Last verified: October 16, 2026. This 10 day Spain itinerary takes its train times from Renfe’s own timetable feed and its fares from renfe.com, where I priced every leg on October 16, 2026 for travel on Tuesday, November 10 and Tuesday, December 8. Hotel rates come from INE’s hotel price survey and monument prices from the monuments’ own sites. Fares move daily, so I re-run the sample every month and update the date above each time.
A 10 day Spain itinerary by train fits Madrid, Seville, Granada and Barcelona without rushing, and the train between the first two can cost the same as a Prado ticket. On renfe.com the cheapest seat from Madrid to Seville for Tuesday, November 10 was €15. Ouigo advertises the same route from €9, and Iryo runs it too.
Knowing which operator runs each leg, which leg is the hard one and what the whole trip costs is what makes the route bookable. So I priced every leg on two dates, read the timetable for every train, and built the hotel line from Spain’s statistics office.
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This guide gives you the route day by day, the train for each leg, when to book the two monuments that sell out, and a total. If you haven’t settled on ten days yet, my guide to how many days Spain needs compares 7, 10 and 14. My complete Spain travel planning guide covers the rest of the planning.
Key Takeaways
- The route is Madrid 3 nights, Seville 2, Granada 2, Barcelona 2, in that order, by train. Swap Granada for Córdoba and Barcelona gets a third night.
- Madrid to Seville is the only leg of the main route with three operators. The cheapest Renfe seat I found was €15 for November 10, and Ouigo advertises €9.
- Seville to Granada is Renfe Avant only, 2h37, and the fare was a flat €47.20 on both dates I checked.
- Granada to Barcelona has one direct train a day, the 07:55 AVE, at 6h59 and €77.65 on November 10.
- One person sharing a double spends about €1,459 on the ground, mid-range, before flights.
Table of Contents
What Is the Best 10 Day Spain Itinerary by Train?
The best 10 day Spain itinerary by train runs Madrid (3 nights), Seville (2), Granada (2) and Barcelona (2), in one direction. You fly into Madrid and home from Barcelona. That’s nine nights, ten days and three train legs, with no city visited twice.
The order matters. Flying in and out of different cities saves the long ride back to where you started. The two Andalusian legs are short and sit next to each other. The long leg, Granada to Barcelona, falls on day 8, after the Alhambra is done, so your Alhambra day never depends on a train running on time.
The three legs are very different trains. Madrid to Seville has Renfe’s AVE and Avlo plus Iryo and Ouigo, with 19 direct Renfe trains alone on November 10 and the fastest at 2h38. Seville to Granada is Renfe’s Avant, four direct trains a day at 2h37 to 2h45. Granada to Barcelona is one direct AVE at 07:55, arriving at 14:54. Those times come from Renfe’s timetable feed (Renfe open data, October 2026).
The route leaves out Valencia, the Basque Country and the whole north. My overview of where to go in Spain covers what you’d add with more days.
Day by Day: Madrid, Seville, Granada and Barcelona
Here’s the 10 day Spain itinerary as I’d run it on a first trip, one heading per day. Each city change is a morning train, so you arrive with most of the afternoon left.
Day 1: Arrive in Madrid
Land at Barajas and allow an hour at passport control. Non-EU passport holders now register fingerprints and a face scan on their first Schengen entry, and my Spain entry requirements guide explains how the Entry/Exit System works. Take the metro or Cercanías into the centre, check in, and spend the evening in La Latina. I’d stay between Sol and Atocha, which puts the Prado on foot and the Seville train ten minutes away: hotels near Sol and Atocha.
Day 2: The Prado and the Retiro
Start at the Prado when it opens. General admission is €15, and the last two hours of the day are free. Walk the Retiro after lunch, then see Guernica at the Reina Sofía. My Madrid travel guide has the free-hours timetable for all three big museums.
Day 3: Toledo by Avant
Toledo is 34 minutes from Atocha on Renfe’s Avant, with a train roughly every hour. The fare was €13.90 each way on November 10, the same on every departure. Go early, walk up to the cathedral, and come back for dinner in Madrid. My ranking of day trips from Madrid compares Toledo with Segovia if you’d rather swap.
Day 4: Madrid to Seville
Take a morning train from Atocha. On November 10 the 09:00 Avlo was the cheapest at €15 and arrives at 11:52; the 08:00 AVE was €25.30 and arrives at 10:39. Book the Real Alcázar for the afternoon, €15.50 on its own site. Compare all three operators on Omio’s Madrid to Seville trains. For beds, look at hotels in Santa Cruz and Triana. My Seville travel guide covers the rest.
Day 5: Cathedral, Giralda and Triana
The Cathedral and the Giralda share one ticket, €13 online. Go at opening, climb the ramps of the Giralda, then cross the river to Triana in the evening. If you want flamenco, my guide to the best flamenco show in Seville separates the peñas from the tourist dinners.
Day 6: Seville to Granada
Renfe runs four direct Avant trains to Granada, at 07:40, 09:55, 12:17 and 19:15. The 09:55 arrives at 12:35, in time for lunch. Every one cost €47.20 on both dates I checked, so there’s no reason to book early for price. Spend the evening in the Albaicín at sunset. Check Omio for Seville to Granada and hotels in the Albaicín and Realejo. My Granada travel guide is built around this two-night stay.
Day 7: The Alhambra
Take a morning Nasrid Palaces slot. The general ticket is €21 at the official rate (BOJA, 2025), and the Patronato’s price list shows €22.27, which is that €21 plus its 6% online fee. The official seller is the Patronato’s own site (Patronato de la Alhambra, 2026). If your date shows nothing, my guide to Alhambra tickets when they’re sold out lists the official products that still include the palaces. Leave the afternoon free; it’s a long, steep walk.
Day 8: Granada to Barcelona
This is the day the whole route is built around, and the next section covers it in detail. The short version: take the 07:55 direct AVE, which reaches Barcelona Sants at 14:54. Book early, because it’s the only direct train of the day. Compare Granada to Barcelona trains on Omio and look at hotels in the Eixample.
Day 9: Gaudí Day
Book the Sagrada Família for 09:00, when it opens and before the tour groups arrive (10:30 on Sundays). The basilica is €26, or €36 with a tower; my Sagrada Família tickets guide explains which of the four tickets to buy. Park Güell is a separate timed ticket, €18, so put it in the afternoon. Finish on Passeig de Gràcia; my Barcelona travel guide shows what to cut when the city only gets two nights.
Day 10: Gothic Quarter and Home
Walk the Gothic Quarter in the morning, before the cruise crowds. The Aerobús runs from Plaça de Catalunya to El Prat for €7.75 single (Aerobús, 2026). Barcelona’s tourist tax appears on your hotel bill, the only city on this route that charges one.
Which Train Do You Take on Each Leg: Renfe, Iryo or Ouigo?
Madrid to Seville is the only leg on this 10 day Spain itinerary where you choose between companies. Renfe runs the AVE and its low-cost Avlo, and Iryo and Ouigo run their own trains on the same track. Seville to Granada is Renfe Avant only. Granada to Barcelona is Renfe’s AVE only if you want a direct train, though the Madrid to Barcelona half of a split journey has all three.
| Leg | Who runs it | Fastest (Renfe timetable) | Cheapest Renfe fare, Nov 10 | Cheapest Renfe fare, Dec 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madrid to Toledo | Renfe Avant | 0h34 | €13.90 | not sampled |
| Madrid to Seville | Renfe AVE and Avlo, Iryo, Ouigo | 2h38 | €15.00 (Avlo) | €39.00 (Avlo) |
| Seville to Granada | Renfe Avant only | 2h37 | €47.20 | €47.20 |
| Granada to Barcelona, direct | Renfe AVE, one a day | 6h59 | €77.65 | €116.45 |
| Granada to Madrid | Renfe AVE and Alvia | 3h27 | €53.15 | €88.60 |
| Madrid to Barcelona | Renfe AVE, Iryo, Ouigo | 3h02 | €31.15 | not sampled |
For this 10 day Spain itinerary I priced one adult, one way: the lowest Renfe price on any direct train that day, read on renfe.com on October 16, 2026. December 8 is a national holiday in Spain, which is why most of those fares are higher. The Avant to Granada is the exception: a flat fare that didn’t move.
The other two companies price differently. Ouigo advertises Madrid to Seville from €9 and Madrid to Barcelona from €19 on its own route pages (Ouigo, 2026). Those are its lowest advertised fares, not prices I sampled, and the cheap seats go first. Iryo’s 2027 timetable, already on sale, adds 39% more Madrid to Seville trains (Europa Press via Demócrata, 2026). To see all three on one screen, run your dates through Omio’s train search.
One thing to know before you book. When I searched, renfe.com showed a notice that Adif’s temporary speed restrictions can cause delays, and that tickets bought since January 31, 2026 are not compensated for delays caused by them. My guide to getting around Spain compares the three operators route by route.
How Do You Get From Granada to Barcelona?
Granada to Barcelona is the hardest hop on this 10 day Spain itinerary, and it decides what day 8 looks like. You have three ways to do it.
The direct AVE. One train a day, leaving Granada at 07:55 and reaching Barcelona Sants at 14:54, 6h59. It was €77.65 for November 10. You lose a morning, but you arrive with the afternoon and evening in Barcelona. This is my pick.
Two trains via Madrid. Leave Granada at 06:09, reach Madrid Atocha at 09:36, change, and arrive in Barcelona at 13:44. Renfe sells that as a single ticket, €86 for November 10, and it gets you in 70 minutes earlier than the direct. Book the two halves separately and you can use Iryo or Ouigo for the Madrid to Barcelona half, which Ouigo advertises from €19. Leave at least an hour for the change.
Fly. Vueling flies Granada to Barcelona nonstop. Add the airport bus at each end and the security queue, and the time saved over the 07:55 train shrinks to very little door to door.
There is no later direct train. The next Renfe options after 07:55 are connections through Madrid at 11:04 and 15:00, which arrive at 18:59 and 23:20.
How Far Ahead Do You Book the Alhambra and Sagrada Família?
On a 10 day Spain itinerary, book the Alhambra the day your dates are fixed. Direct-sale tickets are released in waves: under the system the Patronato announced in 2020, of the tickets sold directly, about 36% go on sale a year ahead, 22% three months ahead and 12% one month ahead (Patronato de la Alhambra, 2020).
In 2024 buyers booked 28 days ahead on average (El Independiente de Granada, 2024). Your Nasrid Palaces time is fixed and strict, so build day 7 around it.
For the Sagrada Família, book two to three weeks ahead, and earlier for the 09:00 slot or a tower visit, which go first. The basilica drew 4,877,567 visitors in 2025, a record (Hosteltur, 2026).
| Monument | Official seller | Price | Book by | What sells out first |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alhambra | alhambra-patronato.es | €21 general, €22.27 with the online fee | As soon as dates are fixed | Morning Nasrid Palaces slots |
| Sagrada Família | sagradafamilia.org | €26, €36 with a tower | Two to three weeks ahead | The 09:00 slot and tower visits |
| Park Güell | parkguell.barcelona | €18 | A week ahead in high season | Morning slots |
| Real Alcázar, Seville | alcazarsevilla.org | €15.50 | A few days ahead | Morning slots in spring |
| Museo del Prado | museodelprado.es | €15 | The same week | Rarely sells out |
Buy both headline tickets from the official sellers above, never from resellers. My Alhambra and Sagrada Família ticket guides, linked under days 7 and 9, explain what to do when your date has gone.
Granada or Córdoba?
Pick Granada if the Alhambra is the point of the trip. Pick Córdoba if you want Barcelona to have three nights, or if your dates show no Nasrid Palaces slot.
The Córdoba version of this 10 day Spain itinerary runs Madrid 3, Córdoba 1, Seville 2, Barcelona 3. Córdoba sits on the Madrid to Seville line, so every operator stops there. Seville is only 40 minutes away on the fastest train, and Renfe ran 47 trains between the two on November 10. One night is enough to see the Mezquita, €15 on the cathedral’s own site (Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba, 2026).
Córdoba’s hotels averaged €88.67 a night over the last twelve months before VAT, the cheapest of any city on either version of the route (INE).
The last leg changes too. Instead of Granada to Barcelona, you take Seville to Barcelona: two direct trains a day, the fastest at 6h17, per Renfe’s timetable. You give up the Alhambra and the Albaicín. For most first-time visitors that’s the wrong trade, but if you’d rather drive the south, my Andalusia road trip works both cities into a loop.
Where Do You Stay, and What Do Hotels Cost?
Hotels are the biggest cost of a 10 day Spain itinerary. INE’s hotel price survey put the average daily rate in August 2026 at €129.68 in Madrid, €87.39 in Seville, €73.07 in Granada and €175.42 in Barcelona, before VAT (INE, table 46298, 2026). In Madrid, Seville and Granada, August was the cheapest of the last twelve months in INE’s series, because the heat keeps people away. So I plan on the twelve-month average instead.
| City | Nights | August 2026 rate | 12-month average, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026 | Your share per night, VAT included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madrid | 3 | €129.68 | €170.57 | €93.81 |
| Seville | 2 | €87.39 | €135.28 | €74.40 |
| Granada | 2 | €73.07 | €95.08 | €52.29 |
| Barcelona | 2 | €175.42 | €178.75 | €98.31 |
INE’s rate is the average price per occupied room, before the 10% VAT. I treat it as a double and split it, so your share is half the room plus VAT. Seville swings the most: €87 in August against €205 in April, when Semana Santa and the Feria fill it.
In Madrid, my guide to where to stay in Madrid compares Sol, Huertas and the Paseo del Prado. In Seville, where to stay in Seville weighs Santa Cruz against Triana. For Barcelona, where to stay in Barcelona explains why the Eixample suits a two-night stay.
Seville, Granada and Madrid charge no tourist tax. Barcelona does: €8.40 per person per night at a four-star hotel and €7 at a three-star, from April 2026 to March 2027, with the city’s share rising by €1 on April 1, 2027 (Agència Tributària de Catalunya, 2026). My Spain tourist tax guide has every rate.
How Much Does This 10 Day Spain Itinerary Cost?
One person sharing a double, mid-range, spends about €1,459 on the ground for this 10 day Spain itinerary, excluding international flights. Hostels and menús del día bring it down to about €827. Hotels and food are the two big lines; the trains, all three legs plus Toledo, come to €167.65.
| Line | What it covers | Mid-range | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels | 9 nights, half a double at the INE 12-month average plus 10% VAT (budget: hostel dorm at €28, the middle of the €20 to €35 range) | €731 | €252 |
| Food | Mid-range €40 a day; budget €25, built on menú del día lunches | €400 | €250 |
| Trains | Avlo to Seville €15, Avant to Granada €47.20, direct AVE to Barcelona €77.65, Toledo return €27.80 (Renfe, Nov 10) | €168 | €168 |
| Monuments | Prado €15, Alcázar €15.50, Cathedral €13, Alhambra €22.27, Sagrada Família €26, Park Güell €18 | €110 | €110 |
| Local transport | Madrid Metrobús 10 trips €7.30, four Seville buses €5.60, Barcelona T-casual €13, Aerobús €7.75 | €34 | €34 |
| Barcelona tourist tax | Two nights at €8.40 (four-star); budget at the €7 rate | €17 | €14 |
| Total | Per person, excluding international flights | €1,459 | €827 |
Spain also has a funds rule. Border police can ask non-EU visitors to show they have €121.10 per person per day, with a €1,098.90 minimum, from January 1, 2026 (Ministerio del Interior, 2026). For ten days that’s €1,211, about €250 below the mid-range total; budget travellers still need to be able to show the full €1,211. ETIAS isn’t in operation yet; when it starts, it adds €20. My Spain trip cost guide has the full budget tiers.
Five Mistakes That Break a 10 Day Spain Itinerary
- Booking the Alhambra last. The train can be changed; the Nasrid Palaces slot often can’t. Book it first and fit the days around it.
- Assuming there’s an afternoon train from Granada to Barcelona. The only direct leaves at 07:55. Miss it and you’re changing in Madrid.
- Putting Park Güell and the Sagrada Família in the same morning. They’re separate timed tickets about 40 minutes apart on foot. Give each its own half day.
- Travelling on a Spanish holiday without checking fares. On December 8 the cheapest Madrid to Seville seat was €39 against €15 four weeks earlier. Spanish holidays and long weekends move every price on the route.
- A tight connection on arrival day. Your first entry under the Entry/Exit System takes longer at Barajas. Don’t book a same-day train out of Madrid.
Semana Santa is the other date to plan around. In 2027 it runs from March 21 to 28, and my guide to Semana Santa in Spain explains what it does to Seville.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 10 days enough for Spain?
Yes. A 10 day Spain itinerary covers Madrid, Seville, Granada and Barcelona by train on a first trip. Nine nights split 3, 2, 2 and 2 gives each city at least one full day. A fifth base is where it stops working, because each city change costs about half a day (Renfe timetable, 2026).
What is the best 10 day Spain itinerary by train?
Madrid, Seville, Granada and Barcelona in one direction: three train legs, flying into Madrid and home from Barcelona. The legs take 2h38, 2h37 and 6h59 on the fastest Renfe trains (Renfe timetable, November 2026).
How do you get from Granada to Barcelona?
There is one direct Renfe AVE a day, at 07:55, arriving at 14:54. Alternatively, change in Madrid; Renfe sells the 06:09 connection as one ticket, arriving at 13:44 (Renfe, sampled October 16, 2026). Vueling also flies the route nonstop.
Renfe, Iryo or Ouigo for Madrid to Seville?
All three run it in about two and a half to three hours on the same track. The cheapest Renfe seat for November 10 was a €15 Avlo, and Ouigo advertises from €9. Pick by departure time and luggage rules (operators’ sites, 2026).
How far ahead should I book the Alhambra?
As soon as your dates are fixed. The Patronato releases direct-sale tickets in waves, about 36% a year ahead, 22% at three months and 12% at one month, and morning Nasrid Palaces slots go first (Patronato de la Alhambra, 2020).
How much does 10 days in Spain cost?
This 10 day Spain itinerary costs about €1,459 per person on the ground, mid-range, sharing a double and excluding flights. Hotels are the biggest line at about €731, then food at €400 (INE and Renfe, 2026).
The 10 Day Spain Itinerary, in Short
To run this 10 day Spain itinerary, fly into Madrid for three nights, take the train to Seville for two, then Granada for two, then the 07:55 direct to Barcelona for the last two. Book in this order: the Alhambra the day your dates are fixed, the 07:55 Granada to Barcelona train next, and the Sagrada Família two to three weeks out. Everything else can wait.
If you’re still deciding on the length, my guide to how many days Spain needs lays out the 7 and 14 day versions, and my guide to the best time to visit Spain helps you pick the month. I’ll re-price every leg here each month.
