Itinerary for Spain

There is a great deal to see in southern Spain. You need to buy a guidebook that covers that area comprehensively so you can choose the destinations that appeal most to your family. Seville and Cordoba are the other two major destinations in Andalucía. Those two can be reached by train or a bus/train combination; part of the rail line to Granada is still under construction. Ronda and some of the smaller white villages (like Arcos de la Frontera and Grazalema) are also popular stops.

The #1 attraction in Granada is, without a doubt, the Alhambra. It sells out very early, so you should check the ticket status now. The official ticket site has limited tickets available for a few days very late in June; otherwise, the entire month is sold out. When you figure out the potential dates for your Alhambra visit, you can attempt to obtain tickets from your hotel. If that is not possible, investigate the Granada Card, which sometimes allows access to otherwise sold-out dates, or select a tour, being sure that the tour covers the Nasrid Palaces.

A week in Granada sounds like a rather long time to me, given how many other interesting places there are in southern Spain.

I agree with Anne about the length of stay in Granada...I prefer Seville as a home base in Andalucia.

I would recommend taking the train from Madrid to Seville. Plan a day trip to Cordoba, tour the Cathedral and enjoy the city. It is wonderful.. day trips from Granada are tougher because of location and the unfinished train tracks...

We will be in Spain in 2 weeks. I have hired a driver/tour guide to get us from Seville to Granada with a stop in Ronda on the way (notjustatourist.com). Ronda has breathtaking views and a great bullfighting museum.

From Granada you could go to Barcelona or Madrid. It is feasible to do both if you have the time. The train system in Spain is good. I prefer Madrid but Barcelona is certainly well worth a visit. I would recommend a minimum of 3 days stay in either city. Madrid day trips to Toledo, Segovia and Avila, Valley of the Fallen and El Escorial are on my itinerary. From Barcelona I have done day trips to Figueres and Cadaques to see the Dali sites and loved the experience.

I will post a review of our transfer when completed....

My Andalusia Top Ten ... plus one
(not in any order)

From 1. Seville ...
2. Cordoba (with the Mezquita)
3. Jerez de la Frontera
4. Arcos de la Frontera
5. Cadiz

From 6. Granada (with the Alhambra) ...
7. Malaga
8. Baeza & Ubeda
9. Sierra Nevada & the Alpujarras
10. Beaches

When travelling between the two, stop for ...
11. Ronda & the white villages

I have to say a week in Granada would be a way too long for me. It will certainly give you lots of time to explore it all. With the possible exception of a day to hike in the mountains (not my thing), there really aren't any good day trips, unless you are planning to rent a car. The closest places that come to mind are Malaga and Antequera - both are about 2 hour bus rides each way. And there aren't many buses. For instance to Antequera, there are 3 morning buses on weekdays, at 3.00 am, 7.00 am, 11.45 am.

Thank you everyone for your responses. The reason we are staying a week in one place and doing day trips is because we have a free marriott week and can only stay in one place. The reason for the lateness of my planning is because my husband had cancer last year and has a scan today, so until we know the results I really couldn't plan much in the future.

From the responses it looks like we should stay in Seville and go from there.

Do I need to get train reservations in advance? Also since there will be 4 of us is it more economical to hire a driver? I know I have a lot to do in a short time so hopefully we can make this happen.

Thanks again

You may still be able to get discount train tickets for late May. If you wait until you're in Spain, you may pay quite a lot more. You can look now to see what the prices are like on the Renfe website or trainline.eu for your probable travel dates, then check those same trains for today. The difference will give you an idea of what you can save if you buy very soon. You'll have to decide at what point you'll be comfortable committing to a specific train, because the cheapest tickets (if still available) are non-refundable and non-changeable.

This situation--widely varying ticket prices--exists on the fast trains. If you take any short trips on local trains, the fares will not change.

One thing I've noticed is that in Spain, round-trip tickets are often about the same price as one-way tickets, so always check on that any time you're planning a round trip.

Sevilla is definitely a better choice for a week's stay. Day trips are possible to Cordoba, Cadiz and Jerez by train. Then you could spend a couple nights in Granada, then go to Madrid for a night or two or more before your flight home.