sgibson123

Visiting Spain in October

Is it possible (and is it worth it) to leave Madrid early in the morning, visit the Mosque-Cathedral in Córdoba, then continue on to Seville, Spend the night in Seville, the next day tour Seville, again spend the night in Seville, then next day (day#3) travel to Granada for a day visit and make it back to Malaga for an 8:45pm flight?

Or is it better to travel to Granada the second night?

Or should I skip one of these cities?

Suggestions/Help Please???

annhig

have you researched the trains that might make this whirlwind possible?

You would have to get to Malaga airport by about 6pm [assuming it's a transatlantic flight] which would mean leaving Granada by about 3pm. Allowing 2 hours to get there, that limits your time there to about 5 hours which IMO isn't really enough.

Better would be to travel to Granada the night before and get an early start; you might then be able to leave your luggage at your hotel while you toured the Alhambra, then get a cab to the station to get to Malaga. The hotel we stayed in - the Guadalupe - which is right opposite the Alhambra main entrance would be ideal for this.

IMO the place where you will feel really short-changed is Seville. personally [and this is easy for me to say as I have never been there] I would omit Cordoba on this occasion. or leave out Seville entirely and make it the focus of another trip when you have at least 3 days to spend there. Madrid - Cordoba - Granada - Malaga would make much more sense.

Bokhara2

Is it mandatory for you to fly out of Malaga?

If you could fly out of Granada, it would take a lot of heat out of your Itinerary.

I've not been to Seville, but really enjoyed Cordoba & Granada, which has a lot more to it than the Alhambra & Albaicin, both of which fascinating & worthy of some time, IME.

kja

I think you would be hard-pressed to visit the Alhambra on a day trip between Sevilla and Malaga.

Each of these destinations offer a wealth of opportunities. Only you can decide what to cut.

Good luck!

kimhe

Very much worth it and very doable because of the high speed AVE train from Madrid to Córdoba (1h 40 mins) to Sevilla (another 42-45 mins from Córdoba). The only problem is, as kja says, the long journey between Sevilla and Granada (bus or train (not high speed), both some 3 hours).

Granada to Málaga is 90 mins with the ALSA bus. All trains and buses mentioned above leaves all the time. Very popular routes. From the bus station in Málaga it's 20 minutes with bus or 15 minutes and some 15-20€ with taxi to the airport.

These are the two links you need:
http://www.renfe.com/
https://www.alsa.es/en/home

If you should change your plans, it could be good to know that Córdoba to Málaga is only 50 minutes with the AVE train.

And this video will get you in the Andalucía, and especially Córdoba, mood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyfGdpF55Uk

aliced

These cities are definitely worthwhile, we enjoyed Cordoba & Seville more than we did Madrid frankly. The mosque is perhaps a 20 min. walk from the train station, so if schedules work, you should be able to see that and continue to Seville for the evening and next day. Stay in the Santa Cruz area, everything so charming and walkable from there. I am not sure about getting to Granada for a tour in Alhambra on your next day, however -- we rented a car and leisurely drove over through the Pueblos Blancos, then down to Mirabella. Didnt seem to coordinate well for trains or buses. The Alhambra takes up most of the day -- arriving in advance of your timed admission vital. When we were there 4 years ago, the city loop was under heavy construction so traffic was at a standstill getting in and out. We stayed two nights in Granada, but perhaps one would do, if it werent for the Alhambra, I'd say skip it. But you mustnt shortchange Seville, it is just such a beautiful city. Checking above cited links will tell you if you can do it. Beware of sudden strikes, and investigate car rentals just in case. Good luck.