Greetings! My son is spending this semester in Granada and my young adult daughter, husband, and I plan to spend Christmas with him in Andalucia. We have some limitations based on daughter's schedule (she can't leave DC before 12/18 and must arrive back in DC by late night on 12/26). My son can only remain in the Shengen region until 12/28(+/- 1 day).
I'm booking the three of us flights into Malaga arriving on 12/19 and then we will take the bus to Granada. We'll spend a few days there, letting my son show us around and visit the Alhambra. We had thought we would take the train from Granada to Sevilla on 12/22 or 12/23 and spend Christmas there. BUT best flight I could get my daughter was out of Madrid at 1pm on 12/26. I'm worried that would be too tight for her to get to Madrid on the train. Should we simplify and spend Christmas in Cordoba instead and skip Sevilla? It looks like they have a lot going on for Christmas! https://www.turismodecordoba.org/cordoba-is-christmas-christmas-programme-in-cordoba
After my daughter leaves, my son, my husband, and I will fly back through Dublin (Aer Lingus) to Boston, spending a few more days in Ireland (cold and wet, but outside the Shengen. (If any of you have college age kids, you won't ask me why he couldn't get a student visa!) Aer Lingus does have a flight through Seville, so one option would be for the three of us to take the train to Seville when daughter leaves for Madrid and spend one night there before flying out. Advice is most welcome! Thanks in advance!