Hello. This is my first post; I have been reading this forum for months planning our upcoming trip to Spain. Thank you so much to all who have answered so many questions over the years. This site is a hugely valuable resource!
We are a family of 5 (myself, husband, husband's mom, our two kids ages 13 and 12) traveling to Spain in April 2018. I have been to Spain twice; it is the first time the rest will have been there. Our itinerary is as follows:
Monday 4/16 Arrive Madrid early a.m.; travel directly to Toledo (2 nights).
Tuesday 4/17 Toledo
Wednesday 4/18 morning train to Sevilla (3 nights). Afternoon/evening in Sevilla, sightseeing
Thursday 4/19 Day trip to Jerez de la Frontera. Horse show, bodega tour
Friday 4/20 Sevilla. Feria, sightseeing
Saturday 4/21 Morning in Sevilla, sightseeing. Afternoon bus to Granada (6 nights)
Sunday 4/22 Granada
Monday 4/23 Granada. Alhambra
Tuesday 4/24 Granada. Day trip to Nerja (specific day depending on weather forecast)
Wednesday 4/25 Granada. Night visit to Alhambra
Thursday 4/26 Granada
Friday 4/27 Morning train to Madrid. Afternoon sightseeing in Madrid.
Saturday 4/28 1:00 flight back to US
I know not everyone would love this itinerary, but on my previous trips to Spain (whirlwind tours), Granada was my favorite place and I have always wanted to spend more time there. Originally we were only going to go to Toledo and Granada for 10 days total, but then I realized the Feria would be happening when we were in Spain, and who could pass that up?
My question for this post is: for those of you who have been to Jerez for the horse show, how much time should we allow to walk around the grounds before the show? Based on the train schedule for March (April 19 not available yet), we can arrive at either 9:35 or 10:44 for the 12:00 show. The gates open at 10:00. We are horse people, so we will happily arrive earlier if there is plenty to see. But we are also happy to sleep a little longer and catch a later train if there aren't 2 hours' worth of things to see before the show.
Also, this train is an MD train. Will there be food/snacks/beverages available for purchase on board, or should we plan on bringing our own?
Thanks very much for your help!
-- Deb