16 Nights - May 2019 - Andalusia and Barcelona

Last year we spent 15 nights in Madrid, Toledo, and Andalucia. We did not visit any white villages so I can't really comment on Ronda, and we have been to Barcelona, although on a different trip. I agree you need at least 5 nights in Barcelona and 4 nights in Seville. I personally would not do a day trip to Cordoba because you would be missing so much. We spent 2 nights in Cordoba and loved it! It was one of our favorite cities. The Mezquita is magnificent, but there is much more to Cordoba than the Mezquita. We also spent 2 nights in Malaga and loved it. We think it's an under-rated city.

So, I guess based on my experiences, I would vote for Option 2 because you are staying in Cordoba for 2 nights. The only downside is that you are missing Malaga, but I think Cordoba is more important historically.

I would also go for option 2, I highly recommend that visitors spend at least one night in Córdoba. For the history buffs out there - Córdoba was once the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate and is historically more significant than Granada. In my opinion, Córdoba has one of the most beautiful attractions in Spain which is the Mezquita de Córdoba. The old center is also very atmospheric and has some uniquely well-preserved Islamic architecture, as well as pre-Islamic Roman ruins (including an impressive Roman bridge spanning the river).

PS: If you do find yourselves in Córdoba make sure to try the Salmorejo, which is the local specialty of Córdoba. It is basically a thicker/creamier and more tasty version of Gazpacho and is garnished with Jamón Serrano and diced hard-boiled eggs.

Option 2. I really wonder why you are not interested in Nadrid, a beautiful city with many special day trips nearby.

Option 2 only includes 15 nights, so I presume this is a typo (?)

Please consider option 4.
Fly to Madrid and take train to Córdoba on day of arrival and proceed with the following itinerary:

• Córdoba — 2-3N
• Sevilla — 4N
• Ronda — 1-2N
• Granada — 3N
• Barcelona — 5N

The main reason for suggesting this itinerary is because Ronda is closer to Sevilla than to Còrdoba.

If you’re set on flying to Sevilla, then I’d suggest this route:
Sevilla > Ronda > Granada > Córdoba > Barcelona (via Madrid)

BTW, how do you plan to travel from Granada to Barcelona? Do you plan to fly?

Don’t forget to book your Alhambra tickets 3 months in advance.

Enjoy your trip!

Agree with Option 2 - especially since, as the above post points out it is only 15N so you can add a night somewhere (either Seville or Granada, I would say). We also spent 2N in Cordoba and it was our favorite town of the trip (which included all you list except Barcelona, which we did not get to see). Would you plan to rent a car from Cordoba to Ronda, so that you can drive around to see other white towns nearby? Have fun!

Option 2 is probably what I would have come up with on my own. Pick up a car at the end of your Cordoba stay and drop it off when you get to Granada. Use the day driving to Ronda to explore some of the pueblos blancos (white hill towns) and on the day driving to Granada, you can either explore more of the pueblos blancos, or visit the "pink lagoon" (check if the flamingos are likely to still be there - I think so) and hike in El Torcal, or stop to see Antequera and the prehistoric dolmens just outside the town.

Cordoba is my favorite Spanish city, so I would never suggest you choose a route that does not include at least a night there! I liked Malaga a lot, but not as much as the places in Option 2.

You didn't ask, but the best way to travel from Granada to Barcelona is to fly. All the ground options take too long.

My preference would be ...

Fly into Seville
Seville - 5 nights
... with day trips to Cordoba & Jerez
By car (via Arcos) to Ronda - 2 nights
By car (via el Caminito del Rey) to Malaga - 2 nights
By car (via Nerja) to Granada - 2 nights
Fly to Barcelona - 5 nights
Fly out from Barcelona

I have done a lot of research and digging into maps for our trip to Andalusia in November 2018. I am basically doing option 2 without Barcelona and I can let you know how it goes if you like. There is a trade off between being able to stay put in a particular hotel more nights vs. day trips with backtracking and not seeing a city in the morn/evening in different lighting and when it is less busy. From what I've learned, it seems a shame to not see Cordoba in the evening, plus it seems to me that Cordoba could use more than a day. Jerez does seem interesting and if it turns out you have the time, you could day trip to Jerez from Sevilla.

I do not find changing hotels all that time consuming. I do not completely unpack (actually very little), I use packing cubes, and I check with the hotel the night before to make sure they do not need anything more from me than the key.

Incidentally, we are also not spending time in Madrid. The day we are staying there we plan to day trip to Segovia. Madrid seems less interesting to us in comparison to other Spain locations. I have been to Barcelona and absolutely LOVE it.

You must go to Granada, our second favorite Spanish city besides Barcelona. The Alhambra is not to be missed. And I suggest doing walking tours in Granada. There is so much to explore.

I wouldn't spend 4 nights in Seville. I think it is too long. And if you are renting a car, I suggest you do a road trip to Nerja to see the caves. Nerja is not too far from Malaga, if you are driving.

My apologies for not replying sooner. I just want to thank everyone so much for your incredibly helpful replies. I read all of them to the family and we seem to have come up with a plan. We feel blessed in that we may be able to spend a few more days in all and are adjusting accordingly. Nothing is set in stone and we are still open to feedback! Here's our plan so far, in case anyone is interested. One thing that we all agreed upon is that we tend to prefer staying in each location for at least 3 nights. This is what has been most comfortable for us on previous trips.

Córdoba - 3 nights (Carlos, thank you for the tip re: Salmorejo!)
Sevilla - 5 nights
Ronda - 3 nights (yes, this seems like a lot, but we love the countryside and look forward to driving around and seeing the pueblos blancos)
Granada - 3 nights
Barcelona - 5 nights

kmkwoo, yes, we won't be doing Malaga. We realize that we cannot do it all. Seems like the family is fine with that. Obviously, if Malaga is truly worth it, we'll make an effort to visit.

Suki, Madrid doesn't appeal to us. Barcelona does. Again, can't do it all. We saw the RS You Tube video on Madrid and we found it rather underwhelming compared to all the rest of the places. Again, we may be wrong, but open to visiting it on another trip maybe.

Priscilla, yes, we will fly from Granada to Barcelona.
On a similar note, we realize that buses seem to be very popular in Spain. I can't handle buses much at all. We hope to do it all by train, car rental, and flying.
Thank you for the Alhambra ticket tip!

MorganMurphy, yes, we will rent a car for the white villages.

Chani and David - you are both always so incredibly helpful on these forums. I can't begin to thank you enough!

Jules, I would love to hear how your trip goes. I love packing cubes also. Have a wonderful time in November! Excited for you!

Helen, we will definitely make an effort to see the caves in Nerja.

Thank you all again, so much.

There are several festivals in Andalucia in May. They can be wonderful to see but they mean high season hotel rates and large crowds of tourists. Find out the dates and decide if you want to enjoy them or avoid them. The biggest is Sevilla's week-long Feria, usually beginning two weeks after Easter. Cordoba has a patio festival, much more low key. Jerez has a horse fair that looks fabulous. Larry from Carmel was there a couple of years ago and could give you more details. Here's a site to start your research.

Chani, thank you so much for that. We may need to change our dates. I'll have to hurry up with my research.

You have all been so helpful. We have decided to change our itinerary because of it being very busy in Seville with festivals and all. B&Bs and hotels are far more expensive during that period.
We have booked our flights and have tentatively booked some places to stay. Sorry to bother everyone with more questions. We will be in Spain for 20 nights.

Fly into Barcelona - 5 nights
Granada – 3 nights (we will most likely fly from Barcelona)
Rent a car and head to:
Ronda – 3 nights (we're still undecided about whether or not we should go to Malaga - please feel free to comment on that)
Seville (return the car upon arrival) - 5 nights
Train to Cordoba?
Cordoba - 3 nights
None of us have really wanted to go to Madrid, but our flight is from there. Either one or two nights in Madrid. If it's two nights, we would have to cut back on the number of nights somewhere else.
Train or fly to Madrid?
Fly out of Madrid

Thank you all so much.

From Cordoba or Seville, train rather than flying is best to Madrid unless you want to book a connecting flight all the way home, not spending even one night in Madrid.

Your updated itinerary looks very good! Here would be my answers to your queries:

1. I would take the AVE train from Sevilla to Córdoba and then the same AVE from Córdoba to Madrid.
2. I would not try to squeeze Málaga in (especially since you indicated that you are not too interested in beaches/the coastline)
3. I would try to spend two nights in Madrid that way you can have at least one good day at the Prado museum, without worrying about packing etc. I would steal one night from either Ronda or Córdoba (probably Ronda) and add it to Madrid.

It looks like you guys are going to have a blast! I wouldn't mind tagging along on this trip myself lol :)

acraven and Carlos, thank you both so much for your helpful replies. I'm going to read them to my family later today.

Malaga:
Some of the family likes the idea of Malaga. I'm flexible either way. For those who have been, is Malaga similar to Nice, France? I know that's a stupid question. Although we live in a beachy, tropical area, we all loved Nice when we visited there last year.

Madrid:
Since we're not a fan of staying anywhere for one night and feel too rushed doing so, we may end up spending two nights in Madrid.

Thank you again.

I have been to Nice twice, but both were very quick one-night stops. We spent 2 nights in Malaga, and I did more research for this trip so I am perhaps more familiar with Malaga. IMO, I think Malaga and Nice are very different from each other architecturally, sightseeing, and just the general ambience. From what I saw of Nice, I think Malaga's old city center is prettier and more elegant. I remember the city center having marble walkways and gorgeous architecture, and it just seemed a bit more elegant. The promenade is more "fun" with a ferris wheel and yachts in the port.

From what I remember of Nice, the old town area is more older looking with more narrow alleyways. Not a bad thing, just different than Malaga's city center. The promenade along the Mediterranean in Nice is more elegant, I think, than the promenade in Malaga. The beach in Nice is pebbly while the beach in Malaga is sand.

Of course everyone is different and sees things differently, but I think you will find Malaga is different than Nice.

kmkwoo, thank you so much for your reply. That really helps. It seems that most of the family wants to spend time in Malaga, so I guess that we'll be redistributing our days, taking from Peter and giving to Paul.