Need Help with Transportation Planning between Cities in Spain and Portugal

I'm covering some of the same territory in Spain the month before you are, but the only travel leg we have in common is Ronda-Seville. I'm planning to take the Damas bus, which I think has a travel time varying between about 1:45 and 2:45.

It's my understanding that if you buy tickets in and out of Granada from RENFE (or a third-party handling train tickets), the bus segment is integrated with the train segment, and the bus picks up and drops off right outside the train station. I find the buses in Spain comfortable enough that I'd just as soon take a bus the entire way if there's not much time difference (and I don't believe there is). The bus is likely to be a bit less expensive, and it's easier to deliver your suitcase to the side of the bus for storage in the hold than to wrestle it onto a train and find a place for it.

I haven't been to Portugal recently, but the few people who've commented on this forum do not seem to share Rick's fondness from Salema and always seem to recommend a different base on the Algarve.

We are asking for help with transportation planning for between Cordoba and Granada, Granada and Ronda, Ronda and Seville

Cordoba to Granada
I would take the ALSA Bus it goes direct otherwise you would have to transfer to a bus from a train on RENFE.
https://www.alsa.com/en/web/bus/home

Granada to Ronda
This train route is not disrupted. It is a Media Distancia Train or MD type train direct no changes on RENFE.

https://www.thetrainline.com/ or Loco2

Ronda to Seville

This train route is not disrupted. It only requires that you change from one train to another no buses. But I would go with acraven's suggestion of bus company.

Thank you for the transportation information. This helps with tremendously with planning. Will also rethink the stop in Salema - have some flexibility with that booking. Perhaps another village/city in the Algarve area would be better. Much appreciate the help!

If you use the Search bar on this website and enter "Salema", you may find some earlier threads where options were presented. I know there have been a few, and I just don't trust my memory as to what the suggestions were. If that doesn't work, try Googling ricksteves.com/forum Salema. The Search function here is really not very good.

Will check out other sources for alternatives to Salema. I concur that the search feature is not very helpful. Does not provide much information about alternatives or detailed info concerning the region. Thanks for you providing us the help we need to map out a great trip. We were simply looking for a "rest" place for a couple of days about mid way through the trip. We are very excited about our other stops. Do you happen to have any suggestions for day trips from Seville? We are open to any ideas - love history, art, cultural experiences, and learning about regional foods/wines. Again, thanks!

Seville is quite large; you may not need a day-trip to fill your time. If you do, you have Jerez (sherry houses and performing horses), Cadiz (historic district, though not too many seem thrilled by the city), and--if you're willing to spend a bit longer in transit and probably change in Jerez--the white town of Arcos de la Frontera.

Since our Portugal-knowledgeable posters don't seem to have noticed this thread, I think you may need to post in the Portugal forum to ask about a good place to take a break on the Algarve. In the meantime, you might research Tavira; I think that's a place that has been mentioned. However, I don't know how much effort it would be to get there by train/bus.

I agree with acraven that Seville is large and you do not need day trips to fill in your time. In fact, we spent 4 nights in Seville, and I wish we had a 5th night just to leisurely wander around the city more.

Seville is a beautiful and historic city with important sites to visit. Don't rush through them! We loved the Alcazar and spent hours there, just enjoying the beauty and taking photos and savoring every moment. The gardens are gorgeous, too. The Seville cathedral is beautiful; it's one of Seville's highlights. I recommend audioguides, which take longer, but help you to understand the history and significance of what you are seeing.

We also love the Casa de Pilatos, a small palace. It's a hidden gem, and not as crowded as the other sites. So a relaxing place to visit. We loved wandering around the Plaza de Espagna and taking photos. We visited Triana, an interesting neighborhood that appeared to have more locals than tourists, went on a carriage ride, saw a Flamenco show, etc. So there is plenty to do in Seville!

We used ALSA bus to travel from Cordoba to Granada, and I highly recommend them. The buses are clean, comfortable, air conditioned, and modern. We ordered our bus tickets online from ALSA's website.

Thank you for the information about Seville. Very helpful and much appreciated! Will check the ALSA site for the bus from Cordoba to Granada.