Spain: Ronda or Granada?

Frank, do you know how they would get from Ronda to Granada by bus? I checked the alsa.es website and they do not show one. Service between Sevilla and Ronda is by Las Amarillas but they don't serve Granada. For the train, look on Renfe.con, the Spanish train website. Since there are only 3 a day, I would suggest buying tickets ahead on the website. go to "purchase" (the shopping cart) to see the times and fares. buying on Renfe is not easy but there are detailed instructions on Tripadvisor. The most important thing is to register your credit card in advance with Verified by Visa, and also call your issuing bank to advise of the foreign purchase. You can save 60% on the tickets from Madrid to Sevilla by buying 60-62 days in advance on Renfe. Ibelieve there are also discounts from Granada to madrid, although it is not an AVE train.

I rarely comment on pace and I am not going to help you out by doing the 'maths' - those who follow may do. However, you need to look at the time expended travelling (accommodation door to accommodation door in unfamiliar surroundings), your interests in these places on your wish list and the justice you want to do them. 'Would I be able to get a bus to Ronda from Seville and how long of a trip is it? - Yes, see -http://www.losamarillos.es/index.jsp - not less than two and a quarter hours. 'How much time would it take to get from Ronda to Granada by train?' - see for yourself at http://www.renfe.com/ 'I don't want to be running like crazy' - then do not - eliminate and come again. Best wishes.

Granada is not a quick hit. The Alhambra is the most heavily visited site in Spain and for good reason. Just the Alhambra is at min a half day - we were there nearly all day. And then there is the city itself. This is one of the most historical sites in all of Spain. And not to be missed if you have any interest at all in the Moorish influence on Spanish history. I would skip Ronda for Granada. We did a similar ten day trip a couple of years ago. Flew into Madrid for (3) nights, Cordoba (1), Seville (3), Granada (3) and home from Malaga. You are a good example of a short trip that would have benefited by using an open jaw ticket and not return to Madrid. I know you are locked into the return so the comment is for others who may be consider a quick hit in Spain.

Vicki, I faced this dilemma when I was planning our trip to Spain a year ago. I really wanted to see Ronda and even booked a room there. But in the end I decided it did not fir into the trip; I did not want to cut short either Sevilla or Granada ( we had three nights there and really enjoyed it). If I count correctly, you have ten nights in Spain, including that last night in Madrid, and one night is not accounted for. You could reduce Ronda to one night and still have two nights for Granada. There are three trains a day from Ronda to Granada, taking 2.5 hours so you could be in Granada by noon or mid-afternoon, depending on the train. So you would have two night, a full day and another half day to see the Alhambra and Granada. I don't normally advocate one-night stops, but that should give you time to see Ronda; it is a small place. And if you want to choose between the two, I would strongly advise Granada.

Ronda is certainly a pretty town with a stunning gorge and worth a visit but it cannot be compared to Granada. Also, to me you would be taking precious time away from Seville to do a day trip to Ronda. As a slight aside, it is not clear (to me at least) where you are spending the night of the 10th June or how you are getting from your last stop, wherever that may be, back to Madrid. But to answer the specific question I would certainly consider skipping Ronda for Granada.

IMHO Granada over Ronda without a moment's hesitation. Stop in Ronda for a visit and then continue on for a two night stay in Granada. Ronda is beautiful and well worth a visit but not if you have to miss Granada. I would rather miss Sevilla! Also: Cordova is a nice stop en route to Sevilla.

Great! Thanks for the help, that was the input I needed to help me make a final decision. We will fit Granada in. Thanks for the train info, I had trouble finding a train from Ronda to Granada when I looked, but now that I know there is at least one I will look harder.

Do not overlook the Spain bus system. It is an excellent system which is often faster, much cheaper and many times more convenient. The rail system in Spain is not as extensively developed as in other parts of Europe. While the new high speed system that is being developed is very nice, the stations are often on the edge of town requiring addition transportation into the town. Toledo is a good example. The bus drops you at the town square and the train on the edge with a long uphill walk or bus to the town square. The time difference is small but the price is not.

Lola, I realise I am not your preferred respondent :-) There is no direct bus journey Ronda to Granada. There are several permutations, the easiest of which is on to Malaga or Antequera or back to Seville and pick up Alsa at any.

Nope, there's no comparison between Granada and Ronda. Granada wins "hands-down" in that battle of the one-or-the-other choices. Skip Ronda. Do it next time. You'll need 2 days to do justice to Granada, anyway; half a day (easily) spent in the Alhambra itself and the other 1.5 days ambling through the Sacromonte, Albaicín/Albayzin, and Realejo neighborhoods. You'll LOVE Granada, TRUST ME! Saludos, MadridMan & GrandaMan @ you-know-where!

Many of you have posted that buses in Spain are in many cases preferable to trains. How does leg room compare? In the US, the upscale east coast bus service is inexpensive and convenient. However, the leg room is worse than even economy air, and far worse than trains.

The Spain road coaches are very comfortable but do not compare with the space available in second class on a train. Nothing is a bad as economy on a US airplane. It is some where between that and second class on a train. Our experience with the buses is that they are seldom full so you can stretch out in a double seat. Another concern is min luggage space (think large camera bag) inside so everything goes under the bus. In a dozen bus trips we have never had any problems but if you are paranoid then sit on the side of the luggage doors so you can watch at each stop. The one thing we have noticed is that they sell you a reserved seat or at least a ticket with a seat number. But no one pays any attention to the seat number. Never have a problem for us but, again control freaks and others, might be unhappy. Once watch an American couple make a big issue about someone being in "their seats" when there was about 10 people on a sixty passenger bus.

Thanks, Neil! I addressed my question to Frank only because he mentioned the bus. sine Nicki's question was specifically about a bus to Ronda and train from Ronda to Granada, I thought Frank might know of a secret bus on that route. Turning to David's question, I have never understood why people would say the buses are better than trains. Where both serve a place, like Granada, I will take the train, no contest. You have to look at the reasons people advance for saying that. For Sevilla (or Cordoba) to Granada, people will say the bus a better option because there are more of them each day (like hourly). That is true, but how many do you need? One. And unless you are heading to Granada as a last-minute change in plans, you can book the train in advance and be sure of a seat on the train of your choice. As fara as Toledo goes, yes the train does leave you a bit far from the hilltop city center. But as far as I can tell, the bus coming from Madrid does not go up to Plaza Zocodover either-don't you have to transfer to get up there? From the train station it was an easy and cheap (6 euro) taxi ride for 2 of us plus luggage. On a daytrip without luggage, we would happily have walked. The train between Madrid and Toledo is considerably faster-35 minutes versus an hour or more for the bus, depending on traffic. And if one is traveling onward to someplace like Sevilla, as Vicky will be, the train from Toledo takes you right to the correct staton (Atocha) for departure of the AVE to Sevilla. If you ride a bus back from Toledo, you will have to transfer from the bus station to Atocha.