Hello! Trying to set up an itinerary for our time in Seville. My 19 year old daughter and I are arriving in Seville on a Sunday morning in March, departing the following Saturday morning. We are visiting a friend that is studying this semester in Seville. My daughter has 2 more college friends that are meeting up with us as well. We already have our hotel booked in Seville for 6 nights. We would like to take a day trip or two(maybe 2) (we will not be renting a car). We have heard a lot about Granada and the Alhambra and I know it will be a long day to travel there, sightsee and travel back to Seville but I hear it is worth it. We are also interested in Cordoba or Cadiz. Looking for some advice. It seems to me that we take the day and visit the Alhambra OR we take 2 smaller day trips - 1 day to Cordoba, and possibly 1 day to Cadiz. What are your suggestions? We have never visited Spain before but I also do not want to overdo it. Thank you for your replies!
Posted by
Washington DC
27109 posts
Cordoba out-ranks Cadiz by a mile. Either one will pretty much require use of a fast train, and those tickets can be rather pricey if bought at the last minute. Check Renfe's website to see what you might pay.
Some people enjoy visiting Jerez, which is closer than Cadiz. It has sherry bodegas and horse-related sights.
Personally, I don't think Granada is a good day-trip from Seville. The train/bus combo takes at least 4 hours. The bus is scheduled to take 3 hours. In both cases you must first get to the train or bus station. ViaMichelin estimates the driving time at about 3 hours with no stops, but you have to pick up the car (presumably the day before), park it in Seville, find a parking place in Granada, etc.
I believe you'll have difficulty getting tickets to the Alhambra at the regular price. March tickets have been on sale for several months, and the Alhambra regularly sells out months in advance. You may be able to find a local tour that includes tickets (be sure you get to see the Nasrid Palaces), or you could look for a tour from Seville. But this will be a tiring, probably expensive, trek in exchange for just a few hours in Granada, a city that deserves a lot more time.
Edited to add: Can you change your hotel reservation in Seville so you can spend at least one night in Granada?
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I agree with acraven. A day trip from Seville to Granada is difficult because of the logistics. If you can spend an overnight or two, then book your Alhambra tickets for either the afternoon you arrive or the morning after you arrive, your visit will go much more smoothly.
From Seville to Cordoba, you should look for AVANT trains. These are about as fast as the AVE trains, but much less expensive.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
5581 posts
If you are talking about this March, a trip from Sevilla to Granada would be brutal in my opinion because the train involves a transfer in Antequerra. A bus typically takes longer than a train and I find the buses less comfortable (my experience was a packed bus, and I had a suitcase and a backpack). As much as I feel the Alhambra is not to be missed, I wouldn't do a day trip from Sevilla. If you are needing another day trip besides Cordoba, you could think about a bus trip to Arcos de la Frontera (white hill town) or Jerez. Should you choose Cordoba, I would recommend staying late into the evening so you can enjoy the river, the beautiful old Jewish quarter and have dinner in Cordoba before you return.
EDITED to add, I think if you rented a car, 3 hours from Sevilla to Granada is pretty optimistic. We drove it, so I have some idea, however we visited the white villages and stopped for a night so we didn't do it in one stretch
Posted by
Chicago
1943 posts
I would spend 1-2 nights in Granada to see the Alhambra. While Seville is nice, I wouldn't miss the Alhambra and Granada also has many college students studying at it's universities.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6788 posts
Lots of good advice above. Heed it.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15582 posts
There are horse shows at the Royal Equestrian School in Jerez, 2-3 times a week. It's worth seeing even if you don't love horses (I don't). You need to buy tickets in advance. Take a taxi from the train station, another to the center for a sherry bodega tour (Tio Pepe's the most fun). It should be a 10-20 minute walk back to the train. The MD train takes 5-10 minutes longer than the faster ALVIA train, and same day tickets cost half the price, €11.50. I didn't check, but there may be a discount for same-day round-trip tickets.
Cadiz is about 1/2 hour longer on the train (or 1/2 hour from Jerez, so it's possible to combine the 2 in one day). The town is very walkable, the train station is near the historic center and another short walk to the beach. Choose a sunny day! You can a good bit of it in 4-5 hours.
Arcos is also possible. It's one of the white hill towns and well worth a half day (again a sunny one). Take the train to Jerez, then the bus to Arcos. The RS guide has a good self-guided walking tour.
The only must-do day trip is to Cordoba. Go early and stay late! There is so much to enjoy here. You may get a discount of about €10 on the AVANT or AVE trains (45 minute trip). Full price AVANT tickets are about €23. The Mezquita is a must-see. The Juderia is one of the best-preserved medieval centers in Andalucia and lovely to wander, especially after 7 pm when the shops close up and most of the day-trippers are gone. It's charming/romantic after dark and you're fortunate to be there in March when sunset is relatively early - around 7.30. There are horse shows at the Royal Stables - similar to those in Jerez, maybe 2-3 evenings a week, around 7 pm, last an hour.