We will be visiting the Andalucía area in May/June. Looking for insight as to time to spend in each city. We will be using an entry city to Europe (possibly Dublin) then hoping to fly in to one of the towns. Is there a sequence in visiting the three towns that makes sense? I am sure transportation between the 3 somewhat dictates the order and any insight into transport between would be appreciated. We are flexible regarding time spent in each town, figuring anywhere from 2-4 days in each. Saw that there is a Parador in Granada, any info regarding that would also be appreciated. After our visit to the Andalucía area we are considering going to Prague for an extended stay of 4-6 days then back to the US. Would like to thank everyone in advance for your response and information. Happy Holidays
Posted by
Bend, Oregon
2545 posts
Your transportation options will dictate the itinerary. There are airports in Granada and Seville. And Madrid, of course. You’ll need to look at options for international arrival.
We flew into Madrid, spent a night, then took the train to Granada. Spent 3 nights, then flew to Paris. Granada’s airport is tiny, so you will probably have a connection in Madrid. It might be better to try to fly into Granada, then train to Seville, train to Cordoba (maybe day trip from Seville), and fly to Prague from Seville (or Madrid).
Posted by
Hudson Valley
2267 posts
in a vacuum, the logical order for those three cities is either one that puts Cordoba in the middle. Which is then first or last becomes a questions of which you can fly into or out of.
Posted by
Australia
1072 posts
We are visiting Andalusia in March 2023 and will be doing Madrid-Cordoba-Granada-Malaga-Seville. Madrid to Cordoba is less than 2 hours by train.
If you are entering from Ireland there are flights to Malaga airport with Ryanair or Aer Lingus. From Malaga it's an hour by train to Cordoba.
Posted by
OP
Virginia
36 posts
Thanks for the replies. Looking to possibly come in to Lisbon, spend a few nights then onto Seville. Know there are flights, not sure about the train. What is best way to investigate train routes? Thanks again
Posted by
Hudson Valley
2267 posts
Dario- Rome2Rio is a good resource for roughing out options to connect one city to another. For Lisbon /Sevilla you’ll find that flying is really the only reasonable options.
Posted by
Washington DC
28082 posts
There are no direct trains from Lisbon to Seville. I believe there's one train daily between Lisbon and Madrid. Ground-transportation options between the two countries are extremely limited. Flying usually works out to be the best option.
As others have said, putting Cordoba in the middle of your itinerary will make the most sense. Most train routings between Seville and Granada go through Cordoba, anyway, and trains into and out of Granada aren't as numerous as those to Cordoba and Seville. Only needing to take one train into or out of Granada may simplify your transportation planning a bit.
You can check Spanish rail schedules on the Renfe website. Ticket prices for the fast trains can be a bargain if purchased really early. I don't think all trains for your time period are on sale yet, but you can check current prices for trips in December. For Seville, use Sevilla-Santa Justa as the origin or destination.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
Fly from Lisbon to either Sevilla or Granada, depending on schedule and cost. Consider the possibility of flying from either of those cities to Prague, either directly or through a hub. Take the train to Cordoba, then to your third city where, ideally, you can get a flight to Prague. Rome2rio makes it easy to explore these options, but do any bookings with the carriers themselves.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
1700 posts
You can definitely fly TAP Airlines from Lisbon to Seville.
In 2017, this was the order of our itinerary, and number of nights. We flew into Madrid from Marseille. Then took either train or ALSA bus to the other destinations.
Madrid - 4 nights
Toledo - 1 night
Cordoba - 2 nights
Granada - 2 nights
Malaga - 2 nights
Seville - 4 nights
Then we flew home (Boston) from Seville via TAP Airlines.
In each destination, I wish we had an extra night. Never enough time.