SurfSide6

I can save money (frequent flyer miles) by flying into Madrid and renting a car to drive to Seville, exploring on the way. I can also pay cash and fly directly into Seville and rent a car there. I plan to be in that area for 6 days and then flying on to Barcelona. Any ideas?

lincasanova

if you are coming transantlantically i would not want to drive all the way to sevilla, but perhaps just go to toledo, and then continue down there late the next day. ( this is only a tiny bit out of your way).

or.. if schedules are good, check out www.vueling.com for low cost flights to sevilla and barcelona.

there are a few interesting sights to see on way to sevilla by car. almagro then cordoba, to name a few.

keb0503

you don't want to take the high speed train Ave and be there in 2 1/2 hours or so? I'm sure you can rent a car at the train station. I don't know anything about the drive down as both times I took the train fron Madrid. Maybe it's worth the drive but I thought someone told me it's not.
Just an idea...

holakjs

keb0503 has it right. Unless you really like to drive, why would anyone
pass up the opportunity to take a kickback trip in the AVE instead of driving more than 5 hours? AVE is the
high speed train that transports everyone important and not from Atocha
station in Madrid to Santa Justa in Sevilla...downtown to downtown...2 1/2 hours.

True, AVE is more expensive than some, but I can't imagine car rental and gas would be that much cheaper...plus the drive.

My idea: Arrive spend the rest of the train in postjet recovery...unless you do it better than our kids (ages 21 and 25). Take train to Toledo.

Then in next day or two train to Sevilla. Rent car there if you really want to explore cool towns. There are some to explore around there...Ronda being special and other Pueblos Blancos. Of course, SEvilla itself is a jewel.

lincasanova

taking a train to toledo from the airport is very long mess around.
you could be there by the time you hit atocha and figured out which line to get into to buy tickets.

why would anyone drive to sevilla?? maybe to see the sights along the way.
i don't know why people think there is NOTHING interesting about the small towns one encounters for a coffee and stroll to break up this highway trip.

also, almagro has the oldest theater in spain, in a corral, has a small parador, and lovely plaza with unusual wooden glassed balconies.

then of course you have cordoba......

i enjoy driving, but if you don't .. yes.. take the ave ( by the time you leave barajas and catch train, the 2.5 hours will be closer to 4,4.5). Or easier yet, catch a flight.

Robert2533

I'll have to agree with lincasanova about seeing some of the sights along the way, but if you have 6 days, then I would spend the first night in Madrid, at a decent hotel. This will give you the time to relax and adjust to the time change. Depending on when you are planning on making this trip, you can find great rates at some of the 5-star properties in Madrid, often better than the 3-star hotels.

There is a lot to see between Madrid and Sevilla, so take your time. Have lunch in Toledo and then head for the Parador in Guadalupe, by way of Talavera de la Reina, where you can spend the second night. From Guadalupe you can head to Sevilla by way of Mérida and then south to Zafra where you can spend your third night in the Parador de Zafra, a 4-star treat dating back to the 15th century.

You can head to Sevilla late the next morning, fresh and ready to spend the next three days exploring the city and it’s environs before flying off to Barcelona.

cova

I agree with Linda about the vueling option. They have flights between Madrid and Barcelona and Sevilla and Barcelona, so surfside should be able to grab some decent prices (I have just checked, and a one-way flight in October between Sevilla and Barcelona could be had for as low as 26 Euros ...)

They could do as Robert has recommended, and then airhop to Madrid.

Rgds, Cova

lincasanova

i cannot express enough how i think what most charms people about spain are the smaller towns. so, if you don't mind driving, you have some good suggestions here for more of the "real" spain.. and you can take in the metropolis in barcelona.

i have a thread about a quick trip to sevilla with some suggestions. if it is not raining or too hot, take the carriage ride first thing to soak in the city.. later you will feel you have already seen everything and not want to bother.

Chele60

Not trying to highjack the thread or anything, but I just really want to thank lincasanova Robert2533. We will be driving (yes, driving!) from Madrid to Seville by way of Mérida, and other points in Spain. Many people have tried to discourage us by telling us to "just take the train between cities" but we actually want to experience the countryside and small towns that Spain has to offer, and not just do the "mad city dash" that most tourists seem to engage in. Oh, and I do guess it helps that we both actually enjoy driving.

So thanks for not dismissing driving out of hand!

Ian

Driving - especially off of the main highways - gives you a great feel for a country. Small towns, farms, fields & forests. We drove over 1000 miles in Spain in June. Madrid - Almagro - Jaen - Granada - Sevilla - Nerja - Madrid. In a convertible. Outside of many small towns, you could smell the olive processing plants. Oleanders beside the highways. Soaring mountains. The scorched plains of the south. We loved it & would do it again anytime.

Ian

lincasanova

i don't know what route you are taking, but if you are going through talavera de la reina, it is VERY famous for ceramics.

also, not too horribly far is

lincasanova

since i don't know which route you are taking.. here are some more general stopping places.

talavera de la reina..VERY famous for ceramics.

oropesa .. GREAT PARADOR. at least stop for coffeee if you are not ready to settle in.

merida.. as mentioned. FABULOUS roman theater and archeology museum.
notice inside the museum the perspective architect used to make the museum seem deeper.
rafael moneo.. fabulous architect. has done the addition to the prado.

Cáceres.. where most of the explorers came from. they returned millionaires and put crowns on top of their palatial homes which totally irritated the king.
read up on the local history here.
montezuma´s daughter was gifted to one of the explorers.( my husband would DIE if he knew right now i can't remember which one.!)

enjoy your drive.. just go your own pace and remember that starting august 11th in spain... MAJOR fines for speeding.
so be careful...lots of hidden and announced radar traps.

cova

Hi Linda,

the name is Juan Cano de Saavedra (not the most well-known), and the palace is "Palacio de los Toledo-Moctezuma". Probably the Palacio de los Golfines is more well-known in Cáceres, but this one is also neat.

Rgds, Cova

holakjs

The driving versus public transportation has another issue. Usually with public transportation you
get a chance to talk to other people...in their own language even
better. In the car, you talk to your
self or your friends in your own language which insulates one from the
culture, but one shouldn't assume that
drivers are monolingual and public travellers aren't. And public transportation goes to all the charming
towns mentioned...Ciudad Real and its corral, Merida and its phenomenal Roman
theater and other ruins.

lincasanova

i agree public transportation services all of spain very well.
organizing your schedule and itinerary to maximize your touring time might be quite a challenge. however, if you do not enjoy driving, it definitely is a good option. you just will not be able to be as spontaneous.

let us know how it goes!!

natasha9cs

I know this thread is very old, but would love some suggestions. We are driving from Madrid to Seville. Which route is the best to go? Through Merida and down? Or through Toledo and Cordoba and down?

Robert2533

It always works best to start a new posts, but do you have a time limit? Or do you have the time to enjoy the drive?