Hello everyone. I've just made some final decisions, including purchasing a flight. Now I have ten days to sort out after 4 nights in Barcelona. Here's how it could go:
Granada 2 nights (will be booking this flight shortly); Cordoba 2 nights; Toledo 2 nights; Madrid 4 nights (flight home from Madrid already booked).
Please confirm if this seems appropriate. It is our first time to all of these destinations except Barcelona.
Thanks in advance.
4 nights in Madrid is 3 full days there. While there certainly is enough to keep you busy there, for most people it is the least interesting city. If you love painting, you'll spend a day at the Prado and several hours each at the Thyssen and Reina Sofia. If not, you could use your time better by either adding 1 or 2 of those nights to your other cities or spending 2 nights in Seville. With an extra night in Cordoba you could day trip to Seville (about 3/4 hour by train).
Thanks Chani
We are visiting Seville as a port day on our cruise. I know one day is sadly lacking but logistically it works.
Sevilla is not on the coast so I wonder which port your cruise ship docks in. You will most likely have a reasonable journey from ship to Sevilla, so not much time, meaning I would definitely look at a return visit.
Barcelona 4 nights
Granada 2 nights
Cordoba 2 nights
Sevilla 2 nights
Toledo 1 night
Madrid 3 nights
Thanks David.
The port is Cadiz. I understand Sevilla is not on the coast so our excursion will be a long day of a journey. In the planning process we decided to do one of those long excursions at only one port (as Malaga is the "port" for Granada"), and Granada calls to me more than Sevilla. The flights from Barcelona to Granada are now booked.
I wonder about dropping Toledo to one night and adding to Madrid for day trips out?
So then you miss Cadiz? Others on here don't so much, but I really enjoyed the old town in Cadiz - great seafood.
In my opinion, Malaga and Cadiz both have something to offer in their own right.
I'd use the port day for Cadiz and/or Jerez and/or Arcos and spend at least 2 nights in Sevilla after the cruise.
Thanks for everyone's input.
We are staying in Malaga for our port day there. We have booked the "Malaga Walk and Taste" tour with We Love Malaga.
David, you don't tempt me with the promise of great seafood - that just isn't my thing. Too much of it looks like insects of the sea!
That's why you go to Faro Restaurant where they bake the fish covered with a salt crust.
Eaten with fresh made mayonnaise. It's delicious.
http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/cadiz-e-and-cad.htm
http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/eating-in-cadiz-the-speciality-is-fish-baked-in-a-salt-crust-5347585.html
Andrea - love that description!! Go to Sevilla - the best tapas in Spain, thus the best in the world. Iberian ham, fish (real fish, not creepy crawlies), and veggie options galore.
The worst fish I ever had was in Poland. Someone took us to a fish restaurant in the woods. It was a Friday, so it was packed. There was a cement pool and they just pulled the fish out of the pool and threw them in boiling water. Then they put it on a plate. That was it for cooking and presentation. We had to peel back the skin and try to get to the meat. I just couldn't do it. The locals were laughing and pointing.
The fish with salt crust and fresh mayo does sound worth trying!
