bardo1

DW and I are planning an early Nov 07 trip to Andalusia. We have nine nights (not flexible).

Our plan so far is to fly into Seville and out of Granada. We will be renting a car (even though it will stay parked in the cities). We are planning on 4 nights in Seville (includes a daytrip) and ending with 3 nights in Granada. We don't want to overnight in more than three cities.

THE BIG QUESTION is the middle portion. Should we take the northerly route from Seville to Granada and stay in Cordoba OR the southerly route and stay in Ronda. Both look wonderful and we don't want to squeeze both in. Which direction should we go!?!

Revulgo

I prefer the northern route to visit Cordoba, Jaen and Ubeda/Baeza that is worth.
http://geneura.ugr.es/ubeda.html

bardo1

Anyone else have a preference?

yorkshire

Tough decision because La Mezquita is reason enough to visit Cordoba yet Ronda was my favorite place of all (and there are mts surrounding it). I would also post this exact question on http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/
because there are some Andalucia experts there who were invaluable in my trip planning.

eliza3

If it is important for you to see the Mezqita in Cordoba, then do that but otherwise my vote would be for Ronda. Ronda is smaller and easier to get around for just one night. But both are lovely.

josele

It is very easy to make a daytrip to Cordoba from Seville, in the AVE train. You can be back in mid-afternoon. (I always visit the Mezquita-Catedral after lunch, at siesta time. Very quiet and fresh). Ronda is my option for a night out.

bardo1

Though we generally like to "go slow", I think the idea of Cordoba as a train day-trip and then driving the southern route from Seville to Grananda (via Ronda) is tempting. The only drawback is one less day in Seville (we already have one-day trip to north of Seville).

It is worth having only two full days in Seville (instead of three) to squeeze in Cordoba??

josele

First trin from Seville departs at 6,30AM and arrives in Cordoba at 7,11AM. You have further departures at 7,00, 7,30 and so on. This means you can be at Cordoba early enough to visit the Mezquita-Catedral, take a short walk around the old quarters around it, and take the AVE back at 11,44 or 12,44 and have lunch in Seville.
There are other train options, cheaper but not so fast.
(be sure to know the Mezquita-Catedral opening hours and days, to avoid surprises).

Revulgo

The World Heritage Sites in Andalucia by UNESCO are:
* Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzin in Granada.
* Doñana National Park.
* Mosque and Historic Centre of Cordoba.
* Renaissance Monumental Ensembles in Ubeda and Baeza.

kja

Cordoba and Ronda are both wonderful, in very different ways. You might consider spending one less night in Granada. . . .

gshlaw

My husband & I made the same trip, but in reverse order (from Granada to Seville). I have't been to the Cordoba area, but I can tell you that Ronda was one of the most exquisite places I've ever been. We stayed at Hotel San Gabriel in Ronda, and I have recommended it to many others since then. This year it is still only 113E for a "junior suite," which we found to be very roomy. The parador in Ronda has views over the ravine, but was priced much, much higher and was almost impossible to book less than a year in advance. Hotel San Gabriel is in the middle of the historic district, perfect walking distance to anything and everything you want to see, do or eat! Only negative: breakfast. Instead of paying extra, walk into town, where many cafes offer excellent breakfasts at very reasonable prices. They also had parking available, a block or two away, but free if I recall correctly. The website is www.hotelsangabriel.com.

Have a wonderful trip!