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Andalusia itinerary help: Seville, Granada and maybe Ronda?

Posted by (NYC) on

My husband and I (lovers of nature, birds, beer, art and history) are planning a November trip to Andalusia, and want to see a fair amount with feeling frenzied. We will not be driving. The tentative plan:

Day 1: arrive in Seville in the early afternoon (visit Cathedral)
Day 2: Seville (visit Alcazar)
Day 3: Seville -> Ronda, arrive late afternoon (3 hour train ride)
Day 4: Ronda (walk to Montejaque and take bus back)
Day 5: Ronda -> Granada, arrive afternoon (3 hour train ride)
Day 6: Granada (visit Alhambra)
Day 7: Granada -> Madrid

The big question: is Ronda worth it? My sister and another friend say yes, but they both drove there. It seems like a lot of schlepping. Are the train rides scenic? That would mitigate the transit time.

An alternative plan would be to spend four nights in Seville and two in Granada, and skip Ronda altogether. But I love the idea of visiting a white village (or a similarly charming locale). Are there day trips we could do from Seville or Granada that wouldn't involve as much transit?

Thanks so much for any advice.

Posted by
396 posts

Our experience last September (traveling by car), was that Ronda was super crowded, touristy and, for us, not worth a visit. Your alternate idea of more time in Seville is a better plan. Highly recommend a day trip to, or one night in, Cordoba. The Mezquita is magnificent!

Posted by
6471 posts

We enjoyed Ronda well enough, but not better than Sevilla or Granada. I'm not sure it was that much more crowded than Sevilla, but it was busy. It also is not that convenient by public transportation. I sure would visit Cordoba before Ronda. However, with the short number of days you have, I'd skip Ronda and spend that time in Sevilla.

Arcos (a white village) is about 1.5 hours away by car. I don't see any good options with public transportation. Perhaps you can find a tour from Sevilla to Arcos. Or perhaps, rent a car for the day?

Posted by
3 posts

Thanks! You have convinced me to give Ronda a miss this time. Score one for slow(-ish) travel! I've actually been to Cordoba (on the way back from a long-ago, poorly planned trip to Malaga) so would love to hear other day-trip ideas. Arcos sounds great but maybe too hard to get to without a car or tour? Thoughts on Cadiz from Seville, or Frigiliana from Granada? Really appreciate the help.

Posted by
28081 posts

I took day trips to Carmona from Seville and to Priego de Cordoba from Granada. They are attractive white towns--not small villages, and not perched on hills, but worth visiting. They were most definitely not overrun by visitors in April 2019.

Arcos is a longer trip from Seville. Cadiz might work, but the location of your Seville hotel should be considered. How long will it take to get from the hotel to the appropriate train or bus station?

You don't have much time--only five full days and some random hours for Andalucia. I wouldn't be looking for destinations beyond Seville and Granada, but I am a slow traveler and had long lists of things I wanted to see in those cities.

Posted by
3 posts

Thanks, Acraven. There is definitely five day's worth of interesting things in Seville alone, so you're probably right about not needing day trips.

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