First Time to Spain - Andalusia Itinerary Help

We didn’t visit Barcelona until our second trip to Spain, and haven’t returned there on past two trips to Spain. It is a large country. Concentrate on Andalucia and Madrid which is what you think of when you think of Spain. It will be a short amount of time for those places. Forget Morocco. Jerez is interesting but your time is too limited to add it. You have 11 days minus two travel days so you only only have nine days.
Yes to Madrid, Sevilla, Cordoba( La Mesquita( mosque turned into church, amazing) is a must see) and Granada with the Alhambra. Buy entrance tickets in advance. You must plan carefully to see all of these cities and their important historical and religious sites. Take the excellent high speed train between Sevilla and Madrid, vice versa. Also take this train for a day trip to Cordoba from Sevilla.

You didn’t mention how you intend to travel as that will affect where you go. That’s a lot to try and see in the time you have. One can spend 5 days in Barcelona by itself. Sevilla is worth 3 full days, Granada-2, Córdoba-1. There are a couple beaches directly south of Granada; Salobrena and Motril. I lived in southern Spain near Cadiz for almost 4 years and never made it to Barcelona. It wasn’t until a number of years later that we visited it. We return to Spain every few years and on each trip, focus on a different region since the country is so large. Don’t feel bad if you can’t see everything you want in one trip. Use your desire to see more as a reason to return on another trip.

Definitely don't try to cram Barcelona into this trip. It will keep. Enjoy your time in Andalucia. But do keep looking for first-hand reports on beaches, since they matter so much to you. There are a lot of places in southern Spain that are full of unattractive blocks of holiday apartments, English pubs and German beer joints. That area has been a budget package-tour destination for many decades, so you won't find low-key, off-the-beaten-path places just everywhere.

Thank you everyone for the quick and helpful responses! We plan to travel by bus and train - we do not want to rent a car. We plan on doing AirBNB for our stay and will split the cost with the other couple joining us.

How does this itinerary sound? Do I have the right order of towns or does it make sense to go in reverse? Also, in place of Malaga should I swap it out for a different beach town? If we wanted to see Cadiz, is that a day trip from somewhere?

Thank you everyone for the quick response and help! I really appreciate it. How does this itinerary sound?

(Day 1)
Arrive in Madrid at 8:30 pm via LAX to Madrid
Overnight stay in Madrid

(Day 2)
Overnight stay in Madrid - Or we could head to Granada for extra night somewhere else

(Day 3)
Overnight stay in Granada

(Day 4)
Overnight stay in Granada
Alhambra Tour

(Day 5)
Overnight stay in Malaga - Is there a different beach town we should swap out Malaga for? We will not have a car

(Day 6)
Overnight stay in Malaga - or a different beach town if suggested

(Day 7)
Overnight in Seville

(Day 8)
Overnight in Seville
Day trip to Cordoba via train (Visit La Mesquita)

(Day 9)
Overnight in Seville

(Day 10)
Travel from Seville to Madrid
Overnight in Madrid

(Day 11)
Leave via plane Madrid to LAX

We travelled with a rental car and bikes. Less than an hour drive or 1 1/2 hour bus from Granada are the Almunecar Beaches. This area is off the beaten track early spring. Once you hit Nerja the area becomes less beaten. Another beach that is off the beaten track is southeast of Seville, La Antilla area. This area has a small scale feel, full of locals, and young alternative families. The beach in May had a few toe tippers and children in suits.

If you wish to include Malaga fly out on your return trip. Fly into Granada and skip Madrid. Granada-Seville (Toledo day trip)-Malaga. Possibly fit Ronda in.

I stayed at AirBnB in Granada and Seville and am happy to share the weblinks with you if you like. Have fun planning!
Definitely try to fit in a day trip to Cordoba if you can - the Mezquita is really beautiful!

Not my favorite role but I have to be a Downer Debbie on your beach plans. Malaga is only 1 degree of latitude south of San Francisco, 2 of Washington DC. I was in Andalucia last year till the end of March and had only one day in Sevilla when I wished I'd had my sandals with me. I suspect you'll be lucky to find more than a kiosk or two at a beach in early April. And the water's icy cold. Cadiz is probably worse since it's on the Atlantic.

That being said, Andalucia is wonderful and you will barely scratch the surface in a week and a half. If you are saying 11 days away from home, including travel, that's Day 1 afternoon or evening departure from LAX, Day 2 land in MAD afternoon, train to first destination. Now you have Days 3-10 - that's 8 days, 8 nights - to plan, with your last night in Madrid to get your morning flight home on Day 11.

With 8 days, Sevilla, Granada and Cordoba is the most you can do.

Thank you for this advice. That makes sense and we definitely don't want to be cold. We didn't plan on going in the water and sunbathing but we did want to wander the beaches and see them. Are there beaches that are close to Seville or Granada as one day trips to just check out? What about Cadiz? We have gotten a lot of suggestions for that but I am confused as to whether that is a base location or a one day trip from somewhere else?

Thanks!

Correction to post La Antilla is southwest of Seville and side trip would be Cordoba from Seville. oops! Our trip in Andalusia was over 2 weeks with flying in and out of Granada.

We stayed 5 or more nights in La Herradura in the Almunecar area. We rented a two bedroom apartment from ex-pats in the area. In early May there were plenty of warm, blue sky days. There also were some grey days. We rode north, east and west. There are fortifications, roman aqueducts, caves, white villages, funeral ruins and not whole lot of night life. The Alpurjar area is a bit strange for us. La Herradura is a small community. To the west are isolated beaches with a hike up and down. Pick your poison, some, clothes are optional. Almunecar is bit more upscale with a beachfront promenade. Note early May is off season. We had no problem finding good options for dinner out. We did a quick stop at La Antilla. I would not mind spending a few days here to enjoy the beach. Cyclist were out riding.

With just ten nights you need a little more focus, otherwise you may feel like a headless chook running all over the place.

1. ARRIVE Madrid (3N)
2. Madrid
3. Day to Toledo
4. Train/bus to Granada (2N)
5. Granada (Alhambra)
6. Train to Seville (4N)
7. Seville
8. Day to Cordoba (Mezquita)
9. More Seville (or day to Jerez/Cadiz)
10. Train to Madrid (1N)
11. DEPART Madrid

djp_syd - Thank you for that outline. I like those suggestions. I think I am getting myself all over the map because I want to make sure we at least see the beautiful beaches somehow and the white town villages. I understand we will be too cold for swimming but we wanted to at least scope them out for their beauty and because we are all beach people.

Do you know if it matters which we do first - seville or granada? I read somewhere that folks prefer to start with Seville to avoid the 4hour travel time at the start so I had swamped my order.

Haha. Never ask an Australian to pass comment on beaches in other parts of the world. Lol.

Ashleigh,

I’d suggest traveling directly to Córdoba on your day of arrival, spending 1-2 nights there ( a great place to get over jet-lag) then taking the train or Alsa Bus to Granada (2N). After visiting Granada, travel to Sevilla (4N), via train or bus (I prefer the Alsa bus) with day trip to Jerez or Cadiz. I’d leave Madrid (3N) to the end of your trip.

Make sure you book your Alhambra tickets three months in advance for best time selection.

You may also start booking your train tickets, for best prices, as soon as you firm up your itinerary.

What dates in April do you plan to travel?

April is a month full of festivities celebrated in the cities of Andalucia, such as Semana Santa (Holy Week), Easter, & Feria de Abril ( Spring Fair), so you’ll want to make sure to book your accommodations early.

Enjoy your trip!

Edited to add this helpful website with information about Sevilla's Spring Fair

Semana Santa ends on April 1 and Feria in Sevilla starts two weeks later, so you'll miss the festivals, no worries about crowds and rooms. I thought the beaches around Malaga were kind of dreary. Cadiz was much nicer for scenery - just go on sunny days. There are sights to see as well. It's about an hour by train from Sevilla so quite easy for daytripping.

Nothing is really near Granada. Other day trips from Sevilla - Jerez (horse show, tours with tastings at sherry bodegas), Arcos (lovely hill town if it's sunny).

Hi All,

We have decided to omit Barcelona. It's just going to make everything so much more stressful and after talking with you all, it's best to table that for another time. Plane tickets have been purchased already - we fly in/out of Madrid because they were the most affordable. How does this itinerary sound:

April 4th Arrive in Madrid at 7:20pm/ Overnight in Madrid
April 5th Overnight in Madrid
April 6th Overnight in Madrid (Day trip to Toledo)
April 7th Train to Seville (Stop in Cordoba)/Overnight in Seville
April 8th Overnight in Seville
April 9th Overnight in Seville (Day trip to Cadiz)
April 10th Overnight in Seville
April 11th Overnight in Granada
April 12th Overnight in Granada (Tour of Alahambra)
April 13th Train/Plane to Madrid/Overnight in Madrid
April 14th Leave Madrid at 7:10am

Thanks everyone! I always look forward to your helpful replies :)

Given your flight arrival time, it seems like the optimal plan. Well done, Ashleigh!

What are your thoughts if we did one less night in Seville and stayed one night in Jerez (while visiting Cadiz when there). This would free up a day in Seville for us, but we would be losing one night in Seville.

Thoughts?