After lurking yesterday, I want to thank all the members for the wealth of knowledge they've shared. Big help. I'm going to Seville in December with husband and 18 yr old son to meet up with my 21 yr old daughter who will be finishing up her semester there. First plan was Seville (3-4 days), Granada (1 day), Madrid (3-4 days). Starting to think Granada is not a doable 1 day trip and it might be better to focus on day trips to Toledo and Segovia out of Madrid. Any thoughts from y'all? I want to minimize travel and hotel change down time, since it's a short trip and,sadly, you can't see everything.
Thanks, Linda

Although most here would agree that Granada deserves more than 1 day, don't be put off visiting the Alhambra on a day-trip. Held by some to be one of the seven wonders of Medieval Europe, it has to be one of the must-sees in southern Spain. Don't rule out Cordoba or Ronda either if you fancy another day-trip out from Sevilla.
Another option is to go to Salamanca for a day or 2 after leaving Sevilla before heading onto Madrid. You are right though - there is always too much to do on one vacation

You don't say how you are planning to travel from from Sevilla to Madrid. You've given the number of days in each place, but nothing about travel days. If you are driving, going via Granada is definitely the way to go. You could also give yourself a day in Cordoba on the way (but I'd hate to have to cut back in either Sevilla or Madrid though). If you give yourself a full day in Granada you can do the Alhambra complex in the morning and have time to see other parts of the city in the afternoon.

Trips out of Madrid to Segovia or Toledo are fine, but either are at least a full day trip in opposite directions. If you are traveling by train from Sevilla to Madrid, it might be best to just concentrate your week in Sevilla and Madrid with the side trips out of Madrid.

Given your timetable and assuming you won't have a vehicle, here's what my itinerary would be:

Sevilla - 2 days. This is obviously a very subjective call but I personally think this is more than enough time to get a feel for this city and visit the major sites.

Cordoba/Granada - 2 days. Take the AVE high speed train from Sevilla to Cordoba. Spend 1 day in Cordoba and don't forget the Mezquita. Do a day trip to Granada perhaps by renting a car, which is about a 2-hour one-way trip. Personally, after visiting the Alhambra, I was somewhat bored in Granada and so the day trip would suffice.

Madrid - 4 days. Take the AVE from Cordoba to Madrid. Spend 2 days sightseeing in Madrid. Take a full day trip to Avila/Segovia and another full day trip to Toledo/El Escorial/Valle de los Caidos. Since you would be pressed for time I would suggest using a guided tour for these day trips because doing these trips on your own could take more time. I have used the following website to book day trips to the aforementioned locations and they offer 9-hour day trips to both. Visit
http://makeashorterlink.com/?E55332529

All in all, I would say try to be flexible and add a day here and subtract a day there, though I realize that this could wreak havoc in terms of hotel reservations.

Whatever you decide, have a great vacation!

Thanks to all three of you for your suggestions.
Cornelio's break down seems to make the most sense for us: 3 days in Seville, AVE to Cordoba, 2 days in Cordoba, day trip to Granada, AVE to Madrid, 4 days there (maybe day trips depending..) and home.
One more question: where could we go for midnight mass on Christmas Eve? Is it a big deal in Spain/Madrid?
Linda

I did a similar trip a couple years ago with two of my kids. We took the AVE from Madrid to Cordoba and spent the remaining part of the day exploring Cordoba. That was ample time to wander a bit and see the highlights. That afternoon we took the bus to Granada and spent a couple days. It is wonderful, but can be seen in a day if needed. We then visited Sevilla later in the trip. Madrid is the one city you have mentioned that you absolutely cannot see the highlights in a day. The extra times in the other cities or towns is to appreciate the ambiance and culture. For instance, Toledo is magical after the daytrippers have left and the locals hit the streets. I start each trip in Toledo to recover from the jetlag. I am one who gets restless hopping from town to town so I try to mix the tourist highlights with down time to just soak up the culture and enjoy select towns. It is better to see less well than skim through the towns just to say you have been there.

Keep things flexible so you can change your plans if you so desire.