Help with Itinerary- Andalucia

When we visited Andalusia we started in Sevilla and then picked up a car at the train station and drove to Granada visiting some of the white villages (including Ronda) on the way. We turned in the car when we arrived Granada at the train station. After Granada we stopped in Cordoba and stayed two nights (and wished we'd stayed 3)

Unless things have changed, and I suspect they haven't, you will have to take a train back to Madrid to go from Toledo to Sevilla. It is what it is, the only way to get to or from Toledo via train is thru Madrid. If you plan to take an AVE train, you can save money by buying the tickets in advance.

We didn't see many wineries between Sevilla and Granada. If you want to do it on your own, do some research and make a reservation. We do have a tendency to get lost on occasion. We had no issues getting from Sevilla and Granada and driving thru the white villages.

Thank you Jules M- Did you keep the car while in Granada or drop off right away? I have read that Granada is not the best for driving around. Do you recommend any particular car rental place?

yes, we turned in the car at the Granada train station on the edge of town. We rented thru AutoEurope and ended up with Europcar.

Seville to Granada by car, with stops, would make sense if you want to see some of the towns along the way. You might try to get GPS with the car or, if you have data service there, use Google Maps or another app for routing. Whether this makes economic sense depends on your budget and the size of your group (how many train tickets if no car?).

If you take the train between Seville and Granada, you stop (and maybe change) in Cordoba. If all you want for Cordoba is a day trip, it may be more efficient to do that en route instead of while you're staying in Seville. You could exchange your last night in Seville for one in Cordoba to make this easier.

Can't help you with drivers/guides, but 1700 euro is a ridiculous price for a day trip -- anywhere, really.

Hi, if we took the train it would only be two tickets, so economically probably similar. I did read that Spain requires some additional documentation when driving? Is Spain difficult to drive in, in that area? I would probably do as the poster above suggested and drop off the car as we get to Granada, as I don't think we will need it there.
In your opinion, is there one town that stands out besides Ronda?

You will need an International Driver's Permit (IDP) Most people get them at AAA. If you belong to AAA its free. If you do not, its about $25.

No, you don't want to drive in Granada. If you leave Sevilla from the train station, its pretty easy, and then turn in the car in Granada at the train station which is before city center. It is fairly easy mountain driving between Sevilla and Granada. I would advise not driving in the dark.

In terms of the white villages, I would look at a map in see what is most convenient. We stayed two nights in Grazelema. Arcos de la Frontera is pretty, and larger. If you go there I would not try to drive up to the top and park by the church. I'd recommend parking below and walking up. Zahara is quite small, but we felt very interesting and quite attractive. Sentenil, is attractive and fascinating, as its built under an overhanging rock. Grazelema is also pretty, especially the views as you approach the town. Its bigger than Zahara, smaller than Arcos. Grazelema is higher up in the mountains and is surrounded by national park land.

I did a very similar trip. However, you will pass through Cordoba going to Sevilla or coming back from Granada. So it makes for a good intermediate city to stay to break up the trip rather than a day trip.

They may have put in new track since I was there in 2020 but the trip was Sevilla to Granada was fairly time consuming on slower tracks. And thats why I used Cordoba as stop over night coming from Granada. Then I blew through Madrid and onto Barcelona the next day. It was too much to do that all in one day.

Also I believe Toledo looks like its on the way to Sevilla, but actually its on a side track, and to get to Cordoba or Sevilla, you might have to backtrack to Madrid then take another line down. Perhaps that has changed, but check the route. For that reason, it makes more sense to do a day trip to Toledo out of Madrid.

I really enjoyed hanging around Granada, visiting the fortress, and walking up the hill to the gypsy caves. But dining was not very good or classy there.

Also, I would see if you can stay longer in Sevilla and do a day trip to Jerez or Cadiz.

Also, taking the train from Sevilla to Granada, I don't recall seeing any cool villages on the way, nor wineries. It seemed to be a rugged slightly mountainous region - and thats why the train route is so indirect. I believe the cool Andalusia villages are mainly to the south and SE of Sevilla. I would guess there is a huge mountain range separating the areas.

I think Cordova is worth one day but no more. The mosque/cathedral is very impressive and will take an hour. Except for that, nothing to special. The Roman bridge is big but not very photogenic and feels like it's been reconstructed. On the other hand, Sevilla is a place you can spend a long time, and also do day trips.

Toledo is on a spur rail line connected only to Madrid.

I totally disagree about Cordoba. I find it charming city with plenty of things to see. If I were at home I'd paste my list of Cordoba sights into this response, but I am traveling and don't have access to that information.

Cordoba is amazing. In some ways we liked the mezquita more than the Sevilla alcazar and the Alhambra. Don't get me wrong, absolutely do not miss the Alcazar and the Alhambra, but the mezquita is very unique. Inside you are in both a catholic cathedral and a mosque. We have lovely pictures of the Roman bridge and the mezquita at the golden hour. We did a walk (RS guide) in the stunning Jewish quarter and visited the historic synagogue. We peeked into a bunch of stunning patios. We spent two nights there and could have spent another.

We did a very similar trip in 2022, and loved it. We got a car leaving Seville (after 5 nights) and went through Cadiz and a couple of other stops before driving into Granada. You definitely do not want a car in Granada. We dropped it off at the train station. We took the train from Madrid to Seville, 5 nights Seville, several days driving around (including a day stop in Ronda), and ended in Granada, with train back to Madrid in 3 days. We did a day trip via train from Seville to Cordoba. We did not have any trouble driving around, Google Maps is your friend. Have a wonderful time!

This could be of help:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/cordoba-spain-trip-report

Thank you all so much for your insights-- I think we are hoping to go to Cordoba and do a day there from Sevilla; Then we will focus on Sevilla for a few days and then we have scheduled a drive to the White villages - three of them, including Ronda- and the driver will drop us off in Granada- a great way not to lose a day in traveling I think, from Sevilla to Granada. BTW, I found a guide who was SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than the 1700 Euros I referenced and was recommended from a reputable source. Still working on what the day in Cordoba will look like-- sounds like the Mosque/Cathedral is a must-

This whole area seems so beautiful- so hard to choose what to see-- we are hoping to really explore Sevilla so haven't booked anything major there yet-- does it make sense to book ahead for the Alcazar? Or can we do that when we get there ?
Thank you all again for the help! This is a last minute trip we decided to go on after a very difficult year so we are really looking forward to it! :)

We are renting a car for the day driving from Granada to Sevilla stopping off at one of the white villages. Could you share the driver you found and the approximate cost? We may opt for a driver instead. Thanks!

If time is of the essence, I would just stop in Cordoba and put your bags in a locker, and visit the mosque for 2 hours and have lunch, then hit the road to Sevilla.

Going from Sevilla to several villages to Granada all in a day I think is a bit much - tiring and short time in each place.

You can take a one hour train from Sevilla to Jerez and then to Cadiz where Ceasar once lived and where the conquistadors all came from.

I guess you need a full free day in Granada since you will be traveling the whole day to get there. The Alhambra is maybe 2 hours. Then I would hike up to see the gypsy caves. It's bizarre where you are on a dirt hillside, and you see a little cooking exhaust coming up through the dirt.

In Sevilla, there are so many sights - the Plaza de Espana is a place you can hang out for a long time listening to the live music and watching the flamenco dancing, or ride a boat. There is the wooden mushroom building, the largest gothic cathedral and the islamic fortress, and even Roman ruins outside the city. But my favorite experience was in the old town winding alleys, I found a little guitar bar and bought tickets for a live flamenco show in the small venue.

I struggle to imagine spending only 2 hours at the Alhambra. It is a large complex, not a single building. I know I spent over half a day there--maybe as long as 6 hours, and I took no meal break. One full day in Granada will allow time for the Alhanbra and some walking around. It will not be long enough for a relatively complete visit to the city, any more than a visit to the Mezquita and lunch provides a good look at Cordoba. Quick visits like that to major destinations usually mean the traveler is spending a lot of time traveling from place to place instead of actually seeing things.

For folks who are driving rather than taking the train, Cordoba isn't really on the way between Seville and Granada.

Hello everyone and I’m going to share our plan … keeping in mind we like slow travel! We are retired and can take our time to poke around. Not planning on renting a car and using local transportation and twins for the big distances. We will be spending 2 weeks in Andalusia, a week at the foot hills of Granada near Monochil. Seeing the sights of Granada and enjoying hiking, olive oil and wine tours, and the county side outside the city! Training to Ronda, 3 days, training to Seville, 3 days… then flying to Porto for a Douro River cruise… I have interest in Cadiz and not sure if that will happen… anyway, this will be in late October and November… should we day trip to the beach or too late in the season? If so, where? Enjoy your adventures! Thanks!