Spain’s Top Itineraries - Discover Spain: Experience the Best of Spain - page 50

Barcelona to Granada The Big Three
Even in five days, you can get a taste for what makes Spain special.
Spend a couple of days in Barcelona, take a high-speed train to Madrid
for one night, then a train (four to five hours) or flight to Granada for
two more nights.
Barcelona ( Click here )
There's no better introduction to Spain than strolling along La Rambla , then
branching out into the 15th-century Barri Gòtic with its fine monuments, lovely
plazas and medieval streetscape. You could pause in the Museu Picasso , but
make sure you leave time for the city's astonishing collection of works left by Antoni
Gaudí: La Sagrada Família is one of Spain's most extraordinary buildings, followed
closely by Casa Batlló , La Pedrera and Park Güell . There's also some terrific
shopping, and this is one of the best places in Spain to sample innovative Spanish
(and Catalan) food.
BARCELONA MADRID
Six hours Along the A2 via Zaragoza Three hours From Barcelona's Estació Sants to
Madrid's Puerta de Atocha.
Madrid ( Click here )
With just a day in the Spanish capital, head for the Museo del Prado with its mas-
terpieces by Velázquez, Goya and a host of European masters, followed by a visit
to the nearby Centro de Arte Reina Sofía for a dose of Salvador Dalí and Picas-
so's peerless Guernica . For some quiet down time, immerse yourself in the oasis
that is the Parque del Buen Retiro . After dark, pass through the Plaza Mayor ,
then skip from bar to bar in La Latina , a barrio famous for its delicious tapas variet-
ies. Dip into Madrid's legendary nightlife and you may not emerge until dawn.
MADRID GRANADA
4½ hours Along the A4 and A44 Four to five hours From Madrid's Puerta de Atocha
A One hour