jspowell

My wife, 18-year-old son, and I are beginning to talk about a trip to Spain next summer. Our dates are more or less fixed (flying from Paris to start and returning to Paris at the end). My first guess at an interary looks something like this:

Day 1: morning flight from Paris to Madrid.

Days 2-5: Madrid sights; daytrips to Toledo and Segovia.

Day 6: morning train to Cordoba for sightseeing, then later train to Seville.

Day 7: Seville.

Day 8: Seville sightseeing, then train to Granada.

Day 9: Granada sightseeing, then overnight train to Barcelona.

Days 10-12: Barcelona sightseeing; daytrip?

Day 13: flight to Paris

Is this doing too much? We are NOT interested in a different town every day -- that's too exhausting. Are there specific things in any of these places (or others that I have missed) that are "not-to-be-missed"? I would prefer to NOT rent a car, unless it is really necessary.

I know a lot of travel enjoyment depends on the individual, but I value the experienced voice of others.

Thanks.

John

suec1

IMO if you are going to Seville, you can skip Granada. I think the Alcazar there is almost as good as the Alhambra and alot easier to tour. I'd like to know what other posters think of this opinion. We went to the Alhambra in Oct. and we disppointed for several reasons. So if it were me, I'd skip Granada and add the time to Barcelona where you can easily spend a week! Otherwise looks like a pleasant trip to me - enjoy!

BigRuss

Skip Segovia - it's only ok, but not worth going out of your way to see. Toledo has more to offer and is worth more time.

Where are you keeping your stuff in Cordoba and Granada whilst wandering about? Are you certain the train station in Cordoba can hold your items, or will you be better off taking the train to Seville then backtracking to visit Cordoba later?

I'd fly from Granada to Barcelona - the flight will be less expensive than the train and the flight plus hotel should not be too bad. Also, you will have to either change trains or have a sleeper area on the train, which is not necessarily restful for someone old enough to have 18 year old offspring.

Honestly, although it is nice, the Alhambra is one of the most overrated sites I've been to in Europe and it's in a city that otherwise would not merit a visit.

greg

The places you mention don't favor having a car. My friends who went to similar places regretted renting a car. It sat mostly in garages -- that after inevitably got lost in cities driving round and round trying to find the garage.

Each poster has a different take on destinations.

Fare wise, flying and train between Granada and Barcelona are similar. Overnight train saves hotel cost. If you have taking an overnight train before, it wouldn't be a surprise if you are a deep sleeper. I cannot sleep on any fast moving transportation. I find trains too noisy and move around too much to have a good sleep.

CathyM

IMHO I do believe you're attempting too much in 12 nights.

I'd seriously consider cutting either Madrid, Barcelona, or Andalucia. Which area to cut would be based on your interests.

Currently you have:
*Madrid-5nights w/daytrips to Toledo & Segovia
This is good
*Sevilla - 2 nights w/trip to Cordoba between Madrid & Sevilla
*Granada - 1 night
Overnight Train
*Barcelona - 3 nights

Your itinerary becomes very rushed after you leave Madrid.

Sevilla really deserves 4 nights minimum with a daytrip to Cordoba. However, you could easily spend an week with all the daytrip possibilities (Cadiz, Sanlucar, Jerez, Carmona, Osuna, Ecija, etc....).

Other places I'd suggest for a first time visitor to Andalucia are the White Villages. However, if you are adverse to renting a car I wouldn't suggest as it is difficult to really explore the villages without one. Malaga is a great city to hang out for a few days also.

I'd budget a minimum of 4 nights just for Barcelona and more if you want to do any daytrips. There are numerous daytrip possibilities from Barcelona (Girona and Tarragona are my favorites but other include Montserrat, Vic, Figueres, etc...)

If you cut Barcelona I'd add the time to Sevilla giving you more daytrip possibilities and time to visit Sevilla itself (one day you have budgeted just will be a fly by). Alternatively you could add a couple of days to Sevilla and perhaps a day to Malaga as their are flights from Malaga to Paris).

If you cut Madrid I'd split the 5 days between Barcelona & Sevilla.

If you cut the 4 nights (including the train) for Andalucia I'd add at least 1 day to Barcelona. The remaining 3 you could use for Barcelona and daytrips or even a few days on the coast (ie. Cadaques, Begur). Or spend a couple of nights in one of the smaller cities that many people use as daytrips (ie. Girona, Tarragona, Segovia, Toledo) to give you a smaller town feel.

Also, I would not worry about the stop in Cordoba along the way from Madrid to Sevilla. The bus station across the street from the train station has plenty of luggage lockers.

I personally wouldn't want to take an overnight train from Granada to Barcelona and would fly. I don't sleep well on overnight trains and feel jetlagged the entire next day.

If you were able to squeeze 3 more days into the trip (2 for Sevilla and one for Barcelona) you'd have a moderately paced trip (Madrid -5, Sevilla -4, Granada -2, Barcelona-4)

The other concern I had is the time of year for your travel. If you're traveling in July & August it can be unbearably hot in Andalucia and very warm in June. If this is an issue you may want to factor this into your itinerary. The coast isn't as bad as the interior (Cordoba,Granada and particularly Sevilla).

Michael

I preferred the Alhambra to the Alcazar, and if seeing the Alhambra, do not miss the Generalife.

The pictures are not the most recent:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...ith/4174444665

Driving in Seville was a nightmare in 1985. I can't imagine things improved.

Aduchamp1

Driving in Seville was a nightmare in 1985. I can't imagine things improved.
______

Probably not, just massive changes in government, social attitudes, education, and economic policies.

Michael

I was only referring to the driving.

bobthenavigator

I like your itinerary, and I would keep Segovia in the loop.
Good luck !

nytraveler

IMHO way too rushed.l I would do either Madrid (briefly and Andalusia) or extended Madrid with day trips and Barcelona. You really only have 11 days (you can;t count arrival and departure) and you are just trying to cover too much territory to see anything in depth, real a little and enjoy a totally different culture.

kja

I'm in the "too-rushed camp" and would agree that it would be better to choose 2 of the 3 major areas you have targeted - Madrid and around, Andalusia, and Barcelona and around.

Too, I'm one of the people who found the Alhambra magical. (But I'm glad people don't need to agree about these things - vive la difference!)

If it helps, for my tastes, I was glad to have: 4 days in Madrid with a day trip to El Escorial/the Valley of the Fallen; 1 day in Segovia, 2 days in Toledo, 3 days in Sevilla, 2 days in Cordoba, and 2 days in Granada. (And other days elsewhere in these regions.) I haven't been to Barcelona yet. And BTW, I don't dawdle when I travel - each of my days was long and full!

Hope that helps!

jspowell

Thanks everyone. I had a feeling it may be too ambitious, and that's really not what I want. I'll think about this over the holidays and maybe propose a revision.

Merry Christmas to you all!

kimhe

Excellent about Madrid: http://www.esmadrid.com/en/portal.do

Great and updated info about wonderful Sevilla: http://www.exploreseville.com/

If you want to go to the coast to escape the heat, consider 3000 year old Cádiz with some of the best beaches in Spain. 1 1/2 hour from Sevilla with bus/train:
http://www.andalucia.com/cities/cadiz.htm

Egbert

Way too rushed. Take cathy's advice. You'll have a better trip. And I can't imagine going all the way to
Sevilla and missing the Alhambra in Granada. Everyone should see it once.

jspowell

Thanks again for all the input. I've revised things by shortening the trip by one day (to allow more time in Paris), cutting out Madrid, splitting the resulting three days between Seville, Granada, and Barcelona. Here's where I am now:

Day 1: travel from Paris to Seville.

Days 2-4: Seville sightseeing, maybe including daytrip to Cordoba.

Day 5: train to Granada (sightseeing before and/or after)

Day 6: Granada sightseeing.

Day 7: Granada sightseeing, then overnight train to Barcelona.

Days 8-11: Barcelona sightseeing; daytrip?

Day 12: Travel to Paris

I understand the comments about train vs. plane for getting from Granada to Barcelona, but my family is really intersted in doing the train, so that is not likely to change.

It this still too rushed, and if so, what would you change?

Thanks!

John

iris1745

Vueling non-stop from Paris to Seville should be considered. One day too many in Granada. Could be added to Seville. You could then visit Rhonda and [or] the White Towns. See www.maribelsguides.com for lots of information.

CathyM

I agree - take a day from Granada and add to Sevilla. You currently only hsvr 3 days in Sevilla. It will be rushed trying to do a daytripno Cordoba in this time. Definately visit cordoba. If you keep 3 nights in Granada then I'd daytrip to Cordoba between Sevilla and Granada arriving late in the day to Granada.