lisa

I will be arriving in Madrid on a Saturday morning in early October, intend to take a train that day to either Seville or Granada and have 8 nights to spend before flying out of Madrid the following Sunday afternoon (would probably want to spend my last 3 nights in Madrid, leaving the first 5 nights to divide between Granada & Seville). This is my first time to Spain and I am a 41-year-old woman traveling solo, probably by train. Would appreciate suggestions -- 2 nights in Seville & 3 in Granada, or vice versa, and in what order? I enjoy photography and would like specific suggestions on sights not to miss and ideas for well-located places to stay (preferably under $150 US per night if possible). Thanks in advance.

kja

I'd suggest 3 nights in Sevilla and 2 in Granada, but it depends on what you want to see and do. If you want to see the Alhambra at night - and it is magical at night IMHO, then I'd recommend Granada after Sevilla because I believe it's closed on Sunday evenings, and I wouldn't want to risk being too tired on Saturday. Hope that helps!

Myer

We were in Spain for the first time 2 years ago.

The favorites were Seville and Barcelona.

Essentially you are going to Granada for the Alhambra. Personally, I think the Alcazar in Seville is more impressive but.....

I would keep Granada to a minimum and try to maximize Seville.

Check out Iberia Airlines for cheap flights. It's possible that at different times of different days you can get very cheap fares.

We flew from Granada to Barcelona at 7PM for 55 Euros for both together. An hour earlier might have been 150E. Check out the days and times.

toffeecrisp

Lisa, Have you read Comfy's report? http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35001438 or Maribel Guides at http://maribelsguides.com/?

isabel

Hi Lisa. I was in Seville, Granada and Cordoba in March and just returned last week from a solo trip to Madrid (and Segovia, Avila, Salamanca and Toledo). I haven't done a trip report for this most recent trip yet but if you want to read my trip report and photos from the March trip they are here: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34977031

Do you have your airline tickets yet? If not, look into flying in or out of either Granada or Seville which would cut down on backtracking. If that isn't possible I guess I'd do Seville first. It's a fairly quick (2-3 hour) train trip. But you probably should get your train tickets reserved ahead and that makes it's tricky to time it right so you have enough, but not too much, time between when your flight is scheduled to land and when the train departs. Taking the metro from the airport to Atocha train station is very easy but allow at least an hour for the trip. And I would allow several more hours for waiting for the train, and the possibility that your plane will be late.

With eight nights I'd probably do 3 Seville, 2 Granada and 3 Madrid. I can definitly recommend the hotels I stayed in, I would stay in all of them again. The Seville and Granada ones are in the trip report. In Madrid I stayed in Hotel El Prado (www.pradohotel.com). A single in July was 65€ a night, not including breakfast or tax. Very good location, I walked to almost everything.

You'll love all three places. I wish I were going back.

lisa

Thanks for all the great info so far.
Sounds like I should do 3 nights in Seville, 2 in Granada, and 3 in Madrid. How far in advance should I buy the train tickets? If my incoming flight is delayed and I miss my train, is it possible to exchange the ticket for a later train if one is available?

bardo1

If you are flying Iberia Airlines, then you can go "open jaw" - into Madrid and home from Granada or Seville (or the reverse) for basically the same price as flying into and out of Madrid.

Play around with different cities and dates here:

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch/prego

Use "Month long search" first to get a general idea of which days are good for flying RT to Madrid.

THEN start over again only this time select "Specific Dates" and choose "Multi-segment".

Play around with the different open-jaw options and you'll see how it will be cheaper than backtracking and paying extra train fares.

isabel

To answer your train question. You can definitely change your ticket for an earlier train if space is available, but I don't think you can if you miss your train. So that means you should book the latest train and then hope you can exchange it for an earlier one if your plane lands on time and you make good time getting to the train station. I did that a couple weeks ago. Worse case is you end up waiting around the train station longer than you'd like, but at least you know you have a ticket. I booked all my train tickets a few days to a week or so ahead of time. In most cases I could have waited till the last minute but you never know so I'd book ahead. In March I booked tickets on line before I got to Spain, this July I just did it when I got there since my first train trip wasn't for several days later. In Madrid, at Atocha Station the lines were quite long but it's pretty orderly, just pay attention to which line to stand in as there are different ones for same day tickets versus in advance. Also, an hour or so before a scheduled train a specific line opens up to buy tickets just for that train. Just watch the big board to know where to go.

CathyM

Regarding the train ticket: there's also a Renfe ticket office at the airport. Hardly ever a line there and it's great not having to stand in line at the Atocha station. I'd definately buy my AVE ticket ahead of time.

I'd have to agree with the others, 3 days Madrid, 3 Sevilla and 2 in Granada. I'd definately do a daytrip to Toledo from Madrid. Is your heart set on Granada? The Alhambra is incredible but there is not alot more that draws me there. The white villages (Arcos, Ronda, etc..) are so much more atmospheric and also doable after Sevilla. Just a thought.