Huge thanks for all the replies and suggestions in my original post asking for itinerary help. It really helped us form a plan on what we want to focus on this trip. We have decided to include Barcelona for 3 nights then take a flight down to either Granada or Seville to explore this region. Is one airport easier than the other? Our new itinerary looks like this:
Barcelona 3 nights
Flight to either Seville (3 nights) or Granada (2 nights)
Train to Ronda (1 night)
Train to Cordoba (2 nights)
Train to Toledo (1 night)
Train to Madrid (3 nights with day trip to Segovia)
Flight home from Madrid.
ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!! Lori
Posted by
Sevilla
5 posts
Hi Lori,
Regarding the airport, you may want to have a look at Seville's airport better than Granada, there are more flights and it is normally cheaper.
Here is a point you may want to consider, the train connection within the cities of the region of Andalucía isn't too good, it is slow, expensive and some cities don't even have connection. To give you an idea, there is no train from Sevilla to Ronda, the train from Sevilla to Granada takes 3 hours and 15 minutes (which is very long if you look at the distance) and costs 30€ per person. To travel within Andalucía I would recommend either the bus (if you want to save money) or the car (if you want to save time). Actually here is the itinerary I would recommend:
Sevilla: Arriving at the airport from Barcelona
Sevilla-Ronda: No train here, you need to either take the bus with a change in Jerez de la Frontera (a bit long though) or hire a car. You can see bus tickets on "autobuses.costasur.com".
Ronda-Granada: If you're going to Andalucía you can't miss Granada it's awesome. From Ronda to Granada you can take either the bus or the train but once again, the bus is faster and cheaper. You can check tickets on Gopili.com
Granada-Cordoba: My recommendation is that you keep either Cordoba or Sevilla as your last destination in Andalucía because you will then be able to take the high speed train to Madrid. From Cordoba to Madrid it takes only 2 hours, you can book your train on "Renfe.com". From
Granada to Cordoba, the bus takes 2 hours and 30 minutes and the company is "Alsa.com".
Cordoba-Madrid: To go to Toledo from Cordoba, you will either have to stop in Madrid or to take a slow train (3 hours long). I would actually recommend you stay in Madrid and plan a 1 day trip to Toledo. Madrid-Toledo is only 33 minutes by train.
Alright, I hope that helps.
Baptiste
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Flying in to Granada is best I think. If you chose Sevilla it would most likely mean you would have to take a slow train from Granada back to Madrid.
Train from Granada to Ronda
TRN13064 Dep 12:45 GRANADA (Spain). Arr 15:45 RONDA (Spain)
Train from Ronda to Córdoba
ALT 9367 Dep 10:09 RONDA (Spain). Arr 12:01 CORDOBA-CENTRAL (Spain)
45min Train from Córdoba to Sevilla
2hr 30min Train from Sevilla to Madrid
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15784 posts
I would not want to miss Granada. If you fly there, then you can take a train either to Ronda or straight to Seville. Then Cordoba, Toledo and Madrid. If I had to choose 2 out of 3, I'd keep Seville and Granada and drop Ronda. I enjoyed Ronda, but I liked both Cordoba and Toledo much more.
The trains between Seville and Madrid stop in Cordoba, so it makes more sense to see them in that order than to backtrack, though it's less than an hour's ride between Seville and Cordoba.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Chani, I don't think one of them is being dropped, just a choice for which one as a gateway airport.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thank you all for your replies! I think we have decided on flying into seville but would really appreciate any suggestions on hotel stays and things to do. really appreciate all the advice!
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15784 posts
I love the Alcazar in Seville. Visit the cathedral early, when they open to avoid the crowds - take a few photos without lots of people (if that's your thing), then be among the first to climb the tower for the views. See a performance at La Casa de Flamenco. Eat lots of tapas, try a few wines.
I stay at the Amadeus Hotel. Lovely place, excellent location. Sadly RS tours have started using it so it's harder to get a room (and maybe that will boost the prices too).