Looking for recommendations about my next trip to Spain in November.
MAD-cercanias-Atocha to Seville (AVE)
Seville 3 nights; take day trips to Cadiz and not sure if extend the trip to Gibraltar
Granada 1 night
Toledo 1 night
Madrid 3 nights (day trip to Segovia)
Not sure if we should include Malaga.
Your thoughts...
Definitely no to Malaga. You are probably not allowing enough time for Granada as it is. Have you checked how long it will take you to get there from Seville, and then on to Toledo?
I don't think half a day is adequate for Toledo.
Three nights in Seville is less than three days of sightseeing time (and if this is your first stop, you may well lose the first partial day to sleep-deprivation and jetlag). I wouldn't use one of those days for Cadiz. I am highly doubtful that you can visit Cadiz and Gibraltar in a single day (at least without a car). Cordoba is generally considered the #1 side-trip from Seville for those who don't have time to spend a couple of nights there. Everyone has different interests; I tend to put together oddball itineraries myself. But is there a reason you are choosing Cadiz instead of Cordoba?
You can do a day trip to Toledo from Madrid.
I lean towards staying longer in Granada than in Sevilla.
You can land in Madrid and fly out of Malaga (depending on where you live)
"next trip to Spain". Does that mean you have been before? If so, well maybe this fast itinerary works for you. If you haven't been before, this is a lot of places in a short period of time. This is 8 cities in 8 nights - nuts - but some like to just have a taste.
It takes a long time to get to Granada. If you haven't been before, you should allow 2 nights - one full day. Gibraltar is too far from Sevilla for a day trip. Have you been to Cordoba? If not, I highly recommend stopping there at some point at least to see the Mezquita - absolutely unique. The town has a lot more to offer besides.
Use the Renfe site to see how long the journeys are. Remember you also have to get to/from the train. If you are driving, use viamichelin.com to see driving times - they are usually longer than train times, and don't include time looking for parking.
You should spell out the maximum number of nights you can spend in Spain. You really need 2 nights or more for Granada.
"You really need 2 nights or more for Granada"
Yes, and here's why. Even if you only want to go to Granada to see the Alhambra, the logistics of this mean that you will want to get to Granada the day before your Alhambra reservation. It then takes a good part of a day to see the Alhambra. So, even if you arrive late on day 1 and leave early on day 3, that's two nights and 1 full day to see the Alhambra properly (although this schedule does work). If you want to see any other things in Granada, you need more time than this.
If you take day trips from Seville to Cadiz and Gibraltar, when will you see Seville?
In a short trip, focus on the A-list. Unless you have a special interest or reason for going, places like Malaga, Cadiz, and Gibraltar are not priorities on a short visit - so drop them, and have more time for biggies like Madrid, Toledo, Granada and Cordoba (which you should probably see on the way to Seville). If you've seen some of these places before, that's different.
Some like the tapas tour of Spain.....as in a taste of a place. 1 night in Granada is conceivable. Depart Seville early, 3 hours by train or bus...so arrive by noon. Afternoon in Alhambra - in November it closes at 6, whiich is also when it is dark. Enjoy your evening, head out next morning. Most don't recommend it, but it is feasible.
The only way to get to Granada before 3 PM, according to Renfe, is to depart Seville at 6:35 A M. Making that train would require getting up at 5 or 5:30 AM unless one was staying extremely near the train station.
I don't know what would be possible by bus.
Thanks to all for your replies.
Looks like Cadiz, Gibrartar and Malaga are all scratched from the list while adding Cordoba for a day trip.
We are thinking about cutting one night from Seville (2) and adding one in Grenada (2).
So actual schedule looks something like this:
Seville (2) with a 1/2 day trip to Cordoba
Granada (2)
Toledo (1)
Madrid (3) with a 1/2 day trip to Segovia
Your thoughts?
Use the Renfe site to see how long the journeys are. Remember you also have to get to/from the train at each end.
Much as I hate to say it, I really don't think you have time for Toledo. You can't go straight from Granada to Toledo by train, because Toledo is on a short spur line connected only to Madrid. You'll have to travel from Granada to Madrid and then back down tomToledo. The Renfe website indicates that it will take 5-1/2 hours, and you'll have to check in and out of the Toledo hotel in less than 24 hours. Just not worth it, I don't think.
You need to break it down to a realistic schedule, day by day.
