Spain in 9 Days: Budget Route
Madrid, Cordoba and Seville by train, using free museum hours, menu del dia lunches and neighbourhood apartments.
Destination
Spain
Travel style
Budget
Duration
9 days, 8 nights
Approximate budget
Approx. 850 to 1,200 EUR per person, excluding flights
Best time to travel
March to May, October to November
Route overview
Spain is where a modest budget still buys a genuinely good trip. The menu del dia at lunch, usually 13 to 18 EUR for three courses with a drink, is the single best value in Western European travel.
This route runs Madrid to Cordoba to Seville, all connected by fast trains in under three hours total. Madrid gives you world-class art, Cordoba gives you the Mezquita and a compact old town, Seville gives you evenings.
The free entry hours at the Prado and Reina Sofia are real and worth planning around, though they are busy. Arrive 20 minutes before they start.
Day by day
Day 1
Arrive in Madrid
Metro from Barajas to an apartment in Lavapies, La Latina or Chamberi. Evening walk through Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol, tapas standing at a bar.
Day 2
Prado in the free window
The Prado is free in the last two hours of the day. Spend the morning in Retiro park and the Royal Palace gardens instead, both cheap or free.
Day 3
Reina Sofia and Lavapies
Reina Sofia has free evening hours too, and Guernica is the reason to go. Menu del dia lunch, then the San Fernando flea market area.
Day 4
Day trip to Toledo
Thirty-three minutes by fast train, or an hour and a half by cheaper bus. The cathedral has a ticket, the walls and viewpoints do not.
Day 5
Train to Cordoba
Under two hours. Cheap guesthouse in the Juderia. Evening in the old town when the day-trippers have gone, which is when Cordoba is at its best.
Day 6
Mezquita early
Free entry in the early morning window on weekdays, before general ticketing begins. Afterwards the Roman bridge, the Alcazar gardens and a long lunch.
Day 7
Train to Seville
Forty-five minutes. Apartment in Triana or Macarena, both cheaper than Santa Cruz. Evening flamenco at a peña rather than a tourist tablao, often a few euro or free with a drink.
Day 8
Seville on foot
Cathedral and Giralda in the morning with a ticket, then Plaza de Espana, Parque Maria Luisa and the Alameda. All free, all genuinely good.
Day 9
Departure
Bus to Seville airport or high speed train back to Madrid in two and a half hours.
Accommodation approach
Apartments and small guesthouses just outside each historic centre. Lavapies in Madrid, the edge of the Juderia in Cordoba, Triana in Seville. All are walkable and 30 to 40 percent cheaper than the tourist core.
Getting around
AVE and Avant trains, booked four to eight weeks ahead for the cheapest fares. Buses for Toledo if you want to halve the cost. Metro and walking in cities.
What to eat
- Menu del dia at lunch, every day
- Tapas by the glass in Madrid, where some bars still include a free one
- Salmorejo and flamenquin in Cordoba
- Market breakfast: tostada with tomato and olive oil for under 3 EUR
Planning tips
- Check the free entry windows before you book anything. Prado, Reina Sofia and the Mezquita all have them and the times change seasonally.
- Andalusia from June to early September is very hot, over 40 C in Cordoba and Seville. This route is a spring or autumn trip.
- Eat where the menu is chalked and only in Spanish. It is a cliche and it is still true.
- Long distance train tickets are cheapest the moment they are released, roughly two to three months out.
Related routes
Other ways to travel
Italy in 10 Days: Budget Route
Rome, Bologna and Venice by regional and intercity train, with apartments, market lunches and free viewpoints doing most of the work.
- Duration
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Budget
- Approx. 950 to 1,300 EUR per person, excluding flights
Italy in 10 Days: Comfort Route
The same three regions at half the pace: central hotels, pre-booked transfers, guided mornings and free afternoons.
- Duration
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Budget
- Approx. 2,400 to 3,400 EUR per person, excluding flights
Italy in 10 Days: Food Route
Bologna, Parma, Modena and Florence, planned around market mornings, a pasta class and two serious meals.
- Duration
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Budget
- Approx. 1,800 to 2,600 EUR per person, excluding flights