Storing luggage before hotel check in

The simple rule is this.....and not just for Spain.......if you arrive early, you go to your hotel. If your room is ready, you can check in early. If not, most hotels will store your luggage but it's best to enquire ahead of time.

For AirBNB, it is up to your host. It's best to contact them as well. If the place was empty the night before, they might let you check in early. And you can always ask about storing luggage. If they can't, they might know of somewhere nearby that you can.

To me, a major advantage of hotels over informal lodgings like Airbnb is that hotels always seem to be able to find a place to store your luggage for a few hours. Now, it may not be in a locked room, so it's prudent to think about how you are going to handle expensive and mission-critical articles. I keep my prescription drugs and electronics in a packable tote bag--the same one I use on trains and buses--I can carry around with me until check-in time. Check ahead of time about the hours of the reception desk if you are staying in a small hotel, B&B or the like. If you arrive at a time when the desk isn't staffed, you won't be able to drop off your luggage; in fact, you may not be able to get in the front door.

Most cities of size have commercial luggage-storage options you can find via Google. In some cities there's a left-luggage facility (or lockers) at the train station. I'm sure this is the case at Madrid's Atocha Station. I believe storage in Cordoba is at the nearby bus station and is in the form of lockers. The thing about lockers is that there will be a finite number of them, so you can't be 100% sure you'll find a locker available when you need it. It's a very good plan to have researched alternatives ahead of time.

If your hotels/lodgings are not near the train station where you'll arrive--which could easily be the case in all five cities you mention, and you are not able to simply drop off your bags at your lodgings, a commercial storage facility may be more convenient for you than leaving the bags at the train station and having to return later to retrieve them.

That's one of the reasons I try to stay at hotels near the train station, so I can drop the bags and not pay for a locker or drag them around with me ... sometimes you can check into your room, most of the time they will just store them in a nearby closet or room ... another benefit of a hotel near the station is if your train is later in the day, you can check out and the hotel will keep them until you come back ... never had any issues ... just be sure to leave enough time just in case they are busy and can't get your bags right away. If my hotel is not near the train station, we go straight there to check-in or drop bags ... again, never had an issue where they said no.

I read hotel reviews carefully to see what people say about their luggage storage--secure room? OK. Off in a corner of the lobby? Not OK. Everything truly valuable is in my purse, and I have 2 luggage locks so at least my suitcase and carry-on can't be easily accessed.