Portugal & Spain itinerary help

Spain portion: 5/23-27 Barcelona - day trip to Montserrat (we went to BCN and Sitges last May) 5/27 fly to Bilbao day trip to San Sebastian 5/28 Guggenheim 5/29 p/u car in Bilbao- Burgos to Salamanca overnight 5/30 Avila to Segovia stay overnight 5/31 Cordoba to Sevilla stay overnight 6/1 Sevilla 6/2 Sevilla 6/3 Arcos 6/4 Arcos 6/5 Granada 6/6 Granada 6/7 Granada 6/8 Toledo 6/9 Madrid turn in car (we covered Madrid last May)
6/10 fly home While in Andalucia we'd like to see the Andalusian horses, horse back riding on the beach, Gibraltar? Any suggestions would be really appreciated! Thanks!!

Just did Granada, Cordoba and Seville. Would cut your Granada to 2 nights and do 1 night in Cordoba.
The Mezquita and the Gardens nearby are free from 830-10am. I loved the Mezquita as much or more than the Alhambra. Plus had some of the best tapas of our trip in Cordoba. In Cordoba stayed at Maimonedes hotel for 54 euros including iva. Our room was across the street from the Mezquita and had a wonderful view plus was convenient for the early am hours. In Seville loved staying at the Espacio Alzhar. Great location and Juan Jesus and Maria there made our stay very easy making great recommendations. Plus the rooftop deck was really special jacuzzi and all. Stayed at Puertas de Granada which got us Alhambra tickets which are a pain to get online.

Thanks Ann, there is festival in Cordoba that has jacked up all the rates and all the lower priced places are sold out or require a 2 night stay. We had hoped to use Cordoba to break up the long drive and will do that but without the overnight. We would like to use Sevilla and Granada as a base for a day trip i.e. considering a stop in Gibraltar on the way to Granada so it would push our arrival time in Granada back to late afternoon. I also forgot to mention my daughter wants to visit with a friend she never gets to see who is finishing a study abroad program in Granada.

grace, clearly you don't mind packing up an moving! I hope you leave time for an unscheduled stroll in the evenings. We went to the horse school in Jerez http://www.realescuela.org/ing/home.htm which only happens on some days of the week. I would say that if you saw the show in Vienna, you don't need to go again in Spain. Navigation and parking in Jerez were annoying. Maybe it's better today with a GPS. I felt that Carmona/Italica was a better day outing from Seville than Jerez. Except in brutal sunshine, Italica is one of the best Roman sites I've been to outdoors. I suppose that if you're sleeping in Arcos you could omit Carmona, but it's a beautiful old city. Consider the Parador there if you're willing to not sleep in Seville. I will admit that I was there before the Guggenheim, but I have my doubts about the value of visiting an aging post-industrial city like Bilbao. Texas is not without modern art museums. It's not at all in the same place, but I liked Santiago de Campostella much more. (And I have no desire to walk the Camino.) Please search here (upper right) for Gibraltar. I found it distant and missable, unless you're going to Morocco.

Thanks Tim, This trip is for getting a better feel of where to return and trying to see as much as possible without overdoing it. I typically like to go somewhere and settle (12 days in Paris last month) and wish I could do that in Spain. I have this year to see as much of the world as I can and will plan to return to the places I love in the future.
I've read up on the horse shows Tues/Thurs and the training day tours, considering it but not 100% sold on the idea yet. I've also heard of another place Yagueda de la Cartuja that has been recommended. I hear so many mixed reviews on Gibraltar I don't know what to think...

I went to Arcos as a day trip from Jerez and felt that I'd "done it all" in a few hours and I was there on market day. I stayed in Ronda for 3 nights and loved it. It was a good location for day trips by car to the other pueblos blancos and there's much more to see and do than in Arcos. I heard enough about Gibraltar from the English ex-pats in Andalusia to cross it off my list. I spent 3 weeks in Andalusia and didn't see it all. Driving in Granada - I was there in mid-February and the main roads were all torn up. It didn't look like the work would be finished any time soon. It was a nightmare driving in the city because of all the detours, road closures, etc. You absolutely cannot rely on maps or GPS. Get explicit driving directions from your hotel. I don't know what other Roman sites Tim's comparing Italica to. I went as a day trip from Seville in February and it was hot. I was disappointed, except some fine mosaics there was little to see and much has not been excavated. Maybe I'm spoiled because we have better Roman sites here in Israel not to mention all ones in Italy. I agree with Ann that 3 days in Granada is a lot, but perhaps you really only have one full and two half days.

Sorry to post again, but I want to agree with Chani that Ronda is better (if better-known) than Arcos. Perhaps it's like Rick's insisting (I remember that he loves Arcos) that you should stay in Haarlem instead of Amsterdam (with which I violently disagree...). There is a reason why "everybody" had been to Ronda. Are the Pileta Caves still open?

You really don't want a car in Seville, Granada or Cordoba. You might consider doing Arcos and then getting rid of the car in Granada. Then do bus Granada to Cordoba, Cordoba bus or train to Seville then train to Toledo and back to Madrid.
Try booking.com if you can't get rooms in Cordoba for your dates or have to take on 2 days. We were in Seville last minute for Feria Abril and had no problems getting rooms.

Thanks to all of you for your input! I had heard Ronda was more touristy than Arcos and for that reason I chose my base in Arcos. I don't mind visiting the more tourist populated areas but I like to stay more off the beaten path if time/situation permits. Since this is towards the end of a rather lengthy trip I'm welcoming the change. I appreciate the advice on the car in Granada! Frankly, being from LA originally, I guess it's a it of a security blanket. I want to thank you all for encouraging me to dump the security blanket! We are now dropping off the car upon arrival in Granada and will take the bus back to Madrid. I wish I could change up the itinerary date for Toledo but it's pretty set right now so we'll have the minor inconvenience of connecting thru Madrid to Toledo. I planned that so we would have a full moon in Toledo :)

Just want to say I think this is a terrific plan. We did Spain and Portugal in 2 trips last year and you are covering it very well.

Thank you, David, you made my day! :)

One comment on Portugal. I didn't see Sintra on your schedule. We ended up dropping Portugal from our route but our friends in the area listed that as their top must see. I'll have to have a go at Spain from memory, since I can't see it as I'm writing. One change I'd make is from Salamanca see Avila and Segovia as day stops on the way to Toledo, add your later stop in Toledo here to give you some time to enjoy it - then head south through Cordoba. In Cordoba, park across the Roman bridge from the Mesquita, plenty of easy free parking (maybe affected by the festival, but still better than trying to get into the Jewish quarter driving), then walk across the bridge to see the Mesquita and surrounding quarter. I believe the horse show everyone plans to see is in Jerez: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g227869-c112560/Jerez-De-La-Frontera:Spain:The.Jerez.Horse.Show.html We didn't see it because I've seen Andalusian shows many times. We did, however, choose Jerez over Arcos because it has dozens of Bodegas that can be toured without a reservation (unusual in Spain). Like a previous post we chose Ronda as another stop and thought it was a good choice. From there, you can make a quick stop in Antequera to see the passage tombs (free admission) on the way to Granada. I'd keep your three nights in Granada, you can take up most of a day seeing the Alhambra alone - and there are plenty of other great sights, including a Sambra performance in a cave.

Thank you Brad for your input, I guess I left Sintra off the list but it will definitely be there as a day trip from Lisbon either in the beginning or on the last day (our flight leaves at 9pm).
Unfortunately, the only night I made a non refundable booking were the nights in Arcos :( I've messaged the owner to see if I can push it back a day to keep the overnight in Segovia and allow the overnight in Toledo the next night. Once I decided to drop the car in Granada and take the bus I realized this would be the smart thing to do but not sure it's possible. Everything else will line up perfectly so, fingers crossed, I'll know in the morning.

Overall looks a bit hurried, but doable. I'll just add... We adored Arcos, but were not so impressed with Ronda, so tastes do vary. We spent the night in Arcos and thought is was one of the most magical places we have experienced in Europe - after dark, when it was completely deserted and all ours. Ronda, on the other hand, seemed overrun with crass mobs of tourists and day-trippers from cruise ships and the Costa del Tourismo day and night. We liked Arcos much better. We also really loved Sintra - it was one of the highlights of our trip to Portugal. I'd try to carve out a day there if at all possible.

I successfully changed the non refundable hostal room and fit Toledo in before heading south to Sevilla!! Thank you all for the tips and input, I'm so excited for this adventure.
Grace

In fairness, I was in Andalusia in February. There were a lot of tourists in Ronda then so it is obviously a big draw and it is small. It's easy to imagine that in May/June it would not be nearly so pleasant due to large crowds of sightseers, so don't regret your booking in Arcos. It may well be a better choice for your time of year.