vibhav

Hi, so on basis on advise on the forum, we have decided to just stay in Spain for our end of december vacation...

We are flexible with the itinerary and could easily add a day or two if you think that we are missing out on something really good...

So please advise...remeber we have a 3 year old with us and we intend to rent a car for the complete trip...

Also, a question - how bad would be the drive from Madrid to Seville in december - sleet/snow etc?

Here is the itinerary that I need help finetune before we book our tickets....

Fly down to Madrid from US
12/15 - Start from US
12/16 Arrive Madrid and just get acclimatized
12/17-12/18 - 2 days in Madrid (Stay in Madrid 5 nights)
12/19- 1 sidetrip to Segovia
12/20 - 1 day sidetrip to Toledo
12/21 - Early morning drive to Seville (6 nights Seville) - 6 hours drive from Madrid
12/22 - 12/24 - 3 days in Seville
12/25 - 1 day Arcos de la Frontera
12/26 - 1 day Ronda
12/27-12/28 2 days Grenada (2 nights Grenada)
12/29 - Drive/Fly back to Madrid (1 night Madrid)
12/30 - Fly back to US

Thanks for your help!

-Vibhav

kja

Hi, vibhav -

In general, I think your itinerary looks good. If you are intent on renting a car, that's fine, but note that everything you plan to visit except Arcos de la Frontera can easily be visited by train or bus.

> We are flexible with the itinerary and could easily add a day or two if you think that we are missing out on something really good...

You might consider adding Cordoba. The Mezquita is amazing, and there are other interesting things there as well.

Hope that helps!

vibhav

Thanks kja...

Let me see if I can fit in Cordoba for the trip...

We drove across Italy last year and it was much easier than using public transport with the little kid/stroller/suitcases etc... that's why we were planning to drive... is driving going to be bad during end of December in these areas? Please let me know...

Also, does Madrid and Seville sound like good bases for the day trips planned? Thanks...

Viajero2

Overall: Good. Couple of suggestions: train to Seville. The drive Madrid-Seville is BORING. One more compelling reason is that a car in Seville is such a drag. You do not need one in Seville, so use the money you can save from 3 less rental days and use that money to get a train ticket (AVE from Atocha). Get the car at the HERTZ office Estacion Santa Justa on 12/24. These dates are rough though because the 24th that station is going to be mayhem. Work with what you got

Another suggestion: Two days in Ronda: 12/25-26. Stop in Arcos on your way up, but have an extra day in Ronda.

Quick comment: I think you meant GrAnada, right? Also, you do not have 6 nights in Seville, you have 4, right? (12/21-24)

A strong word of advice: set up and CONFIRM ALL of these arrangements/reservations way ahead of time. The dates you are traveling are high season, so do not leave anything to chance.

suec1

Well I am usually a fan of the train too - parking, driving in Seville NOT FUN but I know with baby gear that adds a degree of difficulty for the train. Snow? who knows - check www.weatherbase.com for some weather ideas. I do add another hearty reommendation for the Mezquita in Cordoba - if you do take the train, it is easy to stop there for a couple of hours on your way to Seville. Also, I think if you do Cordoba and Seville, where there is a very nice alcazar, you can skip Grenada and the Alhambra. Others may not agree at all with this but I have seen both and while the Alhambra was great, the alcazar in Seville is also impressive and you can eliminate going over to Grenada which is less accessible by train to either Seville or Madrid. I like to stay at least 3 nights and minimize transits when I travel and with a baby and gear, that might be a good idea for you.

vibhav

Thanks a lot Viajero2...

What about renting car in Madrid as well?

Yes, I meant GrAnada and not GrEnada...

I was trying to set up Seville as the base as it is difficult to pack and move around with the kid often... but if you guys think it would not be a good base then I will rethink that...

Based on your suggestion I will have 4 nights in Seville, 2 in Ronda and 2 in Granada...

And yes, in the next 15 days, once everything is set...I will reserve everything...

Thanks so much for your help!

vibhav

Suec1...Thanks so much...

I had heard a lot about Alhambra so yours sounds like an interesting suggestion... Let me look into it...

I agree 3 days is minimum I like to stay at one place with a kid... so with the current itinerary I have 2 nights in Granada, which was concerning...

kja

Hi again, vibhav -

I also saw the Alcazars in Sevilla and Cordoba, and neither would have served for me as a substitute for the Alhambra. I was enchanted by the Alhambra, by day and especially at night. And there are other things to see in Granada as well.

Also, I thought 1 night was enough in Ronda.

All a matter of personal preference!

Viajero2

vib-- I don't think people dismissed Seville as not a good home base; IT IS the BEST home base for that area, but after 3 days if you want to explore Ronda and Granada, given that you are traveling with an infant, then I would home base with better accesibility for those two towns you picked to see.

As far as the Alhambra; I see both points. I personally enjoyed the Alcazar in Seville more due to its reduced size. That said, THERE IS NO WAY EVER that I would had missed visiting the Alhambra in Granada. Not a chance. The history that envelops that particular sight is incredibly UNIQUE. I also agree the gardends are spectacular, not that such beauty will be too evident in December. I actually enjoyed the most learning about the hydrological features, natural and man-made, of the Alhambra. Again, to each its own.

In all sincerity, if I was traveling with an infant during those dates, I would pick an apartment in Marbella and day trip from there. Train/fly to Malaga. Check vrbo.com or holiday-rentals.com. I have used both; highly recommend these sites.

vibhav

Thanks to both kja and viajero2... I think we will keep Granada in our itinerary...I will try to add a day or so to the trip and see if I can shift base to Marbella etc for 3 days...

Any other suggestions welcome...

Thanks!

annhig

Hi vibhav,

ref Granada, 2 nights should just about do it, as the main attraction - the alhambra - will take most of the day, especailly with a child in tow.

if you want to spend a bit more time there, try to time your arrival for lunchtime-ish - spend the rest of the day exploring the town and the albercin, the next day at the alhambra, then leave for your next destination.

you will need to make reservations for the alhambra even in December.

also, Granada in December may be cold - when we were there in November 2006, people were wearing fur coats. [we had out t-shirts on!]. the sierra nevada is just to the south.

have a great time,

regards, ann

vibhav

Thanks Ann...

Can Granada be a day trip from Ronda? If yes, I might just want to make Ronda as my base to see Arcos/Zahara/Ronda and Granada...

What do you guys suggest? Thanks!

yk

To me, it appears you are moving around a lot (plus lots of day trips) when you have a 3 year-old in tow.

The day trips from Madrid - perhaps it may be better to split them up rather than consecutive days? That way, after a day trip, you can have a day to take it easy, before heading out of town for another day trip.

vibhav

Here is a revised itinerary based on the suggestions... I looked at the trains and they are expensive... For 3 people with all the tours etc, car comes out to be cheaper/almost equivalent option and I love to drive ...

With the revised itinerary to accommodate Cordoba, I have had to break up nights in Seville, also added nights in Ronda to visit the white towns...so I am not very happy with that and I am looking for some optimization so that we don't change hotels as frequently...Thanks!

New Itinerary:

12/13/2008 Fly out
12/14/2008 Reach Madrid (4 nights) - Acclimitize
12/15/2008 Madrid
12/16/2008 Day Trip Segovia
12/17/2008 Madrid
12/18/2008 Drive via Toeldo to Cordoba (2 nights)
12/19/2008 Cordoba
12/20/2008 Drive to Sevilla (3 nights)
12/21/2008 Sevilla
12/22/2008 Sevilla
12/23/2008 Drive to Ronda (3 nights)
12/24/2008 White towns
12/25/2008 White towns
12/26/2008 Drive to Granada (2 nights)
12/27/2008 Granada
12/28/2008 Drive back to Madrid (1 night)
12/29/2008 Fly out

kja

Hi, vibhav -

I think your itinerary looks much better! Have you considering flying out of a city other than Madrid? I'm not sure what the options are, but that might simplify things a bit.