need assistance navigating from Madrid to Malaga

Plot from one city to another city on Google Maps. Click on the train block and the train schedules and times will show up. You can click on the auto icon and it'll tell you how far it is from place to place. If it's very far, click on the airplane and it will tell you who flies that route--if applicable.

Spain has some extremely fast rail lines. They don't go everywhere, so sometimes you must choose between a faster trip with some backtracking or a slower trip (sometimes on a comfortable bus) that takes a more direct route. The bus route might be so much more direct that it takes about the same amount of time as the fast trains, making the bus a smart, money-saving way to travel.

Rail routes involving fast trains tend to be more expensive, but the fare difference can be reduced if you are ready to buy tickets well in advance. Be sure you understand the rules about changes and refunds. For travelers with much to see and limited time, the fast trains are often the logical choice; extra nights in hotels aren't free. But any time the train route looks more like the letter "V" than a straight line, it's worth checking on whether there's a good bus option.

I'm confused about your dates (it looks as if there's a typo there), but setting that aside for the moment, what you have is neither a straight line nor a loop, so there's going to be a bit of a zigzag involved. Sometimes things work out that way. Please clarify your dates so we know how much time you have.

Because of the way the fast rail lines are laid out, Cordoba can be slotted into your itinerary in many different places. You'll probably pass through that city more than once, so you have some flexibility in when you hop off the train to do your sightseeing there. Therefore, for your initial planning, I'd temporarily forget about Cordoba to simplify matters. For the record, I'd recommend spending a couple of nights in both Toledo and Cordoba.

I don't know whether this will help or not, but I found an unofficial schematic drawing of Spain's fast train lines online. I'm sure there's something official out there, but I couldn't immediately find it; a lot of the maps are old and haven't been updated to include the recently-opened leg to Granada.

Unofficial schematic of Spain's fast rail network

A look at the map will help identify the challenges of your itinerary, among which are:

• No link to Toledo from any point other than Madrid. (Only a minor matter; returning to Madrid is quick.)

• Cadiz is a sort of dead end, with no direct link to Malaga. (Consider a bus if you want to travel between those two cities.)

What the map doesn't reveal is that fast-train service to Granada isn't frequent. The thin schedule can be somewhat limiting as you put an itinerary together. Bus service is a lot more frequent, with many of the buses schedule to take less than 2 hours--and the bus trip should be reasonably inexpensive. Both the bus station and the train station are far enough from the center of Granada that you'll need to take a bus or taxi, so the fact that the. Us station is so ewhat farther out doesn't really make much difference.

Remember, we're ignoring Cordoba at the moment, and Malaga will obviously be your last stop since you're flying out of that city.

You'll begin your trip by traveling from the Madrid airport to Toledo (changing trains at Madrid-Atocha). After visiting Toledo you'll head back to Madrid-Atocha and change trains for your second destination.

You can head next to either Seville/Cadiz or Granada. It's faster to get to Malaga from Granada, so it seems more efficient to begin in Seville/Cadiz, then go to Granada, then head to Malaga. It wouldn't matter whether you hit Seville or Cadiz first. Check hotel rates in Seville both ways unless there's something date-specific you want to do.

However, be sure you're OK with transportation times into Granada from Cadiz/Seville; options are limited.

So you might do this: Madrid airport - Toledo via Atocha - Seville/Cadiz via Atocha - Seville/Cadiz - Granada - Malaga. Cordoba? It fits before Seville/Cadiz or before Granada.

Forget flying. That won't save time in Andalucia. You really have to start this itinerary in Toledo, and once you've left the airport in Madrid, trains will cover the distances faster than flying.

To fit the space limit on my earlier post, I had to ignore Ronda and Nerja.

The best way to include Ronda would be to rent a car for the leg of the trip between Cadiz/Seville and Granada. Many travelers do this. I have not, and I acknowledge that current car-rental rates are painfully high. I'd use ViaMichelin.com to get driving-time estimates before deciding between Seville-Cadiz-Ronda and Cadiz-Seville-Ronda if you decide to rent a car. The second option involves more train time and higher ticket costs, but I don't know about driving times.

If you drive to Ronda, you won't be going through Cordoba on that leg of your trip and would need to visit that city between Toledo and Seville/Cadiz (which would be easy to do).

Ronda has rail service (but no fast trains). There's also decent bus service from Seville and somewhat slower bus service from Cadiz and on to Granada. Therefore, you could travel Seville/Cadiz - Ronda - Granada without a car. Train departures are infrequent, so buses could be useful here. Use www.renfe.com to research rail schedules; you will see that trains from Seville to Ronda go through Cordoba, so you could travel Seville/Cadiz - Cordoba - Ronda by train. Googling something like bus Seville to Ronda may get you a link to the appropriate bus company's web site. Buses between Seville/Cadiz and Ronda don't travel through Cordoba.

Nerja has no train station but does have bus service. You can visit it between Granada and Malaga.

So, putting it all together, this is one option:

Madrid airport
Toledo via Madrid-Atocha
Cordoba
Seville/Cadiz via Madrid-Atocha
Seville/Cadiz
[Cordoba can fit here if traveling from Seville/Cadiz to Ronda by train]
Ronda (easiest by car, but train or bus works)
Granada (easiest by car, but train or bus works)
Nerja by bus
Malaga by bus

Now: How many nights do you have on the ground in Spain (not counting the overnight flight)?

Thank you for the informative input. I will be flying from San Diego California to Spain on 5/3/23 and depart 5/20/23 so 17 days. I would like to spend time in Madrid. Should I go to Toledo first and then back to Madrid for a couple of days? If I am visiting Nerja, should I even bother with Cadiz? Are the two towns that different? I was thinking also to divide time between staying in Nerja and Malaga.

I don't know that it makes much difference whether your first hotel stay is in Toledo or Madrid since you have to double back on the train, anyway. However, there's something to be said for a soft landing in a smaller city as opposed to a hectic one. Checking days of closure for sights you want to see in both cities is important. Many of us aren't really functional on our arrival day, so you may end up with only one day in Toledo or two days in Madrid, depending on which is your first stop.

I haven't been to Nerja, so I can't comment on how it stacks up against Cadiz. I believe Nerja has become a popular beach resort, whereas Cadiz still has a sort of forgotten air that makes a nice change from the more touristy cities.

I think squeezing all your desired destinations into the time available isn't going to be easy. Each change of hotel is likely to chew up about half a day by the time you get settled in your new lodgings, and you have seven hotel changes if we include Cadiz.

I think you are correct. I will have to delete a couple of towns and make a decision how long I will stay in each town. I will sleep on it. Thank you for taking time to assist me.