16-day Itinerary Advice

I think you will feel very short on time in Barcelona and Sevilla. If it were me, I'd drop Madrid, stay a night in Toledo, then head to Sevilla. You will still be short on time, but I think it'd be better.

Thanks Jules, we’ve been to Barcelona and seen many of the major sights, so we’re really focused on seeing Madrid, Seville, Granada and the Andalucia region for the first time.

With the places you have chosen to visit and traveling by train, you won’t find many castles. Many are in out of the way locations not near train or bus stations. If you had a rental car for the entire trip and didn’t mind small towns and villages I’d recommend a number of castles worth going to. There are even some you can stay in, e.g., the Paradors at Sigüenza and Alarcón. Since Córdoba isn’t on your list, you’ll miss out on the Mezquita; formerly a mosque.

Sevilla is gorgeous with so much to do. You wouldn't see much of it with one day. Could you fly into Madrid or Sevilla and skip Barcelona?

How about this itinerary using all trains except Ronda:
Barcelona (2)
Cordoba (1)
Granada (3)
Ronda with Car (3)
Sevilla (4)
Madrid with day trip to Toledo (3)
Fly home from Madrid

You could take the ALSA bus from Seville to Granada. Train times are limited and you don't need a car in Granada. I suggest at least 3 nights in Seville.

I'd say that's too much. I think you'd have a better time seeing fewer places for more time so you spend less time unpacking/packing, checking in/checking out, getting to/from train station, getting your bearings, etc. etc. Have you been to Spain before? A lot of these cities are really worth checking out for a while if you've never been.

2 nights - Barcelona

High speed train

5 (or 4 if you're less a city person) - Madrid Day trips to Segovia & Toledo

High speed train

2 - Granada

High speed train

4 (or 5) - Sevilla Day trip to Cordoba

High speed train back to Madrid

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions! We’ve decided to visit Granada/Alahambra during our cruise stop in Malaga. So, here’s the new itinerary…

Barcelona - 2 days (during La Mercé festival), AVE train to MAD
Madrid - 3 days (including day trip to Toledo), AVE train to Seville
Seville - 3-4 days (Bullfight, Flamenco, etc), Avis car rental to Ronda
Ronda - 2 days (tour Ronda & Andulacia region), return Avis car rental in Seville
Return AVE to Madrid, fly home to Georgia

We have 16 days for the land trip after the 15-day cruise around Spain/Portugal and we’ve been to most major sights in Barcelona.

All suggestions and recommendations are welcomed!

We just finished a two week trip to Spain including the places you mentioned. For me the mezquita in Cordoba was the highlight of the whole trip. Buy your tickets on-line.

Kentfast, thank you for the feedback! Any other suggestions for the locations that we have scheduled?

Agree with Kenfast, the Mezquita is one of a kind. The Sevilla alcazar was based on the alhambra, so both are very worthy sites, but similar. I think the Plaza de Espana in Sevilla is amazing, used as a location for several movies. We enjoyed crossing the Guadalquivir in Sevilla and touring that neighborhood. You'll find the same river in Cordoba with a Roman bridge crossing it.

Would you consider substituting another "white town" for Ronda?

Since you didn't mention museums or European art, you might reconsider spending time in Madrid. Okay, this a one tourist's opinion, after spending multiple weeks on multiple trips in Spain and lots of time in most capitals of Europe. Madrid is the least interesting big city in Spain and the least interesting capital in Europe. At most, spend one day to see the other highlights, such as they are.

Toledo is much better as an overnight. In fact spending 2 nights and 1 full day is best.

Cordoba is my favorite Spanish city. The only people who think a day trip is enough are people who have only visited on a day trip.

You could rent a car in Sevilla and return it in Cordoba (or vice versa). I love Ronda, and it's good place for 2N to tootle around and see the pueblos blancos. The best part is enjoying the scenic driving. There are lots of pull-outs to enjoy the view and take photos. Be sure to get a hotel with parking. There are enough sights in Ronda for at least a half day and many good choices for meals. You may even find an evening Spanish guitar performance. If you want to know a lot about bullfighting without the gore (I know of strong men who have bailed in the middle), Ronda's bullring is an excellent museum.

Thanks escrunchy and Chani!

Escrunchy, what other “white towns” do you recommend besides Ronda?

Chani, thank you very much for your comment regarding Madrid and suggestions for Toledo! We have heard similar feedback regarding Toledo and Cordoba.

By the way, what does 2N mean?

There's no question that Ronda is a beautiful town. BUT it gets heaps of day trippers, so many that walking around during the day means sharing streets and overlooks with large groups of other tourists.

The town of Vejer, to offer one example, is gorgeous, complete with a castle, and gets relatively few bus tours. In my mind, it's one of the prettiest small towns in Spain. Not far from Vejer, Medina Sidonia has a castle and narrow streets lined with gleaming white buildings. Both of those could substitute for Ronda, but to choose one, it would definitely be Vejer. Vejer is considered a food mecca,, too, and although I see quite a few European tourists, I'm not sure why so few Americans seem to know about the town. I don'
t think I've run into any during my time there.

About a ten minute drive from Vejer, the beach at El Palmar de Vejer has no high-rise hotels but a wide, sandy beach where cows graze in the dunes. There's a line of great seafood restaurants facing the beach.

For me, that area is more appealing than both Ronda and Arcos.

https://spainsavvy.com/2024/04/01/6-reasons-to-visit-vejer-la-frontera/

While we did go to the more popular white villages including Ronda, we liked Zahara, Grazelema and Sentenil

2N = 2 nights.

Thanks ekscrunchy, Jules and acraven! Your feedback is appreciated!

We’re definitely going to spend a couple of days driving around the Andulasia region including Ronda and the other RS locations. If you know of a good base (VRBO, Hotel, etc) with a view, please let me know! Right now, I’m looking at the RS recommended Hotel Montelirio in Ronda, but it isn’t accessible by car.

I'll try to help with places to stay, but in which towns do you want help with hotels?

In Ronda you might consider the Parador, if it's within the budget.

Of the towns that RS covers, my favorites would be Jerez and Vejer.

Jerez is a "white city," absolutely beautiful and among aficionados, it's considered the center for flamenco in Spain.

Also of interest in Jerez and the tours of sherry bodegas, the horse shows, and just wandering around. The city has also a selection of good places to eat that is surprising for a city of that size.

ekscruchy, can you reconcile RS comments about Jerez? ““the city of Jerez de la Frontera—teeming with traffic and lacking in charm—is worth a peek for its famous dancing horses and a glass of sherry on a bodega tour.”

Excerpt From
Rick Steves Spain
Rick Steves
https://books.apple.com/us/book/rick-steves-spain/id6471398214
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The highlights of our Andalucia trip were the amazing Mezquita, walking the El Caminito del Rey and the rooftop tour of the Catedral de Sevilla. Since you like experiences you might consider the latter two, both of which require advance reservations. We made a quick stop in Ronda (plenty for us as it is super crowded and touristy) after the El Caminito and stayed in nearby Arriate where we had the best food of the trip at Taberna Malacana. Arriate is also a good starting point for driving through other white villages.

Have a great trip!

PS - Also, agree with @Chani about Madrid and Cordoba! But near Madrid, Segovia is lovely with the aqueduct plus alcazar (“ Disney castle”) and walking the walls in Avila is fun too.

Re. Toledo. Maybe it feels super touristy during the day between 11 and 4, because that's when the day trippers are there. We stayed in Toledo 3 nights. Its a great city but even better when the day trippers are gone. I think for some cities with a major sight that are prone to day trippers, they have a tendency to feel touristy, but they just require some time to savor.

Madrid is a beautiful, lively city, but the major attractions are the world class art museums. We liked Madrid, just fine, but IMO, there are so many more cities in Spain with more history, culture and flair. That said, there are many day trip options from Madrid including Avila and Segovia.

My opinion, again, some folks prioritize longer stays over more frequent hotel changes. For me, I'd rather spend some time in smaller cities to enjoy their restaurants, other sights and a quieter city.

To me, Jerez is ok. I like it less than ekscrunchy, but more than what RS says about it. It does have the equestrian center and all the sherry bodegas, and it does have an Alcazaba ruin. Decades ago when I lived nearby, it was nice to wander the streets. Some friends of mine visited there a couple years ago for five nights during one of its ferias and thoroughly enjoyed it. Like everyplace, some like it, some don’t. Only you can decide.

To me, five minutes of flamenco is four too many, but many people love it.