Drive from Granada to Madrid - early AM?

There is no way I would attempt that, but I am risk-averse when it comes to $$$$ non-changeable (I assume) airline tickets. The financial penalty for missing that flight would be horrendous. The airport is on the north side of Madrid, and ViaMichelin estimates 4:45 driving time from Granada without knowing your actual starting point. Others have reported that it can take longer to pick up and drop of cars in Europe than it does in the US, so I wouldn't know how much extra time to build in for that.

We're talking about Easter Sunday. Who knows whether traffic would be heavier that day than on a typical Sunday. If you don't want to drive back Saturday evening (I have no idea what traffic conditions would be like), you could go earlier in the day and stop off in Toledo, then spend the night out by the airport.

In my view, you're trying to cover far too many destinations in nine nights.

Thanks acraven for your response!

Spending the night in Toledo is actually a great idea! I'll look into that, we would avoid the big city and still be close enough to the airport (my wife would certainly agree to that!)... Regarding the itinerary mentioned we are not visiting all those towns I wrote, just that we are doing the loop... where we stay exactly and how long is still to be determined (we like stays of 2-3 nights in any specific town)... Tangier is definitely one daytrip we'd like to do... I appreciate your feedback!!

Alex

Hi Alex,

I think this is cutting it too close, not to mention that getting up and driving to Madrid at 3:00 a.m. would make for a very long and tiriing trip home! I strongly suggest you stay in the Madrid the night before. You could drive from Granada to Madrid the day before, drop the car and have a more relaxed final night and morning before heading home.

I also think you have too many destinations for only 9 nights. I would cut Tangier and just visit 3 cities; Madrid-Granada-Sevilla, with one final night in Madrid before flying home. Which order you do the trip is really a matter of personal preference, but you could consider doing it in the opposite direction: Picking up the car in Madrid or even Toledo, then driving to Granada and dropping the car when you arrive in Sevilla (such as at the airport). Then take the train to Madrid on your last afternoon. It's faster than driving (2.5 hours) and there are trains hourly. You can get advance-purchase tickets cheaper online through RENFE - www.renfe.com.

buen viaje!

I wouldn't do it

The roads between Granada and Madrid are highways in good condition so theoretically you would be ok. However you never know if there is road work (someone living locally would know a bit more but these things pop up), an accident that blocks the highway, or other difficulty.

You have too many destinations. In 9 nights I would do Madrid, Córdoba, Sevilla, Granada. Even that is pushing it, trying to go to Morocco is way too much I think.
So you are starting in Madrid. 2 nights. On to Granada. 2 nights. To Sevilla. 3 nights. To Córdoba. 1 night. Late in the evening leave Cordoba and get to a hotel near Madrid airport. Stay near the airport and be set for your flight. Reverse the order, doesn't matter.

You could fly from Granada or Sevilla to Madrid. I did this once - a 7AM flight got me there in plenty of time for an 11:30 flight. Of course I booked this on one ticket so a cancellation in Granada would have been covered by the airline.

You need to be at Barajas airport by 9am.
If you leave from Granada you'd need to leave at around 3:30 am at the latest, because the drive is 5 hours plus pit stops.
So, I live in the south SF Bay Area. If had to catch a flight to Europe from Los Angeles (LAX) at 11:35, would I drive the 5+ hours to LAX the same morning? Hell no!! What if you have a flat tire? Or what if there is a traffic accident that causes a traffic jam? That plan is insane even to consider. The risks are too great.
And if you are visiting only those cities (Madrid, Granada, Sevilla, Cordoba), I'm not even sure it makes sense to rent a car. You can't use it in any of those cities. 4 AVE train tickets may seem expensive, but once you consider you'd save rental fees, gasoline, tolls, driving effort, in the end you might be better off using trains. I'd rent a car only if you want roam around Andalucia, renting in Sevilla. But frankly you only have 9 nights and 4 of those you need to spend in Madrid (or nearby Toledo), from the night of Apr 7 (arrival day) to the night of Apr 9 (match Real-Atletico), then again the night before your flight home on Apr 15. So you are left with only 5 nights for everything else.
Sevilla is a must in my book (so 3 nights there), Granada for the other 2 (or viceversa). That's all folks!!

I would do:
APR 7 - Arrival. Go straight to Toledo. 1 nights.
APR 8-9 - Madrid nights (the match Real Atletico could be in the evening of Apr 9)
Apr 10 - Go to Sevilla for 3 nights (Apr 10, 11, 12)
Apr 13 - Go to Granada for 2 nights (Apr 13, 14)
Apr 15 - Back to Madrid. Spend the night
Apr 16 - Fly home

Is a car needed for the above? Nope.

I would prefer driving.

Alex,

It's not a good idea to drive the morning of your flight from so far away. Anything can happen & you'll miss your flight.

I like Roberto's suggested itinerary & you don't really need to rent a car for such.

You can book your train tickets way in advance (60-90 days) at considerable savings here: http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html

Thanks all for your responses... Hmmm... you all agree that Tangier might be pushing it... and that driving from Granada the return day is crazy!... Well, that's the kind of answers I was looking for... Roberto, thanks for the itinerary proposed, but given that we arrive aprox. at 10:00 AM, I don't think we need to stay in Toledo the first night and then in MAD the next 2 nights... I'd rather just stay 3 nights in MAD.

Also, we'd like to drive to a couple of the Andalucian towns, Ronda comes to mind with its breathtaking views... These can be done while in Granada or Sevilla, correct? ... I have the impression it's like driving in Tuscany, we did that a couple of years ago, and we loved it!

Great feedback! This gives me a great reference to plan our itinerary...Thanks again!
Alex

Alex,

Also, we'd like to drive to a couple of the Andalucian towns, Ronda
comes to mind with its breathtaking views... These can be done while
in Granada or Sevilla, correct?

You could get the car before leaving Sevilla & then drive to Zahara, Grazalema & Ronda on the way to Granada.

Make sure you book your Alhambra tickets 3 months in advance for best option of desired time.

Thanks Priscilla! ... Good points...

I wouldn't do it.
You have to allow plenty of time at the airport, for one thing. On my most recent trip (May), I spent my last night at a hotel just across the road from the airport. My flight was slightly earlier than yours (11:05). My hotel had an hourly shuttle to the airport, so I chose the 8:00 a.m. Because someone had asked me just before I left, I kept track of how long everything took. By the time I had dropped my checked bag and gone through security, bought something to drink on the plane, gone through immigration, grabbed a last-minute souvenir for someone, and gone through the final passport/boarding pass check, I arrived at my gate just after 9:30. If I had chosen the 9 a.m. shuttle, I would have been rushing to board. There was no particularly long wait on this trip, either, but there can be.

But you also have a rental car to return. Granada is at least a four hour drive. Road construction? Heavy rain? Breakfast/potty stops? Missing an exit? Madrid traffic? Toledo is a better alternative, but it will still be at least a 90 minute drive, plus turning in your rental on top of the stops I mentioned above.

Thanks Nancy,

I think it's clear to me now from all the responses, that it's NOT a good idea to depart from Granada on the day of the return trip... I am not pleased at having to stay in Madrid both on the front end and the back end of the trip, but it would mean so much for my kids to watch this particular football (soccer) game... So, I'll have to plan on staying either in Madrid or nearby (Toledo)... That's the takeaway from my original question...

Thanks to all!
Alex

Just keep in mind is semana santa, very busy time in Seville, I don´t know if you will like processions...the most famous processions in Andalucia are in Seville and Malaga, look at the videos and you can make an idea what semana santa is...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJZ5G2RZ80E

I would recommend you:

APR 7 - Arrival. Madrid
APR 8-9 - Madrid 2 nights
Apr 10 - Go to Cordoba for 1 night (Apr 10)
Apr 11 - Go to Sevilla for 2 nights (Apr 11, 12)
Apr 13 - Go to Granada for 2 nights (Apr 13, 14)
Apr 15 - Back to Madrid from Granada or Malaga Airport - Check the time table
Apr 16 - Fly home

The roads during semana santa in Spain are quite busy, so I don´t recommend you to use the car. Use the AVE from Madrid to Cordoba and them Seville. Bus from Seville to Granada and book a flight to go from Granada to Madrid.

During Semana Santa it's going to be difficult to drive in some of the cities because streets will be closed off for processions every day, beginning on Palm Sunday.

I would go straight to Sevilla on arrival to sightsee there before Semana Santa starts. If that conflicts with the football game, then I'd consider skipping it - or maybe staying in Cordoba and daytripping there.

My goal was to drive during the whole trip (after leaving Madrid), but your comments have made me reassess ... the trip will be more enjoyable without the hassles of Semana Santa....

Quick follow-up: Some of you have said to remain the last night in Madrid, or in Toledo... there's a particularly nice charming hotel we've found in Toledo, I think it'll give a great "last flavor" of Spain prior to departure... can you provide tips transportation-wise to get to Madrid airport from Toledo?

Thank you!
Alex

Your flight is early enough that this is going to be a challenge and a $$$ taxi may come into play. When I suggested Toledo as a nice place to visit, I meant on the way back to a Madrid-area hotel; Toledo is lovely in the evening, but I wouldn't try to stay there the night before an international flight.

I've spent some time trying to find a solution that works for your flight-departure time, but I've had no luck. My first thought was "train" because there's very fast service from Toledo to Madrid-Atocha, and then trains from Atocha to the airport. What could be simpler? Well, it appears that the first train departs at 9:25 AM (I checked Sunday, October 2), which is not nearly early enough for you. Here's the web page for the Media Distancia schedules; scroll way down to find the input boxes for origin and destination.

Here's the look-up page for the Cercanias trains. Your origin would be Atocha; your destination, Aeroporto-T4.

There are also buses to Madrid and on to the airport, but the two solutions offered by Rome2Rio.com require two transfers, at least on Sunday. I can't imagine shepherding a family through those connections for a morning flight. The first ALSA bus departs at 7:59 AM, so that's not early enough for you, anyway.

There may be another transportation option out there--surely there are a lot of folks who would like to stay in Toledo before a flight out of Barajas--but I don't know what it is--besides taxis and rental cars, I mean. (Can you all fit into a taxi with your luggage?)

Unless someone else here comes up with a clever idea, I think you'll need to stay in Madrid the night before your flight.

Thanks for replying acraven... I really didn't want you to put a lot of work to figure out a way to stay in Toledo... I think the idea of visiting on the last day prior to leaving is the best solution... that'll be the plan then...

Thank you!
Alex

Not a problem. I was curious, and the results surprised me.

Alex,

Did you decide to fly from Granada to Madrid the day before your flight? Or will you be driving?
If you decide to drive, you won't have much time to visit Toledo.

Another option... If you fly to Madrid, stay at a hotel by the airport that offers courtesy shuttle to/from the airport. You can then decide to spend your last afternoon/ evening visiting Toledo or Madrid.

We stayed in Toledo at the end of our trip but then moved to NH Barajas Hotel the night before our flight home. It was great to be driven right to our terminal the morning of our flight ;-)

Thanks for your suggestions Priscilla!...
I still haven't decided how we'll be getting back to Madrid, but I like the idea of a quick return staying close to the airport...
I've also noted your suggestion of renting a car in Sevilla and driving to the nearby towns of Zahara, Grazalema and Ronda... I've seen pictures of Ronda and they're breath-taking... I get the impression driving thru the Andalucian towns is like driving through Tuscany...looking forward to that...

Thanks!

I haven't driven through Tuscany but I have driven through the hills of Andalucia. The roads are good 2-lane highways, but with limited opportunities to pass slow vehicles (trucks). There are frequent pullouts to admire beautiful views. Many pullouts are one-way so you can't enter/exit them if they are on the opposite side of the road. Don't worry, there will be others. Driving into some of the hill towns, especially the small ones, can be a bit challenging with steep narrow streets and sharp blind corners. GPS will be your friend getting in and out of the larger towns (Sevilla, Cordoba, Ronda, Granada. . . ).

Thanks Chani for your response.

We want to minimize the # of stays in hotels, and we only have 4 nights (5 days roughly) to visit Andalucia, my question is in which city/town could we potentially stay that would allow us to visit the big 3 (Sevilla, Granada and Cordoba) without having to stay in any one of those cities? I'm thinking of a city/town close enough to all of them, that a 2 hour roundtrip each day would take us back to the hotel... Just a thought... The mainstream idea is 2 nights in Sevilla, 2 nights in Granada, and zip through Cordoba... but my idea above is stay "in between" somewhere and still visit all... I don't mind the driving...

Thanks again!

A couple of thoughts.......
As a family of four it makes sense to rent an apartment for the following benefits:
Financially a better deal than two hotel rooms
More space
A kitchen
May have a clothes washer
A different experience than a hotel
Finding one place to base from is slightly challenging due to the depth of experiences available at your potential locations, but............
Consider basing out of Sevilla after the stay in Madrid. Doing so means unpacking one time and avoids the time lost in transitioning from one city to the next.
From Seville excellent train and bus service is available to all the locales you listed. Check out the website https://www.viamichelin.com/ to gain a better understanding of distances.
I do suggest spending a night in Granada.
I also suggest only two days in Madrid, unless you really love museums. Note: it is the third largest city in Europe and has one of the smallest tourist zones.
As a fan of real football I understand the desire to see a game, just make sure you can obtain tickets!

I don't see how you'd be able to limit your daily round trips from a central point to 2 hours, given that Rome2Rio says the driving time between Granada and Seville is 2:33. I haven't checked Via Michelin. The towns of Estepa and Antequera seem to be fairly near, but not at, the mid-point of that drive. I don't know anything about them except that Antequera has a train station. From Antequera, both Ronda and Cordoba would be roughly 1-1/2 hours away by car, according to Rome2Rio.

There's a fast-train connection between Cordoba and Seville, much faster than driving. There are frequent trains requiring just 45 or 46 minutes. Since there's no comparable quick connection between Cordoba and Granada, I think it would make more sense to base yourself in either Seville or Cordoba if you decide to stay in one of the large cities. If you want to visit Ronda, Seville would be better.

Thanks Marbleskies and acraven!

I just found the perfect solution, thanks to your feedback and Priscilla's a while ago on one of her comments!... I found an Iberia flight from Sevilla to Madrid on the evening prior to our departure, a 7 PM flight... We arrive at the airport and stay there at an airport hotel until our departure the following day... It's only $31.20 /pp... Now, I'm guessing we'll pay for our carry-ons, etc., but what a great deal!.. More importantly, it saves us precious time to enjoy comfortably both Granada and Sevilla, we've decided 3 nights in Granada, 2 nights in Sevilla...

Thanks to all, this forum provides invaluable advice and tips!
Alex

Alex,
I'd suggest spending 2 nights in Granada & 3 nights in Sevilla,
as there's more to do & see in Sevilla, but that's just my opinion.

It sounds like your trip details are working out nicely.