Looking back at our nine days, Spain truly surprised us. It’s a place where deep history and beautiful architecture are matched by a lovely, festive vibe. The Christmas lights everywhere added such a merry feeling to the trip, and the food was consistently fantastic—and very reasonably priced!
We found the cities very walkable, but when we needed to move faster, the taxis were affordable and easy. Traveling between cities was part of the fun, whether it was the comfortable high-speed trains or our road trip through Andalusia. Driving in Spain wasn't difficult at all, and having a car allowed us to reach the smaller, hidden gems of the south. Plus, the convenience of card payments being accepted everywhere—even in the tiniest shops—made things so much smoother.
While the weather was a bit cold and the rain was a minor dampener in Barcelona and Córdoba, it was manageable. A little more warmth would have been the cherry on top, but it didn't stop us from falling in love with the country.
Our Itinerary
• Day 1 (Madrid): Landed and hit the ground running. We swapped our formal tour for a DIY Rick Steves audio walk after the luggage delay.
• Day 2 (Barcelona): A fast-paced train trip. We soaked in the Gothic Quarter and stood in awe of the Sagrada Família and Park Güell.
• Day 3 (Seville): Traveled south and settled into a centrally located Airbnb with a perfect people-watching balcony.
• Day 4 (Seville): A deep dive into history with a walking tour, the breathtaking Alcázar, and sunset views from the "Seville Mushrooms."
• Day 5 (Córdoba): A short trip to see the incredible Mezquita arches, the flower-lined old town, and the Roman bridge.
• Day 6 (Seville): Visited the massive Cathedral, explored the soulful Triana neighborhood, and successfully hunted down "nun pastries."
• Day 7 (Road Trip): Our favorite day of driving through the white villages of Setenil and Ronda, stopping in Málaga, and ending in Granada.
• Day 8 (Granada): Caught the views from Mirador San Nicolás, explored the Alhambra, and ended with a raw, emotional Flamenco show.
• Day 9 (Madrid): One last train ride back to the capital for final shopping and a festive last meal under the holiday lights.
Our Top 10 Highlights
1. The Alhambra (Granada): Despite the fatigue and getting lost at the entrance, the Nasrid Palace and Lion Courtyard were breathtaking. The ceiling craftsmanship was unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
2. Plaza de España (Seville): This truly lived up to the hype. The blue, white, and brown tiles were stunning, especially during our late-night walks.
3. The Food (Everywhere!): From the first tapas in Madrid to the "yummy" local specialties in Córdoba and that refreshing white sangria in Granada, Spain won our taste buds over.
4. Sagrada Família (Barcelona): Massive and impressive. Seeing Gaudí’s masterpiece in person was a core memory, even if the rain kept us out of the towers.
5. The "Nun Pastries" Mission (Seville): Such a unique and interesting experience navigating the ancient process of getting sweets from the convent.
6. Intimate Flamenco (Granada): Watching the artists up close in the Sacromonte caves allowed us to feel every bit of the raw emotion and movement.
7. Ronda’s Views: The hike to the vista point was worth every step. Seeing the bridge spanning the limestone rocks and the waterfall was spectacular.
8. The Gothic Quarter (Barcelona): Walking through the narrow, rainy alleyways and finding that traditional Christmas figure at the market felt like stepping back in time.
9. Setenil de las Bodegas: Having an entire village built under a giant rock all to ourselves on Christmas morning was a surreal and peaceful highlight.
10. The Best Pizza (Madrid): After the stress of lost luggage and "stinky" tiredness, that thin-crust Italian pizza Sree ordered saved our very first night!
Final Thoughts: Spain is a shopper’s paradise and a foodie’s dream. My biggest piece of advice? Don’t rush. Each city has its own soul, and you really need to give them time to breathe. It was a wonderful vacation, and we’re heading home with full hearts and incredible memories.
December 18th – Trip Starts
Our trip starts today! We were up early to catch our 10:00 AM flight, making it to the airport via Uber by 7:00 AM. We decided to enroll in Clear just to see what the hype was about, though honestly, I didn't see a massive difference between that and TSA PreCheck. After a quick cafe breakfast, we headed to the gate. We chatted for a while, but I eventually logged on to check one thing and ended up working for a bit. Now, we’ve boarded and are ready to depart SFO!
Three hours later, we touched down in Dallas. I managed to finish the last two episodes of The Staircase and started Emily in Paris just as we arrived. We had just enough time in Dallas to grab something for the kids before boarding again. The flight to Madrid is eight hours, so I told everyone to skip the movies and get as much sleep as possible. The kids kept watching TV, of course, until I finally had to force them to shut it off and rest for a bit.
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| Start of the trip |
Dec 19 – Madrid
We reached Madrid only to be told our luggage hadn't arrived. After some back-and-forth, they said it would be there the next day, but since we were heading to Barcelona, we told them we’d just come back for it on Sunday. This added a whole new task to our plate: survival shopping. Our carry-ons had a few things, but we were missing the basics, which was honestly so annoying to have to prioritize.
We dropped what we had at the Airbnb; the host let us leave our bags, but we couldn't check in until 1:00 PM. We took the metro to Gran Vía, though the ticket machine was a bit of a struggle to navigate. Once there, our first mission was food. That first taste of Spanish tapas was great—we tried four different varieties. By then, we were all so exhausted that we ditched our 4:30 PM walking tour and decided to just explore Madrid at our own pace using a Rick Steves audio guide.
We pulled ourselves through the route to Plaza Mayor, the Market, the Cathedral, and the Royal Palace. Honestly, we didn’t take many photos because we were all so smelly, stinky, and tired. My first impression was that Madrid looked a bit like Belgium or Stockholm, and the Christmas market wasn’t as buzzing as I expected. After our walk, we forced ourselves to shop. Kungu and I grabbed the first two tops we could find at H&M, then hit Primark for the rest of the essentials with Sree and Pappu. We were so done. We finally got back, showered, and Sree ordered this amazing thin-crust pizza. That bath and meal were exactly what we needed—we crashed hard by 8:30 PM.
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| First meal in Spain! Tapas |
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| Tired but exploring Madrid |
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| center of Spain |
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| Cathedral in Madrid |
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| Royal Palace with Santa to cheer :) |
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| Jetlagged |
Dec 20 – Barcelona: Gaudi and Rain
We woke up after eight hours of deep, restorative sleep feeling amazing. We were out the door by 5:30 AM for our 6:30 AM train, grabbing some breakfast and snacks for the ride. The train was comfortable, and we spent the three hours watching Barcelona videos and using NotebookLM to summarize everything so we knew what to do.
In Barcelona, we took a cab to the Gothic Quarter and met Sree’s colleague, Carlos, who had been a huge help with our trip planning. It was pouring rain, so we ducked into a coffee shop for avocado toast, Spanish omelets, and coffee. Sitting there chatting while it rained was actually quite nice. I’m starting to realize that Spain really knows its food—my taste buds are definitely fans.
Once the rain let up, we walked around the Barcelona Cathedral and picked up a traditional Christmas figure at the market. The Gothic Quarter is stunning; those narrow alleyways reminded me of Gamla Stan in Stockholm, but the architecture here has such a different feel. Carlos told us how his mom used to bring him to the local markets on Sundays, and we saw one market built over Roman ruins. We made it to the Arc de Triomf, saw some parrots, and said our goodbyes to Carlos before heading to the Sagrada Família.
Barcelona is such a cool city, though we were on high alert for pickpockets. Even with the rain, the vibe was great. The Sagrada Família was massive and so impressive from the outside. We explored the interior and the museum, though the towers were closed because of the weather. Gaudí’s influence is everywhere here. For lunch, we had more tapas, paella, and cocktails near the cathedral. We finished the day at Park Güell, which was so unique—originally meant to be a housing complex, it’s now this beautiful display of Gaudí's genius. We ended our evening at La Rambla with coffee. Kungu was getting tired, so I took a quick solo peek at Gaudí’s lamps in the plaza before we caught the train back to Madrid. We ordered that same pizza again and passed out. I really wish we had one more day to see Barcelona all lit up at night.
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| On our way to Barcelona! |
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| Meeting Carlos! |
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| Avacado toast - yummy! |
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| These impressions on the wall are from the canon balls. |
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| Roman Ruins |
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| Arc de Triomf |
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| Sagrada Familia! |
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| Photospot ! |
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| Paella |
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| Park Güell |
Dec 21 – Travel to Seville: A Room with a View
Today was a slower pace. Sree headed to the airport early to finally retrieve our luggage while the rest of us rested. We Ubered some breakfast—acai bowls and crepes—though the acai bowl was a bit too sweet and massive for my liking. We caught the train to Seville, and our new Airbnb was perfect. It’s centrally located with a tiny balcony that lets me watch the people buzzing around the streets below.
We had a yummy Mediterranean dinner right next door—the hummus, eggplant, and chicken were fantastic. Afterward, we explored Plaza de España. It totally lived up to the hype; the blue, white, and brown tiles from the 1929 Expo were beautiful. After a short rest at home, Sree and I went back out for a late-night walk through the Santa Cruz neighborhood. The Christmas lights, the market, and some churros and chocolate made for a perfect end to the day.
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| On the way to Seville |
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| Plaza Espana |
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| Christmas lights! |
Dec 22 – Seville: History and Haircuts
Our first full day in Seville started around 9:30 AM with Starbucks in hand for our walking tour. We revisited Santa Cruz, hearing all the history this time. Pappu started feeling a bit uncomfortable, so he and Sree headed back early, and Kungu eventually joined them while I finished the tour. We met up at a friendly little bistro right below our apartment for a great sit-down lunch.
The afternoon at the Alcázar was a highlight. The Moorish architecture and mosaic work were so intricate and unlike anything we’d seen. We wandered the gardens, grabbed some freshly squeezed orange juice, and even caught a street Flamenco performance. Later, we went up "The Mushrooms" (Setas de Sevilla), the large wooden structure, for some twilight views of the city. We ended the evening seeing the light show in the square and grabbing snacks at the fancy Hotel Alfonso XIII. To cap it off, both Pappu and Sree got great haircuts at the barber shop right below us—the guy did such a good job I gave him a huge tip.
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| Full of orange trees in Seville |
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| Alcazar of Seville |
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| Fresh Orange Juice |
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| Sunset |
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| Haircut! |
Dec 23 – Córdoba: Flower Pots and Arches
It was an early 6:15 AM start for our 45-minute train ride to Córdoba. It was a bit rainy, but nothing that stopped us. We walked through a park to see the famous streets lined with flower pots—the old city is so charming. After breakfast, we climbed the bell tower for a view of the Mezquita from above, then headed inside. Those horseshoe arches and the cathedral inside are so unique.
We visited the Alcázar gardens and the Roman bridge before finding a lunch spot to try local Córdoba specialties, which were a huge hit. We caught an earlier train back to Seville, rested for a few hours, and then did some grocery shopping for our upcoming road trip. We finished the day with a walk across the bridge to the Triana area and a long chat at a coffee shop.
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| From top of the bell tower |
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| Mesquita |
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| Alcazar gardens |
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| Roman Bridge |
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| Old Ship docked |
Dec 24 – Seville: Christmas Eve Vibes
We started a little late today and spent 45 minutes in line for the Cathedral since we hadn't pre-booked tickets. The bell tower here uses 35 ramps instead of steps, which was interesting! After hearing the bells chime, we headed back to Triana. It’s a less "posh" neighborhood with so much character. Based on a Gemini recommendation, we tried food at a few market stalls and listened to an incredibly talented Spanish guitarist.
The long walk wore us out, so we rested for two hours before heading out on a mission to find "nun pastries." The process of getting them was such an interesting experience. We grabbed crepes for the kids and soaked in the Christmas Eve music and vibes. Sree and I took one last late-night walk to Plaza de España just to see it one more time before calling it a night.
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| Seville Cathedral |
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| Pastel De Nata |
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| Christmas vibes and a coffee |
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| Plaza in the night |
Dec 25 – Road Trip: Rocks, Bridges, and Caves
We left the hotel by 6:45 AM, picking up our rental car from the Hotel Alfonso XIII parking. Our first stop was Setenil de las Bodegas. Since it was Christmas morning, the town was silent and empty—we had the whole place to ourselves. The houses built directly into the rock are incredible.
Next was Ronda. Sree wasn't feeling well, so he rested while we checked out the bullfighting arena. The view of the bridge over the limestone cliffs was spectacular, and the hike down to the viewpoint was well worth it. After a bit of a chaotic moment with lost tickets and missing medicine, we made it to Málaga. It had such a fun, upbeat vibe. We saw the Roman theatre and enjoyed the waterfront with coffee and churros. We finally reached our hotel in Granada—spacious and perfect for a good night's rest.
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| Setenil de las Bodegas |
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| Bull Fighting Arena |
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| Ronda |
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| Malaga! |
Dec 26 – Granada: The Alhambra
After a big hotel breakfast, we took a taxi to Mirador San Nicolás for the iconic view of the Alhambra. We walked down through the patterned cobblestone streets of the Albaicín area, though we got a bit lost trying to find the right entrance for our Nasrid Palaces tour. Even after seeing Seville’s Alcázar, the Alhambra was breathtaking—the craftsmanship on the ceilings and the Lion Courtyard were amazing.
It’s a lot of walking (at least three hours!), so we were starving by the end. We found a restaurant that was a total highlight—white sangria, local dishes, and incredible desserts. We explored the Moorish silk area (and accidentally spent too much on expensive cashews!) before visiting the cave houses in Sacromonte. We ended the night with an intimate Flamenco show that felt so raw and emotional. It was the perfect final night in the south.
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| A Family pic with the tree |
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| Inside Alhambra |
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| Exploring Caves |
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| Alhambra Sunset |
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| Flamenco in the Caves! |
Dec 27 – Back to Madrid
A slow morning and a final hotel breakfast before the train back to Madrid. There was an hour delay, so we didn't check in until 4:00 PM. We headed straight to Primark to get a new suitcase for all our stuff. The streets were packed with people taking photos of the Christmas lights and the post office building. We had our final Spanish meal at a great taverna next door to the hotel, hit the supermarket for snacks, and did one last round of packing.
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| Fun in Madrid |
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| Christmas vibes again! |
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| Last meal in Spain |
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| His new Primark purchase! |
Dec 28 – The Final Hurdle
Our 2:30 AM wake-up call was brutal. We had a nice chat with the taxi driver, but things got stressful at the airport when the airline couldn't find our reservation. For 90 minutes, we were in limbo, panicking that we wouldn't make it home. Kungu was upset, I was panicking, and Sree was in "problem-solving mode." Finally, they issued our tickets at a second counter, and we sprinted to the gate just in time.
The rest of the journey through Dublin was smooth. I caught an F1 movie, got some sleep, and we finally touched down at SFO. Coming home to yummy food left by our neighbors was the best welcome back. We’re exhausted, but our heads are full of memories of Spain.
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| Flight back |
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| Sunrise! |
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| The Kegener on our mantel :) |
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