Cordoba, Spain, Better as a day trip out of Seville, or as an overnight stay

Having spent time in all 3 cities, you've made a good choice in original planning. You should definitely stay the night in Córdoba, as there are plentiful things to do in the city that warrant more than just a few hours. Just seeing La Mezquita and the Real Alcázar will take up a few hours, and Córdoba offers more than that. You'll also be able to slow down and enjoy Córdoba's great food and atmosphere. You've got the right idea in going to Granada. Personally, I preferred Granada to both Sevilla and Córdoba. Granada will require 2 days, as the Alhambra and Generalife gardens will take up half a day, which gives you the night to see a flamenco show. Tablao Albaycín offers a show with 1 free drink for 23 euros per person, and the quality is excellent. Best of luck in your travels.

Alec

Unlike the previous dude, I don't have anything to sell.
I'd still spend the night in Cordoba.

We stayed two nights in Cordoba but arrived very late on a Wednesday night so it was really just one full day. Loved it! We toured the Mezquita and strolled the alleys and streets, stopping at cafes for beers and wine. We ate dinner at https://www.facebook.com/BodegasMezquita. Fantastic restaurant with great potatoes bravas and croquetts. Hope you have a great time!! You get a free glass of wine if you "check in" on their facebook page while there!

Cordoba was the high point of our recent trip to Andalucia and we did it as a day trip from Seville, which is easy to do. We had an apartment for a week in Seville, which was too long and we didn't have enough time in Granada where we spent two nights. Cordoba is a great day trip from Seville to see the Mezquita, you can see our visit at www.janettravels.wordpress.com in the Spain category. But if I had to do it over again, I would spend a night or two in Cordoba. We strolled a bit of the old town near the Mezquita and looked into some of the patios (we didn't know before we went that Cordoba was famous for its patios, but it was obvious just walking around) It would have been fun to spend the evening, have dinner at a sidewalk cafe and see more of the sights in this charming town. So either way works -- but a night would be nice -- and you do need 3 nights/2 days to see the high points of Seville like the Alcazar, the Cathedral, climb the tower and visit Piazza Espana.

David, I wanted to alert you that the famous Seville Fair is May 6-11. So if you happen to be there then it is worth a visit. The fair is usually in April and is sometimes called the April Fair. I have no idea why it falls in May this year. It will also mean that the hotels will be fully booked during the Fair, so plan accordingly.

I landed in Madrid and trained straight to Cordoba for 2 nights before continuing to Seville. I loved Cordoba. There is a one-hour evening show at the Royal Horse Stables which I recommend . . . perhaps not as good as in Jerez, but since you won't be in Jerez . . .

There are direct trains from Seville to Granada. From Cordoba, you will have at least one train change.

I stayed one night. We drove there from Seville in a car we rented in Barcelona (weeks earlier), then dropped off the car and high speed trained the next day into Madrid (to end our trip).

It can be done as a fairly convenient stop by high speed train between Seville and Madrid, I'd give it at least four hours and use a taxi into town and back to make the most of your time.

I'm not partial to day trips, because I don't like losing time to backtracking at the end of the day.

I'd also vote for an overnight in Cordoba. The old town has a great atmosphere in the evening or early morning when the day-trippers aren't crowding the narrow streets in the oldest part of the town. In addition, you can easily use public transportation to reach Medina Azahara, the archaeological excavations of the 1000 plus year old Arab palace/town outside of Cordoba.