmed with the size of the bells, and there were so many of them!
The interior of the Cathedral was even more impressive. With possibly the highest ceilings I've ever seen, sculptures imbedded all over, and the different ornate chapels. Christopher Columbus' Tomb was absolutely stunning. The orange trees lining the exterior and horse drawn carriages with the bright yellow wheels felt like a fairy tale. Could have stayed there all day!
We spent hours after the Cathedral just walking and finding cool and different architecture at every turn, it felt like we could easily come back and spend weeks in this city! A quick note about the food: Seville is best known for Tapas, which to this point had been mediocre and nothing much to write about. WOW were the tapas here great! I now understood that these cities really "own" the food they are famous for. We also hit an empanada shop which was drule-worthy and delicious.
Day 10 - On the move again, this time to the smallest and oldest city on our trip. You can actually feel the history as you walk the cobble streets and small alleyways.
In the cab from the train station we could see the city on top of the hill, and the excitement was building! What a picturesque little place! Even getting into town you entered through the old gate area. There is historical evidence mentioning this city as early as 59 BC, it was also the capital of Spain for about 200 years prior to Madrid taking the role.
No wonder they are known for sword making, you cannot go one block without seeing a sword shop. They are also known for marzipan... and it was the best we had ever tasted! It was pure joy wandering around the small twisty cobble streets for hours that night.
Day 11 - The morning was crispy cold so we bundled up to head for the Alcazar, which was sadly closed for renovations. But that did not stop us from hitting the second on our list, and we were so glad we did. After seeing so many cathedrals we were completely shocked that this little town and it's little cathedral could be so incredible! The Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada de Toledo (aka Toledo Cathedral) was started in the 500s and it contains one of the most creative artworks we had ever seen. The sacristy is a barrel vault which pretty much look like a big hole in the ceiling going to the heavens. Photos will never do this justice but we sure tried! The whole place was surprises at every turn, even the interior gardens were delightful.
And with that taking most of our day we were on the train for the much anticipated Madrid!
The largest and busiest city of the trip! A city that never seems to stop moving with tons of nightlife, high end shopping, and museums for everything you can imagine. We had three nights scheduled here, which after two nights we knew that two would have been better. The Airbnb was wonderful and eclectic with its décor! The location was ok, I am not sure if any location in Madrid would be perfect though, due to its size. There was a great bakery and coffee shop right across the street which was a major plus for us.
Day 12 - We had a pretty big list for things to see in Madrid, but the number one was the Prado Museum. This museum was supposed to be compared to the Louvre so expectations were set high! On the way to the museum we found ourselves walking with a few hundred others down a main street that was temporarily closed off... also noticed the large police presence.. then we saw the flags and signs... and then we entered the main square center of Madrid surrounded by thousands of protesters!! They were cheering, singing, dancing, and showing pride for their country. It was beautiful, and probably the best experience we had in Madrid.
We proceeded to the Prado, tickets were crazy expensive and we were told no photos. Not impressed by the start we hoped to find amazing things inside, which there certainly were amazing paintings and tons of them. After the Prado we were set to wander over to the El Retiro Park which was beautiful but sadly filled with pushy people selling trinkets and others in fake cartoon costumes asking you to pay to take a picture with them. At the end of the park was the Puerto de Alcala, a large arc that looked so good in the photos! Sadly, that was covered up for construction.... we were honestly feeling utterly defeated by this city and hoped the next day would be better.
Day 13 - Day two in Madrid and feeling positive! The first stop of the day is the Royal Palace of Madrid. I was so impressed with the courtyard, palace and the armory, however no photos were allowed inside... so not much to share. Just know that it was our favorite place to tour in Madrid, and it is highly recommended. After the palace we made our way though small winding streets to the Temple of Debod, which is an Egyptian temple originally built in 200 BC, that was dismantled and rebuilt in Madrid around 1970. It was very pretty and I am sure if the pools and fountains were running it would have been spectacular! The bonus most do not mention with this area is the temple is on top of the hill looking out over Madrid and the surrounding countryside, which was so worth the hill climb.
Day 14 - It was almost unreal that the trip was coming to an end... we usually feel that "ready to go home" feeling after a week of being anywhere, but not here. Nick and I were both wishing for another week to go see more, however we both knew we had to get on the train that morning.... Our last full day of the trip. We decided on a last minute stop in Zaragoza, it would only allow us a couple hours but we thought "why not?".
Even with the high winds and freezing temps we were still able to enjoy the beauty of this town. Definitely more of a locals area, not as much tourism, which is a nice break from the norm. Stopped in for a quick coffee and churro (yes, churros taste totally different in Spain!) and then across the street to tour the Aljafería Palace. After going through the security I noticed people taking photos... YES! After three days of not being able to take pictures almost anywhere I was in TOTAL heaven!
We then ran through the frigid cold to the train station, and we knew this would be the last train ride of the trip...
Back where we started. It was kind of refreshing, and it honestly seemed different after experiencing all the other cities. We stayed in a hotel that night, splurged on a great meal, and stayed up forever talking about all the great adventures we had been on.
Day 15 - In the morning we caught a cab to the airport, and after many many many hours of travel we finally got home. Everything felt different, I feel different. This was definitely the trip of a lifetime, it has affected our souls and hearts. We will always be grateful to Spain for everything it gave us.
