Hello, everyone!
I have posted before about advice on our trip to Southern Span, and we have narrowed it down to the following cities.
Our dates are, we will arrive in Spain late on 9/21 - 9:30 ish and our flight out of London Heathrow leaves on the afternoon of Oct 6th.
we will be flying into Spain from London Heathrow, so we can either fly into Madrid, start our trip in Madrid and move our way south. We are interested in the following cities, Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Ronda, Sevila, Malaga and Cordova. We can fly back to LHR from Malaga or Seville so we don't have to backtrack to Madrid or vice versa. There are a few places that are a must, Seville and possibly Malaga. We are interested in doing the Caminito del Rey tour. We have seen in a couple of different places where they have bike tours, we like riding bikes so riding around the city sounds fun. We are very interested in Granada and seeing the Alhambra. The white Village in Ronda seems interesting. We like walking, checking out old towns, some museums would be ok, but not our primary interest. We like food. We like the Ocean. We do like seeing historical buildings, like Churches and Cathedrals. We don't want the pace to be super slow but also don't want it to be super fast where we are changing cities and hotels every other night. So, to all of the Spain experts, give me your advice on an itinerary and what you think is reasonable to see and do. Thank you so much! I have been reading so many different posts and this forum is such a gift to those of us that are going to Spain for the first time.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8555 posts
so we can either fly into Madrid, start our trip in Madrid and move our way south.
It seems you were going to mention another city to fly into. Is Malaga a must see or only possibly a must see? If Malaga is a must see then fly into Sevilla or Malaga and skip Madrid and Toledo altogether on this trip. If it isn’t a must see, then you can add them back into the equation.
By September the trains in that area should all be running regularly again, but their status is something to be aware of. You may want to look at bus schedules for getting to where you’re going.
Pick the sites you want to see in each city/town to come up with a reasonable number of nights to spend in each place and don’t forget to figure in travel time between locations.
Posted by
9937 posts
My favorite cites in Spain are Toledo and Seville. Don't miss them.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
2302 posts
Here is a possible itinerary that is based on our itinerary to Madrid, Toledo, and Andalusia: (This assumes you have 15 nights on the ground.) This was a reasonable itinerary for us.
Madrid - 4 nights
Toledo - 1 night
Cordoba - 2 nights
Granada - 2 nights
Malaga - 2 nights
Seville - 4 nights
I didn't include Ronda since we didn't go there. You could either visit as a day trip or spend 1 night, if you have the time. You might want an extra night in Toledo, if you have the time.
Posted by
6766 posts
You have to write it out day by day like kmkwoo so helpfully has done — always start with that step, and your planning will go so much easier! It helps others provide advise too, as many will skip right over when it’s several paragraphs.
Posted by
10 posts
Ronda is lovely but small. One day/night is plenty. And I’d recommend stopping in one of the Pueblos Blancos nearby as well. We drive from Sevilla to Zahara de la Sierra to Ronda in one day, then Ronda to Antequera to Granada the next.
Posted by
OP
CA
39 posts
Thank you everyone for such great advice. This is exactly what I needed and after reading everything, we are going to use a lot of what was suggested for our trip. I think Malaga may be a must do as we really want to take that hike along the gorge.
If anyone has any other suggestions on places to stay, things to do or places to eat in these cities, I am open to any advice anyone has. We are of course going to do the big tourist things in each of these cities, but if anyone has info on an out of the way place or someplace that only locals know about, I would love any extra tips. I have the hotel booked for Madrid and I am working on the other cities over the next few days.
Thank you again!! This forum is so helpful and it's so nice of you all to take the time to share your insight.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
2302 posts
I agree that Malaga sounds like a must-do for you. You mention that you like the ocean, so Malaga is a good choice for coastal ambiance. There is a very attractive seaside promenade. You can have drinks by the port and watch the sun set. For activities, besides the hike that you want to do, I highly recommend walking up to the top of the Alcazaba, where there is a small Nasrid Palace. The walk to the top is gorgeous! The Malaga Cathedral is interesting; there are many small art museums, including the Picasso Museum. You can wander and sample food at the Atarazanas Market.
For Seville, in addition to the Real Alcazar and the Cathedral, we enjoyed the Casa di Pilates, a small palace that was not very crowded when we were there; it's an oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of Seville. Be sure to visit the gorgeous Plaza de Espagna. And take a walk through Triana. Visit the market in Triana.
In addition to the Mezquita in Cordoba, explore the Juderia. We loved the gardens of the Alcazar. We also like Palacio de Viana with its 12 patios. Walk across the Roman Bridge at night.
Make sure you reserve your Alhambra tickets well in advance. I also recommend visiting the Alhambra at night, in addition to the day visit.
Posted by
OP
CA
39 posts
Thank you, these are great stops to keep in mind and I am sure that we will stop in some of these places.
I think we have decided to make Toledo a day trip from Madrid, but when my husband and I were talking about it, we were wondering if it wouldn't just be easier to spend the night in Toledo and not go back to Madrid. From what I understand we can take the fast train from Madrid to Cordoba? The way we have it scheduled now, we would arrive late the 21st in Madrid, 22nd is easy day, 23rd Madrid, 24th , day trip to Toledo and go back to Madrid in the evening, head to Cordoba on the 25th and spend the night in Cordoba on the 25th. Anyone have any thoughts on just going to Toledo on the 24 since we will have the 22nd and 23rd in Madrid?
Thank you everyone! I am so appreciative of all your advice!
Posted by
Jacksonville, Florida
298 posts
I think you're going to have a fantastic trip.
You listed 7 cities and you have 14 days. That seems like too many to me. It seems like you are going to be spending a lot of time going from one place to another. If you have to move 6 times, that's a huge chunk of those 14 days.
I saw someone suggest this schedule:
Madrid - 4 nights
Toledo - 1 night
Cordoba - 2 nights
Granada - 2 nights
Malaga - 2 nights
Seville - 4 nights
That means,
Madrid - 4 nights
half a day on the train
Toledo - 1 night
half a day on the train
Cordoba - 2 nights
half a day on the train
Granada - 2 nights
half a day on the train
Malaga - 2 nights
half a day on the train
Seville - 4 nights
Could you split this into 2 trips? Like Rick Steves says, assume you will return.
Whatever you do, have a great time. Spain is a wonderful place to visit.
Posted by
OP
CA
39 posts
It does seem like a lot and we are discussing that as well. Do we prioritize a slower pace and do fewer stops or try to see more and deal with the pace. Thank you !
Posted by
Washington DC
30563 posts
The thing is, while a faster pace allows you to see (parts of) more cities, it doesn't allow you to see more sights. All those hours spent sitting on trains--you're not seeing much then. I love Spain, but it has quite a lot of relatively dull scenery in some areas. It's not like you're traveling through the Alps between Madrid and southern Andalusia.
Posted by
OP
CA
39 posts
That is a very good point. Another reason why these comments are so helpful for people like me that have not been to the area.
Would any of you suggest renting a car and driving from Seville to Granada and then to Malaga and dropping off the car in Malaga? We have a lot of experience driving in other countries, so we feel comfortable driving in Spain even from what we have read. I know parking is an issue. Just wondering if a car, since it's just the two of us, if that might help slow things down.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
2302 posts
I personally would not rent a car for the places you suggest. The trains are fast trains and will get you there very quickly. It is very stressful driving in these cities with very narrow lanes. And parking can be very stressful. Many of these cities have pedestrianized areas, too. The trains are clean, modern, efficient, and comfortable.
If the train schedules don't suit you, there are also the ALSA buses, which we took several times. They are clean, efficient, air conditioned and very comfortable, more comfortable than buses in the US.
I think the only destination where it would be beneficial to have a car is Ronda. We didn't go there so I'm not sure. Perhaps there is bus service to Ronda. You would have to research that.
Also want to clarify that the train ride from Madrid to Toledo is 30 minutes. Of course, you need time to get to the train station, but it's not like getting to airports hours in advance. You don't need to be at train stations that early.