We are planning a trip for late April to fly in to Madrid from DC. From Madrid we plan to travel by train to Seville, Granada and Cordoba. Would it be better to go to Granada or Seville first. Would you suggest flying back to the States from either Seville or Granada rather than returning to Madrid.
Posted by
Midwest
2768 posts
If you can it is best to END your trip in the city you fly home from. Are you visiting Madrid at all, or just passing through to get to Seville and Granada? If you are visiting Madrid you could arrive in Madrid in the morning and that day take the train to the south, spend a few days in Seville, Cordoba, and a few in Granada, then return to Madrid, visit it, and fly home.
Doesn't matter which order. Seville is faster to get to - the train is high speed and direct, which may be easier to deal with on jet lag? Then Cordoba after Seville, then Granada, then back to Madrid? I think you could reverse that without much difficulty and there's an argument for having the shortest train ride (Cordoba) at the end. To me it's a toss up which order is better.
If you aren't visiting Madrid then yes, consider flying home from Seville or Granada. You can't get to Madrid by train in time for a same day flight so you would need to spend a night near the airport. I find these nights a waste of a travel night. My last trip I had a 7AM flight from Granada to Madrid, then an 11AM flight to the US. This was nice - yes, the flight is very early, but the Granada airport is small and easy and more importantly we had a nice last night in Granada - instead of starting our trip home and staying near the airport in Madrid.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15788 posts
It looks like the only non-stop to Madrid is United from Dulles. Then it would make sense to fly R/T Madrid. If are connecting, then flying out of either Sevilla or Granada may be a good alternative. Both are small airports, so you'd probably connect through a European city, which is better than a US transfer. You have to go through immigrantion, collect bags and clear customs when you first land in the US and maybe have to change terminals, so a US connection on return means hassles and more possibilities for delays. All things being equal, Granada would be better just because it takes longer to get to/from.
If you want to spend time in Madrid (mainly for the art museums), start there only if you are not returning. Otherwise, you could take the train from MAD to Cordoba, then either Granada or Sevilla, just depends on where you fly home from. If R/T Madrid, I'd go right to Cordoba, then Sevilla, Granada and Madrid last.
Sevilla's Feria is April 15-21. This is high high season in Sevilla - extra crowds and highest hotel prices. If your travel includes these dates, decide if you want to see the special festivities or avoid them.
Lastly, you don't say how long your trip is. If you include time in Madrid, I think 9 nights is the absolute minimum for your itinerary.
Posted by
OP
11 posts
thanks for your replies and good advice.
Posted by
OP
11 posts
i think, after doing some more research, we will fly in and out of Madrid but probably go right to Cordoba. I will plan on 10 nights and fly out of Dulles approximately April 20th. Are there any other festivals during that time period to make sure we avoid. this is our first trip to Spain.