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Itinerary help: Granada, Cordoba, Sevilla

I have read other threads debating the virtues of Granada vs. Cordoba, etc, but now we find ourselves in the same dilemma. We have 9, or possibly 10, nights to divide between these cities. First night will be our arrival from the US via Madrid airport and we have to end up in Sevilla to be able to fly to Bilbao. We have planned to spend at least 5 nights in Sevilla (this includes day trips to Jerez/Cadiz and the white villages). That leaves a maximum of 5 nights. Do you recommend just staying in one of those cities and making the other a day trip, or staying 2 nights Granada and 3 nights in Cordoba? I am trying to keep in mind the transfer times between these places. We will be using trains and busses.

Some other facts about us.... we are in our 70's and usually prefer a slow travel approach and not hopping around from city to city. We had originally planned on spending the majority of time in Sevilla and 3 nights in Granada, but after doing research, Cordoba looks like it may be our kind of city. I'm a little nervous about the hills and steps in Granada. This will be at the end of April, beginning of May.

All suggestions and insight will be gratefully accepted!

Posted by
3424 posts

Have you purchased your plane tickets? What airport will you fly home from?
If you’re going to Andalucia upon arrival, fly into Granada instead of Madrid. Granada deserves two nights. From Granada take a direct train to Sevilla and sleep there.
There are direct trains between Sevilla and Córdoba (45m) so no need to sleep in both cities. Instead, sleep in Sevilla because logistics will be easier when day tripping to other places other than Córdoba.

Posted by
62 posts

Thanks for the reply, MaryPat. That was actually our original plan. Then we started watching YouTube's about Cordoba and it seemed deserving of a few days. We fly home from Madrid and, no, haven't bought tickets yet. More expensive and bad connections to Granada so seemed better to go round trip Madrid and get our own connection.

Posted by
592 posts

Also in our 70’s, we had a wonderful, independent trip to Andalucia in September, 2023. While the Alhambra is impressive, Granada was very…uncomfortably…crowded. You can take an inexpensive taxi up to the Alhambra, walk back down and avoid the uphill climb. Glad we went there but, for us, Granada did not compare to Cordoba. The Mezquita is absolutely incredible and the city is lovely, welcoming, great for wandering and has some of the best food we had on the entire trip. Two nights in Granada were plenty for us. Would happily have stayed longer in Cordoba. Driving through the white cities is worth a day. Would skip Ronda, super crowded and touristy…unless you like natural sites. If so, walking the El Caminito del Rey, is awesome. To do that, we stayed in Arriate, a small white city (excellent food) near Ronda. Cadiz is fine, but not compelling. Sevilla is great and worthy of five, or more, nights (the rooftop tour of the cathedral and churros with chocolate at El Comercio were highlights!)

Have a great trip!

Posted by
8261 posts

We spent 4 nights in Granada-2 would have been plenty. Didn’t care much for the city

We spent 3 nights in Cordoba-loved it
It was end of April/early May just before Patios festival began so we were able to enjoy that before the crowds. There was a different festival going on then that was delightful -Las Cruces?

We are also in our 70s. We took advantage of the little tourist train in Granada to get to Alhambra and Albacin neighborhood
The hills and cobblestones were killer-too much for us

Posted by
62 posts

Thanks all. Can anybody comment on whether a day trip from Cordoba to Granada makes sense?

Posted by
8261 posts

Train from Granada to Cordoba 1.5-2 hr and IIRC they are not that frequent, some with a change?

Train from Seville to Cordoba less than an hour and frequent

Posted by
2079 posts

Granada is definitely hilly, but you can take a bus or taxi to the entrance of the Alhambra, and once you're there, it's pretty much flat as you wander through.

Other sights in Granada are also up hill. The Albaicin, including the famous Mirador of San Nicolás, and the Cave Museum of Sacromonte involve a lot of climbing. But there are some in areas that require no uphill or stairs (the Cathedral, the Royal Chapel, the Alcaicería, and the Corral del Carbón).

Córdoba is almost all on level ground. I think you can see a lot of what Córdoba has to offer in one full day, and with two days you can immerse yourself pretty well. For Granada I think two days are needed, unless you are only interested in visiting the Alhambra.

Posted by
3792 posts

We recently did 3 nights Cordoba and 4 nights Granada. We liked Granada, but loved Cordoba. Both places well worth your time and how much you spend in each is an individual preference. You can’t go wrong. We also loved Ronda!

Posted by
5359 posts

abqdeb,

We have 9, or possibly 10, nights to divide between these cities. First night will be our arrival from the US via Madrid airport and we have to end up in Sevilla to be able to fly to Bilbao. We have planned to spend at least 5 nights in Sevilla

When we traveled to Andalucia, we took the train to Córdoba on day of arrival, then after a few nights, we took the ALSA bus to Granada (taxi to/ from our hotel), and then the ALSA Bus to Sevilla.

You can certainly take the train from Córdoba to Granada & then from Granada to Sevilla.
Having said this, you’ll find that there are more time options from Granada to Sevilla via the ALSA bus than via the train.

I think your original plan of 3 nights in Córdoba, 2 nights in Granada, and 5N in Sevilla sounds like a good plan, IMHO.

My mom and I loved Córdoba, and you can’t go wrong with spending a few nights there, instead of just going for a day trip.

My mom was 88 when we traveled to Spain.
We took a very slow trip, spending 5 Nights in each location, except Granada, where we spent 4 nights but 3 would have been enough.

As others have mentioned, Granada is very hilly, but you can take the minibus to the Alhambra, and to the Mirador de San Nicolás
in the Albaicín.

If you have time, or interest, you may consider attending the Equestrian Show in the Royal Stables in Córdoba: Córdoba Equestre.

My mom and I enjoyed it very much.

Wishing you a wonderful trip!

Posted by
62 posts

Priscilla, Thank you for the reply. I appreciate your input. Yes, I can tell we don't want to miss Cordoba. Now, just have to decide if we want to make another move to stay in Granada. Thanks also, for all the links! Oh, and "brava" to your mom!!

Posted by
62 posts

ChristineH, That's exactly when we will be there: end of April, beginning of May. Are you able to sneak a peak at those patios before the festival begins? How was the weather.

Anyone want to recommend where they stayed?

Posted by
8261 posts

We were there Friday, Saturday, Sun 4/28—5/1 2023
Yes there were some patios open/preview- just enough.

The Fiesta de las Cruces was just ending that weekend. Really fun. Each neighborhood competes in a way- all had food/drink/live music celebrations in what seemed like every little placa.
The town was very lively, some spots crowded but not unmanageable.

It was in the middle of a heat wave. Historic temps I think- may have been 102?103? those days.
(Granada was scorching hot too- 4/23-4/28)

Make sure your hotel has good air conditioning.
I can recommend NH Collection Amistad- excellent location, great bkft. Book on the NH website- sign up for the rewards and get discount.
https://www.nh-hotels.com/en/hotel/nh-collection-amistad-cordoba

We really did enjoy our time in Cordoba- I hope you do as well. Hope it is not that hot for you!

Posted by
3792 posts

We stayed at Balcon de Cordoba. It was excellent and had a gorgeous view of the mezquita from the roof top terrace.

You can see my Spain photobook link under my profile.

Posted by
1729 posts

I also stayed at NH Collection Amistad and would recommend. March 2024.

I preferred Granada to Córdoba, but you’ve obviously researched based on your preferences so it should be the right decision for you - which is all that matters! Córdoba historic area is not large. I did a lot of walking in Granada - it is possible to avoid areas with stairs, but I encountered a lot! It’s good that you factored this into your decision making. The Sacromonte area was one flight after another!

Posted by
8666 posts

Hi, thinking about your flight, have you looked at flying into Malaga instead of Madrid? The train from Malaga to Cordoba is only an hour. I’ve been to that area three times, and even flying from Spokane to Minneapolis to Amsterdam to Malaga, I still took the train on arrival day to Cordoba. I will include my most recent trip there in case it helps:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/a-widow-s-trip-southern-spain-february-trip-report

This one may also be helpful since it includes Cadiz & Sevilla.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/feb-2024-3-week-southern-spain-trip-report

We also prefer Cordoba to Granada, and Sevilla is our favorite of those three. Even during these off-season months, be sure to purchase your tickets to Sevilla’s major sites and Cordoba’s Mezquita ahead of time.