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Spain, andalucia itinerary help

Trying to figure out a Spain itinerary. Have 12 nights on the ground, middle aged couple. In February 2019.
Only airfare that makes much sense is into and out of Madrid, open jaws not working using miles. Or, we could pillow in an old favorite, London or Rome, then take a cheap flight straight to Seville.

Option 1:
Madrid 3 nights
Toledo 2 nights
Seville 4 nights (day trip to Córdoba, or see on the way from Madrid to seville)
Granada 2 nights
Madrid 1 night

Option 2:
London or Rome: 3 nights
Seville: 4 nights (day trip Córdoba)
Toledo: 2 nights
Madrid: 3 nights

Opinions?

Posted by
26829 posts

I like #1 but would make Toledo my first stop and put all the Madrid days at the end (one less hotel change). Toledo is a short train ride from Atocha Station, and the fare will not be any higher if you buy the ticket after arrival in Madrid (when you know what departure time is safe). There's a slight possibility a train might be sold out, but I think that's very unlikely around mid-day unless there's a holiday.

In Spain round-trip tickets are often bargains. You'll have to return to Madrid to get from Toledo to Seville (or Cordoba), so I think you'll save by buying a Madrid-Toledo round-trip and a separate ticket from Madrid to Seville or Cordoba. You can verify this ahead of time on the Renfe website or on trainline.eu so you can (assuming I'm right) buy everything except the Toledo RT ahead of time if you're willing to commit to specific trains to save money.

I'd take advantage of the normally-pleasant February weather in Andalucia to see at least the three main cities there.

Posted by
7123 posts

This is a portion of the trip we did last year in Spain. Definitely recommend heading straight to Toledo for your first couple of nights and ending with Madrid days. We really enjoyed Ronda, also. I’ll also share our itinerary (transportation and hotel/apartment recommendations) tomorrow afternoon.

Posted by
62 posts

Thanks for the help! Would love to see your recommendations, Jean.

I’m open to recommendations on where to sleep, where to go only as a day trip, for 12 nights in this part of Spain, in mid-late February. I am open to all ideas and input.

When I read the guidebooks, including RS, I end up planning on stopping everywhere and it comes out to 3 weeks! Which we don’t have ; ) mores the pity.

Posted by
7175 posts

If plane/train times work, I’d go with Ann’s suggestion above.

•Arrive Madrid. Train to Toledo - 2 nights
•Train to Seville - 4 nights (day trips to Córdoba & Jerez/Cadiz)
•Train to Granada - 2 nights
•Train to Madrid - 4 nights (day trips to Segovia & El Escorial+Avila)
•Depart Madrid

Ronda could also be an option, but at the expense of a night or two in Madrid &/or Sevilla.

Posted by
62 posts

David, that itinerary looks good!

Is it really easy to get to Toledo from the Madrid airport with only 1/4 of your wits about you? I am pretty slow going with jet lag anymore...I suppose we could hire a car service for $$.

Posted by
7123 posts

There’s an airport bus that goes to Atocha Train station, and train to Toledo is 30 minutes.

Posted by
7123 posts

Or a subway from airport to Atocha Train station, but you would probably need to switch airport terminals, first.

Posted by
687 posts

Anticipating jet-lag brain syndrome, we scheduled a private transfer from Barajas airport to Toledo in April. We used Suntransfers; they were reliable and worth every penny. So nice to have someone waiting for us with our name on a big sign when we arrived in Madrid with foggy brains!

We used them on the way back to Barajas at the end of the trip, too. I HATE worrying about getting to/from the airport when we travel; stresses me out. So we used Suntransfers for the airport trips, busses/trains for the rest of our travel in Spain.

Have fun! Spain is wonderful!

Posted by
62 posts

A private transfer sounds like the way to go for us as well! I've taken many European trips where I had to negotiate planes, trains and buses with jet lag brain fog. No mas!

Deb, tell me more about Casa de los Mozárabes, it looks amazing! Is there are staffed desk? Was it convenient to restaurants?

Any other hotel recommendations for Seville, Granada and Madrid very much appreciated!

Posted by
7123 posts

Hi, here's my hotel recommendations, plus some notes:

Toledo: Hotel Sercotel Pintor El Greco. We recommend this hotel – very quiet, nice staff, numerous excellent breakfast choices. I paid extra for breakfast with the room, and we were glad with that decision.

Madrid: Pension Central Palace Madrid was my favorite hotel during this trip. The receptionist was kind, breakfast downstairs at elegant Cafe de Oriente was perfect to begin our days, and the hotel room was huge with a modern bathroom. But, the reason it was my favorite hotel was the view! Our balcony overlooked the Oriente Garden & the Royal Palace – so beautiful! We liked the location of our hotel to be near the Plaza Mayor, Mercado(market) de San Miguel and the Royal Palace. We walked the Calle de Arenal each evening to the Puerta de Sol.

Also a note about Madrid: We saved valuable time by purchasing our Prado Museum and Royal Palace tickets on-line a few months ahead of time. So we got to walk past the long ticket line to the main door! Took the train to Cordoba.

Cordoba: We stayed at the NH Collection Amistad Cordoba since it was just one night. Nice hotel & modern room.
We enjoyed our time at the Mesquita, going in late afternoon to miss the crowd of daytime tour groups. We walked across the picturesque Roman bridge both during the day and in the evening for some beautiful views and photo opportunities. We were glad to have the chance to stay overnight in charming Cordoba, as our first experience in Andalusia, instead of treating it as a daytrip from Sevilla. Took the train to Sevilla.

Sevilla: We stayed at a wonderful apartment in the Seville Barrio Santa Cruz neighborhood during our 4 days (Apartamento Logia Sevilla found through Booking.com. The apartment was perfect for us – a spacious apartment on the first floor of a home owned by an architect & his family. They gave us a map marked with the neighborhood market, tapa recommendations, etc. Each morning my husband surprised me with fantastic pastries from nearby Pany Piu bakery while I was getting ready. We wanted to be close to the sites but have a good night’s sleep. This location was perfect and had everything we would want in an apartment.

Notes for Sevilla: Our first morning started with a planned bike tour with “See by Bike Sevilla”. We’ve taken bike tours during a few past trips and really enjoy them. Adriana led our 3-hour bike tour through a path of all of the major sites, explaining the history. We also saw more interesting parts of the Plaza de Espana area than when we had walked there by ourselves. Seville was an excellent town for a bike tour since it’s so flat – an easy ride. On-line reservations for Royal Alcazar also saved us valuable time, not needing to stand in the entrance line. We also participated in a Market/Cooking class with Taller Andaluz de Cocina Cooking School. This was one of my husband’s favorite events! Since the kitchen classroom is located in the Triana Food Market, Jessica began the class by showing & explaining specific foods in the market, gathering a few ingredients, and then Chef José Manuel led our small group through the specific Do’s & Don’t steps to making a perfect paella, along with other meal items. We took the bus from Sevilla to Ronda.

Ronda: One of our favorite locations. Ronda is famous for its massive Roman bridge that connects both sides of the city. We stayed at Hotel Ronda in the older section across the bridge. The hotel was quaint & adequate. This was a less expensive option, and we were fine with its accomodations. The street has a very steep downward grade, another confirmation to pack light! Two nights in Ronda were perfect for us to see the original bullfight ring & museum, attend a classical & flamenco instrumental guitar concert at the Guitar Round House store on Calle Padre Mariano Soubiron by Paco Seco (excellent credentials) and have a nice dinner at Puerta Grande.

Posted by
7123 posts

Granada: We stayed three nights at a Room Mate Hotel, in this case the Room Mate Leo. The staff was exceptionally nice, and we decided to add the breakfast at the hotel since they had a nice variety, and it was located on the same floor as our hotel room. I paid a little more for a balcony, and the balcony was huge with chairs and even room for a couple of loungers. We brought some food from nearby markets for a couple of casual meals here. Our favorite gelato was at Los Italianos, and we made multiple stops! As far as restaurants, Los Diamantes was fun, crowded, tasty, and a favorite of both locals and tourists. We loved their Spanish rice along with the fish and calamari.

This is how I would schedule the 12 nights:
Toledo - 2 nights
Seville - 4 nights (day trip to Córdoba, or see on the way from Madrid to seville)
Ronda - 2 nights
Granada - 2 nights
Madrid - 2 nights

Posted by
687 posts

To answer your questions about Casa de los Mozarabes.....

It is an apartment, not a hotel, so there is no front desk (it is actually a building with multiple apartments). However, the person who checked us in (Maya; not sure if she is owner/manager/both) was extremely helpful. Gave us maps, restaurant tips, guidance, scheduled taxis for us for our departure, contacted us to followup on a minor wi-fi issue that was resolved within an hour of checking in. We had her cell number and could use it at any time during our stay.

We found our apartment to be very comfortable; not huge, but plenty of room to feel "at home." Basic staples were provided (coffee, olive oil, paper products, dish soap, etc.). The location is super, just a couple of blocks off of Zocodover, yet the apartment is on a tiny side street that is very quiet. We slept well. There are tons of restaurants just a few steps away, including the best breakfast/brunch we had during our vacation. Maybe it was the jet lag, but the cafe con leche, fresh juices, and great food selections were absolutely fantastic. Nuevo Almacen, just around the corner from the apartment.

Here is my Trip Report with details from our 2-week stay in Spain, including details on where we stayed and what we did in Toledo, Sevilla, Granada, and Madrid.

I totally agree with Jean on her recommendation for Los Diamantes in Granada. My 13-year-old is still talking about the clams; she ate a plate of them the size of her head and was asking for more! Ditto on Los Italianos -- we stopped by pretty much every day. Los Helados San Nicolas (ice cream) in the Albaicin was awesome as well.

I like the itinerary suggestion, although I have not been to Ronda so can't comment on the 2 nights there. Granada is our favorite place in Spain; my personal choice would be to spend as much time as possible there. I don't love Madrid, but you should see it at least once to make up your own mind, so a couple nights is good. Everyone likes different places for different reasons. We day-tripped to Jerez from Sevilla and enjoyed that visit very much.

All the places you are planning to visit are wonderful, and you will have a great trip regardless of your specific plans!

Posted by
62 posts

Thanks so much for the detailed advice! I think I’m leaning towards:
Toledo - 2 nights
Seville - 4 nights (See Córdoba on the way to Seville, maybe a day trip)
Granada - 3 nights or 2 nights
Madrid - 3 nights or 4 nights (maybe 1 day trip)

Can’t decide on final two stops, seems likes a long way to travel to only spend 2 nights in Granada.

II’m mostly interested in the art museums in Madrid, and perhaps a walking tour. Could probably accomplish that in 2 full days. Madrid is easy to get to if we love it.