Southern Spain 10 day February Itinerary

Because you didn’t generate it, you probably haven’t researched any of the places ChatGPT said you should visit (especially for February) or looked at their locations on a map. Many are fine, but I’m not sure what the draw would be to the Embalse del Guadalhorce would be. It’s a reservoir where you’d probably spend 10-15 minutes at most. There are a couple other places nearby that are more interesting, at least to me. For example, El Torcal de Antequera and Reserva Natural de la Laguna de Fuente de Piedra.

The itinerary has you heading southeast from Granada to visit the Las Alpujarras area when you really need to head west to reach Ronda. An alternative would be to skip Las Alpujarras and drive directly to Ronda possibly stopping at Antequera. There’s very little in Salobreña. It does have a nice beach but you won’t partake of it in February.

Conil is up by Barcelona whereas Conil de la Frontera is along the southern coast. El Palmar is over by Murcia. The itinerary is all over the place and having you backtrack. In February many of the small coastal towns along the Costa de la Luz and along the coast in general will be mostly shuttered due to the temperature and it not being tourist season.

The biggest issue I see with it is it doesn’t seem to consider travels times getting between places or the ease of getting to them. A huge unknown and something only you can estimate is the amount of time you’ll spend at each place.

I don’t deny I didn’t research this much and I fully intend to do so. I realize this is a quick sketch of an outline. Just wanted quick thoughts. Thank you. I will further look into the generated itinerary as well as your suggestions. Thank you again so much for your time responding. You sound like you know the area quite well!

I don’t use ChatGPT to create my itineraries and never will so I am biased. Did you tell ChatGPT what you want to see and do. Does it know your interests?

I think you would be better served by reading some good guidebooks.

I don’t see Seville or Cordova here. They are amazing cities filled with history.

On day 5 you arrive in Granada from somewhere else. What time do you arrive? You have to check into your hotel and then visit the Alhambra. And do a possible hike. Sounds very rushed to me. You must make Alhambra reservations well in advance.

I did add my interests of hiking, coastal visits and visiting small villages. You’re right about Seville and Cordova I want to see those areas. It was more a fun curiosity to use AI, you’re right it’s not the best way to plan a trip. Thank you for your help!

Sorry, but this just looks like an example to explain why using ChatGPT is not an ideal choice.

I move locations often, but I wouldn’t consider telling someone to move hotels this often in this short amount of time. And Nerja…with the Balcony of Europe being something special to see? No to both.

Check out several YouTube videos of southern Spain and look up TripAdvisor for top “things to do” in each city to get a quick feel for what and where you actually want to go& then you can research further.

I’m heading back there again for the third February in a row. I’ve stayed in Malaga, Sevilla, Cadiz, Estepona, Marbella (didn’t like), Cordoba, Granada, Ronda, Nerja (for a festival), Toledo & Madrid. The southern portion is a wonderful area!

Also, if you like festivals, check dates for their Carnaval. We attended Carnaval for a week in Cadiz, and it was a lot of fun. I was in Malaga last year during their opening parade night, also.

Rick lists his top sightseeing picks for some major cities on this website. There is of course more to be found in his (and others') guidebooks.

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/spain

Click on one of your sightseeing targets, then (if available) on "At a Glance".

I have narrowed down areas we want to visit. Some of the areas we are considering are Seville,Cordoba, Granada, Ronda and a day trip to Morocco in this order. Is this too much for a 10 day trip? We are interested in visiting smaller villages, historical sites but not a lot of time in big cities and include a hike or 2. What are your thoughts on coastal areas this time of year like Malaga or Cadiz? I know it will be Carnival as well so any suggestions for that would be helpful. thank you!

How many nights do you have in Spain?
Where will you fly from and to?

Is Malaga your only flight option?

If you have just 10 nights- you don’t have time for that ChatGPT plan. Honestly it is ridiculous!
If your priorities now are Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada and Ronda- that can work. Forget the day trip to Morocco- too far, not enough time.

I have only been to Andalusia area once so not an expert. We spent 4 nights Sevilla, 2 Ronda, 3 Cordoba, 4 Granada (and other stops- we had 24 nights). We also visited Malaga- liked it.
We are not hikers but I guess you could plan to hike from Granada.

Figure out where you are flying in to and out of. You will need to be in your departure city night before flight.

How many location changes do you really want? Each change eats up half a day. Days are still on the short side in February.

I think you can manage without rental car- we used bus and train. Took a bit of research so you'll have to figure out best routes/transportation and work with whatever festivals/holidays that fall during your trip.
What are your dates?

10 nights-
Sevilla 3
Ronda 2
Cordoba 2
Granada 3

Can you fly in to Sevilla, out of Granada?
Can you add any nights to your trip?

I'm thinking of flying into Seville from LAX and then return home from Malaga fly to LAX. So maybe a possible itinerary would be Seville 3 days Ronda 2 days Granada 3 days 1 day Malaga.

If you just wanted to see their sights, then Malaga and Cádiz are fine in February, but not for spending time at the beach. I too would skip Morocco. With the new itinerary, your best bet for hikes would be from the Ronda area, but it can get cold in the surrounding foothills by Grazalema. Once there, please take the weather into consideration before heading out for any hike and be prepared for a worst case scenario (food, water, emergency phone numbers). With the revised itinerary there realistically isn’t time for Malaga and Cádiz, unless flying out of Malaga.

To save some time once you’re in Spain, when you’ve finalized your itinerary research small villages you’d like to visit so you know beforehand where you want to visit.

With the very latest itinerary, although you cut out Córdoba it was the outlier. The remaining places are in a logical order and will reduce driving time (assuming you still intend on getting a vehicle).

Day 8:

El Palmar will be VERY quiet in February. Fine for walking along the beach (seeing the grazing cows!) but most restaurants open just before Semana Santa.

Conil is aa working town but also might be pretty closed up in /February.

Vejer is gorgeous at any time and there will be some restaurants open. If you continue on to Tarifa, you ought to stop at the Baelo Claudia site.

On the way from Vejer to Baelo Claudia, and Tarifa, you could stop in Barbate, one of Spain's great tuna ports, and have lunch at the legendary EL CAMPERO. It's quite an experience; they serve dishes from every part of the fish from the head to the tail....sit at the bar and have the waiter guide you. It won't be too expensive, as opposed to the more formal dining room. You'd actually do better having lunch there than in Vejer, in February; it's an easy drive from Vejer to Barbate and parking is easy as well. I always begin with the sashimi of belly tuna. (ventresca)

https://www.hungryonion.org/t/photos-of-barbate-spains-el-campero/34738

To assist others trying to answer your question, please use full city/town names so there’s no confusion as to where you’re referring to.

As I pointed out originally, Conil is up by Barcelona whereas Conil de la Frontera is on the southern coast. Likewise, El Palmar is near Murcia whereas El Palmar de Vejer is also along the southern coast.

My latest itinerary is flying into and out of Madrid and going straight to Seville from Madrid the day we arrive.

3 days Seville
2 days Ronda with Camino del Rey
2 days Malaga Go to Malaga night of Caminito del Rey overnight in Malaga
2 days Granada
Granada to Madrid overnight Madrid fly out next day

Should I skip Cordoba? Is it worth Malaga in February? I do want to see Ronda and the white villages and hike the Caminito del Rey but I know it will be colder in those areas. We don’t want to be in large cities the entire time and enjoy smaller villages and landscapes also.

I see you narrowed down the Spanish cities you might visit and I agree, but it also depends on the travelling style. We have done Spain - Morocco for a day trip and it is absolutely worth it, I agree with keeping it in the plan. We went by boat from Tangier (here is a blog that we used to prepare). I would suggest you watched some youtube videos of people doing the style of holidays you prefer and take some ideas too.

I love Cordoba and would prioritize it over Malaga and Ronda, but YMMV. I think three days is about the minimum for Seville (if you had more time I'd recommend longer). If you don't mind paying full price for a last-minute train ticket and don't run into a bunch of sold-out trains, you could leave the question of Cordoba open and see how your visit to Seville is going. There's at least one express train each hour to Cordoba, taking as little as 41 minutes, but that doesn't include the time it will take you to get from your hotel to Santa Justa Station or from the station in Cordoba to the historic center. Although that maneuvering is easy enough without luggage, it does take time. Will you want to give up a full day in Seville for less than a full day in Cordoba?

Note that Madrid-Seville trains and Granada-Madrid trains all stop in Cordoba. I'd not recommend an in-transit visit to Cordoba on your arrival day in Spain due to jetlag, etc., but you could in theory break the journey from Granada back to Madrid. That would require two separate train tickets. It has been reported here that there are no luggage lockers inside the Cordoba train station. There are lockers at the nearby bus station, but they can fill up, so you'd really need to Google for information on luggage storage at other facilities. There are options (Radical Storage has one close to the train station), but these days luggage storage often needs to be booked in advance. You typically cannot find out exactly where the location is until after you've booked and paid.

Internet search for Luggage Storage Cordoba

Further refined itinerary 10 days Spain
Day 1 Fly into Malaga stay 1 night
Day 2 Train to Seville
Day 3 Seville
Day 4 Seville
Day 5 Seville to Ronda
Day 6 Ronda to Granada
Day 7 Granada
Day 8 Granada to Caminito del Rey to Malaga
Day 9 Malaga
Day 10 leave from Malaga

Alternatively we are considering flying into Barcelona staying there 3 nights and taking a train to Granada and shorten the south portion. I know Barcelona to Granada is far but I’m not really interested in Madrid.

Let me know your thoughts on this new itinerary flying in and out of Malaga