In my research several people have suggested to stop in Cordoba to see the Cathedral of Cordoba on the way from Madrid to Seville. I have also read forum topics on how to store luggage while you visit the Cathedral. What I am unclear about is the train tickets. Do I need to purchase any special tickets to do this? Do I just purchase Madrid to Seville tickets and then hop off in Cordoba? What about getting back on the train to Seville when I finish in Cordoba - do I just choose any train? I was planning on the AVE train from Madrid to Seville. Thank you in advance for clearing this up for me.
The AVE trains are all reserved seating. Your ticket is for a specific train, so you cannot just buyba ticket to Sevilla and hop off in Cordoba on your way. You will need to buy two separate tickets, Madrid to Cordoba and Cordoba to Sevilla.
Thank you for clearing that up for me! Sorry for my ignorance. We don't ride trains very often in Mississippi!
If I only want to visit the Cathedral, how long do you think I should allow in between trains?
I would allow for at least 3 and more likely 4 hours. It is about a 30 minute walk from the station and you can easily spend an hour or more at the site (it's called the Mezquita). You'll also need to time to drop off/pick up bags and go through security at the station.
Personally I would do an overnight which is what we did. There are a couple of other things worth seeing in Cordoba. We came from Madrid in early PM, spent the afternoon in the Mezquita, had dinner, in the am saw the gardens, an old Roman ruins and caught the train about noon to Seville.
We spent the night in Cordoba as well. It is a nice town to wander around.
Or you could make it a day trip from Sevilla---it is only a 45-minute trip.
3 hours for the site, an hour to and from station (including getting/depositing bags, finding your platform, etc), so I'd go 5 hours. Better yet, do it as a day trip from Seville. Last time, I took an early train out of Seville, spent about 6 hours in Cordoba, then got a late afternoon bus to Granada. That was more than sufficient for the Mesquita and lunch, but there is more to see in Cordoba if you are interested.
Thank you for the replies. This information helps a lot!