I have a plan for 16 days in Andalusia and 3 in Madrid in February. I now find that I can extend my trip by up to 8 more days. My options are to add about 4 days to Andalusia or to take the ferry to Tangiers and spend a few days in Morocco . . . Marrakech, Fes . . . Briefly, my Spanish plan 2 days Cordoba 3 days Seville 3-4 days Jerez (day trip to Cadiz during Carnaval) 3-4 days road trip with rental car through pueblos blancos 1 day Antequera 2-3 days Granada
3 days Madrid If not Morocco, what to add to the Spanish plan?
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
Have you thought about visiting costa del sol espec. Nerja? It is the best of the resorts along the coast. Also you might consider seeing Toledo nr madrid.
I just returned from Spain and found 2 days in Granada and Seville ea were just right for sight seeing. If you agree that would leave you xtra time to visit Portugal which I highly recom. some of it can easily be done by bus from Seville. The buses in Spain are comfortable and very useable and will be easy on the budget.
Posted by
OP
Tel Aviv
15585 posts
Because of the timing (mid-winter), I thought Madrid and Toledo would be too cold. I hadn't thought about Portugal. What's the weather like in February? I guess I could take the rental car from Jerez and go for a few days??? Mediterranean coast in and of itself doesn't draw me (I live just a few kms from it). Also I thought the resorts would be fairly dead in the winter. But if there are other reasons for visiting, I'm open to the idea. Buses are out - I get carsick on them. Also, I don't want one-night stays unless I have a car - too much hassle with luggage, etc.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6788 posts
If you're going to go to Morocco, go to the real Morocco, the good stuff - not anything on or near the coast (the coastal ferry-towns are the equivalent of Mexican border towns...perhaps better than nothing if all you have is a day, but not exactly an authentic experience). If you have about 4 days to add and want to see Morocco, I'd do the following:
Fly from a city in Spain to Marrakech. Flights are unbelievably cheap (be sure you check all the discount airlines) but cheap flights are not available every day, so plan your shcedule accordingly. Spend your arrival afternoon and next day in Marrakech. Following day take the train to Fes (the train is quite good, a legacy of the French). If you can get one of the fast trains, so much the better; if on a slow train, it will take the better part of a day, but is an easy and relaxing way to get there. Arrive Fes, spend the night and the next day in Fes. Day 4, fly back to somewhere in Europe on a discount airline. This is fast=paced but very do-able. If you have another day or two that would be nice and pens up other possibilities (Atlas Mountains, more time in Marrakech or Fes). Note that this destination city does not need to be the same city from which you flew to Morocco - you can, in effect, "connect" two cities in Europe via cheap flights to/from Morocco. There are lots of options. We flew Madrid > Marrakech, took the train to Fes, then flew Fes to Paris. There are cheap flights to/from Morocco from all over the continent. The only trick is to make sure the flight you want is available on the day you need. Reverse the order and do Fes first if the schedules work better. Also be careful of the usual pitfalls of discount airlines. Otherwise, it's a fantastic way to sneak in a "side trip" - to the real Morocco - in between places you were going to visit in Europe anyway.