Where to pick up rental car

Driving from Madrid to Sevilla or Carmona after a long flight is a bad idea and the drive isn’t all that scenic. Essentially, there’s little to keep you awake.

Hopefully your lodging in Sevilla has parking as rates through the hotel will be less than using a public parking garage. Expect parking in public garages to be about €25 a day. Driving in Sevilla can be pretty hectic.

I’m not sure why you decided on the numbers of days in each Sevilla and Carmona, but it seems like at lot. I assume you intend to take a number of day trips. With a rental car you will be able to see a lot, but going places as day trips involves travel time and the back and forth to a base location gets old quickly. Depending on where you intend to visit, it may be advantageous to spend a night or two someplace else.

If you want to pick up a vehicle upon arrival in Madrid consider driving a shorter distance, spending a night, then continuing the next morning. We once stopped in Chinchón, less than an hour’s drive from the airport. The town is small and can be seen in a couple hours. A little further away (2 hours) from the airport is Manzanares. Other than a palace the town is unremarkable, but good place to spend a night.

I can’t speak to the logistics of using public transportation since I always get a rental car.

I would consider that a risky drive after an intl flight. Been there done that, and indeed we should not have—and it was a much shorter drive. We’ll never take that risk again.
I’d take the train to Sevilla or choose a one night stop within an hour or so of MAD.

What time to do you land in Madrid? If it's early enough in the day, then maybe taking the train would be good since you probably won't be able to check into a hotel until later anyways. If it's later in the day, staying close to or in Madrid so you can check in, wander a bit, have dinner and get a good nights sleep. Then train or drive to Carmona.

Thanks for the replies! To answer a few questions:
1. We are staying in Carmona for 6 nights because my wife is taking a class there. I am bringing my golf clubs and plan to golf two days, and also drive/train/bus to explore nearby towns.
2. We are staying one night in Granada during the Seville portion so we can see the Alhambra (already have tickets).
3. Our flight arrives in Madrid at 8 am on Sunday morning. We need to be at the hotel in Carmona that evening for a welcome dinner. So, we are not able to stay in/around Madrid the first night. After clearing customs/immigration and picking up rental car, we'd have a good 6-7 hrs to drive to Carmona by 5 pm.

The reason I booked the rental car in Madrid is because I was concerned about schlepping our luggage (incl golf clubs) from train to train. I assume we'd have to train from Madrid airport to Madrid train station, to Seville train station and then to Seville airport to pick up rental car. I plan to discuss the feedback I've received so far with my wife to get her preference. Thanks again.

Easiest and likely cheapest option is to change flight and come in a day earlier. Or if you can both drive, I’d at least feel less in a total panic for you (and others). One crying baby on that flight and your sleep is toast.

Is it at all possible to change the flights and fly to and from Sevilla?

That would be much easier.

If not, there might be a way to have the golf bags shipped from Madrid airport to your hotel in Carmona...

I looked in to flying in a day earlier and/or into Sevilla and it doubles the cost of the flights ($1,700 goes to $3,400 for two RT tickets). I've heard international flights have all increased due to the war. To answer another question - my wife and I can share the driving duties. I'll also look into shipping my golf clubs. Thanks again.

I was hoping you might be able to just pay a minor change fee, but the airlines usually have you stuck unless your fare allows changes. Good luck!

With golf clubs, driving does sound like the least-hassle option despite the difficulty of doing so after an overnight flight. Don't fall asleep on the long straights between Ocaña & Valdepeñas...

To make it a bit easier on you, leave Madrid via the tolled R-4, usually traffic-free and more relaxing than the busy A-4. This is the route: Google Maps; you'll see "R-4 Córdoba" on the signs.

Another possibility is a self-transfer to Sevilla. If you land at 8, you could book the 11:20 flight without too much risk. But it would create a major headache if you miss that flight so... I'd lean towards driving.

Also, rest areas like you find in the U.S. are not as common or frequent along that stretch of road.

Thanks for the recommendations! My wife understands the challenges of the train and the driving options and is onboard with sharing the driving duties. We'll plan to take the toll road out of Madrid.