March 2022 (first draft) 5/6 day Andalucia tinerary

I think you are simply trying to cover way too much ground. I believe you will enjoy your trip much more if you trim the number of destinations. The first place I'd drop is Nerja (which I confess I've not been to despite having spent a month in Andalucia in 2019). The next place I'd drop would be Ronda (at least as an overnight stop), which I do like, but it doesn't rank anywhere near Granada, Seville and Cordoba.

A car wouldn't save you any travel time for the three cities I've listed plus Malaga, your departure point, but it would allow you to see one or two of the white towns/villages as a detour en route from Granada to Seville. Ronda is a lot larger and needs more time, so I might choose Arcos de la Frontera and one of the smaller villages (Grazalema or Zahara de la Sierra). Then you could drop the car in Seville and go to Cordoba and Malaga by train. The train from Seville to Malaga will take you through Cordoba, I think, so you have the option of either day-tripping to Cordoba from Seville or spending the night in Cordoba. Those rail links involve very fast express trains. You are right that Seville is a much larger city with many more sights than you'll find in Cordoba and Granada, though the latter two are each worth multiple days.

The absolute most I would attempt to do in the time you have is what I have outlined above. I would choose only two of the three major cities, but I note your original plan has you moving around a great deal.

I would not equate Seville and Cordoba with Valencia and Almeria. Valencia is nice (as is Malaga, by the way), but it is not equivalent in interest to Granada, Cordoba and Seville for most visitors, though all are places of some size.

I would focus on seeing Granada and Sevilla and consider the other places on your itinerary as lesser sights. With that said you might want to sleep in Granada for two nights because you have to be organized to see it all with one night. Besides, you don’t know if your friend will be able to keep up with your pace. You can take a direct bus from Granada to Sevilla (3h).
Do buy Rick Steves Snapshot: Sevilla, Granada & Southern Spain (Andalucía) 6th edition guidebook. If I added another place, it would be Cordoba since it’s a 45-minute direct train ride from Sevilla making it a convenient day trip. You can then take a direct train from Sevilla to Malaga (2h).

Every day except one has you packing, checking out, moving to another city, checking in, and unpacking. You'll have time to see the sights in each place for a few hours each morning and/or afternoon. The exception is Cordoba, where you'll have a full day unless you spend that day going to Seville, sightseeing there, and returning. Seville is wonderful, so is Cordoba, and your plan does justice to neither city. If you want to see Seville, then go straight there and give it the one full day you'll have in any city.

I haven't been to Nerja or Malaga so I can't evaluate them, but I urge you to slow down and spend fewer days moving around. Stick to your two nights in Cordoba and don't try to shoehorn Sevilla in between them. I'd say skip Ronda on this short trip, though I liked it. Focus this trip on Granada and Cordoba, and Malaga if that's where you have to fly out. If you like Andalucia, assume that you'll return there for more time.

In Almería I enjoyed the main market and the Alcazaba. El Cable Inglés Is an interesting relic of a bygone era. You’ve received enough comments on the rest of your draft, so I won’t add to them.

Do you have a total of 6 nights after your business trip? Are your airline reservations already made? If not, I would suggest flying home from Seville. Then perhaps you could spend 2 nights in Granada, 1 night in Cordoba, and 3 nights in Seville.

I agree with the other posters about dropping Nerja and Ronda. They don't compare in historical and cultural importance to Seville, Cordoba, and Granada. If you don't think you will return to Andalucia at a future date, I would try to include those 3 important and beautiful cities.

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to reply! I was worried about trying to cram too much into a short itinerary so I definitely appreciate the feedback. I will admit, I am trying to factor both inland and coastline towns to the itinerary since neither of us have been to this region before. I’m also feeling like we needed to choose Cordoba or Seville bc of time restraints. I will say I love a smaller, charming town vs a big city so Ronda appealed to me and Frigiliana does too for the same reason. Our flights can be changed to another airport- Malaga just had the best options for return flights. Open to suggestions. We could do 2 nights granada, 2 Seville, 2 cordoba or base in one place after Granada for 4 nights (Seville?) and day trip from there to Cordoba. Welcome any suggestions on vineyard tours too! Thx again.

You don’t need two nights in Cordoba since it’s a direct 45-minute train ride from Sevilla. Buy Rick Steves Andalucia guidebook that’s currently available that introduced me to the best in this region. Base yourself in Granada and Sevilla instead.

Larger or smaller city doesn't really matter since you'll probably only see the historic center in any of them. Cordoba and Sevilla are different, both are more interesting than Ronda. The Alcazar and cathedral in Sevilla and the Mezquita and Juderia in Cordoba are top sights to see. One of the best places for flamenco is La Casa del Flamenco in Sevilla.