How Much Was Our Our Two Week Spain Honeymoon?

Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on January 23, 2023.

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After returning from our Spain honeymoon, we had one question more than all others: just how much did it cost? 

Well, we are not afraid to let the world know that we spent just about $5,885 for our 15-day luxury honeymoon in Spain, or about $392/day.

While that number is high, as Spain is known for being relatively inexpensive for the budget traveler, keep in mind the fact that we went all out in nearly every aspect of the honeymoon with little regard to prices. 

Spain was actually our chosen destination for this very reason as we'd much rather spend more money in a cheaper destination doing everything we wanted to rather than skimping in a more expensive destination just to get by within a manageable budget.

But like all things on this site, we kept a record of our spending. Yes, even on our honeymoon we still worked to log every penny spent to give you a complete idea on what it would be like to travel the way we do.

Of course, as this trip was our honeymoon and is the opposite of what most people consider for budget or long-term travel, we'll do our best to highlight the reasons why our number was significantly higher than what should be required.

The Breakdown of a Spain Honeymoon

La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain

The following are the major categories of spending we had while on our trip to Spain.  Keep in mind that all total expenses represent the sum for the two of us.

Plane Tickets – $2,030 or $135/day
13 Nights Hotel – $1,450 or $97/day
Food – $1,117 or $74/day
Train Tickets – $592 or $39/day
Sight Seeing – $394 or $26/day
Souvenirs – $152 or $10/day
Daily Transportation – $150 or $10/day
Total – $5,885 or $392/day

We mentioned it once before and we'll say it again here – $5,885 is way higher than a normal couple would have to spend in Spain for two weeks. But for a honeymoon, we went in higher style than we are accustomed to due to the nature of the trip.  When else would we be on a honeymoon, after all?

Spain Travel Costs When Splurging

The following is a breakdown of each category listed above with more detailed descriptions of what spending when into each cost and ways for the budget traveler to make their own number lower.

Plane Tickets: From the first look at this list, the plane ticket was once again the most expensive category by far; even eclipsing 13 nights in very nice hotels by almost 50%. We were most disappointed in this category on the whole as plane tickets were hovering around $750 up to two days before our departure for our honeymoon.

It wouldn't be wrong to say that overnight the prices went up over $250, because that is exactly what happened. 

We waited until almost the last possible second to book in hopes of prices coming down, and the cheapest flight we were able to secure was just over $1,000 per person in economy class. 

  • For the budget traveler, try looking at flights outside of the summer months if you want to save a few hundred dollars as prices literally skyrocket at the beginning of the summer season. 

Churros con Chocolate in Madrid, Spain

Hotel Nights:  The price we paid for hotels in Spain were all over the map.  In Madrid and Barcelona, we paid between $70 and $75 per night for private rooms in a budget hotel/hostel.  These rooms were actually rather high for what you got, primarily because of their amazing locations in Sol and Barri Gothic respectively.

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In Sevilla we spent approximately $140/night for a room at Hotel Amadeus, just a few minutes walking from the central Cathedral.

In Granada, we went all out for two nights at one of the best-rated hotels in the city, Carmen de la Alcubilla del Caracol, located right next to the Alhambra at $200/night. 

To give you an idea on this place, of which we will have a review in the future, a well-known movie star was checking out the same morning as us- it was kind of like that.

  • For the budget traveler, you should be able to get private rooms for two for less than $60/night in every city we visited and even cheaper if looking at shared rooms in a hostel.

Food: All-in-all, $74/day for food for two people is not that bad. That is to say, for two people who actively seek out the top rated restaurants in the city and drink several glasses of wine or cava with every single meal. 

Since it was our honeymoon, we broke one of our major travel rules on alcohol and ended up consuming more glasses and bottles of wine than we could count.  Between that and eating out at top-rated restaurants, the price goes up to considerably high amounts.

The interesting thing about this category is the differences from city-to-city.  In Madrid and Sevilla, for example, some of the best tapas bars in the city offered 5 to 6 tapas plus a couple glasses of wine for less than 25 Euro. Compare that to Barcelona and we had spent around 50-70 Euro for a comparable meal.  

Likewise, Southern cities in Spain are more than happy to give a free tapa for every round of drinks that are ordered, yet we did not receive a single free tapa throughout our whole time in Barcelona where we drank the most!   

  • For the budget traveler, there are many great restaurants in all cities that could serve two for under 25 Euro total with drinks and in Madrid do not skip the Churros con Chocolate!
  • As a special splurge, be sure to try out La Oliva in Granada (Check out our Granada restaurant review, here.)  The 17-course meals was our favorite eating experience in Spain.
Tapas Bar in Spain

Book a Train Ticket Today

 

Train Tickets:  The only splurging on Spanish train tickets we did was staying in a private cabin on our overnight train from Granada to Barcelona.  But by booking this ticket well in advance on Renfe, we actually got the whole room for less than $200 (~55% discount). 

If you compare that with the price of an extra hotel night in either city, flying from Granada to Barcelona, and the corresponding taxi fare, we came out ahead.

For slightly less than $600 we were able to travel from Madrid to Sevilla, Sevilla to Granada, Granada to Barcelona on an overnight train plus day-trips to Toledo, Segovia, Cordoba, and Montserrat. 

These prices are in-line with what we would expect for rail travel within Western Europe so short of taking a bus with longer transit times, it may be hard to decrease these costs.

Book your train tickets on Omio to avoid the headaches of Renfe!

Sight Seeing:  Much like train travel, there is little you can do to minimize your spending on sightseeing short of not sightseeing at all!  That 8 Euro church fee will still be 8 Euro no matter what unless you have a student ID card or are seniors. 

Those who do carry student ID cards (or are under 26 in many spots) are able to get a modest discount of about 20-30% off. The only outliers to this statement are in the museums of Madrid where students can enter entirely free!

Since I still have my old student ID from grad school and Angie is an actual student, we were able to enjoy the perks of free entry into several of Madrid's best museums without spending a penny.

  • For the budget traveler, the only way to minimize your cost in this category is to visit certain museums on select days of the week when an entry is free for all visitors.  But as a couple who passed the line for the Picasso Museum in Barcelona on a free night, we can assure you it was an incredibly long line we did not want to stand in and were happy to have paid the entry fee to avoid.
  • For those who want more, be sure to take one of the many Madrid day trips that are available or check out many recommendations of what to see in Barcelona in our posts!

Souvenirs:  For $150, we got quite a haul of souvenirs.  Not only did we get our shot glass and obligatory display piece (a Sangria pitcher for about 12 Euro), we are also starting our Christmas tree ornament collection with a tiny Flamenco dancer. 

The bulk of our purchases in this category went to buying liquid souvenirs: expensive olive oil, unique vinegars, and two bottles of Pedro Ximenez sherry that would cost nearly four times as much at home as they did in Granada.

When it was all said and done, we ended up with two bottles of alcohol, 4 bottles of olive oil, and 3 bottles of vinegar for just over $100.  We would never buy these if traveling long-term just for fear of breaking during shipment, but a honeymoon was the perfect time to do so.

The view from our hotel in Granada on our Spain honeymoon

Daily Transportation:  We like to walk, so we minimized our spending in this category as best as possible.  Madrid and Barcelona offer decent discounts for those who buy a 10 pack of tickets on the metro, something we used quite a bit in the large cities. 

Still, as we were on our honeymoon and wanted to maximize our sightseeing time, we cannot say that we didn't hop into the occasional taxi when feeling lazy; another thing we do not do in more expensive countries when we travel long-term.

For those looking to have a similar trip to Spain but are not wanting to splurge on luxurious items as we did on our honeymoon, a cheaper trip altogether will be your reward. 

In doing a quick numbers check based on our above breakdown, we easily identified at least $1,000 in spending that could easily be knocked out just by staying in less expensive hotels and not splurging for as many expensive meals as we did.

This number could be increased even more as you begin to scrutinize more spending throughout the trip, something we failed to do even once while on our honeymoon.

Have a question about our spending while on our two-week honeymoon in Spain?  If so, comment below!  We'll answer any and all questions regarding the financials of our honeymoon, so do not be ashamed to ask that burning question! 

Market in Barcelona, Spain

For frequently asked questions about our honeymoon in Spain, check out the following.

How much is a honeymoon in Spain?

We spent approximately $3,400 for 14-days in Spain, excluding flights. This was a mid-range budget that allowed for some nice splurges on hotels and meals.

How long do you need in a trip to Spain?

Two weeks is generally recommended as a start as that would let you visit at least four different cities. The sky is the limit for those who want to explore long-term, however.

What are must see spots in Spain?

Madrid and Barcelona were two great cities to visit as they allowed for a number of day trips. Granada is also a historic city that could be a great option for those who want to travel a bit further.

What kind of honeymoon does Spain offer?

Our honeymoon was quite active- exploring museums, eating at restaurants, taking trains between cities, and the like. If you are an active traveler, this would be a great honeymoon idea.

About Jeremy

Jeremy from Living the Dream

About the Author: Jeremy is a full-time travel writer based in Pittsburgh and primary author of this site. He has been to 70+ countries on five continents and seeks out new food, adventure activities, and off-the-beaten-path experiences wherever he travels.

22 thoughts on “How Much Was Our Our Two Week Spain Honeymoon?”

  1. Hello! Your trip sounded amazing!

    I had a few questions as I am trying to prepare for our trip.
    – Did you find yourself getting money out from the ATM worth it versus changing money back in the states? (I’m trying to process whether exchanging money here in the US (worse rates) versus exchange there (feed) will be better.
    – I have been trying to research any overnight trains, but they appear to be non-exsistent. How was that mode of transportation? (I guess I’m just curious at this point since it’s not feasible). Sounded like a cool way to travel especially during your honeymoon.
    – Are either you or your wife fluent in Spanish? Did you find it difficult to communicate what you needed, etc.?

    Thank you so much for the very helpful and detailed breakdown!

    Reply
    • Hi Sarah. We almost always get money out at an ATM when arriving as changing money at home is always a worse exchange rate. But we always take a bit of USD with us to have as an emergency. With regards to overnight trains, I only saw them on the one route we did, and we liked it a lot. Definitely a good option to balance out a hotel stay and time. My wife does speak a bit of Spanish, but I think we managed communicating in most places otherwise just fine.

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  2. We are going on a 20 day trip to spain and portugal. the whole trip including air, hotel, & train ride is paid for. How don’t know how much i should take for money. I am having people who live there show me around.

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  3. We are doing a very similar 9-day trip from Madrid to Seville to Granada and back to Madrid and were wondering how much to budget for each day. And how much cash to have on hand v how card user friendly those areas are. Any insight would be great but this breakdown is fantastic!

    Reply
  4. My fiancee and I are considering Spain for our Honeymoon too. We are looking for around 12 days but what you spent is much cheaper than what we have heard and seen. Did you guys book everything on your own? Did you do any sort of extra honeymoon /sight seeing/romantic type activities?

    I’d really like to make this work for us so any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Reply
  5. Thanks for the information. I have wanted to travel to Spain for a VERY long time and wish to do so in 2018 to celebrate a milestone birthday. Your post was very informative and I will take all your suggestions into consideration. I am budgeting for $3000 to $3500 per person, but I intend to save a few hundred by booking the flight early.

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  6. That is a decent price. A tour company quoted me $10,000 for two people going the exact same places you visited. Thank you so much!

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  7. Thank you so much for providing this. Your trip sounds incredible! My husband and I are planning a two week trip to Spain in May of 2016 to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. If you don’t mind me asking, how many nights did you spend in each city? We also want to hit Madrid, Sevilla, Granada and Barcelona and it sounds as if you didn’t have to rush with the pacing you chose.

    Reply
    • That’s a great question! I’m glad to hear you’re going to Spain for your anniversary- we loved it there. We spent 4 nights in Madrid, 3 in Seville, 2 in Granada, and 4 in Barcelona, with one overnight train from Granada to Barcelona (so we had a bit of extra time in Granada before the train left on the 3rd day).

      Reply
      • Would you be willing to share your itenerary for Spain? This sound almost exactly like the trip I am beginning to plan for April 2018 with my daughter!

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        • We spent 4 days in Madrid (two of those day trips), 3 in Sevilla (one day trip), 3 in Granada, and 4 in Barcelona. One of those nights was an overnight train going to Barcelona.

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  8. Is $2400 for a 8 day trip with airfare and hotel accommodations for 2 people a good price. This is a Groupon deal that I’m considering for my honeymoon. The trip covers 3 days in Madrid and 4 in Barcelona. The deal also covers daily breakfast and travel by train, how much extra do you think that I will need to have to spend?
    Thanks.

    Reply
    • I’m assuming that the $2,400 price is total for two and on an individual itinerary (that is, not a group tour?). I don’t know where you’re flying from, but I’d do a quick check to see what comparable hotel prices are and airfare from where you’re flying from for your dates. If you can get a great deal on airfare, the price may be an okay deal if you can commit to the hotels over preferred alternatives. If you don’t get great airfare, the price may be a great deal if you’re flexible on those topics. It also depends on how much of a bind you are in for money, as having flexibility on your honeymoon can be a good thing.

      In general, though, I think we spent anywhere from $10-$30 for meals, including very nice restaurants, and then a daily allowance for sightseeing if you want to go into museums. So for 8 days, maybe another $500 wouldn’t be an awful guess.

      Reply
  9. Hi Jennie – Thank you so much for the awesome comment! We are glad we could help and it is comments like yours that keep us going! Please let me know if you have any questions while planning your Spain portion of your honeymoon.

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  10. Jeremy,

    I can’t thank you enough for writing this post!! My husband and I got married in April and are taking our honeymoon in Portugal & Spain very soon. Your budget is a perfect guide for helping us plan!

    Thanks Again!
    Jennie

    Reply
  11. Thank you for a very informative breakdown! We just got the idea today of the possibility of honeymooning in Spain, and your story and breakdown of cost will be a great reality check for our possible trip. It sounds like it was an amazing honeymoon!

    Reply
  12. Thanks for all the great comments everyone! Glad we could give the detailed breakdown of the numbers to show we aren’t that big of splurgers afterall, hah!

    @Ele – Sorry I missed your comment until now. If anything I think Spain is a very affordable country, but I do not think the current economic crisis is doing much to change the prices of things. If you lived there you may think different, but I suspect tourism prices won’t change unless they have a major default and change currencies from the Euro.

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  13. Its good to read about how much your honeymoon cost you! And see that you had a good time – after all you only have one honeymoon

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  14. Thank you for sharing this. In your personal opinion, in lieu of this current crisis, is Spain an expensive country for a holidaymaker or the devil is not so black as it is painted?

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  15. EXCELLENT post! At first my jaw-dropped at the near $6k figure, but broken down, it’s actually pretty reasonable.

    Even better though, was your kindly breakdown/comparison of honeymoon-splurge vs. budget-backpacker. Just goes to show that there’s truly no single answer to the question: “How much does it cost to travel (fill-in-the-blank)?”

    Then again, I guess that’s why I’m not expating in Europe, but rather, here in supremo cheapo Asia!

    Reply

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