Mallorca for 3 weeks? Or split time with another part of Spain?

Jen - split time between Mallorca with another part of Spain. You have 2 options. Option 1: Valencia Spain is also in close proximity to Mallorca. Take a trip there and explore, then head to Alicante as you make your way toward Andalucia. In the Andalucia region, you will have the opportunity to visit Moorish towns region towns like Granada, Cordoba, Rhonda, Malaga and Seville. Then train to Madrid from Seville to fly out

Option 2: You can do Mallorca, Valencia, Barcelona, and then Madrid. while in Madrid do 2 days in Toledo.

The 3 weeks can be divided. 1.5 weeks for Mallorca and 1.5 weeks for option 1 or 2. You don't need to commit 3 weeks just for Mallorca when you have the time to visit another region of Spain.

Logistically it makes sense.

Thanks for the suggestion. I think we'll take the ferry to Valencia and then the train to Andalucia. Looks like Cordoba, Ronda, Malaga and Seville all have train stations? How about Granada? Given that my husband doesn't want to rent a car, and that we'll be dragging a guitar in a hardshell case around with us, I think we will want to narrow our visit to Andalucia to just one city, preferably one from which we can easily take day trips. If we do that, which city should we pick?

Yes Granada has a train station. You can choose Malaga as a base in Andalucia. From Malaga, you can easily train to Seville, Cordoba, Ronda, Granada, and Jerez. Seville can also be used as a base. It's a big city. All these cities listed are within 2 hours of Malaga. You can also Bus from Malaga to visit towns such as Nerja and Marbella which are less then 1 hour away from Malaga. In the end, you can take a train from Malaga directly to Madrid to fly home.

Hello, I would actually recommend, after spending some time in Mallorca, you could fly down to Málaga and then work your way north. You could do something like this:

Fly to Málaga
Málaga (3 nights) - Daytrips to Granada, Ronda, maybe Nerja
AVE/AVANT high speed train to
Sevilla (4 nights) - Daytrips to Córdoba and Jerez
AVE train to
Madrid (4 nights) - Daytrips to Toledo, Segovia, maybe Salamanca
AVE train to
Barcelona (5 nights) - Daytrips to Girona, Montserrat for hiking, and Costa Brava for swimming
AVE train back to Madrid

With 3 weeks, I would definitively not spend all you time in Andalucia, it will start to be hot in mid June and will only get hotter and hotter, you are better off starting in the south, while it may be still bearable, and then moving to the cooler north.

Hope this helps :)

You're at risk of unpleasantly hot weather if you go to Andalucia in June. Seville's average high temperature for the month is 90F, and that's based on a 30-year period ending in 2010. I have a stong suspicion summers have gotten hotter since then.

And Andalucia's a large area, so really not a good region for a single-base-and-multiple-day-trips strategy if you want to hit all three of the key cities (Seville, Cordoba and Granada). Check the travel times by rail on the Renfe website.

Also note that going to Granada currently requires a train+bus combo, or you have an all-bus option. And though you can get to Ronda by train, from some origins it may require an awkward layover, so taking a bus is sometimes significantly faster. There's nothing wrong with Spanish buses; I'm mentioning the occasional need for them because you specifically asked about train stations.

Although Carlos obviously knows a lot more about Spain than I do, with limited time for mainland Spain I wouldn't want to base in Malaga at all, and I definitely wouldn't want to take two long day-trips from that city, assuring me of a very rushed visit to Granada. I'd rather spend 2 or 3 nights in Granada even though it would mean foregoing Ronda.

A decision about Granada needs to be made quickly, because it will be scramble to get tickets to the Alhambra. At this point for a June visit, you'll probably have to hope your hotel has some tickets available. Otherwise, I think you'll have to book a tour.

Thanks to Carlos and Acraven for the additional information and suggestions. I'm glad to know that the buses are also a good option for getting around. While I think it would be great to plan an itinerary to see multiple cities and areas, I think we really are going to be weighed down by having a heavy instrument to drag along with us. Thus, I'm trying to narrow down to one place where we would be happy spending much of our time (after we leave Mallorca). Given that Mallorca will give us lots of opportunities for being at a beach, we're thinking a place like Granada might be a good choice for our second destination. If we had to choose one city, which would you suggest? Ease of getting there from Valencia would be good. My husband is eager to take the ferry and ride a train or bus to get to our second destination.

@strahanjen - hello, unfortunately I would say that Granada would not be a good choice if you only want one base to branch out from. Unless you fly, it's can be quite difficult to get there from Mallorca, and Granada is not very well connected to any other part of Spain, construction is still ongoing for that fast train from Cordoba.

My pick would be Madrid, it is the center of Spain, geographically and transportation-wise. You can get there from Valencia in about 2 hrs via the AVE high speed train. From Madrid one can easily visit Toledo, Cordoba, Cuenca, Segovia, Salamanca, Zaragoza, Avila, and Alcala de Henares with high speed trains/buses. From Madrid one can even visit Barcelona on a short 2-3 day side trip, with the AVE.

It depends to some degree, I think, on how many days you have to spend. I'm not sure Granada has enough to keep you busy for more than 3 days. However, I'm not an active-sports person, and there could certainly be good hiking opportunities within commuting distance of Granada; it's something I've never researched. I just know the Sierra Nevadas aren't terribly far from Granada, and I think the Alpujarras are closer. Just keep in mind that the need to travel in and out of Granada by bus limits the practical distance of your day-trips. Many of Spain's other top destinations have fast-train service that extends your reach. As a result of Granada's isolation from the fast-train network, it will take about 6 hours to get there from Valencia.

You might try Googling day-trips from Granada to see what pops up--but you'll have to be sure you're not seeing options that require car rental if you're not willing to do that.

I depend on public transportation myself, but it requires some itinerary compromises or a willingness to cover ground slowly. I day-tripped from Seville to Arcos today. The bus made its schedule, which was 2 hours each way. But that didn't count the trip to the bus station earlier this week to buy the ticket (about 35 minutes from hotel, round-trip), or today's repeat of that walk. Nor did it include the 30 minutes in Arcos spent walking from the bus station to the historic center. So I spent over 5 hours to get where I wanted to be. That was fine since Arcos is small and doesn't have much in the way of traditional sights you want to go inside. It would have been maddenly frustrating if I had been heading to a place with lots of attractions. That's why I prefer side-trips to small towns rather than major cities.

I see Carlos has suggested Madrid, and it really is the supreme base for day-trips in Spain. With a lot of days to fill and a willingness to hop on a train frequently, Madrid would be a very good option. However, it is a huge, busy city. In percentage terms it probably has fewer foreign tourists on the street than Barcelona, but there will be more total people there. So is that a deal-breaker for your husband?

If small size is critical, Cordoba should be considered. It's faster to reach from Valencia than Granada. Most of the tourists stick quite close to the Mezquita. But I think the surrounding countryside probably doesn't lend itself as well to outdoor activities.

Or you could ferry from Palma to Barcelona rather than Valencia and take the short train ride to Girona. It's lovely and has some good side-trips. But without a car--and assuming you don't want to travel repeatedly into Barcelona (which wouldn't really make sense), it's probably not a place to spend more than 4 or 5 nights aside from trips to Costa Brava beach towns. And Girona itself is not undiscovered by foreign tourists.

I'm probably making this sound more complicated than it is, but generally speaking, the best bases for folks planning multiple day-trips without a rental car are spots with good transportation links, and that usually equates to large cities.

Just to chime in, there are some pretty good hiking/nature experiences near Madrid too, the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, just north of Madrid, it is one of our National Parks that is quite popular with local hikers and nature lovers. It has alpine lakes, lush forests, and rocky outlooks.

If you day trip to Cuneca from Madrid, one can explore the nearby Ciudad Encantada too. La Ciudad Encantada is a protected geological site with many large and unusual rock formations created through the erosion of the Júcar river, which makes it look like an "Enchanted City", which is its namesake in Spanish. Many films were shot here, including Conan the Barbarian with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The entrance fee is only 4 €!

Thanks again to you two for your thoughts and suggestions. Cuenca and the Ciudad Encantada look amazing! Here's what I think we've decided on. I'd love to have your feedback if you think we should make any adjustments. We'll have to be in Mallorca for a fair amount of time as my husband will fly elsewhere to play another show and then come back to Mallorca to join back up with us. Also, because we're traveling with a 4 year old, we won't be visiting many of the museums and landmarks except for the Alhambra. Thus, our trip is different from many others who want to fit in many of the significant sights. Our desire is to spend time walking around, visiting markets, eating good food, exploring nature and relaxing.

Mallorca:
Day 1: Arrive Palma in the afternoon, explore
Day 2: Explore Palma, go to Summer Pie Music Festival (where my husband is headlining)
Day 3: Bus to Sant Elm and ferry to Sa Dragonera (kids want to spend the day hiking around and catching lizards).
Day 4-6: Cala Marcal - Vacation rental near beach, my daughter wants to snorkel for the first time.
Day 7: Tram to Soller/Port de Soller
Day 8: Ferry ride to Sa Calobra, explore Torrent de Pareis.
Day 9: Train back to Palma, stay at Melia Palma Bay near the airport. Relax and go swimming.
Day 10: Fly to Granada, arrive around lunchtime, check into our airbnb right near the Calle Mirador de San Nicolás. We'll have our own view of the Alhambra right from our terrace!
Day 11: Explore Granada
Day 12: Alhambra (tickets purchased)
Day 13: Bus to Monachil - hiking Hanging bridges of Los Cahorros
Day 14: Explore Granada some more, maybe another hiking trip?
Day 15: Bus/train to Cuenca, arrive early afternoon. explore. Stay in a monastery that has been converted into a hotel!
Day 16: Trip to Ciudad Encantada
Day 17: Train to Madrid, explore
Day 18: Explore Madrid - Take cable car to Casa de Campo
Day 19: Fly home.

What do you think?

Personally I'd stay in Mallorca for the duration. We frequently spend on average two weeks a year there, been going for years and still exploring. Having a car will give great flexibility, explore the mountains, discover hidden coves, visit incredible caves, find some of the best beaches in Spain, visit nature parks, aquaparks, explore medieval towns and forts, enjoy fantastic local food and wine, the list is endless.

If you were to base yourself there for three weeks I'd look for somewhere outside of Palma as it can be difficult for parking. Ideally rent a villa with a pool (there are many) that way the kids can cool off after a days exploring in the heat which is something to take into account when lurching between cities every two days. It will be more pleasurable to spend three relaxing weeks in Mallorca, taking in the sights at a pace suitable for the heat than being constantly on the move just to see the "must sees". This is even more relevant when having young children and a heavy instrument in tow.

If you decide to stick with the Granada plan (and I see you have already scored Alhambra tickets), I can now report that a day-trip to the Alpujarras is possible. There's a bus departing Granada at 10 AM that reaches Campileira at about 12:20 PM, by way of Pampaneira and Bubion. There's another bus 2 hours behind it, and then there's a return bus from Campileira at something after 4 PM (I think 4:45 but can't swear to it). Bubion and Campileira are very close. I walked downhill (along the road) from Campileira to Bubion in 20 or 30 minutes, and I wasn't rushing. Campileira seemed a bit larger than Bubion, and Pampaneira is definely the largest, the liveliest, and quite a bit lower--not nearly as close (on foot) as the other two. I saw lots of hikers/walkers but didn't try that myself, so I don't know whether it would be possible to cover the distance from Campileira (or Bubin) to Pampaneira on a day-trip, given the bus schedule.

The bus times I've mentioned here are good for Monday-Friday. Saturday and Sunday schedules may be different. You can use the ticket machines at the Granada bus station to print out the schedule. The tourist office may have it, but I always feel like the bus station is a safer bet. Buses 21 and 33 go to the bus station from a stop in the Gran Via near the Cathedral (and also near the Los Italianos ice cream place). The fare is 1.40 euros each way. I suspect it's cheaper with a transit card. For 3 or 4 people a taxi might make sense.

I saw no sign of a taxi in Campileira or Bubion and had no opportunity to look for one in Pampaneira, so that bus schedule would be critical.

I think your current itinerary is good, nothing really major jumps out at me. It's very focused and it seems you know your priorities, which is great. If you can find a good bus/train connection from Granada to Cuenca, then I think that Cuenca should be an interesting change of pace, especially if you are staying what I assume is the Parador de Cuenca (that converted monastery)? El Parador de Cuenca is known for it's gastronomy and was voted the best gastronomy of all the Paradores this year. I think the kids will also find the enchantment of La Ciudad Encantada very interesting too. :)