Hi. we are thinking of seeing Malaga, Sevilla and Cordoba in the summer. We have several questions.
Do you need a car?
How much time should we need for this trip? Is two weeks enough? Is there anywhere else nearby that we have to see?
What beach do you recommend in Malaga?
Thanks.
Also adding Granada!! Thanks.
Yes, two weeks is enough and if those are the only places you’re going you do not need a car. A car comes in handy if you want to go to places not regularly served by public transportation, but are not needed in the larger cities. Parking is difficult to find, expensive, and many of the older parking garages were built for the small cars in Spain back in the 70s, i.e., they are hard to maneuver in. Andalucia is brutally hot in the summer. Sevilla, Córdoba, and Granada are all major tourist destinations and will be very crowded at all the main sights late May through early September. Depending on the time you get into each town, Sevilla - 3 or 4 nights, Granada - 2 nights, Córdoba - 1 to 2 nights, and Malaga - 3 nights. If you decide to take some day trips, e.g., Ronda, Italica, Jerez, Arcos, Nerja, etc., then you’ll need more time in those places.
Check historical weather data for the cities you plan to visit. Wunderground's July 2017 chart for Seville (scroll down) shows many, many days with high temperatures close to or above 100F. There's more than 20 years' worth of data there, so you can get a good idea of the range to be expected.
If you decide that Andalucia is too hot in the summer, you have other options. We went to Spain last July and spent most of our time in Galicia -- weather was delightful. Very relaxing trip.
We went last summer in late May-early June and it was getting hot but not terrible. I would be wary of going much later than that.
Just so you know, summer - July/August - is low season in places like Sevilla and Cordoba because of the extreme heat. I don't know about beaches, but I'd guess they are all pretty crowded in summer.
Went to Sevilla in July and it was hot like in hell. There was nobody outside during the day!! I guess if it were countryside would have been easier but in town it was hard. Siesta time is definitely essential.
If I were going in high summer months, the beaches I'd head for are on the north coast of Spain. Anywhere from San Sebastian/Donostia west. It's the ideal time to visit those areas.
Fly in to Malaga and pick up a car.
Return the car in Granada.
On to Cordoba and Sevilla by train.
Fly out of Sevilla.
With 2 weeks, possibly something like this ...
Malaga (4N) - Day trip to Ronda and Nerja
Granada (3N) - Visit Alhambra & day trip to Alpujarras
Cordoba (2N) - Visit Mezquita
Sevilla (5N) - Day trip to Jerez and Cadiz
As others have said, mid summer is not an ideal time for this part of Spain.
We were in Seville during end of August and weather was just fine. Maybe it was an exception, but days were mid 80s.
As a Northern Californian, heat is not an issue for me. I think it all depends on your tolerance.
Two weeks is plenty. We spent 3 nights in Seville and I could have spent more just to explore more in the area by car.
Rizell, you were quite lucky. The average high in August is 96F. Actual data from the last five years is consistent with that figure. This year was considerably worse; there were 18 August days when the temperature hit 100F or higher.
I agree acraven. On my last trip to southern Spain in early-mid September 2014, the daily highs were in the mid-90s.
