Itinerary Questions for 8 days in Feb. in Andalucia

Hello! I would recommend that you fly into one place and out of another, that way you don't have to sacrifice a night trying to circle back to Málaga for your flight.
Here's what I'm thinking:

Fly into Málaga
Málaga (1 night)
ALSA Bus to Granada
Granada (2 nights)
ALSA Bus to Córdoba
Córdoba (2 nights)
AVE Train to Sevilla
Sevilla (3 nights)
Fly out of Sevilla

I think that if you want to skip some place, then it would probably have to be Ronda, in my opinion it's not on the same level of Granada or Córdoba, in terms of sights and historical significance. If you are more interested in big-city sites then you could take 1 day from Córdoba and give it to Sevilla. Personally, Córdoba is my favorite of the three, so I would strongly recommend spending at least one night there. Hope this gives you a good starting point! :)

So you sound like you already have your plane tickets already.
Just stay in Seville and Granada and do day trips or stops on your way from one city to another.

Thanks for the advice, Carlos re: Ronda vs. Cordoba! VERY helpful. We already have (cheap) plane tickets in and out of Malaga, otherwise we would definitely be flying into one city and out of the other. Staying in Seville and Grenada is advice we will take under consideration as well. We assumed that renting a car would give us more opportunities to explore small towns along the way we might encounter, although maybe we should just do transit w/trains and buses, which is our usual preference when we travel. We don't necessarily prefer more time in larger cities, so I think shaving a day off of Seville for one in Cordoba would be our inclination. Any other small towns that people love in this region that we should make sure to include?

Use ViaMichelin to estimate your driving times so you have a decent idea of how much time you'll have not inside the car if you choose to drive. VM does not allow for any stops, getting lost, looking for parking, etc. Your trip is quite short for covering what you want to see. I don't anticipate that you'll have much time to stop along the way unless it's at the expense of seeing Granada, Seville and Cordoba.

Another vote for Seville and Granada as bases. Seville is a 3 full days place.

Do you have 8 nights or 8 days? The arrival and departure days don’t count, as this will just involve jet lag and getting back to the airport respectively.

If you just want a short day trip to Seville, you could base yourself in Jerez for some sherry tasting, head to Seville by train and also visit nearby Cadiz as a day trip.

Five locations in 8 nights as you are suggesting would be a blur. Bear in mind that February maybe rainy.

If air tickets are already purchased, then I would rearrange like so:

Fly into Málaga
Málaga (1 night)
ALSA Bus to Granada
Granada (2 nights)
ALSA Bus to Córdoba
Córdoba (1 night)
AVE Train to Sevilla
Sevilla (3 nights)
Rent a car in Sevilla and drive to Málaga (about 3 hrs), stopping in Ronda on the way
Málaga (1 night)
Fly out of Málaga

In the end, I looks like one will have to suffer a few 1-nighters ;), it's not ideal, but I think you'll be able to pull it off. Also due to your air tickets, in the end, you'll end up in Málaga for a good amount of your time, so I would not write of Málaga just yet, it's not too bad of a city. There are sights dedicated to it's most famous son, Pablo Picasso, including his birthplace and a museum. There's also the Alcazaba, an 11th century Moorish fortress that towers over Málaga's Ancient Roman amphitheater.

Thanks to All for your suggestions, and Carlos for the most recent "itinerary". We were planning to explore Malaga and your suggestions of things to see there are encouraging. I'm also encouraged by the possibility that we can do most of the trip via public transit, as that's much nicer for meeting other travelers and less stressful. I know February is "off season" and may be rainy, but coming from Boston, rain will be preferable to snow and below freezing temperatures! I appreciate all of the time everyone has taken to answer my question.

1. Fly in to Malaga. Pick up car. Drive to Granada (2)
2. Alhambra
3. Drive to Ronda (1)
4. Drive to Sevilla (3). Return car
5. Sevilla
6. Sevilla
7. Train (45mins) to Córdoba (1)
8. Train (55mins) to Malaga (1)
9. Fly out if Malaga

David, thank you for the helpful suggestion about the bus from Malaga airport to Grenada. It's always good to have choices when making travel decisions! I think we will definitely spend a day exploring Malaga when we first arrive and recovering some from jet lag before heading to Grenada and tackling the Alhambra. I'm thinking it will be a bit like Topkapi Palace in Instanbul? (a very full day)
Cheers!

I don't mind changing hotels a few times. I do not like to backtrack like one does on daytrips. I just returned from doing basically the same trip. Often Toledo and Cordoba are recommended as daytrips. Actually, I would strongly encourage people to overnight in both those cities. You miss part of the experience when you don't go to the restaurants in the evening and see the city when there are fewer people. Plus, both those cities are amazing and we did some things that people that go just for the day would miss due to lack of time. Cordoba has an amazing Jewish quarter with white houses with blue trim and flower boxes and beautiful patio gardens. We walked along the river and across the bridge for great views. I would agree that if you have to delete a city it would be Ronda. In fact, anyone going to Ronda should check to see if the paths down to the bottom of the ravine are even open. They were closed when we were there less than a month ago, due to storms. Also, my favorite pueblos blancos were Zahara, Grazelema and Sentinel. Ronda is quite busy and touristy. It might have felt differently if we could have done the hiking we looked forward to. For our trip we arrived early in the day to Sevilla and stayed 3 nights, then Grazelema 2 nights, Granada, 2 nights, Cordoba 2nights, Toledo 1 night and Madrid 2 nights with a day trip to Segovia.