Spain in March - Honing My Itinerary and Need Help

You have a lot of time which is great, therefore I would not day trip to Toledo or spend only one night in Cordoba. For me 5 nights is Barcelona it too much. I really love that time of year in Spain, if your lucky it will be warm with all the orange trees in bloom, it's shoulder so you never know. Regardless of the weather you encounter it sounds like a wonderful trip. J

First off you’ve clearly put some thought into this plan - this is a nice itinerary and sounds like an amazing trip!

My only suggested tweak on time allocation - swap a night from somewhere (say Madrid or Costa del Sol where you’ve got the longest time) into Cordoba. Then you’ve got a full day there rather than traveling in and out on consecutive days.

Where will you drop the rental car?

Joanne: thanks for your suggestion. With 5 nights in Barcelona that gives us 4 full days. We're interested in visiting the museums there, the cathedral, and the Sagrada Familia and other Gaudi architecture. We could maybe see what we want in 3 days/4 nights, but I like to have some downtime built in too. On such a long trip (we'll be in Europe for 2.5 months) we have to go at a little slower pace or we'll burn ourselves out. I understand that spending more time in Toledo and Cordoba would be warranted. I almost feel though that doing one or both as day trips actually gives us more time than doing an overnight, what with travel time, hotel check-in, packing and unpacking, etc...Decisions, decisions.

Ksea: we'll drop the rental car once we reach Barcelona. I think you're right on the 2 nights for Cordoba. As I mentioned above in response to Joanne, it almost seems that an overnight gives you less time than a well-planned day trip. So I think it's either doing Cordoba as a day trip from Seville (and adding a night there), or taking a day from Madrid or Costa del Sol as you suggested. I'll think on that.

I’m not sure what the draw of the Costa del Sol is for you, but what we’ve heard about it has kept us away. Beaches? N.America and especially Hawaii have plenty. Architecture? Lots of concrete high rises. Food? Great fish and chips and sausages and sauerkraut. That is to say, it is filled with foreign tourists.
I would certainly add a day to Cordoba. Since you are planning to drive up the coast, look into the Costa Brava, Girona, and Figueres. I am not a Dali fan, but I did find the Dali museum fascinating.

Unless you plan on doing some hiking, 4 nights in Ronda and the White towns is probably too many. If staying in Ronda you can drive to Arcos de la Frontera and back, stopping in Grazalema and Zahara de la Sierra in one day. Ronda itself is good for a full day if you wander down into the gorge.

Not sure where you intend to stay along the Costa Blanca. Mojácar and Elche are each an hour from Cartagena while Aleta is 2 hours away. I enjoyed Mojácar the day/night we were there, but it’s primarily a beach town. Cartagena can be see in a day. I didn’t see any “must see” sights when I visited there. I haven’t been to the other two, but Elche has El Palmerar. Altea looks interesting. It is another heavily touristed beach town. For the places you mentioned, none would be good as a base unless you visited Mojácar en route to Cartagena. Then, Elche might make for a good base since it’s between Cartagena and Altea.

I haven’t stayed along the Costa Del Sol since 1979. Back then it was a haven for ex pats. That hasn’t changed and since then, resorts have sprung up all over. Our friends enjoyed their stay in Marbella a couple years ago.

What is missing from your itinerary is time to stop at places between where you intend on lodging. For example, along the Costa Blanca there are Acueducto de los Veinte Ojos, Tabernas Desert, Vélez-Blanco Castle, Salto del Usero nature preserve, Lorca Castle, Almería, Castle of Biar, and the list goes on. Also, the drive from Elche to Barcelona is about 6 hours and that’s without stopping to see anything. You may want to consider stopping someplace in between to break up the drive.

Finally, in Feb/Mar many of the beach towns will essentially be shut down so restaurants and lodging choices may be limited. They shut down around mid-September and don’t open until May. It’s doubtful you’ll be going into the water that time of year, so unless there is something drawing you to the coastal towns, consider taking a more inland route.

5 nights is not too much for Barcelona. There is so much to see and do there. We spent 6 nights and didn't see everything. So you are wise to plan 5 nights in Barcelona.

I agree with the people who suggest spending 2 nights in Cordoba. The Mezquita is magnificent but there are other wonderful sites to see such as the Alcazar, Roman Bridge, explore the Juderia, the patios at Palacio de Viana.

To me that's way, way too much time on the Costa del Sol. But I'm not a beach person and actively dislike low-end package-tourism destinations. I spent multiple nights in Malaga and enjoyed it, as I did a day trip to Vejer de la Frontera. I think seeing 1 or 2 of the smaller places might satisfy you.

Some of the Costa del Sol time could be diverted to Cadiz. Or to Cordoba and Toledo, which have actual sights to see and really need more time than you've allocated to them. I also think the 3 nights in Granada is at the minimum for a trip like this. You're traveling at a time of year when great weather isn't guaranteed, which to me argues for a bit of slack in the schedule for cities with a lot of tourist sights.

On the way up to Barcelona you might enjoy a stop in Reus, which has several modernista buildings (of which two can be toured), though none by Gaudi. However, it's his hometown and there's a Gaudi museum.

I think you may end up wishing for more time in Barcelona, certainly not less.

At a different time of year, I'd urge you to take advantage of having the car to see Cuenca, Teruel and Albarracin. Cuenca's on the AVE line between Madrid and Valencia, so it's easy to reach. Teruel is on a secondary rail line running between Zaragoza and Valencia and is a bit more isolated (to the extent that just about no foreigners go there). Albarracin has only one bus a day, from Teruel, timed such that you need to spend two nights in Albarracin in order to have more than a very few hours and a night there. But I'm doubtful about the weather at the time year you'll be traveling.

Generally a good itinerary, though I do agree that the Costa del Sol may not be the draw you’re hoping for. Unless maybe you’re scouting locations for expat enclave retirement…

I spent two nights in Cordoba, with a mid-morning arrival and a late-afternoon departure. I think one night could feel rushed.

Thanks all for your input and suggestions. I'm adding 2 nights for Cordoba and reducing the time on the Costa del Sol.

Regarding the Costa del Sol, we enjoy being by the coast when possible as we live in land-locked New Mexico. We spent 2.5 months in Italy this spring and enjoyed Sicily a lot, and the proximity to the water. We were there in early April and it was not crowded. For reference, Amalfi town and Positano were way too crowded for our taste in late April, but we stayed in Maiori and liked it a lot. Much more local feel. No need for beach time per se in March in Spain, but being near the water and being in towns with a large promenade (like that found along the French Riviera town of Cros-des-Cagnes where we enjoyed a week) would be a nice way for us to spend a relaxing few days. High rises and concrete jungles are not our cup of tea. If there are other areas of the coast that have less development and more small towns, we would love to have recommendations.

I appreciate the suggestion on places to visit enroute to our lodging towns; however, I've seen warnings posted on this forum, as well as having been warned in Italy, to avoid having luggage in the car when stopping and touring places for fear of theft. We minimized these types of stops on our Italy trip and didn't have any issues.

Our pace of travel is fairly slow, and from experience, I would say that visiting one town per day (if doing a day trip or enroute from point A to point B) or one major sight per day (the Alhambra for instance, would probably be it on the day we visit it) is our speed.

As long as your possessions are out of sight, you should have no problems. Leave nothing in sight, don’t have loose change or phone cords laying about, and don’t go into the trunk/hatchback when parking since anybody within sight can see your possessions in the vehicle. In my 3.5 years living in Spain and all of my trips since then, I’ve never had a vehicle broken into. I’ve never had a vehicle broken into in any country.

Oh goodness yes, much nicer coastal towns than costa del sol. Look at Cadiz and points nearby. Malaga's old town is lovely.
Perhaps while you are near Barcelona, the towns north of there.

So based on recommendations here and spending nearly the last 24 hours researching and deliberating, here's my new itineary:

• Madrid (6 nights); day trips to Toledo & Segovia
• Cordoba (2 nights): via train from Madrid
• Seville (4 nights): no day trips - all days in Seville
• Cadiz/Costa de la Luz (5 nights): day trips to Vejer de la Frontera; Jerez to see the Andalusian horses; Sanlucar de Barrameda (to see the birding/wildlife area); maybe a kayaking tour along the coast near Cadiz or an estuary
• Ronda (4 nights): still planning on 4 nights so have a day to see Arcos, a day in Ronda, and a couple of days to see the following: Setenil de las Bodegas; Olvera; Zahara de la Sierra; Grazalema; Benaocaz; Ubrique
• Costa del Sol (6 nights): still not sure where to stay that will be somewhere between Estepona to the west and as far east as Nerja. Would like to visit Malaga (old town, Picasso Museum, Carmen Thyssen Museum, Botanic Garden); Estepona (old town and orchid garden), Marbella (old town), Mijas Pueblo; Ojen; Istan; Casares; Nerja (kayaking tour if weather is good), We'll be using the car for our day trips along the coast so somewhere with parking nearby and easy access.
• Granada (3 nights)
• Elche (2 nights)
• Barcelona (5 nights)

Thanks again for all of your help. Additional suggestions or info is always welcome.

I like it better than the original. Weather will play a factor with regard to possibly kayaking. You may also want to research what wildlife will be around at the birding center in Feb/Mar. When I lived in Rota, across the bay from Cádiz and about 20 minutes from San Lucar, I remember that time of year still being chilly.

Would you consider staying in Malaga? It's a wonderful city with a pedestrianized historic city center with marble streets, lovely architecture, and lots of restaurants and shops. When you return from daytrips, you will have many restaurants to choose from for dinner. I checked Google, and Malaga is one hour from Estepona and 45 minutes from Nerja.

Looks like you have done your homework on Malaga. The other sightseeing tip I can give is to slowly wander uphill to the top of the Alcazaba. Along the way, there are exotic flowers, lush greenery, Roman columns, arches, patios with fountains, and spectacular views of the city, the port, and the Mediterranean. Another tip is to stroll along the seaside promenade and have drinks overlooking the harbor while watching the sunset.

BTW, I really like your revised itinerary. You will have an awesome trip.

Thanks for the feedback on the updated itinerary.

One thing I'm trying to find out is how quiet the white towns will be in March. I'd be perfectly happy if they don't have hordes of people, but am wondering about restaurants being open. I read a post on here from someone who visited Ronda in the winter and they said only 4 restaurants were open during their stay. Will places like Conil de la Frontera and Vejer de la Frontera feel like ghost towns in March? I'm considering staying in one of the two for our time along the Costa de la Luz as I found some nice looking apartments for rent and thought Cadiz might be a little busy. Trying to strike a balance between having enough open to give us some variety of choice, but have a slower pace after visiting larger cities like Madrid and Seville. Plus we'll have the car, so easy parking and access in and out of town is important.

If it’s a costal town that is tourist oriented, dining and lodging options will be limited in Feb/Mar. You’d probably have more options in Vejer de la Frontera since it’s inland. Back in late October 2011 we visited Rota and most restaurants and stores were already closed for the season.