My 3 daughters and are going to be in Spain arriving in Madrid and going to Andalucia. My itinerary is as follows:
March 15 arrive in Madrid
March 16-19 Granada
March 19-21 Sevilla
March 21 return to Madrid stopping in Cordoba on the way
March 23rd fly home
Is the train the best mode to go to Granada from Madrid? Train or bus to Sevilla from Granada? Is renting a car on any part of the trip a better option than the train or bus? Thanks in advance!
I vote for making it a road trip and driving from Madrid to Granada (but I always get a rental car in Spain). On the way south stop in Consuegra and Campo de Criptana to see the castle and windmills. Those stops can be done in a couple hours as they are close together. Then you could visit Ubeda and Baeza. If you don’t want to make any stops, then use public transportation. The highlights in Granada can be seen in 2 full days.
Thank you for both of your insights! I guess I shall have to give it some more thought. I think I was kind of hoping to do the whole trip without having to drive though.
The way you've displayed your itinerary is potentially misleading to casual readers. You have much less time in each city than you are showing.
March 15: Arrive in Madrid (1 night -- some jetlagged hours)
March 16: To Granada (3 nights -- 2 full days)
March 19: To Seville (2 nights -- 1 full day)
March 21: To Madrid (2 nights -- 1 full day; stopping in Cordoba)
You basically have 2 days in Granada, 1 day in Seville, a few hours in Cordoba and 1 day in Madrid. I don't see any time for seeing the countryside unless you want to make a stop on the way to Granada, but you might prefer to see a bit of Madrid on the morning of March 16 before heading to Granada; otherwise, you'll have only one useful day in Madrid. Traveling from Seville to Cordoba and Madrid will definitely be much faster by train than by car.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! It has certainly given me a lot more to think about:
