10-11 days with only 2 bases (Seville & Malaga)- sensible?

Andalucia is not convenient for day trips. You can day trip from Sevilla to Cordoba in not much over an hour - its about 45 min on the train, but the train stations aren't in the city centers. Cadiz is about 1.5 hrs by train from Sevilla, the good news is that the center is an easy walk from the train station. Granada is 1.5 hrs by bus from Malaga - and neither bus station is in the center. The big draw of Granada is the Alhambra - if you plan to go, make sure you have tickets in advance. They do sell out.

I wouldn't expect much from the coastal areas in winter. Cadiz is on the Atlantic, so it could be quite raw. I've been along the Costa del Sol in February and it was dismal - even on a sunny day, everything was shut up, with only a few fishermen and dog lovers on the beach.

I've found a lot of good information on the TripAdvisor forums - like what is open on and around a holiday: restaurants, sights, special events. I'm trying to imagine Sevilla or Cordoba if all the shops and sights and cafes are closed - though you may get some good photos without crowds, there would be little else to do.

Seville is wonderful. Also, I loved the Alhambra in Granada. I was not too high on Costa del Sol. The beaches are poor and aside from Rhonda, not so impressed.

Andalucia is quite large, and distances aren't short. The reason Cordoba works as a day trip from Seville (though I'd prefer to spend multiple nights there) is that there is express-train service between the two cities. As a result, you can cover the 89-mile distance in less than an hour.

I can't address availability of indoor sightseeing options over the holiday period, but if I had to travel to Europe at that time of year, Seville would be one of my very top choices because of a combination of probably-best-on-the-continent weather (on average, of course) and its size. Seville will have a variety of neighborhoods to explore when indoor attractions are closed. Malaga is a very pleasant city, but it's not a good base for a day trip to Granada, even aside from the fact that there's enough to see in Granada to justify staying 2 or 3 nights. I would not substitute a stay in Malaga for a stay in Granada.

You should check the websites of all the places you'd like to see for accurate (one hopes) information about the schedule over the holidays. This is what the website of the Alcazar in Seville says: "Closed on 1st and 6th January, Good Friday and 25th December." Maybe your options will not be as limited as you fear. You may find that you can squeeze in a couple of nights in Malaga if you really want to get to the coast.

Do you already have your airline tickets? Coming from London, you should have a choice of non-stop destinations, I'd think.

Thank you all & apologies for the late follow up. All comments very helpful.

We are not hung up on indoor activities, places being open on holidays but of course would like to enjoy the general vibe of the cities & locals. Would that change any of your responses?

Any alternate to Malaga that we could do to add in a beach getaway also on the same trip? Would Seville & Cadiz be good to do over 11-12 days?

I can't imagine the water will be warm enough to swim. Do you just want to walk along the beach or look at it? Wikipedia's monthly-average temperatures (which are only of limited use, because it could be a lot warmer or colder than the average) show not much difference between Seville and Malaga, but Seville tends to be a bit sunnier in February. Cadiz is a smidgen cooler in the daytime but warmer at night.

I've only spent a couple of days in Cadiz and Malaga, so others can give more comprehensive advice. I think they're both interesting. To me, Cadiz felt more like an historical destination (narrow streets, etc.), whereas Malaga had more of a relaxing vibe, great for just wandering around. Malaga does have quite a few museums.

I was in Seville last xmas, including boxing day and New Year. All the restaurants were open, it was business as usual. It was mostly mayhem in the streets, but that’s Seville. The weather was enjoyable, averaging 20 F. It rained some days which can put a damper on your trip if you only have 4 days in Seville. But what better time to spend some hours in one of the thousands of tapas bars/ restaurants. The only time I’ve seen relatively empty streets in Seville is in the height of summer when it’s too suffocating to venture out.

As mentioned, Cadiz is cooler than Seville. We enjoy Cadiz in January/ February. Some restaurants are closed, but we always find somewhere to dine

Given restaurants never seem to close in Seville, it might be preferable to be in Seville during i.e. 24,25,26 December. I'm not sure what's open in Cadiz on xmas day. Every night in Seville was a celebration. The streets were packed with people out late enjoying the stunning xmas decorations.

As a guide we dine early in Seville approximately 6.30 pm to 7.00pm after that you will need to reserve.