We are traveling to Barcelona, with additional interests in Gibraltar, Sevilla, Ronda, Nerja, Granada . We can go in either direction for starting. Planning 2 weeks in September. Is Lisbon the correct airport? (with Barcelona the other airport) Planning 4 days in Barcelona. Is it best to have one of these other cities as a base to see the rest, or should it be multiple stays?
Is it too much to spend a day or 2 in Lisbon? Is it doable to see all the other cities with one basecamp?
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7157 posts
No need to go to Portugal if you want to visit Spain. All the places you mentioned are fairly close together with the exception of Barcelona that is pretty far away. I’d fly into Sevilla and out of Barcelona if Barcelona is a must. Or, check into flying into Malaga or Jerez de la Frontera.
While fairly close together, no one town will work as a base for visiting the other places. Sevilla to Ronda is a couple hours drive, while Ronda to Nerja is 2 hours. From Nerja to Granada it’s just over an hour. The time it takes to get someplace is dependent on how you’re getting around.
I get the impression you don’t realize how large Spain is.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5541 posts
Have a look at Estepona, a lovely seaside town within easy reach of all the places you've mentioned. I'm a regular visitor there and it's a great base for exploring the wider area with Gibraltar, Ronda, Nerja and Malaga very easy day trips. Malaga would be the best airport to fly into from Barcelona.
Posted by
Washington DC
28082 posts
ViaMichelin estimates the driving time from Estepona to Seville at 2-1/2 hours by the fastest route. That's not what I consider a day trip, and of course Seville is a large city with several days' worth of sights, so a first-time visitor would need to make that 5-hour round trip multiple times.
The driving-time estimate to Granada is practically the same, so the same argument applies.
Andalucia is large, and it's really not suitable for the hub-and-spoke approach.
I note that you haven't mentioned Cordoba, the third great destination in Andalucia. It is doable as a day trip from Seville, though it's definitely deserving of a multi-night stay. I'd prioritize Cordoba way ahead of Gibraltar, Nerja and Ronda.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5541 posts
I'd prioritize Cordoba way ahead of Gibraltar, Nerja and Ronda.
I agree. I'm not sure why Nerja consistently appears on many people's itineraries. It's a nice enough place but there's nothing there that makes it a "must see" in my opinion.
I'm not keen on Gibraltar, it's a very meh place for me. Unless you have a real interest in the Rock and it's military history then I see very little reason to visit it especially at the expense of other visit worthy cities.
However, it's the OP's trip and they have their reasons for visiting the destinations listed.
Posted by
Washington DC
28082 posts
Nerja's in Rick's book on Spain. I suspect it has been there for a long time, going back to before it became popular, as a sort of back door. I don't remember hearing about it in the 1960s, 1970s or 1980s--unlike the Cinque Terre, which had a write-up in the New York Times before the first edition of "Europe through the Back Door" was published.