Anonymous wrote:We did Madrid/Sevilla/Granada last December. For 5 days, I would do Sevilla and Granada. We loved those the most! My kids were 17 and 13.

+1.

I would do Madrid and Seville.

Anonymous wrote:We went to both in the winter. It rained at least half the time so be prepared for that possibility.

I agree that if it rains in winter, southern Spain is not a great destination because there aren't a lot of fun indoor activities for kids in Seville and Malaga. Especially because if it's raining a lot, there are huge puddles and flooding and all those cobblestone streets and marble/polished cement sidewalks become dangerously slippery in the center of the city.

If you do find yourself getting drenched and don't have rain gear like pants/hats, rainjackets, boots, you can go to Corte Ingles department store for clothing, or Decathlon, the french sporting goods store (it can have some pretty reasonably priced options).

We went to both in the winter. It rained at least half the time so be prepared for that possibility.

We did Madrid/Sevilla/Granada last December. For 5 days, I would do Sevilla and Granada. We loved those the most! My kids were 17 and 13.

I would go south as well and would favor Seville/Cordoba/Grenada over Malaga, unless that's where you are flying in and out of. It's more of a beach town for summer.

I would definitely choose southern Spain over Basque Country in winter.

Anonymous wrote:You are forgetting Cordoba. Cordoba, Granada, Seville makes a nice circuit.

That's a lot if OP only has 5 nights, especially with kids in tow. Seville to Cordoba is doable as a daytrip, Granada you really would need an overnight.

we loved basque country, bilbao

fam was in madrid one winter
loved the museums
churros y chocolate
all the tapas bars

You are forgetting Cordoba. Cordoba, Granada, Seville makes a nice circuit.

Barcelona is a stressful city. There are truly pickpockets everywhere, and the beach has a lot of sketchy vendors and is really not a good beach. I much much preferred Madrid and would go back in a heartbeat. Sevilla and Malaga sound like a better trip to me than seedy Barcelona.

Seville with a side trip to Granada to the Alhambra

Seville. Too many pickpockets in Barcelona.

i am biased, but I would pick Seville/Malaga because Andalusia is magic in winter (and hell in summer). Nothing wrong with Barcelona, it's a personal preference. Also if you are thinking of late February/early March, that is prime orange blossom season which smells amazing (Dec/Jan is prime "oranges on the trees" season, also nice)

Seville has:
-Plaza de España
-Real Alcázar
-flamenco, literally random people singing flamenco in bars late at night
-walking along the Guadalquivir River along Calle Betis admiring the cityscape, enjoy the ambience of the Triana neighborhood
-ample bike lanes and very flat landscape
-the Giralda tower
-Alameda de Hercules (large outdoor paved plaza/park with sidewalk cafes galore)
-Random old palaces like the Duchess of Alba's mansion, Casa de Pilatos, etc
-Santa Cruz neighborhood with the super narrow streets
-Caravel ship docked in the river
etc etc etc

quite easy to get to either Malaga or Cadiz or Granada by train.

My only advice is pack your warm coat. outdoors will be nice and warm but sometimes indoor spaces aren't well heated and it can get chillllllly. and the coastal areas are quite humid which somehow makes it feel much chillier in winter, too.

Which is better in the winter, particularly for ES-aged kids? We'd consider elsewhere in Spain too, I've just heard that Madrid tends to be colder and I think the kids would enjoy seeing the coast (YES, I know it will not be beach weather). Will probably have 5 nights so thinking it would be better to stay in one place and do daytrips than split between 2 places. We'll be in Europe already so jetlag not an issue. Just can't decide which to choose....