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Any feedback on this itinerary, please?

Posted by on

Any feedback is appreciated - this forum has been such a help for me planning our trip - 5 adults celebrating 50th bdays. We are travelling off peak time in mid to late October, arriving Oct 21 on an overnight flight. It is only a 10 day trip due to work/family constraints. We were thinking:
Oct 21: arrive Madrid around 8:30am, I am sure we'll be super tired from overnight flight, so sightsee as much as possible then a short nap to get us through to the evening/dinner. Stay Madrid
Oct 22: Madrid sightseeing/usual touristy stuff. Stay Madrid.
Oct 23: More sightseeing (Or should we consider a day trip to Toledo?) Stay Madrid.
Oct 24: Train to Granada (or drive - is it better to drive?). Arrive in Grenada in the afternoon. Stay Granada.
Oct 25: Granada sightseeing. Stay Granada.
Oct 26: Possible day trip: Sierra Nevada Safari tour OR would it be better to do Frigiliana stopping a Nirja caves? Stay Granada
Oct 27: Get private transfer or rent a car and drive to Seville. Sightsee in Seville. Stay Seville
Oct 28th: Sightsee Seville. Stay Seville
Oct 29th: Day trip to Ronda/White towns, or Cordoba, or sherry towns? Stay Seville
Oct 30th: Fly home from Seville

I know we are doubling back, in terms of going all the way from Madrid to Granada and then back up, but it's because travel BACK to Canada is best from Seville - we can't get a direct flight from Madrid, so it does not seem to make sense to get back to Madrid, if we have to do a stop anyway, leaving from Seville saves the transport back to Madrid.

Thank you for any and all input you may have!

Posted by
7219 posts

I'd want more time in Sevilla.
The only piece I'd use a car for is driving from Granada to Sevilla, with a stop for a white village or two.
Cordoba and Toledo are wonderful destinations. I guess, if you can't spend a few nights, a day trip is better than nothing.
Are you interested in the Madrid art museums? If not, I'd consider taking the train immediately from the airport to Toledo, Cordoba or Granada, and skipping Madrid.

Posted by
969 posts

You can do the whole trip by train and parking in Granada and Sevilla are a real pain. The hill towns are located between Granada and Sevilla so hit them on the way past... Although I love Toledo, doing Madrid, Granada, Ronda and Sevilla will be plenty for a nine day trip.

Posted by
1598 posts

Hi Adrianne,

How about this itinerary which can make your trip more time effective.

Oct 21: Arrive in Madrid around 8:30am, - Rest - Tour Madrid
Oct 22: Tour Madrid sights of interest.
Oct 23: Day Trip to Toledo or Segovia - Leave early morning arounnd 8am or 9am
Oct 24: Train to Granada (Tour Granada)
Oct 25: Granada sightseeing. Stay in Granada and Tour the Alhambra Palace. Be sure to reserve tickets in advance for Alhambra.
Oct 26: Day Trip to Cordoba from Granada. Cordoba is a must see whitewash town. The famous Mezquita is located there.
Oct 27: Take train from Granada to Seville. No need to rent a car and drive.
Oct 28th: Sightseeing in Seville. Tour the Seville Cathedral and other surrounding attractions
Oct 29th: From Seville, head to Jerez de la Frontera on a day trip. It is the capital of the sherry towns. You will have a blast there.
Oct 30th: Fly home from Seville

What do you think Adrianne ?

Posted by
5365 posts

I would suggest not doing a day trip to Cordoba from Granada, but if you want to see it as a day trip, do so from Seville. Seville itself can easily fill 2 days (or 3 - or 4) so I would hesitate to add more day trips.

Granada is, of course, famous for the Alhambra but also has other sites such as the Cathedral, the Royal Chapel, the Basilica of San Juan de Dios, and the Monasterio de San Jerónimo. PLENTY to fill 2 days. So a day trip depends on your interests.

There’s no reason you can’t use train or bus for all of your travel. But if you wanted to find a driver going from Granada to Seville, you could add Ronda or other hill towns as you travel between the two.

Posted by
7219 posts

I agree with Texas Travel, I wouldn't do Cordoba as a day trip from Granada. You could consider doing it from Sevilla, or you could do it between Granada and Sevilla and stay a night (I'd recommend staying a couple nights, but I get you only have so much time)

Posted by
6 posts

Hi everyone - you are all so nice and helpful, thank you!

Jules M - I am interested in the art museums, and it feels crazy to fly into Madrid but not spend time there. On the other hand I don't totally love big cities, I was worried I was short changing myself with 2.5 days, you don't think so?

NickB - thank you re: Train v Drive, the only reason we considered driving was to stop places on the way past, as you say.

RJean - this looks really good, I am going to fully explore this, thank you.

Texas TravelMom - What did you love in Seville for 2 days? I have heard it is great!

Posted by
5365 posts

In Seville, I love the Cathedral, the Alcazar, Triana, the River, Plaza de España, the neighborhood near the Mushroom, the vibe, the wine, food, and wandering. There is so much I still have to see.

But Granada is my true love. Ha!

However, you simply can’t see it all. So you just have to make some hard choices. And none of them will be wrong.

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