Andalusia Trip Sept. 2022

A lot would depend on what time the train arrives in Granada. I like the idea of going straight to Córdoba but it deserves a full day. To me, Granada needs 1.5 days, so I’d take one night from Granada and move it to Córdoba. I think you’re making the most with the time that you have. On that last night in Madrid, if your train arrives early enough you’ll at least be able to walk around a little bit a get a feel for what to see on your next trip to Spain.

I would spend the first night in Cordoba for 2 reasons. Even though you are much younger than me, I think you will be very tired from jetlag if you spend the day sightseeing in Cordoba, then take a train to Seville or Granada, get to your hotel, check in to your hotel, etc. I would find this exhausting and not enjoyable at all.

Additionally, I love Cordoba! It's a beautiful small city and definitely worthwhile to spend at least one night here. (We spent 2 nights and actually wished we had a 3rd night.) The Mezquita and Roman Bridge are lovely at night when illuminated.

We spent 2 nights in Granada, and wished we had a 3rd night, but isn't that usually the case? We loved Granada and the Alhambra; however, Seville is a larger city with more historical and cultural sights, so I recommend (with your number of nights), spending 2 nights in Granada and 4 nights in Seville, which is what we did. Seville requires more time and is such a beautiful city architecturally with its many plazas, fountains, etc. In addition to all its sights, you can take a carriage ride around the city, see a Flamenco show, etc.

What guidebooks are you using? I used Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, and Michelin Green Guide and found all of them helpful, especially Michelin Green Guide.

Why not continue on to Granada by air? Iberia has a flight departing at 11:50 AM arriving in Granada at 1PM for $53. This way you don’t have the hassle of transferring from the airport to the train station, etc. The only thing you have to worry about is getting from Granada’s airport to your hotel or Airbnb. Furthermore, even though you're traveling business class does not mean that you're going to sleep, especially since your flying from the east coast. It's not that long of a flight.
If you don’t sleep on the way over, you’ll probably dose off on the train. A friend of mine and the person she was traveling with both fell asleep and missed getting off.
From Granada you can take a direct train to Sevilla (2h 30m). Since Cordoba is 45-minutes from Sevilla it makes a great day trip. This way you only have to sleep in three places and not four.

Thank you everyone for all of your advice and input! I've ordered the Rick Steves guide book, waiting on it to arrive, but will for sure look into the Michelin Green guide as well!

I am leaning towards doing the 2 nights in Granada and 4 in Seville. Seville does seem like the bigger city that would lend itself to having more time to explore. Would there be any disadvantage to doing the Alhambra tour on a Sunday? Updated time in Granada looks like it would be getting in from Cordoba on Saturday, Sunday to do Alhambra, then train Monday to Seville.

We could fly to Granada, but truthfully I look forward to taking the trains as I usually am not a huge fan of flying and the hassles associated with it! Also to do something different (I'm sure the appeal could wear off quickly though)

I don't think the appeal of the trains will wear off quickly. We used both trains and the ALSA bus to get around Andalucia. In 2017 the trains tracks to/from Granada weren't finished, so we used the bus a few times. Both the Spanish trains and the buses were very easy to use. You don't have to get to the train/bus stations as early as you do when going to airports, and the trains and buses are very modern, clean, and comfortable. And on time!

If you travel only with carry on luggage highly recommend you continue via air onto Granada as it will be the best use of your time. We have made the journey via a rail and air connection with air being the most efficient. Consider you are already at the airport and need only to make the connection to the next flight (typically multiple departures daily to Granada) without needing to travel to the train station to make a connection.
You can now start your journey in Granada and work your way back to Madrid. With eight nights to spend recommend two nights in Granada, four nights in Seville and two nights in Madrid. You can make Cordoba a day trip from Seville.
For future trips consider an "open jaw" airfare purchase where you arrive at one destination and depart from another without need to backtrack to your point of arrival.
Add to your experience by immediately adapting to the late night activities in Spain. Consider late night as the start of the next day. You are wise to adopt the siesta as baking in the heat with a mass of tourists is akin to sitting in a 400 degree over.

I do agree with the posters who recommend flying to Granada when you arrive in Madrid. It will be less hassle since you are already at the airport than having to go to the train station from the airport.

And I agree with Marbleskies about flying open-jaw, or multi-city, in the future. For example, with this trip, you could have flown into Madrid and out of Seville. We have flown open-jaw many, many times.

At this point, I'd stick with your plan to start in Cordoba. I just did a little research and found that the only airline that flies that route is Iberia, and the first flight on Sept 2 is at 11.50 am, arriving at 1 pm. While it means you will have ample time to get through passport control, check-in and security, it does mean spending hours in the airport. Your choice.

Allocating days among these three cities is always hard. There's plenty to enjoy in each of them for double or triple the time you have. Everyone has personal preferences. I think that aside from the Alhambra and the Albaicin, the other two have more interesting sights and experiences. Cordoba is my favorite Spanish city.

There's really no difference which day of the week you visit any of the sights in Andalucia. Some things may be closed one day a week.