We are traveling mid October and need to be in Madrid for 4 nights for a birthday party. After that we only have 3 more night, so we are choosing between Granada or Sevilla. For those who have been to both, which would you choose and why? And traveling from Madrid, would you fly or take a train?
Thank you!
In 2023, we spent 1 1/2 days in Seville and 3 days in Granada (part of a larger trip), then took the train to Madrid to fly to the US.. It’s hard to choose between the two. I loved the Plaza de Espana and the Royal Palace in Seville. But The Alhambra in Granada was the highlight of the trip for me. That was mostly because of the gardens, which may not have much in bloom in October. I would check that out, and if the gardens are not blooming, I would probably choose Séville. Granada is much smaller, so we felt more a part of things. The train from Madrid was very nice—that would be my choice.
You can’t go wrong whichever you choose. My preference would be Sevilla. To me it has more sites to visit that can be split up and seen over a few days. Good luck deciding.
I love oranges, I love apples, I'm happy with either - for different reasons.
There is a reason the Alhambra is the #1 sight in Spain. So I would choose Granada because it's harder to get to. You are much more likely to visit Sevilla on a return to Spain and nearly everyone who's been to Spain wants to (and does) return. It's 3.5 to 5 hours by train. Flying would take longer. Caveat Don't go until you have purchased Alhambra tickets. They always sell out. It would be a real shame to make plans and then miss out on the main reason to be in Granada.
I’d also probably pick Sevilla though Chani makes an awesome point about opportunity.
I think major sights aside, Sevilla was just more enjoyable. I found Granada to be very workaday versus Sevilla’s almost amusement-park atmosphere. I valued Granada a lot, but Sevilla is the place I’d go back to. Of course, there’s nothing like the Alhambra, but Sevilla’s Alcazar comes as close as anything.
If you decide on Sevilla, I would also submit that a stop in Cordoba to see the Mezquita is very doable and very worthwhile.
I hereby admit that the impetus for my first trip to Spain (3 weeks in Andalucia) was to visit the Alhambra. Sevilla is great, the advice to spend a day in Cordoba to see the Mezquita (absolutely unique and wonderful) and a few of the town's other charms is excellent. I've been to Andalucia 3 times and going for a 4th at the end of the year. Sevilla's on every trip - Cordoba too, Granada only once.
