One week in Spain: a multi-city route
Madrid's old squares and the Prado, paella in Valencia, and Gaudí's Barcelona, all linked by high-speed trains.
Photo by Andy Arbeit on Unsplash
Interactive map of the route. The full stop list below works without it.
About 610 km as the crow flies
How do you spend a week in Spain?
This route runs one way on Spain's high-speed rail network: Madrid first, with a day trip to Alcalá de Henares folded into the stay, then Valencia, then Barcelona. Every intercity hop is by train, and the stations sit in the city centers. Book the trains and the Sagrada Família as soon as your dates are fixed.
- Days 1 to 3
Madrid
Start with the Habsburg core
Madrid is the first base, and our Wayside walks cover it in layers: the Habsburg heart around Puerta del Sol and the Mercado de San Miguel, the palace quarter from the Teatro Real to the Templo de Debod, the Paseo del Prado's museums, and El Retiro's lake and Palacio de Cristal. Book the Prado online, get chocolate and churros at San Ginés, and save an evening for Malasaña or the Barrio de las Letras.
- TicketsThe Museo del Prado charges €15 for general admission and €7.50 for reduced tickets, and entry is free in the last two hours before closing; buy online to skip the line.SourceMuseo Nacional del Prado
- TransitHigh-speed trains reach Valencia in about 1 hour 55 minutes on AVE and Avlo services from Puerta de Atocha, or in about 1 hour 50 minutes on OUIGO trains from Madrid Chamartín, with advance adult fares from €9.SourceRenfeOUIGO
Madrid one-day itineraryMadrid walking tours
Next leg · 29.9 km
- Day 3, day trip from Madrid
Alcalá de Henares
Wayside tour coming soonCervantes' hometown
Alcalá de Henares is the day trip out of Madrid: the compact old town where Cervantes was born, with a UNESCO-listed university quarter, the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso, the Casa Natal de Cervantes, the Catedral Magistral, and the arcaded Calle Mayor. Ride the Cercanías out after breakfast and be back in Madrid for dinner.
- Getting thereCercanías lines C2 and C7 run from Madrid's Atocha and Chamartín stations to Alcalá de Henares, about 40 minutes from Atocha, for roughly €3 to €4 each way; the station sits a ten-minute walk from the old town.SourceRenfeMadrid Trip guide
Next leg · 277.6 km
- Days 4 to 5
Valencia
Wayside tour coming soonMarkets, paella, and the Turia
Valencia is the Mediterranean stop between the big cities: a Gothic old town with the Central Market and the cathedral's Miguelete tower, the City of Arts and Sciences down in the old Turia riverbed, and the rice fields of L'Albufera just outside town. Eat paella, then walk or cycle the Turia Garden back toward the center.
- TransitEuromed trains link Valencia and Barcelona in about 3 hours 15 minutes, and advance Turista fares start around €29.SourceRenfeOfertren
- The Turia Garden runs about 9 km through the old riverbed, past gardens, bridges, and museums.SourceVisit Valencia
Next leg · 302.5 km
- Days 6 to 8
Barcelona
Wayside tour coming soonGaudí and the Gothic lanes
Barcelona ends the route with Gaudí and the Gothic Quarter: the Sagrada Família, with timed tickets sold online, Park Güell's mosaics, Casa Batlló and Casa Milà on Passeig de Gràcia, then the medieval lanes of the Gothic Quarter and El Born, La Rambla, and the seafood at Barceloneta.
- TicketsSagrada Família entry is by timed slot, with general admission at €26 on the official rate table; the official site posts its current access notices, so check it before you book.SourceSagrada Família official ratesSagrada Família official tickets
Less time?
For a shorter trip, cut the Alcalá day trip and the Valencia leg, riding the AVE straight from Madrid to Barcelona for a five-night version of the same route; take a night off Madrid if you need to go shorter still.
Planning your route
Should I book the Sagrada Família in advance?
Sagrada Família tickets work on timed slots, and general admission is €26 on the official rate table, so settle your day and hour when you book. Buy on the official site, where the slots are issued, and check its access notices before you travel.
SourceSagrada Família official ratesSagrada Família official ticketsDo I need a car for this route?
Every leg of this route moves by train: Cercanías covers the Alcalá de Henares day trip out of Madrid, and high-speed rail links Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona, each best explored on foot.
Is the Alcalá de Henares day trip worth it?
Alcalá de Henares is worth the day trip, particularly if you like books, universities, and fewer crowds: it is Cervantes' birthplace, its university and historic precinct are UNESCO World Heritage, and it stays quieter than Toledo or Segovia. Cercanías trains make it an easy half day.
SourceRenfeMadrid Trip guideMore of Spain
- Walking toursWalking tours in SpainSpain fills most of the Iberian Peninsula and reaches out to two archipelagos: the Balearics in the Mediterranean and the Canaries in the Atlantic, where the Teide volcano rises 3,715 meters. The land is high, around 660 meters on average, and varied: Pyrenean snow, olive groves rolling to the horizon, desert badlands, green Atlantic coast, and long Mediterranean beaches. Madrid has the Prado, Granada the Alhambra, Córdoba the Mosque, and Santiago de Compostela the cathedral that ends Europe's oldest pilgrim route. Eight centuries of Muslim rule shaped all of it, from the architecture to the rice and saffron in the kitchen. Meals are long and shared: paella, Iberian ham, gazpacho, octopus in Galicia, tapas at the bar. Life happens outside, in the plazas, and everyone else seems to be out there too.
- Know before you goSpain essentialsWhat to know before you go to Spain: entry rules and border checks, high-speed trains between cities, money, plugs, holidays and the best months to visit.
Do it yourself
Follow it in the app
Download Wayside to walk Madrid's Habsburg heart, the palace quarter, and the Paseo del Prado, with every stop narrated on your phone.
Provenance · last verified September 27, 2026
Researched and routed by Wayside, with inter-city detail checked against the source.
SourcesBudget Your TripSagrada Família official ratesRenfeOfertrenSpain.infoMuseo Nacional del PradoOUIGORenfeMadrid Trip guideRenfeOfertrenVisit ValenciaSagrada Família official tickets
Photo by Andy Arbeit on Unsplash