Six day itinerary - Madrid +

Granada is too long a journey for your time frame. Take the train from the airport to Sevilla, changing trains in Madrid, for 2-3 nights. Take an early train to Cordoba (check bag at bus station across the street) and an evening train to Madrid for the rest of your stay. Toledo is an easy day trip from Madrid.

Sevilla - top sights are the Alcazar and the cathedral. See a flamenco show at Casa de la Flamenco. I like the Plaza de Espana in late afternoon. There are several former residences that can be visited. The newest to open (and maybe not in the guidebooks yet) is the Palacio de las Dueñas.

Cordoba - the best sight in Spain after the Alhambra is the unique and must-see Mezquita. Then spend a couple hours (or more) in the Juderia, one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Spain.

Thanks much for the quick and detailed response, Chani. I like it.

Chani is correct in saying that your timeframe is really too tight for everything on your wish list. .
However, if you are uncertain if and when you may return to Spain, then consider this possibility.

November
15. Arrive Madrid. Train to Sevilla (2)
16. Sevilla
17. Train via stop in Cordoba to Granada (2)
18. Alhambra
19. Morning flight to Madrid (2)
20. Madrid, or day to Toledo
21. Depart Madrid

I agree it will be very tough to do all 3. I would pick 2. Madrid and Granada works just as well as Madrid and Seville (it is a bit longer to Granada at 4+ vs 2.5 hours but that's doable). From there it's a matter of preference as to which you prefer.

One could do Seville, Cordoba, and Granada in that time, just using Madrid for the airport and one day to see the palace and one museum. That's what I would do, but I'm very biased towards Andalusia. Personal preference.

Or stay in Madrid doing 2 days in Toledo, consider a day trip to Segovia, Avila - there are so many castle towns to consider. Keep Andalucia for when you can fly into that region and stay a few extra days. Just my 2 cents. Otherwise, toss a coin - Seville or Granada + Madrid

Thanks all for the food for thought. Your suggestions are very much appreciated.

For those that have traveled the area at this time of year, what is the weather like? Looks mild, cool (not cold) based on weather tables i've seen.

You can see actual hour-by-hour temperatures by checking the historical weather data on wunderground.com. You can go back at least 10 years.

Madrid in November
Avg min: 4c
Avg max: 15c
Avg no rainy days: 9

Hi there.

Madrid in November can be mild -- but that's coming from someone who is used to winters in the Midwest and Great Lakes. I would plan for low-60's to mid-40's. But this year seems unusually warm for Europe. I was just in Venice and Lisbon two weeks ago and both cities were much warmer than I had expected. I was in London in April and it was, again, warmer than I had expected.

Are you planning to explore Madrid AND the three cities as well? If so, that's going to be super, super tight. You really only have 5 days to explore if you build in travel time, jet lag, and some buffer time so you don't miss your bus/train/plane.

Your time can also be hampered by the timing and pace of events in Spain. Most stores are not open early. Breakfast is around 9am. For example, my favorite pastry shop La Mallorquina near Sol opens at 8:30am. Lunch is usually after noon. Most dinner places don't start service until 8-8:30pm at the earliest, though you will find places that cater to tourists. But if you want to experience tapas, etc. you should invest in staying up until at least midnight.

I think the key to managing your itinerary is to decide which is more important: sights vs. experiences. Nothing wrong with either one. Just that if you decide the latter is more important, you might want to pare that down to Madrid and a city that is a day trip away like Segovia.

Also, because you only have a handful of days in the country, I would advise that you be cognizant of how the Catalunya issue might impact your travels. While you won't be in Barcelona or anywhere near it, there has been some demonstrations in Madrid, if I'm not mistaken. Demonstrations, strikes or other problems can have a ripple affect on train and bus travel.

You may have difficulty obtaining tickets to the Alhambra at this late date. If you can't be sure of admission to the Alhambra, then with such a short itinerary you should probably save Granada for your next visit.

I suggest the following itinerary:
Nov 15 - arrive Madrid airport, take express bus to Atocha station, take AVE train to Sevilla (book your train ticket ASAP, leave 3+ hours between your plane landing and train departing). Sleep Sevilla
Nov 16 - day in Sevilla
Nov. 17 - day in Sevilla
Nov. 18 - mid morning train to Madrid. Sleep Madrid. Optionally you could take a.m. train to Cordoba and book a separate AVE ticket Cordoba to Madrid a bit later in the day. Then have a few hours window to see the Mezquita and Cordoba.
Nov. 19 - Madrid
Nov. 20 - Madrid
Nov. 21 - taxi to airport, fly out

I'm not sure 3 hours is a safe buffer to leave between scheduled flight arrival time and train departure time. A lot can go wrong, including flight delays and long lines at Immigration.