13 days in March

I think you're trying to cover too much ground. All those 2-night stops will give you one full day in the city plus a few hours, and I don't think you'll ever be able to settle in. Less than two days for Seville plus Cordoba is going to be especially rushed.

Few people here would recommend a day-trip to Tangier. It takes a lot of time and you basically see the worst of Morocco. I recommend that only your son (or your son and daughter-in-law) take that excursion while the rest of you do something you will enjoy more. I don't know how you'd work that out transportation-wise, but I would figure something out rather than subjecting four people to that jaunt. Morocco is a fascinating place; a day-trip from Spain is not the way to see it.

I see that this is not your first trip to Europe, so I will not belabor the point about your first day being possibly pretty useless and having only one day in Madrid.

Whether by train or by bus, traveling from Toledo to Granada requires you first to travel back north to Madrid, so you might consider starting your trip in Toledo, then going to Madrid. That would position you better for the next leg, to Granada. The train ticket from Madrid to Toledo will cost the same whether you buy it far in advance or after you arrive in Spain and are sure of your timing. There is, however, always a possibility that a particular train might be sold out. You'll save a bit of money by buying a Madrid/Toledo round-trip ticket rather than two one-ways.

There is a military museum at the Alcazar in Toledo that I found interesting. At the time I visited the focus was mostly on the Spanish civil war. It is open Tues-Sun, 10am-5pm. Admission is €5 for adults, retired is €2.5, children are free. Admission is free on Sunday. www.museo.ejercito.es is the website.

Forget Tangier. Realistically, best bang for your buck, and your time, doing something like this ...

March
12. Arrive in Madrid. Train to Seville (4N)
13. Seville
14. Day to Cordoba for the Mezquita
15. Seville
16. Pick up rental car ... Drive to Gibraltar (1N)
17. Drive to Ronda (2N)
18. Day visiting pueblos blancos
19. Drive to Granada (2N) ... Drop off rental car
20. Visit the Alhambra
21. Train to Madrid (4N)
22. Madrid
23. Day to Toledo
24. Day to Segovia
25. Depart from Madrid

I am with you all on Tangier, however this is a trip we are doing as a gift to our son and his wife. I told them of the bad reviews, but they have a friend who liked it and so they continue to firmly request it. That's why I wrote that it is a must do. But thank you. I appreciate your other suggestions and will incorporate them into my plan.

Sometimes people just have to experience things. I still say only the people who want to go, should go. However, if all four of you are going to stick together, I would seek advice on a private guide. It won't be very expensive considering there are four of you. Perhaps you'll be able to convince the guide that you don't want to spend a bunch of time in carpet shops.

I can’t speak as to whether Tangier is a worthwhile destination or not, but I can say you’re definitely trying to cover too much ground in too little time.

If Tangier is an absolute must-see, you need to drop at least one stop in Andalusia. I am going to cause spasms to many in the Rick Steves forum with this suggestion, but you probably need to drop Granada and the Alhambra.

Granada is a fantastic city and the Alhambra is a world-class destination, but it’s somewhat isolated from the rest of the places on your itinerary. Madrid-Toledo-Sevilla-Arcos-Gibraltar-Tarifa with a side trip to Cordoba makes sense geographically. You could split the two nights you pick up from cutting Granada to Madrid and Sevilla, both large cities with plenty of things to do.

Still, visiting Andalusia without seeing the Alhambra...that’s a tough one to swallow. If I were you, I would ditch them somewhere to skip Tangier for Granada. Perhaps splitting from them at Arcos? I don’t know the logistics around that, and I imagine it would get more difficult the further south you go.

Whatever you decide, I admire your steadfast support of your family’s wishes :)

You have to give up at least one stop, preferably two. As others have said, you are spending much too much time moving around, using up your precious days with un/packing, going to/from train stations, travel time, etc. Decide which two you are willing to skip. The Alhambra is wonderful, but Granada will take a long time to get to/from. You can't spend 2 nights in Sevilla-Cordoba and see them both. The hill towns are lovely and the driving is very scenic but it's a lot of time strapped into a car. One of the problems is that a small car is best for those narrow streets with sharp corners, but not comfortable for 2 full-size adults in the back seat. Also, there is very little luggage room in most cars and you should not leave luggage - or any belongings - visible in a parked car.

Less is more.

If you are set on visiting Tangier then I thoroughly recommend a guide, there are many available but they all appear to offer the same thing. My advice is to be upfront at the beginning and explain what you want to see and do. The worthwhile sites are the Caves of Hercules, the convergence of the Atlantic and Mediterranean and the Kasbah. I would advise not going on a camel ride, these poor animals are kept tied up by the roadside (including the calves) and spend all day carrying (predominantly overweight) tourists around in a circle. I don't know about you but I prefer not to treat animals as if their sole purpose is my entertainment. Likewise the snake "charmer", just an old man who sits on the ground and torments a handful of snakes. It's neither enjoyable nor entertaining. You may also like to decline the offer of the souk tour which is effectively a harried tour through a multitude of tiny alleys flanked by butchers, vegetable stores, clothing stores until you reach the souvenir shop owned by a friend of the guide and where you will be offered cheap tat for very expensive prices.

I'd also recommend a back up plan in case the ferry is cancelled due to high winds. This happens very frequently and March is no exception. It is also not uncommon for the winds to remain strong for a number of days and I can think of far better places to be stranded than Tangier!

We just recently returned from a 13 day trip to southern Spain. Except for the hill towns, my favorite cities were Cordoba and Sevilla. We enjoyed everywhere we visited, but Cordoba and Sevilla were just wonderful. I agree with the comment regarding the small car in the hill towns. The driving is easier, the smaller the car. Roads are narrow with no shoulder. Looking at your trip, I honestly would leave out Gibralter/Tarifa and Tangier and plan another trip for Morocca. We stayed three nights in Sevilla and could have stayed longer. We spent two nights in Cordoba and found it just delightful. It is so much more than the mezquita. The Jewish quarter with its white homes, blue trim, patios and flowers were spectacular. The river and the bridge offered great views. In case you are interested, our itinerary was as follows:
Flew into Madrid and trained to Sevilla for 3 nights
Rented a car in Sevilla to tour white villages and stayed in Grazelema for 2 nights.
Drove to Granada and returned the car, Granada 2 nights.
Train to Cordoba, two nights
Train to Toledo, one night
Train to Madrid, two nights with day trip to Segovia.

We could have spent more time in Sevilla, white villages, Cordoba and possibly Toledo.
Regardless of what you do, you will have a great time!

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your suggestions. I have spent hours reading, each time seeing more and more that I want to do! But I can see that I must choose quality experinces over quantity of sites. I will definitely take your advice and rework my itinerary.
Thank you for the time spent assisting me.

My best advice, consider these my opinion and use them to whatever extent makes sense to you:

There is so much to see in Spain, it works really well to pick north or south for a two week vacation. North will be cold in March, wear warm clothes. South won't be as cold.

Tangier is to Morocco what Tijuana or Ciudad Juarez are to Mexico. You can't visit them and come close to experiencing the country. I really liked Tarifa and Gibraltar, I think they're both worth a visit. I didn't ferry across to Tangier because I want to visit Fez, Marrakesh and Casablanca when I visit Morocco rather than a gritty industrial port city.

Seville has much more to see than Cordoba. The Alcazar, Cathedral and the old quarter in Sevilla are all close together and all outstanding sights to visit. Cordoba has a smaller quarter and the Mesquita. It's definitely worth seeing (the Mesquita is unique and amazing) but with limited time may best be seen as a roughly four hour stop between Madrid and Sevilla by hopping off one train and on to a later one.

Toledo is a great town, you won't regret two nights there. The food, atmosphere, sights, lodging and food prices - everything - are head and shoulders nicer than Madrid. You will be there in March so Madrid's parks won't matter. The only sight that is a must see in Madrid IMO is El Prado, it really does live up to its reputation. It's a short walk from El Prado to Atocha station where you can catch a train to either Toledo or Cordoba/Sevilla.

I really liked Ronda as a stop. It seems to offer more than most hill towns. The white towns don't really dot the countryside around Ronda, it's not like Tuscany. I loved the prehistory passage tombs in Antequerra. I was glad I had a car to make that a stop between Granada and Ronda.

Training from Toledo to Granada isn't the best. Maybe it's not the case anymore but for awhile it included a bus connection for part of the trip. I'd at least compare just taking a bus. Buses are nice, cheap and never full in Spain. If you don't have a car, check out the day trips offered at bus stations.

To get back to Madrid from either Seville or Cordoba a train will work well. That stretch and Madrid to Barcelona are the best train routes in the country (plus the short spur Madrid to Toledo). After those, train service goes downhill pretty fast.

Worth changing your plans for is the Valencia fire festival, las Fallas. It's the 15th to 19th of March in 2019. If it were me, I'd adjust plans to experience it in person.