Hello, We are traveling to Spain as part of our trip and would like to start in Barcelona (arriving from Paris). Below is our planned itinerary, but can be changed based on your suggestions :). Barcelona to Granada Granada to Cordoba Cordoba to Madrid, then fly back to the US from there. What is the cheapest and fastest way to accomplish this? I can't seem to find these cities as options on Ryanair or Easyjet, and I've heard that the train takes seven hours. Any help would be much appreciated...I know you all are the experts! :) Thank you in advance,
Ana
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2704 posts
well, it's not exactly the route I'd pick, but if you're set on it I would fly from Barcelona to Granada (check Spanair, a quick check was about 35-65 euro one way). Then train Granada to Cordoba (2 hours 21) and Cordoba to Madrid (just under 2 hours on AVE high speed rail). Buy tickets about 60 days ahead and get much better deals on RENFE (search this site for tips on how to buy, it's not easy).
Posted by
OP
Abq, NM
30 posts
Thank you CL, I've never been to Spain so this was my first try at an itinerary, but by all means if you have a better route to suggest I'd really appreciate it. We are flexible as long as we finish in Madrid as flight back to US is already booked from there. Thanks again!
Posted by
Atlanta, Georgia
565 posts
I agree with CL. We did a somewhat similar but reverse trip and flew from Granada to Barcelona on Iberia Airlines. The areas between Granada/Cordoba/Madrid we had a car, but if you aren't doing any exploring in Andalucia, then the train would be easiest. If you are, then driving in Spain is easy and cheaper than a lot of the rest of Europe. I remember the one way flight wasn't dirt cheap but it meant saving a lot of valuable vacation time too. Have a good time in Spain!
Posted by
Portland, OR, USA
805 posts
As noted, fly from Barcelona to Granada on Vueling or Spanair. Train Granada to Cordoba and train Cordoba to Madrid.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
I see nothing wrong with the itinerary. Flying from Barcelona to Granada is your best option (there is an overnight train but most everyone seems to recommend flying). Granada to Cordoba is doable by train or bus. Bus will have more time options and probably cheaper. Will also take about the same amount of time. Cordoba to Madrid is by AVE and is very fast with lots of schedule options.
Posted by
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
123 posts
We did a very similar trip last year, flying SpanAir from Barcelona to Granada, toured the south, then trained it to Madrid. There is a flight that get's you into Granada about noon (1.5 hours to fly as opposed to 11 on the train, and at less than half the cost!) Have a wonderful time in Spain - I'm sure you'll love it!
Posted by
OP
Abq, NM
30 posts
Thank you everyone! I really appreciate your suggestions...I will start looking into those airlines :)
Posted by
S.F. Bay Area, CA, United States
1878 posts
One possibility is the overnight train from Barcelona to Granada. We did that in 2005 and it works great. I noticed that you did not have Seville in your itinerary. Seville is really great, I recommend that you consider adding it. Also there are so many great day trips out of Madrid, and Madrid itself is worth at least three to four full days.