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Seville-Córdoba-Madrid in 6 days

We will be flying out from Berlin to Seville in the first week of October. This will be our first time in Spain.

Our tentative itinerary is

Day 1: Arrive in Seville from Berlin.

Day 2: Seville

Day 3: Seville

Day 4: Seville to Cordoba

Day 5: Cordoba to Madrid

Day 6: Madrid. Fly out from Madrid to Berlin in the evening

We are skipping Granada for Cordoba because of time constraints. Would it be a good idea squeeze in one more place e.g., Ronda, Cadiz, Toledo?

Any feedback on the itinerary is welcome.

Also, I wanted to know if it would be a good idea to buy train tickets (for intercity travel) as well as tickets for places of interest, right away. I am asking because if we buy the tickets now it will leave us with little scope of tinkering with the itinerary on the go.

Posted by
26834 posts

You have given yourself only one day in Madrid--a city you have to transit because of the outbound flight--so I would definitely not add another location. Aside from its own attractions, Madrid has magnificent side-trips. You'll have to hold off on Toledo, Segovia and Cuenca for now.

You may still be able to save a fair amount of money on train tickets by buying now. Both of your trips will be on AVEs, which can be costly if you pay full fare. Go to renfe.com and compare the cost for today's tickets vs. tickets for your planned travel dates, then decide how much the flexibility is worth to you. Of course, buying the Seville-Cordoba ticket ahead of time is a bit risky since there could be a delay on your flight from Berlin. http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/

Posted by
4 posts

Thanks. I appreciate the help. Just one more thing - could you please elaborate on the side-trips in Madrid that you mention?

Posted by
11055 posts

You aren’t spending any time in Madrid?
Do not even consider any day trips until you spend some time in that magnificent city!
Once you have spent some time in Madrid, day trips could be Toledo, Segovia.

Posted by
5506 posts

I guess, I would argue you don't need to spend any time in Madrid, especially if you will be back to Spain. Some people like smaller towns more than huge cities. In the countries I've been to, I've covered the larger cities in multiple trips. I do agree that you couldn't add more in your itinerary with six days. Do you have your tickets? I should think you could fly in or out of Seville. If you flew into Seville. You could then train to Cordoba and then finish in Madrid.

Posted by
26834 posts

Toledo is one of my favorite places. It has a huge historic district with some lovely Moorish-style buildings and is worth staying at least two nights, though most tourists treat it as a day-trip from Madrid.

Segovia has the stunning aqueduct and some intersting architecture of its own. It can fill a full day.

Cuenca has an atmospheric historic district on a hill that's bordered by a ravine. Some of the houses hang over the edge. There are also two good modern-art museums. For those interested in art, it's worth staying overnight.

Consider those places for your next trip to central Spain.

Posted by
16893 posts

While train tickets would be cheaper if purchased today, a number of Spanish routes and departure times are still not available to purchase for October travel. So, you haven't necessarily missed anything and may even have to wait.

Posted by
1936 posts

I'd stay in Madrid and leave the day trips for another time. At least go to the Prado and I believe everyone should see Guernica once in their life. There's the food markets and the tourist office located in Plaza Mayor has daily guided English walks around historic center.

Posted by
4 posts

Thanks for all the suggestions. I was thinking of a slight change in itinerary - instead of staying overnight in Cordoba on Day 4, would it be better to do it as a day trip en route Madrid? i.e. on Day 4 we start from Seville to Cordoba, stow our luggage at the bus station, visit Cordoba during the day and take the evening train to Madrid. That way we'll have some more time in Madrid.

Posted by
7175 posts

Day 1: Arrive in Seville (3N)
Day 2: Seville
Day 3: Seville
Day 4: Early train to Cordoba. Store luggage at bus station & visit the Mezquita. Late train on to Madrid (2N)
Day 5: Madrid museums, or day to Toledo / Segovia
Day 6: Madrid sights before evening departure to Berlin

Posted by
15560 posts

Cordoba is my favorite Spanish city. Madrid is interesting and has 3 top-notch art museums. If you love European painting, definitely spend more time in Madrid. Sure there are also day trips from Madrid and Toledo is another favorite of mine, but you don't have unlimited time. My suggestion is to relax and enjoy. Less is more. Cordoba is lovely at night, much quieter than Sevilla and thus more charming and intimate in the well-preserved medieval area. Madrid is a big, bustling city. Choose whatever floats YOUR boat.

I really doubt this will be your only trip to Spain. It's so easy to fall in love with it.

Posted by
4 posts

Thanks for the suggestions. We decided to spend the night in Córdoba and take the next morning train to Madrid.

Posted by
768 posts

I like djp_syd's itinerary.

If you arrive in Seville earlier in the day (or at least before evening) and since this is your first visit to Spain, you might want to consider booking a Flamenco performance your first evening. See my post of 07.28.18, I received some great suggestions.
Jon