GUIDE: 7-DAY TRIP TO SPAIN (GOOD FOR BEGINNERS)

Best time to plan a trip to Spain.

Moving on, our suggestion would be to go sometime between April and September. However, it’s only a recommendation as well as the whole trip itinerary down below. 
 

Trip Summary: 

• Dates: April 8-15, 2023
• Itinerary: Madrid - Sevilla - Malaga - Granada - Malaga - Madrid

It starts with your arrival at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport. From there, you can catch a taxi, rent a car, or choose public transport to reach your hotel. We recommend staying either at Hotel Santo Domingo or Hotel Villa Real. It depends on the budget. 

Hotel Santo Domingo (budget friendly) is located in Madrid’s city center within a 40 minutes drive from the airport. 

PRICE for 2 nights:

Another option - Hotel Villa Real is a super classy 5-star hotel in the city center. It’s also about a 40-45 minute drive from the airport. 

PRICE for 2 nights:

DAY 1: Madrid

Suppose you’re not having the entire first day in Madrid. But if there is time left after your flight and hotel check-in is completed, we have some suggestions. 

Where to eat: 

• Dinner: Taberna Tempranillo. It’s one of the best on the street, with high-quality, fresh food. You’ll find traditional tapas here, such as duck thighs and grilled, salted artichokes - all of which pair nicely with one of the hundreds of domestic wines that line the back wall.
   
• Drinks: Salmon Gurú. An awesome quality place for cocktail lovers. 

Day 2: Madrid

Where to eat:

• Breakfast: Casa Dani. The family-run stand is in Mercado de la Paz, a market in the heart of Salamanca - Madrid’s fancier neighborhood. Order a pintxo de tortilla, a slice of runny egg, and a potato omelet with the perfect amount of caramelized onions - the Spanish equivalent of a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich.
   
• Lunch: Mercado de San Miguel. There are just some things you should experience while in Madrid. And one of them is eating tapas and drinking a clara (half beer, half lemonade) at Mercado San Miguel, a popular covered food market in the city center. Take a five-minute walk to La Mallorquina afterward for their famous chocolate Neapolitans.
   
• Dinner: Amazónico. Most people come for the giant steaks, but plenty of seafood dishes are just as impressive. Amazónico is one of the more popular restaurants in the city, so make a reservation as soon as you book your flights.

What to see: 

• After breakfast, take a 10-minute walk to reach El Retiro Park. It’s spectacular to look around. Then head to Museo Nacional del Prado - the national art museum of Madrid. If you’re not so much into artsy things, there is also an option to go and see Plaza Mayor. It’s a major public place, kind of like a square to walk around, sit down for a coffee, or so. 
   
• After lunch, it’s only 5 minute walk to the Royal Palace of Madrid. Stunning. There are also a few museums around, so you can easily visit one before dinner. 
   
• Lastly, after dinner - no more museums. The evening is left for some fun and great cocktail places to hit. One, for example, would be - Círculo de Bellas Artes Rooftop Bar (near the Plaza Mayor).
   

Day 3: Madrid - Sevilla

It’s best to leave Madrid in the morning, so you have a good half of the day in Sevilla. Ticket and train schedule place - omio.com. You can check all times and choose the perfect fit. The trip to Sevilla will take around 2.5-3 hours by train. The cost varies, but starting cost is $57 per person. 
 

Welcome to Sevilla.
 

Holiday Rentals Los Salados for only one night - perfect. It’s nearby Sevilla’s center, and also it has a swimming pool. 

PRICE for 1 night: 

Where to eat: 

• Brunch: La Escalona. It is among the best Sevilla restaurants for those who are eager to try traditional Andalusian cuisine, especially the dishes such as patatas bravas or Jamon Iberico. The price range from $10 to $25, along with excellent service and reviews.
   
• Lunch: Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo. Probably the best place to enjoy typical Spanish food. It’s also a restaurant that showcases the hospitality of Sevilla to the fullest. 

Tip: When visiting Sevilla, or any other city in Spain, to be honest, it is essential to know that lunchtime is considerably later than in other cultures.

• Dinner: El Pinton. This restaurant is considered one of like really good places to dine. The menu is characteristic because of their twists on the classical recipes, and in terms of price, two people need around $50 to get a decent dinner with some accompanying drink such as the fruity sangria.

What to see:

• So, if you’ve got time on the first day in Sevilla, you can head to La Giralda, which is only a 15 minutes walk from the hotel. It’s a Spanish Renaissance-style minaret topped by a Gothic & baroque bell tower built centuries later. Afterward, take a short walk to see The Mushrooms of Sevilla. 
   
• And before or after dinner, you can also visit Torre del Oro and/or Plaza de España, just remember to check the time because those places close at 10 pm.

Day 4: Sevilla - Malaga

Because from Sevilla to Malaga is not a long trip, it’s reasonable to spend the first half of the day staying in Sevilla and another - in Malaga. 

Where to eat: 

• Breakfast: Bar Alfalfa. Visiting this little and comfy place without ordering their Andaluz breakfast would be a fault, and it would be a shame to miss the best salmorejo in town too.
   
• Coffee place: Torch Coffee Roasters. This place is for like real coffee fans. It has everything that a caffeine-addicted person would wish for – from exotic offers such as Guatemalan or Ethiopian coffee to classical blends such as Columbian. The price varies from $3 to $10.
   
• Churros place: Bar El Comercio. It is a place known for the best churros in town, and guess what – this is one of those bars that lives up to its reputation. El Comercio gives a great price of $4.5 for both churros and chocolate sauce. It can hardly get better than this.

Tip: Churros are one of Spain's most classical representatives of traditional food.

What to see:

• Take some time to go around the most stunning Sevilla neighborhood, Barrio de Santa Cruz. And head to see one of the special Sevilla’s specialties - The Jardines de Murillo, beautiful gardens filled with palm trees, fountains, and tiled benches.

And before or after lunch, it’s about time to catch a bus and head to Malaga. The ride will take around 2.5 hours, costing approximately $20 per person. Tickets and bus schedules are available to see on omio.com. 

Welcome to Malaga!

Occidental Torremolinos Playa is a 4-star resort (oceanfront) located 30-40 minutes drive from Malaga’s bus station. It’s easy to access it by public transportation. 

PRICE for 3 nights: 

When you have reached the resort - there’s not much of the day left. But you know how they say, the night is still young. So, after a few days of walking, you deserve to relax. You can either stay at the resort and dine. Otherwise, you can see what’s there more in Malaga.

Where to eat: 

• Easy dinner and drinks: LBK Restaurant Club. It’s about a 15-20 minutes walk from the resort. Although you might find this place extremely loud, the street-kind-of food is awesome. Also, it’s a cozy atmosphere to stay in for late-night drinks. 

Day 5: Malaga

Today is one full day you’ll have in Malaga, so you can either take some time off and give it all to laying at the sandy beach, which is only a 1 minute's walk away from the resort. Or, you can also leave this pleasure for tomorrow, as we promise - half of the day tomorrow will be left for the beach. 

The easiest way to reach Malaga’s center is by public transport. It takes about 40-50 minutes.

Where to eat: 

• Breakfast: Cafe Central. Located on one of the most famous squares in the city, Plaza de la Constitution, Cafe Central is well-known by locals and tourists alike. The menu features a selection of churros, bocadillos, and other Spanish favorites.
   
• Lunch: Chiringuito El Cachalote. Lunch in a chiringuito on the beach is a must in Malaga. Pick a favorite from the menu or ask what the fresh fish of the day is. If it’s priced by weight, then be sure to ask the approximate size of the fish to avoid any nasty surprises when the bill arrives. 
   
• Dinner: La Barra de Zapata. Undoubtedly, one of the best places for fine dining in Malaga. Along with professional staff and quality food, the restaurant has its way of mixing tastes up. 

What to see: 

• The best way to start your day at Malaga’s city center is to crosswalk Central Market Atarazanas. You can easily do that before breakfast, and from here, head to Cafe Central. Later on, only a 10 minutes walk from the breakfast place, head to Alcazaba. The entrance fee is $3.50, and you’ll be walking through colorful gardens, grounds, and buildings that make up these palatial fortifications.
   
• A few more places to add to the list -  Malaga Cathedral and the Plaza del Obispo. When you reach them, you won’t stop for long, but pay attention to architecture and building details as these views will definitely get stuck in your mind. 
   
• After lunch, head to Parque De Malaga, where you will be surprised by how much greenness surrounds you. Move on to any more minor street in Malaga and just get lost for a while. You’ll discover so many awesome souvenir places, churros shops, and others. 
   
• And after dinner is about time to either leave the center or go for some drinks. The place for some late-night fun could be anything around Calle Granada or Plaza del Siglo. Numerous buzzing bars and plenty of people to make you feel more like a local. 

Day 6: Malaga - Granada - Malaga

Today is about the beach. There are a few nearby your resort, also pools are a good way to rest your legs. Sparkle your day with a morning mimosa! And more, the resort has breakfast included, so it’s awesome, you don’t even need to go anywhere. 

If you feel like it’s enough to lay down after the first half day and you’re well-rested, let’s head to Granada. The city is only 1.5 hours away from Malaga by train. The cost per person is $13. 

Welcome to Granada!
 

You won’t be staying here for the night, but some spots are still worth visiting. 

Where to eat: 

• Lunch: La Auténtica Carmela. Located in the city's center, close to the Cathedral and Plaza Nueva, it is a modern, award-winning restaurant using traditional Andalusian ingredients. Inside you’ll find a sleek interior with exposed stone walls, purple spotlights, and hand-painted artwork. The menu features Iberian rice with chorizo and artichokes, scrambled eggs with potatoes, or roast lamb in its own juice.

What to see: 

• The Alhambra can’t be left out. It’s the most visited monument in Spain, and you will understand why over two million people worldwide come yearly to Granada when you see it. 
   
• Afterward, head to see the narrow cobblestone street Carrera del Darro and the Paseo de los Tristes (which means 'the sad people promenade'). There are several places to sit down for tapas or refreshments too! 

And that’s about it - get going back to Malaga.

Day 7: Malaga - Madrid

For the last day - the first half is a beach in Malaga, and after that, head to the train station to go back to Madrid. It takes about 3 hours and costs $60 per person.
 

Welcome back to Madrid! 
 

Hotel Mayorazgo could be a perfect choice as it’s right in Madrid’s center, so you can have a nice evening hitting dinner and drink places around. 

PRICE for 1 night: 

For the last evening, when you have already checked in at the hotel, you can go explore what’s nearby - many different dinner places: from steak houses to Mexican restaurants. 

And that’s a wrap of a 7-day trip to Spain. If you’re wondering what’s that pop up on each hotel booking screenshot - it’s called Ratepunk. This browser extension is free for everyone, and by using it you can access the lowest hotel price on the internet yourself.