What this tool does
The most expensive mistake in Spanish trip planning is treating cities as interchangeable. They're not — Madrid and Barcelona are 2.75 hours apart by AVE, Sevilla is 5.5 hours from Barcelona. If you change cities every other night, you lose half your day in transit, pay two hotel bookings and burn €200+ on train tickets.
This tool compares a single-base trip against a split-base trip, factoring in: train cost, transit time loss, double hotel nights, and how much you'd actually see in the second city.
The 3-night rule
A reliable rule: don't split a 6-night trip between more than 2 cities. The check-in/check-out overhead costs you half a day per move. Below 4 nights, single-base. 5–8 nights, 1 split. 9+ nights, 2 splits max.
Frequently asked questions
Is Madrid or Barcelona a better single base?
Depends on interest. For first-time visitors with 5+ days, Madrid wins — easier navigation, central Spain day trips (Toledo, Segovia, Ávila, Salamanca are all <1h AVE). Barcelona is better for beach + Gaudí + food and Catalan day trips.
Is Sevilla worth the trip from Madrid?
For first-time visitors — yes, even if it costs a 2.5h AVE trip. The Alcázar, Cathedral and Triana together need 2 full days. For repeat visitors with limited time, the Madrid-based day trip is more efficient than the move.
Is Granada doable as a day trip from Sevilla?
No. The Alhambra alone needs 3–4 hours and tickets sell out weeks ahead. Granada deserves 1–2 nights. From Madrid it's 3.5h by train or 5h by bus — usually better as a 2-night stop.
Limitations
Doesn't account for first-night exhaustion, jet lag, or first-time orientation in a new city (which costs ~half a day). Realistically, the second city takes longer to navigate than the first. The calculator is conservative on the cost of splitting.