My Daughter and her friend (both in mid 20s) will take a first-time trip to Spain. They will arrive on April 5 (Thurs.) morning in Madrid from US (overnight flight) and leave on April 14 (Sat.) around noon time back to US. They have total of 9 days and nights in Spain. Here are the places that they are interested to cover: Madrid, Toledo, Sevilla, Granada. Not sure if Cordoba should be included (maybe only if it is conveniently on the way and easy to do). They are interested in scenery, culture, good food, etc. They are on a budget.
The tentative itinerary is following:
April 5 -arrive in Madrid in the morning, Stay 2 nights here for sightseeing.
April 7 -train to Toledo for one-day visit. They are debating to stay overnight in Toledo or back to Madrid on the same day. Please help me on this with pro and con for each approach.
April 8 -fast train from Madrid to Sevilla. Stay for 2 nights.
April 10 – from Sevilla to Granada. Not sure what is the best transportation method; train+bus or bus. Stay for 2 nights.
April 12 – Back to Madrid. It seems that Cordoba is on the way. Not sure if there is time to stop there on the way or if it is worth the trouble. What is the best transportation method from Granada to Madrid? Stay 2 more nights (probably only one full day) in Madrid.
April 14 – Noon flight back to US.
I would really appreciate your comments and suggestions for the above tentative itinerary, especially for the following questions:
1. Is there any difference to do the Toledo trip in the beginning or the end of the trip? Should they overnight in Toledo or just day trip from Madrid.
2. Do the days distributed in each place look reasonable or it could be improved by moving around the places?
3. Should Cordoba be included on the return trip from Granada to Madrid?
4. What is the best and inexpensive way to get from Granada to Madrid?
Thanks very much for your help!