We will be in Spain in September and will be catching train from Barcelona to Sevilla and renting a car to go thru Ronda and Marbella and Salobrena and plan to drop car in Granada. Then our plan was to take train to Toledo but I can't find a direct route by rail. Can you help me? Any tips will be much appreciated.
Posted by
Portland, or, usa
29 posts
Hi,
Well, Spain is playing catch up on train travel anyway. They have the highspeed AVE trains which are improving things. However, from Granada, as far as I know, you have to take a direct train to Madrid. There will be several trains to Toledo from the main station. It should be fairly efficient. Most the cities around Madrid don't connect, you have to go back through Madrid proper. Just a tip, don't waste too much time in Granada. The Alhambra is one of Europe's finest sights. See it and take your time. Then get out of Granada ASAP!! It's a really busy gritty city, with few other sights or interesting places to linger. The AVE stops in Cordoba on the route to Seville. The cathedral is amazing. Well worth a stop. Best of luck!
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Jason is correct...you'll have to backtrack to Madrid, but because there's no demand for a Granada-Toledo link, not because Spain is playing "catchup" with their train system. There are only two trains/day Granada-Madrid, unfortunately, (6:45 am and 6 pm), and the cost is 62 Euro pp. If that's too expensive, or inconvenient, schedule-wise, take an intercity coach. The bus ride is about 5 hours (15 minutes longer than the run), costs about 16 Euro, and there are many/day. There are a couple of "SUPRA" runs that only take 4 1/2 hours, but they cost 31 Euro pp. Then take the AVE back to Toledo. Or, better still, hang onto your car and drop it in Toledo...(about 4 hours by road). There's plenty else to see in Granada besides the Alhambra...don't forget to explore the city's Albaicin (the old Arab quarter) across from the Alhambra and the old caves up behind that. It is said that flamenco originated among the gypsies of Granada....you'll find the least-touristy flamenco of all in Granada.
Posted by
Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
324 posts
The first tip might be to forget about taking the train from BCN to Seville. The train ride is a grueling, uncomfortable, expensive experience, and you will probably find it a real waste of time. Take a cheap flight and you'll come out ahead both on time and money. I agree with Norm (as usual), hang on to the car until you're done with Toledo.