16/09/2026
🇪🇸 My 12 day Spain itinerary + what I’d do differently
After 12 days in Spain, I wouldn’t change much about our route — but there are a couple things I wish I knew before we planned it.
Our itinerary:
📍 Toledo
📍 Madrid
📍 Segovia + Burgos
📍 San Sebastián
📍 Bilbao
📍 Mallorca
What I’d do differently:
☀️ Leave your afternoons open.
I knew about the Spanish siesta, but I underestimated how much it would impact our plans. Between roughly 2–7 PM, a lot of shops, restaurants and attractions close or operate on limited hours. We ended up missing a few things because we tried to pack too much into those hours.
Instead: plan a long lunch at a café or hotel/pool time, and then plan your sightseeing for later.
📸 Prepare for the “Instagram effect.”
Some of the places we were most excited to see were also the most crowded. They were still beautiful, but the reality can be very different from the perfectly empty photos you see online. If something is high on your list, go early or expect crowds.
Overall? This itinerary worked SO well for us, and I’d absolutely recommend this general route if you want a mix of cities, food, w**e, culture, coastal Spain and ample beach time.
I’ll be sharing more from the trip — including where we stayed, what was actually worth the money, what I’d skip, and my Spain travel tips — so save this if Spain is on your list. 🇪🇸
