Not too much to say about your itinerary. It is a lot of moving but you say you like driving. You're not leaving yourselves much time to just wander and get a feel for each destination. There are lots of great places you could visit but I wouldn't add anything - I might skip Malaga since you have left yourselves so little time there. All in all it is a doable itinerary and Andalucia is a wonderful place to visit.

Thanks for the advice. I've been debating about Malaga. Perhaps it would be better to have more time elsewhere and add an extra day somewhere for just lingering.

Is there anything really cool must-see about Malaga? I was interested in the architecture but could do without.....

The Alcazaba are great ancient ruins in Malaga. the old part of Malaga is a beautiful classic Andalucian city. The only "must sees" for me are the Alhambra and the city of Seville, I might add the mezquita in Cordoba. Much too much driving and traveling for me but it can be done.

It's of course a bit hectic but perfectly doable. I would add a night to Málaga and perhaps take one off Córdoba if you just want to see the most famous sights in the city and have a great night out in the much more local feel "Roman Córdoba" a couple of hundred meters north of the Mezquita.

Málaga city is a true delight, genuine and laid-back Andalusian atmosphere. Great cafés, tapas bars, restaurants, culture, theaters, nightlife and sights. Within 300 meters in the city center you'll find the newly excavated Roman theater, the 8-11th century Moorish Alcazaba, the 16th century cathedral, Picasso's birth-place and the Picasso museum and the brand new Carmen Thyssen Museum. http://www.andalucia.com/cities/malaga/home.htm

A couple of articles about Málaga, one of my absolute favourite cities in Spain after some 25 years of intensive travelling in the country:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/nigel-tisdall/8773310/Malaga-Spain-Secret-Spanish-pleasures.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/jun/21/malaga-spain-city-breaks-travel?INTCMP=SRCH

Hi
We just got back from 10 days in Spain. We also flew in and out of Madrid. Initially, we were going to get back to Madrid the day before we flew out, but ended up with an extra day. We spent 1/2 a day Saturday and all day Sunday in Madrid and I am so glad we did. We visited Madrid in the 70's as part of a 2.5 month tour and we were near the middle of our trip and were getting blase about some cities. However, this time we really loved Madrid. If you walk in Madrid you come on new neighborhoods every 3 or 4 blocks and it is a very livable city.
Our trip this time was 1 night in Toledo, 2 nights in Granada. 1 night in Torrelomenas (sp) (the beach), the rock of Gibraltar on the way to 1 night in Ronda, 2 nights in Sevilla. 1 night in Cordoba and 2 nights in Madrid. We enjoyed the Mesquite in Cordoba as well as the whole experience. We drove the whole way and dumped our car at the Madrid airport prior to going into madrid and put most of our luggage at a storage locker at the airport. We put 1600 kilometers on the car and renting it, tolls, gas and parking cake to about $450.
Good luck on your trip.

This is all very interesting and helpful! So we're still working out the itinerary and your advice has been really useful.....I have taken Valencia out of the mix. We'll just stick to Andalusia. That said: Putting Malaga back on the agenda for now, do you think we should 1 or 2 nights in Malaga? And is Ronda well worth seeing for 1 night? I wasn't into it but I'm hearing a lot of extraordinary things.

> is Ronda well worth seeing for 1 night?

I thought so, and think it will provide a nice counterpoint to your other destinations. I spend just under a full day there.

I love that you are giving Granada and Cordoba 2 nights each! So many people rush through them, and I thought each worth 2 full days....

I'm not sure where your travel time falls; depending on whether 2 nights means 1 or 2 or 3 days, you might want to add to Granada, Cordoba, or Seville.

And do keep in mind that many, many things in Spain are closed on Mondays (and on Sunday afternoons).

Hope that helps!

Yes, definitely helps! So here's what I'm thinking...(And below is broken down by nights):

Sat: Arrive Madrid
Sun: Mad-Cordoba (We'll arrive at Cordoba at night, in time for dinner but no sightseeing)
Mon: Cordoba (City tour, Mezquita)
Tues: Cordoba (Medina Azahara)
Wed: Malaga
Thursday: Casa Olea (near Zamoranos; Tours of Jaen, Olive oil mills, bodega)
Friday: Casa Olea (same as above)
Sat: Granada
Sun: Granada (Alhambra)
Mon: Ronda (Finca Naranja??)
Tues: Ronda
Wed: Carmona (Roman ruins)
Thurs: Seville
Friday: Seville
Sat: Seville-Madrid

Two disclaimers:

(1) I have been to Madrid several times before so am using it only for the airport

(2) I am locked into the Granada/ Casa Olea days because of hotels I pre-paid (oops). It makes the travel a little less logical but in the end only adds an extra 30 minutes to our overall travel time.

Does this sound about right? We seem to have a mix of countryside and cities, plus sightseeing mixed with more relaxed moments. And while it's a lot of moving around, the max time between places (Madrid being the exception) is 2 hours. We'd rather do that and then be able to have long dinners at night without having to worry about getting back into the car.

Would definitely stay two nights in Málaga city and cut down to one night in Ronda. Ten times more to see and do in wonderful and laid-back Málaga with genuine Andalucian atmosphere. But stay with the night in Ronda, a very different place when most of the day tourist have left.

... and when speaking of Roman ruins close to Sevilla, Itálica (from 206 BC) is of course the place. Italica’s amphitheater seated 25,000 spectators, the third largest in the Roman empire, and it's very much intact. Roman emperors Trajan - allegedly the best of them all - and Hadrian were born here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italica

A nice little tapas bar/restaurant right across the street from the entrance.

I agree with kimhe - just one night in Ronda. (I loved my time there, but was ready to leave after a bit less than a full day.)

Are you planning to visit the Alhambra during both the day and the evening? I strongly encourage you to do so!

I vote for 1 night in Ronda. We had trouble finding our hotel and did not get there until late. We toured Ronda the next morning until noon and that was plenty. My daughter also visited there in the past and she said that it is good to see the old bridge and gorge in Ronda at sunset.
I am kind of a dolt, but 3 hours in the Alhambra was plenty for me.

Seville deserves 3 nights at least!

I'd add more nights in Sevilla. It's a beautiful city and well situated for daytrips. You could visit Carmona as a daytrip from Sevilla. Sevilla really deserves at the least 3 nights. Cordoba is one of my favorites but I would consider dropping a night from Cordoba to add to Sevilla. I'd try to squeeze in a visit to the sherry triangle not only to visit a bodega but get an understand more of the sherry culture in this area.

This is a little too much moving around for my tastes, 14 nights and 8 different overnight stops. But if you like a more hectic pace and moving around it may work for you.

Thanks this is great! Okay so I'll take one night off of Ronda and put one night in Seville back on. That would also allow us to stay still for a bit at the end of the trip, which is a nice way to end. We'll definitely put Italica on the itinerary. Sounds perfect.

We do like driving and moving around and the distances between places is 1h30 or 2h so nothing extraordinary for our style

Re Alhambra: I was thinking of going for the morning, maybe stopping in the Arab baths in the afternoon but I was not planning on heading back at night. Well worth it??

I also wanted to try and book a guide for the Alhambra. My mom found one on Viator. Any experience with that or any other guide recommendations?

Thanks a million again!

> Okay so I'll take one night off of Ronda and put one night in Seville back on.

I think that's a good choice!

> Re Alhambra: I was thinking of ... not planning on heading back at night. Well worth it??

i thought it very definitely well worth it - absolutely enchanting, and among my most treasured memories of many wonderful travels. Not everyone agrees. If you search this board you'll find plenty of threads on the topic.

> I also wanted to try and book a guide for the Alhambra.

I thought the audio guide quite good, but that's a personal choice. Again, a search of this board should yield a wealth of information.

We had a guide for the Alhambra. She was absolutely wonderful and made the place come alive for us. If I remember correctly we got her at the ticket area and were in a group of about 8.

I'm leaving in a few days for this trip and wanted to follow up on what we decided based on the feedback here.

The only thing we weren't able to do was change Ronda to 1 night and add on an extra night in Seville because of an annoying hotel issue. But, other than that here is the gist of it all!

What do you think? And/or hope it helps someone else with their trip planning

Day 1: Madrid. Arrival, stay for one night at Silken Puerta America. Dinner at El Mollette.
Day 2: Madrid-to-Cordoba. Stop at the windmills of Consuegra on the way. Stay at Stay at Hospes Palacio del Bailio.
Day 3: Cordoba. City tour, including the Mezquita. Dinner at El Choco.
Day 4: Cordoba. Tour Medina Azahara.
Day 5: Cordoba-Malaga. Hotel Molin Alario. City tour.
Day 6: Casa Olea. Bodega tour at Bodegas Alvear, Montilla
Day 7: Casa Olea. Food tour stuff (micro-brewery, olive oil mill, etc).
Day 8: Granada. Stay at Villa Oniria. City tour during the day. Bathhouse at night.
Day 9: Granada. Full day at the Alhambra. Tours booked through the Alhambra.
Day 10: Granada-Ronda. Stay at Catalonia Reina Victoria. City tour.
Day 11: Ronda. Ruins at Acinipo. Prehistoric caves. Dinner at Tragabuches.
Day 12: Casa de Carmona. Roman necropolis and amphitheater.
Day 13: Seville. Hotel Elizira Plaza. City tour.
Day 14: Seville. Italica.
Day 15: Seville-Madrid -Home.

You really need to find a way to add time to Sevilla. 2 days will not do it justice. I don't know what the hotel issue is but I'd find another hotel. I'd forego even visiting Ronda for 2 additional nights in Sevilla. With your husbands love of history Sevilla will hold much more interest than pituresque Ronda. Ronda is nice but wouldn't be on my must-sees for a first visit to this area. You may even consider just heading to Sevilla from Granada and then having all kinds of flexibility for Daytrips in the region using Sevilla as a base.

I'd also consider not picking up a car until tou're leaving Cordoba. It will be a major hassle driving into Cordoba with it and the AVE will be a big timesaver - but perhaps it's more cost effective at the last minute since the AVE tickets probably won't be discounted. I assume you're getting rid of the car on arrival in Sevilla and taking the AVE back to Madrid. You definately won't need for this part of the trip.

I can understand the extra day in Ronda given your interest in seeing the caves and in stopping in Carmona on the way to Seville. But as CathyM said, it would be wonderful if you could find a way to add a day to Sevilla. I wonder if it would be possible to spend just part of the day in Carmona and head on to Sevilla afterwards? It wouldn't give you much more time in Sevilla, but it would give you some!

Even if not, I'm sure it will be wonderful - enjoy!

In Granada as I pen these lines, near the end of a 10 day trip. We fly into MAD, drove to Cordoba had half an afternoon plus the next day. This in our opinion was plenty to see all of Cordoba. Drove to Seville had Friday - Sunday which was perfect to see everyting including 4 hours of downtime on a Sunday PM. Be careful with Mondays in several cities as there a lot of places that are closed. We drove on Monday into Granada, stopping in Osuna for a nice walk and a local breakfast (worth the 3 hours we were there) and ended up in Granada. Upon our arrival at the AC Santa Paula (lovely) they tried to tell us that tickets to the Alhambra were all sold out. Checked in, internet purchased tickets for today. Were there all morning, 6 hours, and we saw every little bit. Wife and I are healthy and in great shape, so we walk everywhere, about 6 - 8 miles a day easy. Helps keeps the pounds off from the great food and drink. More to follow.

Hello! Thanks to all for your spectacular help. Just back from this trip and wanted to follow-up with impressions & feedback in brief, for any one that may (in the future) find this thread and want to know what the outcome was!!

Day 1: Madrid. Arrival, stay for one night at Silken Puerta America.

The hotel was an experience and a 30 minute metro ride from city center. I'd recommend the hotel for 1 night, not more - certainly not for a Madrid-based trip. And don't spend more than 100 E. Not worth it.

Day 2: Madrid-to-Cordoba. Stop at the windmills of Consuegra on the way. Stay at Stay at Hospes Palacio del Bailio.

Loved the windmills - great few hour stop. Not more.

Loved the Hospes Palacio del Bailio hotel. It was amazing. Would *highly* recommend it.

Really enjoyed Cordoba over all. For us, 2 1/2 days is what we needed to see everything at a leisurely pace. If you're into history and lingering, then don't rush through the city in 1 day.

Day 3: Cordoba. City tour, including the Mezquita.

Loved the Mezquita. Happily got the audio guide. Would recommend both.

Day 4: Cordoba. Tour Medina Azahara.

Loved this too. We hired a guide on the bus going to the site for 10E a person. He was really knowledge and made this site something that we could appreciate. Otherwise, there is no audio guide nor place cards that can tell where you are. The museum helps but I'd recommend a guide. Made all the difference.

Day 5: Cordoba-Malaga. Hotel Molin Alario. City tour.

The hotel Molin Alario was fine. It was a non-descript, could-be-anywhere hotel full of tourists. We spent less than 24 hours in the city. For us, it was enough. The Alcazar was interesting and the city fun to see but we weren't seduced by Malaga. Could have easily skipped it.

Day 6: Casa Olea. Bodega tour at Bodegas Alvear, Montilla

Loved Casa Olea. Being in the countryside was a great break and the owners, Tim and Claire, are fabulous. Had a really nice time here relaxing and slowing down. Would highly recommend.

The Bodegas Alvear was okay though I would not recommend eating in their restaurant on-site. It was not good (and they played bad pop rock really loud...).

Day 7: Casa Olea.

Great day touring the villages around Priego de Cordoba. Went to Almendilla - a roman villa - had an excellent tour of the site. Enjoyed it very much.

Day 8: Granada. Stay at Villa Oniria. City tour during the day. Bathhouse at night.

Bathhouses - Hamman Al-Andalus - were incredible. So much so we booked for Sunday night too. Would highly recommend it - and go for the 15 minute massage. It was stellar.

Villa Oniria was slightly disappointing - their rooms could use a new lick of paint and the floors were kind of stained. We moved rooms and it helped - the first one had the sink in a closet?? Still, great location & the beds were comfortable. In the end, it worked.

Granada wasn't our cup of tea at first - too touristy. But it definitely grew on us quickly and we thoroughly enjoyed walking through the Albacin. Would recommend staying in that part of town at a smaller, more local boutique hotel. The Albacin has loads of charm.

Day 9: Granada. Full day at the Alhambra. Tours booked through the Alhambra.

Loved the Alhambra but had MAJOR issues with our tour. In short, they decided to change the tour so we weren't allowed in all the rooms/ palaces that we precisely booked for. Our group revolted and our tour guide showed us how to sneak in....While we got to see the rooms, sneaking behind guards wasn't ideal, especially since we paid to see those rooms....

The tour guide's English was not strong and I have to say, it was the worst tour I've ever had. I would recommend booking with an outside company or guide. Apparently, this sort of thing is common with the Alhambra and it is very poorly organized.

That said, we stayed for 9 hours (!) and thoroughly enjoyed the Alhambra, separate to the tour.

Lunch at the Parador on site was great and a welcome break. A bit expensive but would recommend. Felt indulgent and relaxing.

Day 10: Granada-Ronda. Stay at Catalonia Reina Victoria. City tour.

Ronda totally disappointed and YES everyone here was right - we did not need 2 nights here. We HATED this hotel. Hated it. They were nice and gave us our money back for the 2nd night and we left Ronda, moving up our trip to have more time in Seville as was suggested here.

Ronda is a fine day trip - literally a few hours - not more. And if you want to stay, stay in the old town where it is charming. The Catalonia Reina Victoria was a total disappointment and in an apartment-building residential area. UGH.

Day 11: Ronda. Ruins at Acinipo. Prehistoric caves. Dinner at Tragabuches.

Never did this - in the end, went to Casa de Carmona and the Roman necropolis on this day instead.

Casa de Carmona is absolutely stunning. A very cool Moorish palace. Would HIGHLY recommend to everyone. Book room number 10 if you can. It was a pure delight and we wanted to stay longer.

The Roman necropolis was cool and would recommend if you're into that sort of thing. If not, it may be less interesting.

Day 12: Casa de Carmona. Roman necropolis and amphitheater.

Spent the day here at Italica. We got the book at the entrance and read through everything in detail. If you're into history, do that. If not, this is a nice 1 1/2 hour trip, I'd say. It's hard to understand what is what without a guide book or a guide.

Stayed at Hotel Elizira Plaza at night instead.....Our first night was retched. The room was on the ground floor and it was like the entire plaza was sleeping with us. We did not sleep. The room was full of dust. It was horrible.

We complained and they not only moved our room but refunded that night. The next room the next night was a MASSIVE improvement. Made it a really sweet hotel in the end. The room was charming and the location cannot be beat. Definitely recommended for the location.

If you get a good price here, I'd recommend it but I wouldn't pay more than 100E. Don't add on the breakfast - not worth it at all. Better to have coffee for 1.50E elsewhere.

Also, if you do book here specifically request to be on floor 1 or 2 and not in room 001 (on the ground floor). It will literally change your experience.

Day 13: Seville. Hotel Elizira Plaza. City tour.

Loved Seville, thought it was spectacular, didn't want to leave!

Had an amazing dinner this night at Santo in the EME Hotel. Brilliant food & a welcomed break from tapas, tapas, tapas.

Day 14: Seville. Italica.

Spend this day doing more city tours. Loved it all.

Day 15: Seville-Madrid -Home.

Easy 5 hour drive from Seville to Madrid. Not much in the way of rest stop food (we were starving!!) so prepare for that but otherwise, a simple drive, easily done in 1 day.

Other tips?

> Because the places we visited were not too far from each other, it didn't feel like too much driving at all.

> Hotel breakfasts, for the most part, are not worth it. The exception for us was Hospes Palacio de Bailo in Cordoba.

> Tapas are great for 2 nights, not 15. We went to restaurants and non-Spanish places 1/4 into the trip and made it all the difference. I love eating local but we just couldn't do more ham.

> Parking is tough. Have a plan for where to park or be prepared to either pay a lot for the hotel to park your car, OR to park in the suburbs and walk.

> Andalucia for us was a place that made you work for the right experience. Be prepared, plan and you'll love it. We liked our more spontaneous moments but it's not an easy region to explore and we felt that we had to work to get under the skin a bit. But once you scratch the surface, it is thoroughly enjoyable, beautiful, and charming. Would recommend!

> Some good hotel resources: i-escape, tablet hotels, guardian, sawdays.

> If you have time, explore the countryside. It's beautiful.

Hope this helps someone and thanks again!!

Thank you so much for your brief trip report and helpful hints and suggestions. I hope to visit Andalucia in a few years, & I really appreciate your advice. Especially about which hotels you liked & didn't like, how long to stay in a city/town, Ronda as a daytrip, etc. What do you think is the ideal amount of nights for Seville? Would it have been better not to have the car for the entire trip because of the parking issue?
Thanks again.

I am also looking hard at Andalucia for this year or next. If my trip has to be short (it may), would a Cordoba/Sevilla/Madrid combo work? It seems, looking at maps, that Granada is relatively far away and that it takes a few days to appreciate its rhythms. Is that right?

Thanks for your report!

Leely2-
Logistically Cordoba/Sevilla & Madrid works well as they are all connected by the AVE train. I'm not sure how short your trip is but at a minimum you could probably do 8 nights but this would mean Cordoba would have to be a day trip. It does seem a pity to be so close to Granada and have to miss. This is why I generally recommend first time visitors to Andalucia to at least visit Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada.

Welcome back, and thanks for following up with your experiences! (Makes me glad I skipped joining a tour at the Alhambra.)