My wife and I are planing the following route through Spain next fall; Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo,Seville,Ronda,Cordoba. From Cordoba we are not sure of going back to Madrid then Barcelona or going on to Valencia then Barcelona. We are also not sure about staying in Barcelona on the return trip but perhaps going north to a seaside town for a few days just to relax. We will be going to France and Italy after Spain. We have 2 weeks planned for the Spain portion. My wife wories about bus travel. Are there restrooms aboard? Do they make frequent stops? Any advise on lodging would be great. I don;t like to spend a lot sense we are out of the room most of the time. Thanks!
Posted by
Portland
3644 posts
John, you have identified 6 destinations for 2 weeks. Toledo, and Ronda merit a day each. Ideally, Seville and Cordoba would get 2 days each. Barcelona and Madrid are wonderful, world-class cities, in which you can amply fill the remainder of your 2 weeks. Then there's travel time. My advice is don't add another city (Valencia) to your itinerary.
In Cordoba we stayed at Hotel Mezquita. Very nice, very reasonable (70 euros, I think). In Madrid, we stayed in one of two apartments, a studio and a 1 bdrm, owned by Hotel Plaza Mayor. Price depends on season and # of people. Check their website. The hotel also looked very nice.
Posted by
back in the Americas
727 posts
We traveled from Sevilla to several towns on your route by train and bus bus two summers ago. It was easy and efficient. In Cordoba I recommend Hotel Maestre. We had a large triple room that had its own bedroom, living room/kitchen area and bathroom for a really good price. I think we only paid about 55 euros. They have a hostel located close by with even more budget friendly prices. In Madrid we stayed at Hostal Acapulco which was centrally located and is consistently well rated on Trip Advisor. From Madrid we took a daytrip by train to Toledo.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
I agree that adding Valencia will subtract from the rest of your trip. Stick with the cities you've got (altho I think it's almost criminal you don't have Granada on your list:)). Do Toledo as a day trip from Madrid, since you'll have to backtrack there to get to Cordoba/Sevilla in any event. Buses in Spain are modern, fast, and efficient....and a lot cheaper than the train. But most do not have washrooms...they will stop every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. However, with the route you have chosen, the train is the most efficient way to go, especially since most of your routing can take advantage of the high-speed AVE trains. You can get some excellent discounts at www.renfe.es, up to 62 days in advance. For accommodations in Madrid, see hostalsantacruz.com and hostalcruzsol.com, two nice two-star hotels, one floor above the other, on Plaza Santa Ana, one long block from Puerta del Sol and just steps from Plaza Mayor, yet quiet. These are not "hostels" but "hostals," a classification in Spain than means smaller two star hotels, usually family run. These two have both been modernized in the past couple of years and are very comfortable.