I am planning a trip to Spain and Portugal. However, looking at train schedules, I found it is very difficult and time-consuming to reach Granada -- especially when the high-speed train goes directly from Madrid to Sevilla.
One friend said the Acazar/Gardens is quite similar to the Granada's Alhambra - but not as grand. Is this somewhat true?
If we do try to get to Granada, we will have cut 2.5 days from places like Barcelona, Sevilla, Lisbon and Madrid daytrips.
Any opinions? Thanks.
It's a very pale imitation. IMHO, you can't make a tour of Spain without visiting the Alhambra in Granada....it explains, in one fell swoop, the influence that the Moors have had on Spanish life...from religion, to architecture, to music, to dance...to lifestyle! Maybe you can make it part of a swing from Madrid-Barcelona. Take the bus from Madrid to Granada (5 1/2 hours and cheap), see the Alhambra the next day, then leave that night on the overnight train to Barcelona. Currently, the o/niter takes about 12 hours, leaving around 9:30 pm and getting into Barcelona around 9:30 am. Check http://www.renfe.es, altho it's tough to purchase thru their website right now. If you're travelling June-Sept, you may want to pay the extra and buy tickets thru RailEurope to make sure you have a seat. Psst....don't tell anyone, but Barcelona, to me, wasn't worth more than a complete day.
Addendum....if you go from Madrid to Sevilla on the high speed, Granada's only a three hour ride by bus to the east...then onto Barcelona. Or maybe do the great circle....Madrid, Barcelona, Granada, Sevilla, Lisbon, Madrid.
The Alcazar is splendid - the Alhambra probably more so. I will go so far as agreeing with your friend's comment but I live in Spain so hard to be objective. Is it worth making an effort to see - yes. Is it worth cutting over 2 days off Seville - no. In my opinion anyway. The Mesquita in Corboba is fantastic as well. Given the choice between Seville/Cordoba or Granada the former would win hands down.
Thanks.
I am liked into starting in Barcelona and ending in Madrid.
Barcelona->Madrid->Andalucia->Algarve->Lisbon->Madrid
Chris -
We just got back a week ago from Spain. We visited Seville and Cordoba as well as Granada; while the Alcazar and Mezquita were amazing, they paled in comparison to the Alhambra. We flew from Barcelona to Granada on Vueling for $50 each. We originally planned to go to Madrid after Barcelona, but we ended up saving a lot of time by leaving Madrid for the end and had an extra day to spend in Ronda.
If you do make it to Granada, book your Alhambra tickets in advance through the website or your hotel. There was a very long line for same day tickets and they ended up turning people away.
Enjoy your trip!
I would echo Julie's comments about the Alhambra and tickets....it's the most visited tourist site in Spain. I would even suggest that, if you do go, you try booking way in advance over the internet, it's that popular. Check out http://www.alhambra-patronato.es/ingles/inforgenrl/informain.htm. They changed ticket providers just recently, so I think you can now book up to 3 months in advance.
