Albufera paella and the Sagrada Família

The Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Retiro in Madrid, the Silk Exchange, the 9 km park in the old bed of the Turia, which ends at the City of Arts and Sciences, and paella by the Albufera in Valencia, and the Sagrada Família, Park Güell and the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona.

Day by day Open the itinerary in the app

Madrid → Valencia → Barcelona · 9–12 days

The route on the map, in the itinerary’s order.

SpainMadrid
Days
3–4
When
Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct
Per person/day
Average 156 EURMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
2026 planning examples per person per day: accommodation, food, local transport, admission fees and extras. Flights and trips to other cities excluded. Hostel: one bed; hotels: one whole room allocated to one person. If sharing, divide accommodation. Admission and transport amounts are averages across the stay; check prices for your dates.
SpainValencia
Days
3–4
When
Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct
Per person/day
Average 153 EURMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
SpainBarcelona
Days
3–4
When
May–Jun · Sep–Oct
Per person/day
Average 140–200 EURMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

Who it is for

For anyone who wants the capital and two Mediterranean cities with urban beaches, all linked by train.

Not for anyone who wants to turn up with nothing booked, since the Sagrada Família and Park Güell only admit visitors with timed tickets bought days or weeks ahead.

The strategy

Madrid comes first, with a day for the Habsburg quarter, another for the Paseo del Prado and a third for the Reina Sofía, plus Toledo by train. From Madrid to Valencia, the high-speed train reaches Joaquín Sorolla station in about two hours, and a free bus runs to the central Estación del Norte. Valencia is flat, and the Albufera is under an hour away on EMT lines 24 and 25. From Valencia to Barcelona, the coastal train takes about three hours. In Barcelona, buy Sagrada Família and Park Güell tickets days ahead, and check the airport for your flight home, since some fares sold as Barcelona land in Girona or Reus. May and early June, or the second half of September through October, fall in the best season at all three stops; September and October are also Valencia’s wettest months, with heavy downpours.

What you will see

Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid. One of the largest art museums in the world, opened in 1819 in the neoclassical building Juan de Villanueva designed in 1785.
Ciudad de las Artes, Valencia. A complex of buildings by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela on the final stretch of the old Turia riverbed: the Hemisfèric (1998), the Museu de les Ciències, the Oceanogràfic (2003), the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (2005), the Umbracle and the Àgora, which has housed a CaixaForum since 2022.
Sagrada Família, Barcelona. A basilica begun in 1882 and taken over by Antoni Gaudí in 1883.

Day by day