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Spain in January/February - Madrid, Sevilla, Cordoba, Toledo, Valencia, and coast N&S of Alicante

This Trip report talks about the logistics and the reasons for organizing our 34 nights in Spain as we did. For more details about what we did and how we enjoyed each place, I'll add Trip reports for the various destinations.

Why in January/February?
We live in the Alps and winter is not our favourite time of year there. This was one reason why we decided to visit some cities in Spain in January and February. Another factor was prices – that time of year – between the end of the Christmas/New Year festivities on 6th January and mid February when St Valentines day kicks in, together with Carnival most years (later in 2025) is the cheapest time of year for accommodation. It’s low season for travelling, you can’t get any lower except possibly for mid-November, and the third major motivation was to visit some very popular cities when crowds were as few as possible.

Weather
Our trip lasted 34 nights. Our main concern was the weather but in the end we were lucky. In Madrid it was fantastic – sunny and clear skies although cold at night and early in the morning. We had mild but damp/wet weather in Sevilla and Cordoba, a very chilly wind in Toledo and beautiful sunshine down on the coast. We had chosen the cities of Madrid, Sevilla, Cordoba and Toledo because all offered plenty to do inside in the warm and dry if the weather was bad. For us the weather was ok, never bad enough to wish we’d stayed at home. If you plan to travel that time of the year however, make sure your accommodation has ‘proper’ heating – hot air from air conditioning may not be enough unless the building where you are staying is modern and insulated.

Accommodation
In Madrid the aparthotel was new and aircon hot air and a small oilfilled electric radiator were plenty to keep us snug. The apartment in Sevilla was cold and damp and the A/C hot air did very little to warm it up even though it wasn’t that cold outside. It was a chilly and damp week. The aparthotel in Cordoba was fantastic – radiators guests could turn on and off and we were fine. The Toledo apartment was modern with just A/C but we arrived on a Monday just after other guests had left and there were two units – one in the bedroom and one in the living area so it was ok except for the bathroom which was chilly. Down by the sea in Torrevieja heating was provided by various hot air fans and A/C but the electricity went off if we turned on too much. Luckily there was a south facing veranda which warmed the place up during the day. By the time we got to Denia and Valencia it was nearly the middle of February and the weather was good, mild day time temperatures so A/C hot air was enough.
When choosing accommodation we were mindful of the fact that we were staying in cities where Airbnb apartments might be making life hard for the locals. The best solutions were in Madrid and Cordoba – purpose-built studio holiday flats, basically a bedroom with a small kitchen and table for eating. The apartment in Sevilla was an Airbnb through an agency, not an ideal choice, and it was cold and very basic (serves me right?!). In Toledo we went through the only agency which seems to manage most of the apartments. It was in a tastefully rebuilt building with five small apartments. The apartments in Torrevieja and Denia were seaside holiday homes which the family rent when they don’t use them. Valencia was an Airbnb, brand new, ground floor, a converted shop or commercial building or garage, very well equipped and clean but quite a hike from the centre.

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Transport
We flew into Madrid with Ryanair. The Madrid accommodation with Booking.com provided a free taxi to our apartment. When we left we got the free electric bus along Gran Via to the Atocha railway station.
Madrid to Sevilla was by train with Renfe AVE. We walked to our apartment from the station and back at the end of our stay.
Sevilla to Cordoba was by train with Renfe AVLO. We took a taxi from the station to our accommodation near the Mezquita, just over 8 euros. When we left we took the local bus which was easy and cheap but not a good idea. It was early morning and with our luggage we were in the way of local people going about their business.
Cordoba to Toledo was again by train using Renfe and changing at Atocha. Between trains we had a snack. In Toledo we took a taxi to the centre when we arrived (about 8 euros again) and walked back to the station (using the escalators too) when we left since it was a sunny day, we had plenty of time and wanted to see the views of Toledo from below (also it was downhill which helps!).
Toledo to Alicante we went by train, changing at Atocha in Madrid. When we arrived in Alicante we took the C6 bus from Avenida Salamanca in front of the station after waiting less than five minutes (pensionistas get a substantial discount) to go to the airport to pick up our hire car.
Total cost of all the train travel for two people was 202 euros. We booked during Renfe’s black Friday special offers, second class with a little flexibility for cancellation/changes and choosing our seats.

We rented the car from Neptunohires with Pickup at Alicante airport, dropoff at Valencia airport for 11 nights for 344,40 euros which included the extra 40 euros for dropping off the car in a different place to the pickup and Zero Excess. We booked a Fiat 500 and got a Citroen C3. It was all easy and hassle free. The car was essential for our days by the sea to be able to visit Cartagena, Calblanque nature reserve, San pedro del Pintar and Mar Menor and Elche from our base by the sea in Torrevieja and Denia, Calp, Altea and Javea from a second base in Denia. After dropping off the car at Valencia we got a SUMA AB+ card for just over ten euros which gave us ten rides on the underground-tram system in Valencia. We used this to go from the airport to the centre of Valencia, for a morning trip to the beach and back and then to go back to the airport when we left. We flew Ryanair from Valencia back to Italy.

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Luggage
For the two of us we had two small backpacks (the 40x25x20cm Ryanair permitted size) and one carry-on (55x40x20). A comment I read somewhere about packing says that if you take few clothes you will get very bored with the clothes you take but you won’t wish you had packed more. This about sums it up. All of our accommodation choices had a washing machine although I did handwash small items occasionally. I took my non-stick frying pan with a removable handle because I can cook absolutely anything in that and a couple of plastic beakers to save having to wash glasses as soon as I arrived in new accommodation and to use while travelling. I took four different leggings from extra warm to jeans effect to below the knee and the same number of T-shirts, one fleece and my usual travelling jacket, a neckwarmer, a warm scarf and a lighter scarf. DH (including the clothes he was wearing) took 3 pairs of trousers – the fleece-lined ones were invaluable, 2 shirts (one to wear and one to wash), 5 T-shirts a hoody, a fleece and his usual travellling jacket. We wore waterproof warm shoes for the flight and had a lighter spare pair in the case. A pair of slippers each, underwear, nightwear and too many socks. I also took two pillowcases because I like to put my face on something I’ve washed myself. I didn’t take a hairdryer and didn’t need it. There were several things I missed, my travel kettle first of all, but I would not have wanted extra luggage for all the transfers we did.

Food
We mostly self-catered, shopping at local markets and at Mercadona supermarkets. We didn’t eat out much for several reasons – one was to keep costs down. This was a low season January trip but it was expensive by our standards. Secondly we were still in the middle of the ‘influenza’ flu season and restaurants and bars are places where it’s easy to catch a virus. Thirdly, for some destinations, in particular Madrid and Toledo, there were so many fantastic places to visit and see that to ‘waste’ time in a restaurant wasn’t a priority. A fourth reason was also health/age related, we preferred to eat a lot of fish and fruit and vegetables at the time of day we are used to eating. We did eat out a few times, did some take aways, chose Spanish options at Mercadona and drank Spanish wine and beer.

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Itinerary
- 7 nights in Madrid because we flew into Madrid and accommodation was cheap just for that week basically Friday to Friday
- 7 nights in Sevilla – a second visit after a week in 2013 - Friday to Friday
- 3 nights in Cordoba - a second visit after 4 nights in 2018 - Friday to Monday
- 3 nights in Toledo – (we doubled back to go to Toledo after Sevilla and Cordoba because we thought after a week in the cold in Madrid it would be nice to go somewhere milder, because I didn’t want to go to Toledo at the weekend and because I thought it was necessary to go via Madrid anyway to get from Cordoba to Alicante (not the case I later discovered since there’s a very infrequent direct train)
- 7 nights in Torrevieja to see Cartagena, Elche, Calblanque Nature Reserve, Mar Menor and Murcia (didn’t get to Murcia this time)
- 4 nights in Denia to see Guadalest, Denia, Calp, Altea and Javea
- 3 nights in Valencia

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Madrid in January Trip Report
We flew into Madrid on 10th January. We had a taxi included with our accommodation but otherwise the airport bus is cheap and convenient for the centre of Madrid and taxis have a fixed cost from the airport to the centre of Madrid of 30 something euro at the time of writing. Our accommodation was in a purpose-built tourist apartment building Numa Sol, part of a chain, which had opened in autumn 2024 and was literally a stone’s throw from Puerta del Sol. This was ideal for us. Just a 10/15 minute walk from Paseo del Arte in one direction and Palacio Real in the other.

We live in a small village with less than 100 inhabitants in the Alps and we enjoyed this experience of staying in the heart of a busy city. Busy, but pedestrian-friendly. The centre is pedestrianized or has wide pavements which means that apart from crossing a road occasionally there’s no need to worry about vehicle traffic. Perhaps for that reason the centre gave the impression of being clean. Many cities are ‘grimy-looking’ – Barcelona, Naples, a deep grime nothing to do with the amount of litter. I liked the clean and sparkling effect of the tall and bright buildings in the centre of Madrid. The architecture is grandiose without being claustrophobic.

One of our motives for visiting Madrid was that we love gazing at (medieval) art and art in general. Madrid offers so much: El Prado, Museo Thyssen, Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Museo Cerralbo, Reina Sofia as well as others we didn’t have time to see. One week in Madrid is just scratching the surface of all that is available. For this stay we concentrated on art and the other main attractions. Food, except for Chocolate and churros at San Gines and Bocadillos de Calamares was not a priority.

The 7 nights in Madrid were part of a longer trip of 34 nights and our budget didn’t stretch to many restaurants. I love food but this was no hardship. The stay in Madrid was just after the Christmas festivities – we live in Italy so the last month, basically, had been spent eating, drinking, inviting and being invited. For food, we lived like locals – did the shopping at Mercadona and then I cooked simple meals of fish (they prepare the fish as you want it at Mercadona so you only have to fling it in a pan), Spanish fruit and veg from artichokes to mangos, a bottle of Vermouth and Pedro Jimenez, Spanish beer. This also meant we could maximise our use of time when other people were eating to visit places when they were quieter. I did a lot of preparation before we went but we also needed time to plan our various visits, and quite simply rest.

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Day 1 Saturday: we visited El Prado in the morning. It was far too busy for my liking, even in January and we quickly flet overwhelmed by the amount of people and the amount of paintings to look at, so many masterpieces in one place….In the afternoon we visited El Retiro Parque, fantastic for relaxing away from the hustle and bustle of the city. You can have a long walk just exploring it.

Day 2 Sunday: we got off to an early start but it was cold so we went to San Gines for hot chocolate and then had a quick look at Mercado San Miguel, wandered the Cava Baja area and explored El Rastro flea market until there were too many people. In the afternoon we visited Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral, which was worth it, and the Crypt which wasn’t really.

Day 3 Monday: Museo Thyssen had free entry from 12 o’clock so in the morning we did a little shopping, had a very early lunch and got there for about 12.15, no queue. We really enjoyed the visit, much more manageable than the Prado, a more relaxing experience. After coffee and a rest we queued about 20 minutes for the free entry to Palacio Real.

Day 4 Tuesday: We had a very cold start to free entry at the Botanical garden, which we enjoyed, another early lunch and then a second, and less stressful, visit to El Prado, partly because there were far far far fewer people (about two o’clock on a weekday) and secondly because I’ve carefully worked out what to see, where it is, the order and some rest times. We stay for about three hours this time and are satisfied.

Day 5 Wednesday: In the morning we visited Museo Bellas artes San Fernando especially, but not only for the Arcimboldo Allegory of spring. In the afternoon we sent to the Reina Sofia. We’re not that interested in that time span of art so apart from Guernica and a few others we walked around quite quickly and were soon out to enjoy the sun and space in El Retiro Parque.

Day 6 Thursday: The day started in Museo Cerralbo. Museo Cerralbo was fantastic. Every single space on the walls, and indeed ceilings, tables, display cabinets, is occupied by the collection of Enrique, his wife Inocencia and his wife’s children Amelia and Antonio: paintings, miniatures, jewellery, books, lamps, porcelain, cutlery. It’s totally fascinating and absorbing. After lunch (another Bocadillo de Calamares from bar Campana) we go to see the Museo del Romanticismo, nothing special after Cerralbo in the morning.

In between we also wandered the streets both wide and narrow. If we’d had more time it would have been nice to do more of that. Explore the various barrios. Also visit the other parks and green areas. We didn’t get to Tempio di Debod because I realized you had to book, but not that there were only 25 places each half hour, so I couldn’t expect to find a space last minute for a popular time of day. Compared to what I planned, we didn’t make it to the two monasteries Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales and Real Monasterio de la Encarnación which are free on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons and some of the other state museums…..oh yes and dozens of other interesting things without moving even from the centre. I think we may have to return!

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Useful tips
- If you’re in need of quick food in the centre a take-away bocadillo di calamares from Bar Campana near Plaza Mayor is an excellent idea.
- In January it was seriously cold first thing in the morning, warming up but still chilly during the morning, very pleasant by lunchtime and until nighttime.
- EMT recently introduced three zero emissions buses which are free to use: 001 Atocha Renfe station-Moncloa, 002 Puerta de Toledo-Argüelles and C03 Puerta de Toledo-Argüelles. We took the 001 to get to the station from our apartment and everywhere else we just walked and never needed to use the underground.
- Many attractions in Madrid are free always or sometimes. Check them out here.
The official tourist website for Madrid is EXCELLENT. I travel a lot and this probably the most comprehensive and useful website I’ve encountered. Better (even!) than my blog! Use it!
Conclusion: Madrid is fantastic.

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Sevilla Trip report
We decided to spend a week in Sevilla in January in the hope of milder temperatures and, since it is a destination which is becoming increasingly crowded, quiet low-season streets.
We found an apartment in Calle Esteban, not far from Casa de Pilatos. This was within the historical centre so quite convenient, and about a 15 minute walk from Santa Justa train station. We arrived by Avant train from Madrid and walked to the apartment from the station. The apartment, while not unpleasant and with a nice view of the church in front, was cold, and the air-conditioning, even after they had got it working, never really warmed it up. I was aware of this risk before booking and careful with all the apartments we booked, but this was the only one where it was a problem. On the other hand, it stated there was ‘heating’ as well as A/C (there wasn't), and none of the other winter guests had complained about heating so….
The weather the first three days was really quite chilly in the early morning (warm jacket and scarf weather) and pleasant the rest of the day – meaning warm enough to stroll with a light jacket and to remove it to sit in the sun in Plaza de Espana. We then had one afternoon of quite heavy rain and the other days were mild and damp with a few showers and sunny spells. There were lots of people around during the weekend but on working days the centre was quiet and Barrio Santa Cruz absolutely deserted. If I returned at the same time of year I would choose an apartment nearer to Parque Maria Luisa and Plaza Espana as that was the most pleasant area for strolling, as well as along the river.
We had already visited Sevilla in 2011 and so had seen the Alcazar so that was the only monument I didn’t see this time. Spain has a policy on edificios BIC (Bien de Interés Cultural) which aims to ensure that these buildings, which receive financing from the State, are free to the public at least four times a month. Most of these occasions are available to all EU citizens although there are some notable and understandable exceptions - the Alhambra of Granada only for local residents, for example.
Interpretation varies but you can be reasonably sure that for the vast majority of monuments, if you are on a ‘slow travel’ holiday, you are likely to be able to visit free at some point during the week if you are a EU citizen and this was true of Sevilla too. Sevilla is fantastic for strolling around but there’s a lot to visit ‘inside’ as well, another reason which makes it an ideal ‘winter’ destination. Here is more about what to visit free and when.

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Day 1: after settling in and stocking up on food, we strolled along the river and saw Palacio Telmo, Jardines de Murillo, Real Fabrica de Tabacos (now University buildings)
Day 2 Saturday: We strolled around the centre and went as far as Mercado de Triana in the morning. The whole afternoon was dedicated to walking to and around Parque Maria Luisa and we sat quite a while in Plaza Espana and listened to the improvised free flamenco
Day 3 Sunday morning was chilly and we visited some open air Markets. The historical centre of sevilla was very crowded and busy so in the afternoon we went back to Parque Maria Luisa and Plaza Espana.
Day 4 Monday: Casa de Pilatos, Palacio de las Duenas, Hospital los Venerables were free on Monday afternoon so I visited all three. This worked well and was not rushed. The patio of casa de Pilatos is spectacular but all three are well worth the visit.
Day 5 Tuesday in the morning I wandered around Barrio Santa Cruz and also visited Archivio de las Indias and Capilla di San Jose. In the afternoon I explores the shopping area of the centre as well as a walk along the river and Torre d’Oro
Day 6 Wednesday: Catedral in the morning and Plaza de Toros in the afternoon and a lot of wandering around
Day 7 Thursday: Since my DH was not well, I kept him company and got antibiotics organized in the morning and in the afternoon just visited the Museo Bellas Artes, which I enjoyed a lot.
Day 8 Friday, I packed everything ready and then went to see Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija, loved the patio and everything else.
On the plan, but which we didn’t manage (DH was ill for four of the days): Hospital de La Caridad, Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares and a few other minor places. We are slow travellers and our plans for the week also included buying local food in the markets, cooking and going out for sherry and tapas. Apart from the fact that DH wasn’t too well, the markets in the centre which we visited are geared towards gastronomy rather than buying food to cook, although we found that the Mas supermarkets had an excellent range of local products (fish, meat, fruit and veg, cheese). On the other hand, local food markets - Mercados de abastos, used to be places where ‘ordinary’ people did their shopping. Now that they have been largely gentrified it’s perhaps inevitable that ‘living like a local’ means going to the supermarket like the other locals?
I enjoyed the week in Sevilla. My aim was to see the Palacios I hadn’t seen on my previous visit and some museums and I managed that, and Plaza de Espana and Parque Maria Luisa are as superb as I remembered. The cold apartment and DH getting some sort of bronchitis (I fear the two were linked) took a little off the shine, and I found navigating the narrow streets of the centre - those which weren't pedestrianised, on and off narrow pavements with impatient cars (I'm hard of hearing) not very relaxing in the long run. I probably wouldn't stay longer than a week, whereas I would in Madrid.

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Cordoba for three nights

It was a return visit after staying there for four nights in October 2018. We took a taxi to our apartment at Atrium Apartments, just over 8 euros. It was mild and pleasant afternoon,– about 20°C, and sunny. That afternoon after settling in and a little shopping we strolled around the Mezquita and then down towards the river and across the bridge to the other side where there was a ‘medieval’ market. I love Cordoba – not too big, not too small, not too crowded, not too quiet! It’s just one of those places I feel good in!
The Mezquita is stunning, I think I will keep adding a few days in Cordoba whenever I’m near enough
On Saturday I went to the Mezquita for the free visit between 8.30 and 9.20. Later in the morning we visited the Capilla Mudejar de San Bartolome, the Synagogue, the Zoco Artenesia Municipal and the Jewish quarter. In the afternoon it rained quite heavily so I just went for a walk towards the Alcazar and the Basilio area where there are the most famous patios.

On Sunday morning it was still damp and drizzling but I visited five of the Iglesias Fernadinas: San Lorenzo, San Augustin, Santa Marina de las Aguas Santas, San Pablo and San Francisco. Later on in the morning we went to see the Museum of Archeology and the Museo de Bellas Artes. After a late lunch we went for a walk including Plaza Corredera, Plaza Tendillas and the more 'modern' part of the historical centre before heading towards the Alminar de San Juan tower and the outside of the Alcazar.
We had returned to Cordoba for the Mezquita but also because it’s a very pleasant place for strolling, even in January. We were a little unlucky with the weather, because it rained most of the time but it wasn’t cold. Despite being a weekend there weren’t a lot of tourists. It’s an ideal winter destination and with a much more relaxed feel than Sevilla. We only stayed three nights because we had already seen some monuments but we could easily have stayed longer without getting bored. All of the historical centre is pretty and well cared for and it’s nice just to wander – one of my favourite places.
For more about things to see in Cordoba, free, look here.

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Toledo in January Trip Report
We spent 3 nights in Toledo at the end of January.
It’s easy to get to Toledo by train from Atocha Railway station in Madrid. You have to book tickets but then it’s hassle-free and takes less than an hour. The train station in Toledo is beautiful! When we arrived there were several taxis waiting and we took one to our apartment in the historical centre. It cost less than 8 euros. Otherwise there are escalators and a walk or there’s a bus. The historical centre of Toledo is medieval: narrow streets with very tall buildings in a pinkish brick and so many interesting buildings, just from the outside, that I found it difficult not to take loads of photos!
We stayed in a very comfortable apartment which I booked direct with an agency after my usual investigations on various booking sites. In the end, most of the apartments and definitely those which looked ‘ok’ to me are in their hands and the apartment was very nice indeed. The only heating was hot air from the A/C but in this case it was enough, despite the near freezing nighttime temperatures and the cold wind. There were two A/C units, one in the living area and one in the bedroom which helped although the bathroom was a little chilly.
We stayed from Monday to Thursday so the streets were very quiet, just a few tourists around the cathedral area from late morning until mid-afternoon. As I said, the weather was quite cold and we felt the cold more there than in Madrid – whether because it was colder those particular days, because of the hilltop position and the wind and maybe also because in the narrow streets there was less sun. Sightseeing was a bit chilly in the mornings, fine later on and it wasn’t cold enough to distract us or put us off.
On the first day I went to the cathedral for the free visit in the early morning, and that was ok for me, although if you buy the ticket you could easily spend most of a morning or afternoon there. We bought the ‘pulsera turistica’ – tourist wrist band of Toledo Monumental which for 12 euros allows you to visit San Juan de los Reyes, la Sinagoga de Santa María La Blanca, la Iglesia de El Salvador, la Iglesia de Santo Tomé for the El Greco masterpiece: El entierro del Señor Orgaz, la Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz, la Iglesia de los Jesuitas (San Ildefonso) for the views from the top and el Real Colegio de Doncellas Nobles. That day we also saw the Santa Maria del Transito synagogue near Santa Maria la Blanca. The same day we walked down to Puerta del sol and then Puerta de Bisagra before continuing up to Plaza Zocadero to see the outside of the Alcazar and have a hot chocolate in the library cafè at the top. It was a packed but leisurely day of sightseeing. All of the monuments are worth visiting but they are all quite small so we didn’t feel rushed.
On the second day in the morning we visited the El Greco Museum and the nearby Taller del Moro ‘museum’. In the afternoon we saw the Cobertizos – narrow streets covered by buildings and the Museo de los Concilios y la Cultura Visigoda (free entry) for the Mudejar church with Romanesque frescoes and museum. We also wandered around the centre and visited the Museo de Santa Cruz, also free, for the patio, paintings by El Greco and other Golden Age artists, azulejos and ceramics and typical costumes. We finished the day back up at the Cafeteria de la Biblioteca for hot chocolate.
Our last morning we used the escalators and walked to the station for the views of Toledo from below and took quite a few photos of the station. We then returned to Madrid Atocha by train, punctual as always.

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Toledo conclusions
We didn’t eat out in Toledo. We were very comfortable in the apartment and the Mercado Municipal was convenient and inexpensive for buying the food we needed including a good choice of fresh fruit and vegetables and fish.
A day trip to Toledo would not have been enough for me, it would have been far too rushed. Three nights was about right considering it was January. If the weather had been better I’d have spent the first afternoon strolling around more. So, even an extra (fourth) night would have been ok for more meandering and a walk to see Toledo from the famous viewpoint.
We arrived in Toledo from Cordoba. Toledo is beautiful and I’m glad we went but towns like Cordoba and other in Andalucia are perhaps more magical for me. The narrow streets and the tall buildings were impressive but not enchanting as much as we loved the architecture of San Juan de los Reyes, the Sinagoga de Santa María La Blanca and the Santa Maria del Transito synagogue.