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7 day Andalucia trip itinerary recommendation Nov 17-25 2023

My wife and I (fifties) bought a last minute ticket to Madrid during the Thanksgiving break  and we like to cover main attractions in the Andalucia region. 

arriving  Madrid Nov 17th at 8.45am departing Madrid Nov 25th at 11.am 

The broader plan is to arrive Nov 17 8.45am and then take a train to Cordoba . Spend one night and head to Granada after lunch and stay there 2 nights.  Then take the train to Seville to spend the remaining days before heading back to Madrid to arrive there Nov 24th night to catch the flight the next day back home. 

Perhaps stop in Rhonda if time permits. 

1 night Cordoba
2 nights Granada
4 nights Seville 
1 night Madrid 

Interests are main history , architecture and views

1) Would love to know how you would plan the trip.  No hotels are booked so its flexible at this point. 
2) Alhambra guided Sunday tour at 80 Euros per person worth it? 

Thanks much for your recommendation in advance 

Posted by
28082 posts

I was happy with the audio guide for the Alhambra, so I wouldn't feel the need to pay an extra 60 euros for the tour, but I'm sure the tour adds value.

There's not a lot you can do when you only have 8 nights, but I think Cordoba is getting shafted here since you'll be there just part of your arrival day, and you may well be jet-lagged and sleep-deprived. This might be the rare occasion when I'd opt for only three nights in Seville, in order to have 2 nights (one full, mostly-not-jetlagged day) in Cordoba. There are afternoon trains from Seville to Madrid taking as little as 2 hr. 37 min., so you could spend a good chunk of your last full day in Spain in Seville and then hop on the train. It's not like that partial day would allow a good look at Madrid even if you left Seville early.

Posted by
5 posts

Obviously many people love Cordoba, but I thought it charmless. The Alhambra is magnificent and my son and I got a lot from the small group tour he arranged. You might be able to find a slightly better deal than 80 Euros if you look around. I really liked Seville and spending that amount of time seems right to me. We also liked Ronda but you don't really have much time to enjoy the environs. I'd include fewer stops and experience the places you're going at a deeper level than a just a drive-by.