Solo Trip to Southern Spain October 24th to November 27th 2018

You'll get more useful lodging suggestions if you provide a nightly budget in euros. Are you looking for an apartment or do you prefer hotels?

I don't see the advantage of going back and forth to Seville so many times. I don't find checking in and out of hotels much fun.

If you're interested in less touristy places, you might look into Ubeda and Baeza. They're on my list for next year. And most people with as much time as you have like to visit Ronda and some of the white villages (like Arcos de la Frontera).

Several people from the forum has enjoyed Cadiz and Malaga.

What are your interests? Do you like long hikes? Are you interested in history, if so, which periods? Music, dance? Food and wine? "Just hanging out" - alone - in Seville for 3 weeks doesn't appeal to me, so I'm having trouble understanding what you are looking for. If you camp out in the center of town, you'll have a great view of the cathedral and all the tourists visiting the city.

I am not sure why you feel the need to return to Seville so often. There are plenty of other good bases around Southern Spain where you could spend a few nights. That way, your trip doesn't feel so much like a boomerang.

I noticed that you don't have any of the White Hill Towns on your itinerary. A handful of those could easily take up a week or so. You could sweep through a 3 or 4 of them easily, spending a couple of nights apiece in whichever town suits your fancy. You would need to rent a car for that, however.

With your abundance of time, I also think you could head slightly north to Extremadura, which has some lovely sights and fine places to overnight. It's only a short drive north of Seville, and a road trip through the region could easily fill another week.

Also, I wouldn't worry about changing hotels too much. If you're anything like me (also a solo traveler), you pack light and can be pretty nimble when switching overnight stops.

I usually abide by the "Rule of 3." That means you take the number of nights you are traveling, divide it by 3, and that's the maximum places you should be looking to overnight at.

So 34 days, divided by 3, equals 11 overnight destinations. That's quite a bit to choose from, so you might be better suited to diversify from just Seville.

And if you are thinking about going to Lisbon (which I think is a great idea), I would plan it for the end of your trip. There's no point in flying from Seville to Lisbon, back to Seville, then taking a train to Madrid. Cut out that final flight from Lisbon to Seville and just fly to Madrid.

I have decided to take a 5 or 6 days to spend in and around Lisbon. My interests are History, Architecture, Art, Music and Food. Not really much of a beach person. I hadn't planned on renting a vehicle. Wasn't sure what to expect driving around there so I figured I would travel by rail and bus for the most part.
In the past I purchased an Airbnb for a month and saved quite a bit in comparison to 1, 2 or 3 week stays. I just assumed I would find a central location in which I could visit outlying areas and come back to re-energize. This is also my first trip in which I am packing light. I have not done well in this area before and after watching Rick Steves videos, I am convinced that this will make a world of difference for me in getting around easier. Nobody else in the family thinks I can do this. They call me a "Travel Hoarder". It does seem difficult to me given the amount of time I will be over there, but I am determined to do it. Thank you for the comments. I really appreciate hearing from you!!

Hoping to find an apartment. $50 to $70 per night. I had rented a very nice place in Madrid's La Latina district with my twins for a month this past April and it cost us approximately $77 per night. We were able to get it this cheap due to staying 30-days and that it was new on the market. I don't need anything real fancy since I am going to be on the road for approximately 1/3 of the time. I just didn't feel like checking in and out everytime I head out of town. Since it is a little less congested during the time frame I'll be travelling, maybe I can find some affordable places easier than I would in the Spring/Summer. Thanks again.

I haven't started researching for next year's trip to Andalucía yet, and I do not often end up in apartments--just when that happens to be the cheapest centrally located option when I get around to reserving. However, my summer-long experience in northern Spain during 2016 was that lodging prices were relatively high in Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastian, when I hit a town during a major festival, and when I visited a popular weekend destination near Madrid on a weekend. Rates were quite a bit lower everywhere else.

I suspect you won't need to book for a full month to get a low rate. I definitely wouldn't want to pay for two places to sleep per night as often as you're talking about.

I agree with the previous poster that--unless you need to be in Seville at specific times because of special events, it doesn't make any sense to fly Seville-Lisbon-Seville and then turn around and hop on a train to Madrid. Trains cost money, too.

Don't fear the idea of packing light. I'm female, and I take four pairs of pants and five tops for an entire summer. Plus one warm layer, one rain shell, and a pair of lightweight long johns if I might hit chilly, wet weather. The only pair of shoes I take is the pair on my feet (others disagree with that strategy).

It is a false economy to think making a single base in Seville is a good way to experience Andalusia. Most people would love the time you have to make a leisurely circuit of the region.

From Madrid ...
Day 1..To Córdoba
Day 5..To Baeza/Ubeda
Day 7..To Granada <<>> Alpujarras
Day 11..To Malaga <<>> Nerja
Day 15..To Ronda <<>> Pueblos Blancos
Day 19..To Jerez <<>> Cadiz
Day 22..To Seville
Day 27..Fly to Lisbon
Day 34..Fly to Madrid

There isn't really a base for Andalucia that allows for day trips to many other locations. The towns are pretty spread out and the trains aren't cheap. Cordoba is a 45 minute train ride and a round/trip ticket is in the neighborhood of €30-60, depending on the train and whether you buy well in advance with promo fares. The slower trains could save you some money but the journey takes more than twice as long. Jerez is a one hour ride and a R/T ticket is €18. Those are the only places I can think of that you can get to in an hour.

My last trip was in 2016, in March which is generally low season. I spent €47/night for a room in Cordoba in the Juderia, and walked to all the sights (and I'm not a long-distance walker). I found a lovely place in Arcos for €67 but ended up not going there. I spent a lot more on my hotel in Sevilla because I was there during the biggest festival of the year, but year before I spent €80 for the same hotel in February, the best place I've stayed in Spain. In fact, in February 2015 I paid €54 in Toledo, €47 in Cordoba, €35 in Antequera and €53 in Ronda, all for double rooms/single occupancy. All but Sevilla and Cordoba included breakfast.

My guess is that November is low season. If you stay 3 nights or more you may get a better rate. Also many places have single rooms that are somewhat cheaper.