Weekned trips from Seville by train other than Granada, Cordoba or Barcelona?

Why are you fixed on train?
I would not know what you want from 'great' but look to :-
Carmona, Ecija, Osuna, Antequera, Sanlucar de Barrameda, Cadiz, Malaga and see if they float your boat but you bus some of them.

Ronda for sure, 2-1/2 by bus if Rome2Rio.com can be believed. Beautiful town built along a ravine. Arcos de la Frontera is about 2 hours away. I don't know whether you'd be able to get to any of the other white towns by bus.

Two places in Extremadura that I particularly liked are Cáceres and Mérida. Travel time would a bit less than 3 hours to Mérida and just under 4 hours to Cáceres by bus, I believe. Rome2Rio.com says the train would take longer. Mérida has lots of Roman ruins, and Cáceres has an extremely well-preserved medieval district. I didn't get to Zafra, also in Extremadura but quite a bit closer to Sevilla--less than 2 hours by bus. It sounds interesting, too, and is on the way to Mérida and Cáceres. Note that this area is probably as hot as Sevilla.

Some nice information here ...
http://www.planetware.com/seville/seville-day-trips-e-and-sevsur.htm

Thanks for the replies and suggestions so far everyone! I will follow up. I didn't specify what I'm interested in, because I prefer the results of the open-ended question. But, if I had to get more specific at all, I am interested in historic sites, particularly aesthetically interesting sites, smaller cities or towns, and generally off-the-beaten-path places that can be accessed without needing a car. Ideally I'd be able to find a safe and reasonably priced place to stay, and would like it to be a place where one can take a few nice walks. Madrid is definitely also a possibility.

I should have included bus travel as that's fine by me - and to be more specific about the time period, need to limit my travel to departing after 2:00 on Fridays and returning to Sevilla anytime Sunday evenings. So any trips need to be ones that can be relatively brief.

I welcome additional suggestions, so please keep them coming!

thanks!

I don't think you have so much time in Sevilla that you need to think about going to Madrid and taking side-trips from there, but I'll just mention that Chinchon and Alcala de Henares (in separate directions) are both interesting. AdH is a bit larger and looked more affluent and traditionally pretty. A half-day might be useful there--more for a meal. Chinchon, also attractive, is one of a few towns/cities in Spain that has a main square that has served as a bullring. I think you could see the entire historic area in less than two hours. Few American tourists find their way to either place. As I recall, Chinchon requires a bus ride and AdH, a train.

Nancy,
There are a multitude of small cities & towns in the Province of Sevilla, which you can easily reach via bus, or Cercanias (commuter train) departing from Santa Justa's train station.

We visited Sevilla this past October, & I had considered taking a couple of day trips nearby, unfortunately, since we only had 5 days to explore, we didn't take any day trips. I know, I know... I was traveling with my mom who is in her 80's & she preferred to stay in Sevilla.

Do you speak Spanish? The information given below is found in the Renfe website but it's only in Spanish.

You may want to read about these places reached by Cercanias trains. I'd considered going to Utrera & Lora del Río

I'd suggest you pay a visit to the TI (tourist information) office once you get settled in Sevilla.

Here's another tip : If you will be taking the bus within the city of Sevilla, you may want to get the 'Tarjeta Multiviaje' which will give you discounted bus rides (€0.69 or €0.76) vs. paying for individual tickets each time you ride the bus (€1.40)

If you want delicious authentic tapas, you must go to our favorite place... 'La Antigua Bodeguita ', in Plaza del Salvador across the way from the church by the same name. It's a favorite spot for locals, so go early for lunch or dinner.

Enjoy Sevilla!

With 6 weeks in Sevilla, you may only have 5 or 6 weekends to play with ...
1. Córdoba
2. Granada
3. Ronda
4. Arcos de la Frontera
5. Jerez de la Frontera
6. Cadiz
I would forget about Madrid and Barcelona, concentrating on places close by in Andalusia.

Respectfully disagreeing with David, Madrid is definitely worth a weekend. On the other hand, I don't think you need a weekend each for Jerez, Cadiz or Arcos. You can stay in Jerez and day trip to Cadiz on Saturday and Arcos on Sunday and still find time to see the cathedral and take a bodega tour in Jerez. I would be on the fence about Barcelona because of the unfavorable ratio of time to get there vs. time spent there.

Wow, I think this must be the first time that Chani has included more on a schedule than yours truly. Lol

Thanks David, Chani, Priscilla and all! I am actually staying in Sevilla for 6 weeks taking classes, and then have already got plans to spend a few days each in Granada, Cordoba and Barcelona (our point of departure from Spain to return home at the end of the trip). That's why I'm looking for weekend trips. I would like to get out of the house I'm a guest in on weekends and give my hostess a break, as well as get out of the city of Sevilla - though I love it, I've limited time to be abroad and want to make the most of it.

You've all given me some useful suggestions. I hope the above provides some helpful explanation. No need to suggest more unless the above gives you new ideas!

thanks again all,
Nancy

Take a deep dive into learning of what festivals are occurring during the time you will be in Spain. We have found festivals offer a wonderful alternative to just visiting tourist destinations.

Nancy,

If you're there on October 12th, there will be some festivities for sure!
We missed all the festivities of that day last year as we were traveling from Granada, but upon arriving to Sevilla, our taxi driver explained that some major streets were still closed due to the processions.

Have a wonderful time in Sevilla!

When are you there btw? Couldn't see that mentioned I don't think.

Well, in that case, definitely a weekend in Madrid and another in Toledo - though you have to change trains in Madrid, making it a longish journey, it's certainly worth considering. I didn't find enough in either Arcos or Cadiz for a whole weekend, but I'm sure many have. I liked Malaga (not as much as Ronda or Toledo), it's low key and a nice getaway from Sevilla.

The time of year would definitely impact my choices. Are you going from Sevilla to Cordoba to Granada to Barcelona? If you are - and have the time - it's a good idea to rent a car in Cordoba and drive through the pueblos blancos with a night or 2 in Ronda and possibly a night in Antequera on the way to Granada. If that doesn't work for you, then a weekend in Ronda is another good idea from Sevilla.

I think you should definitely try and squeeze in Madrid for the weekend. It takes under 3 hours and you can stay right by the Atocha train station from where you can walk to the Prado museum and El Retiro park among other lovely places. You definitely wouldn't need a car. You wouldn't even need the metro as there is lots to do around there. Make sure to book ahead for the Renfe though and look for the Tourista prices as they are usually cheaper. Carmona is a nice day trip and Malaga is okay for the weekend.