We have a trip planned for 15 nights in Spain in March. We fly in and out of Madrid, and we want to see Granada, Córdoba, Barcelona and Sevilla. What city would be best for Easter mass? Is there an order to the cities that would make train travel easier? Also, we're not too into art museums, so should we minimize time in Madrid?
Thanks in advance for any advice!
This is a prompt for you to recognise how little time you have whether four or five destinations when you include travel time. How many full days (not nights) will this be without the mostly lost entry and exit two days?
Presuming you are from North America, if not wanting Madrid why fly into there? Exit yes, but is not Barcelona available to you for entry? Look to a map and you can see Barcelona is out on a limb requiring extra travel time and expenditure to get back on your wish list track if entering through Madrid.
Without knowing what you want from 'best', Easter Mass will a fine vibe whichever cathedral or church you are in wherever, if that is your interest.
Whether they suit you I would not know, but surely you find attractions other than art museums that interest in Madrid?
Honestly, it's a little late for planning Easter in Andalusia. Semana Santa (Holy Week) is high high season, especially in Seville and Malaga, with several processions every day. Even at the highest prices, many hotels are already booked solid.
Cordoba's celebrations are very low key. There is a very special procession in Granada on Easter morning, so hotel rates for Saturday night are sky high.
From all I've read, Barcelonans who want to enjoy Semana Santa head for other cities since there's nothing at all there, except church services.
As for practical matters, Barcelona is far from Madrid and Andalucia. There are fast trains to Madrid that take about 2 hours. Add another hour to get to/from the train station. If you can't change your plans to fly open-jaw, then it probably makes the most sense to visit at the beginning or end of the trip.
For Andalucia, do a loop from Madrid: Granada/Seville/Cordoba (either direction). They are upgrading the train tracks into Granada, so Renfe (the train company) has a special bus service between the Granada train station and Antequera for the trains to Madrid, Seville, Cordoba etc. There is about 15 minutes to transfer and it's easy. There are also modern tourist-class buses from Granada to those cities, which take about the same time. The difference is that they go from bus station to bus station.
Of all your cities, Madrid is the least interesting. The major draws are the art museums and the Palace. If you skip the museums, 2 days is plenty to get a taste and visit the Palace. There is a very good maritime museum too.
Yes, Madrid is the least interesting. The art museums are wonderful, and it is a good city...but with limited time, all the others are more interesting.
Flying in and out of Madrid doesn't make a ton of sense, but can be done. If you can change it...fly into Barcelona, out of Madrid. Or vice versa. Arrive in Madrid, on to Granada first day (3 nights), then Sevilla (4 nights), then Cordoba(2 nights), then, Barcelona (5 nights, then back to Madrid comes to mind. Cordoba to Barcelona will be a long train (or you could fly from Sevilla, just do Cordoba first, then Seville, then fly to Barcelona), but it's a faster train than the one out of Granada. Of course, this is complicated by when, exactly, Easter is in your trip. And if you can get a hotel (it's high season, very expensive!).
Two thoughts - Seville and Granada have very festive, extremely crowded Holy Week celebrations (the week leading up to Easter). It will be unique, but also crowded and expensive. Lots of processions, etc. Be prepared. Barcelona is much more low-key, which may be a plus or a minus. Just a cultural note - much of the festivities in Andalucia are Semana Santa (Holy Week), not Easter itself. Good Friday will be huge, but Easter Sunday Mass is comparatively less...celebrated. Of course there will be Mass, and it will be crowded, but it's not the main festival of the week.
Chani you exaggerate a bit, many hotels haven´t put their rates for Easter and many people book on last minute. There is still plenty of time to prepare for the trip. Check a month before and you´ll see plenty of rooms...
Domingo de Ramos is on march 20th. In Spain and spacially in Andalucia we celebrate the passion and death but resurrection is like another day. There are processions in Madrid and Barcelona but nothing compare to Andalucia. Easter mass? In any Cathedral there are Oficios - service easter.
Semana santa in Andalucia is about processions, from domingo de Ramos (palm sunday)) to domingo de resurección (every day about 8 processions)
The most importants in Andalucia are Sevilla and Malaga: (Timetable of the processions)
Málaga
http://agrupaciondecofradias.es/images/noticias/Itinerarios_Oficiales_2015.pdf
Sevilla
http://www.hermandades-de-sevilla.org/hermandades/horarios
Some videos of what semana santa is about. In Malaga Thursday morning there is the Landing of the Legion, the military come from Africa to accompany his patron, el Cristo de la Buena Muerte (the Christ of the Good Death)
In Sevilla there is the madrugá, processions that starts at midnight and finish the day after on friday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ursk1k6fifU
It depends on your dates as to where you are on Good Friday.
Also, your flights details out of Madrid may enable you to finish in Cordoba.
Not knowing, I would suggest ...
Day 1 - Arrive Madrid. Take AVE train to Cordoba (1 nts)
Day 2 - Train to Sevilla (3 nts)
Day 5 - Train to Granada (3 nts)
Day 8 - Fly to Barcelona (4 nts)
Day 12 - Train to Madrid (4 nts)
Day 16 - Fly home
You could take a night from Granada if you wanted to avoid the single night stay in Cordoba at the beginning.
Alternatively, head straight to Sevilla for 4 nights and make a day trip to Cordoba.
I would always recommend 4 nights in Madrid - with a full day for the sights, a full day for Toledo, leaving the 3rd day for either more museums or a trip to Segovia.
Thanks so much! Your advice has helped a lot.
So far I have the following:
March 17- Arrive Madrid
18 Madrid (friend meeting us from Rome)
19 Madrid (day trip to Segovia/Avila)
20 Madrid
21 travel to Granada, sleep Granada
22 Granada
23 Travel to Sevilla, sleep Sevilla
24 Sevilla
25 Sevilla (Good Friday)
26 Travel to Barcelona, sleep Barcelona
27-30 Barcelona
31 travel to Madrid, sleep Madrid
April 1, depart Madrid at 5pm
How does this sound?
I've looked at accommodations in each city for the above dates and there's plenty :)
Thanks again!
Maybe sqeeze in a night for Cordoba at the expense of Barcelona.
23 Travel to Cordoba, sleep Cordoba
24 Travel to Sevilla, sleep Sevilla
25 Sevilla (Good Friday)
26 Sevilla
27 Travel to Barcelona, sleep Barcelona
This does mean you travel Easter Sunday, which may not be the best thing.
It looks good.
I would make at least a little time for Cordoba. A night would be good, but at least a few hours to see the Mesquita. You could do this as a day trip from Seville (add a day to Seville if this is the plan, taking from Madrid or Barcelona), or see if it works out to stop on the way to Seville. That is, leave Granada by bus or train in the AM to Cordoba, stop and see the Mesquita, and then get an evening train to Seville. There are lockers in the Cordoba bus station for your luggage. I did this in reverse (Seville to Cordoba to Granada) once and it worked well.
The best advice I can give is avoid Barcelona during Easter week, not because of crowds but because there is nothing going on. The churches will have extra masses scheduled; other than that, however, you wouldn't know it's a holiday. Barcelona is the least religious city in the least religious part of Spain. Some Andalusian expats put on one procession on Good Friday, because they felt something was needed, but it's not even connected to the local church.
I had an incredible day on Holy Thursday in Zaragosa. It's very local, virtually no tourists, and very lively - I think 26 processions that go from midday until early the next morning. We found a great hotel overlooking one of the procession routes for under 100 euros. We had a great view of the processions from our balcony but the room was well insulated enough to sleep through the later ones. Valladolid is also pretty famous in Spain for their Easter week processions - so another non-touristy option.
Seville is famous internationally for their processions, so it's hard to go wrong. You should expect to pay extra for lodging because of the crowds that are attracted that week.
I find the train service in Spain is best in roughly a C shape that includes Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla, and Granada. There are also some spurs, such as to Toledo. The fast trains are expensive unless you book ahead. Beyond those routes a bus becomes your better public transportation option. Bus stations serve multiple competing companies, so it's more like an airport than Greyhound. Every bus station I visited had an English speaking information booth to help you navigate your options and book your tickets - you don't need reservations but I like to buy my tickets a day or so in advance, just so I can plan my travel day.
