My husband and I will be touring Spain for about 5 weeks next spring. For a portion of the trip we will have a car and we are now trying to figure out how much time to allot for each place in this particular portion. I know that it is all subjective, but thought maybe some personal opinions and input would help here. We will be coming from Granada to Cordoba (3 nights there) > Caceres (1 night there) > Segovia (3 nights there) > Toledo (3 nights there). This is all at the last week and 1/2.....we will have already been to Barcelona, San Sebastian, Seville, the White Villages and Granada. We are thinking perhaps we need 2 nights in Caceres, and only 2 in Segovia?? We will visit Avila and El Escorial on the way to or from Segovia and not sure how much more there is to see. Also do we need 2 nights in Caceres? Maybe Cordoba only needs 2??? We are fairly sure that Toledo requires 3 nights! Any opinions or thoughts might help us to decide how to arrange the time!! Thanks in advance.
Posted by
897 posts
There was a previous thread on Caceres here.
You are traveling a long way to & from Caceres (over 3 hours driving each way) to just spend the night there. I would spend at least two nights or none at all.
The old quarter, a UNESCO World Heritage site, can be walked in as little as a couple of hours, if need be. There are a few museums there, most free. Also, Cáceres is reigning as Spain’s Gastronomic Capital for 2015 & is on the NY Times' '52 Places to Go in 2015'.
The thing I liked about the town is that is seemed a lot more authentic (real Spain) than the typical tourist spots. There is also a lot less English used, maybe not that essential in rural Spain.
Posted by
OP
Reno, Nevada, USA
195 posts
Thank you! We are going to Caceres for the reasons you mentioned.....somewhere a little off the beaten path...although it may not be as off as we thought at first!! We have decided to spend 2 nights there, based on the distance/time involved in getting there. My husband loves driving in Europe (or anywhere) so he is thinking of it as an adventure.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Many tourists visit Cordoba, Toledo, or Segovia only as day trips. If you cut one from 3 nights to 2, to balance the time in Caceres, you're still doing better than average.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
I admire you for wanting to include some of Spain's more remote but very important sites of cultural heritage.
Granada to Cordoba to Caceres is an awful long way to drive.
Perhaps make your way by train to Toledo then hire a car for ...
Toledo - Guadalupe - Merida - Caceres - Salamanca - Avila - Segovia
Posted by
San Jose, CA
1994 posts
Regarding the comment about Toledo as a day trip – that is certainly how most people do it, but they are missing much of the experience. You have a relatively long trip, and I would keep the three days in Toledo that you have planned.
I spent a week there, and didn't have time for everything. It's a beautifully preserved late medieval city, and if you enjoy El Greco, it is a delight. And because most people do it as a day trip, you'll find it's a completely different experience at night and early in the morning – it's a wonderful town for wandering.
Posted by
OP
Reno, Nevada, USA
195 posts
Thanks for all the input! Always helpful to get other opinions, for sure! We will have a rental car from Seville to go to the White Villages....are basing in Ronda for 4 nights and then touring several others by day. We then drive to Granada for 3 nights ( prefer to use "nights" rather than "days" as a formula since we usually stop along the way to somewhere and may not have a full day on either end of the stay. From Granada we drive to Cordoba, which seems to be only a 2 1/2 hr drive. We stay there for 3 nights, then on to Caceres for 2 nights (decided there was much in the area that we wanted to see....Guadaloupe, Trujillo, Merida, possibly on the way) . The time between Cordoba and Caceres looks to be only 3 + hours. From Caceres we will go to Segovia for 3 nights, seeing Avila, El Escorial, again maybe on the way to or from). That doesn't look like a very long drive either ......3 1/2 hours? without stops. From Segovia to Toledo is a short 1 1/2 hours and we will spend 3 nights there as well. I am sure there are things we will stop to see along the way in all these drives! And, yes, I know many people do many of these towns/cities as a day trip from Madrid or Seville. BUT having experienced using small villages in France, Italy, Greece as bases...we do prefer to spend the time AFTER the daytrippers leave! The true essence of the place can be enjoyed then.....evening, early morning. Just our preference. From reading several guidebooks and researching the internet, it seems that all these places have far more to offer for us than we could see in just a daytrip anyway. We will drop the rental car in Toledo and take the train to Madrid for our flight home. And, yes, I know parking can be an issue in the small villages....the hotels that I have reserved all offer parking (for a fee, of course!) Thanks to all of you for your well considered advice....it was all weighed and considered and helped put our itinerary together!!
Posted by
FL USA
1560 posts
Have you obtained a idp from AAA?
Posted by
OP
Reno, Nevada, USA
195 posts
Marbleskies, not yet, but will do closer to the time of departure. We aren't going until next April!