Spain Itinerary in September

Old Mar 12th, 2012, 01:55 AM
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Spain Itinerary in September

We have put together an itinerary for Spain in September and would welcome any comments. We wish to travel by train or bus between places and hope the worst of the heat in the south will be over by the time we arrive.

Fly into Barcelona 5th September
Barcelona 4 nights
San Sebastian 3 nights
Burgos 2 nights
Toledo 2 nights (we will pass through Madrid on the way)
Cordova 3 nights
Seville 4 nights
Ronda 2 nights
Granada 4 nights
Madrid 4 nights
Fly out of Madrid 3rd October

We look forward to any comments/suggestions.
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Old Mar 12th, 2012, 04:46 AM
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The south of Spain will likely be very hot in September. When we were there the end of September 5 years ago, it was 100F in Seville. Dry but very hot! Be prepared. Based on our recent experience, you probably don't need 4 nights in Granada. You might want to move a night to the "white villages. And I would consider moving Toledo to just before Madrid.

Sounds like a very nice trip.
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Old Mar 12th, 2012, 11:57 AM
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Thank you for your suggestion mamcalice. We did consider moving Madrid, but that would mean a trip from Granada to Madrid followed immediately by a long plane trip to Australia.
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Old Mar 12th, 2012, 12:41 PM
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Granada is not that notable outside of the Alhambra and its minor sights you can see in less than a day. Barcelona could use another night or two, especially since you'll be overcoming the effects of your flight on the first day or more and it's interesting. Toledo-Cordoba-Seville are connected by fast train, Granada-Madrid is not.

Check the connections from Burgos to Toledo - the trains into and out of Madrid likely have different stations across the city from each other. If you can, you may want to rent a car in San Sebastian, drive to Salamanca (which is excellent albeit out of your way) and then drive from there to Toledo. You can reconstruct the itinerary like this to stay with the fast trains at the end and ensure you see Salamanca:

Barcelona 5-6 nights
San Sebastian (3, hire car)
Salamanca (2-3)
Toledo (2, max) via Avila (cool fortress town known for its 88-tower wall) for lunch/photos
Granada (2, max)
Ronda, etc. (3-4)
Cordoba (2, return car; the city is small, fast train connections to Seville and Madrid)
Seville (4)
Madrid (4)

View all weather predictions sceptically (skeptically) because outside of July and August, the weather can vary a lot. I visited Madrid in early July one year and had temperatures in the 50s (10-15 C) for which I was not prepared.
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Old Mar 12th, 2012, 01:21 PM
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Thank you BigRuss for very helpful information. Just flying from Munich to Barcelona (2 hrs). We are not used to driving on the "wrong" (for us) side of the road, but will reconsider hiring a car as you suggested. How busy are the roads? Would love to go to Salamanca. Train from Burgos to Toledo and back to Madrid seemed messy - hadn't checked if the departure stations were different - good point.
When my husband was in Spain in the 60s everything closed in the middle of the day. Is this still so?
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Old Mar 12th, 2012, 03:05 PM
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3-4 nights in Ronda seems way too long ( one would do).
There IS a train between Madrid and Granada twice day ( about 4.5 ours)
If you like art museum, I would add time to Madrid.
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Old Mar 12th, 2012, 03:07 PM
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p.s.
If you have a few extra day, Malaga is a nice spot( and on
the sea)
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Old Mar 12th, 2012, 04:16 PM
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I think you should definitely spend some time in Malaga. Additionally, I would venture south 1/2 hour to Nerja and see the cave formations there as they are quite beautiful as is the city. Old town Marbella is also beautiful and very pleasant in spite of the heat. I agree that 4 days in Granada is too much.
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Old Mar 12th, 2012, 06:44 PM
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Hiring car should be in your plan, even if it is only a fall back plan, in case of public transit disruptions.

I found out there is a declared general strike in Spain on March 29th, and I have been calling around and checking the web to find out what options I have if the public transit is impacted. The general news do not mention specific sectors affected. The UK Foreign Commonwealth Office mentions possibility of impact to airports http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-...y/europe/spain.
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Old Mar 12th, 2012, 11:46 PM
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Weather in the north,and even Madrid in sept can be variable but in the south you will definitely get hot weather in Sept. If you are not confident about driving I wouldnt.Big cities in Spain do have a lot of traffic and unless your comfortable driving for some it is difficult.I agree 3-4 nights in Ronda is too much.
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Old Mar 13th, 2012, 04:18 AM
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Thank you everyone for your helpful suggestions. We have definitely decided not to drive, despite the advantages. Also we will reduce time in Granada to 2 nights and possibly not stay in Burgos. That would give us an extra 4 nights. We will spend another night in San Sebastian (that will make 4 nights there). I'm still keen on Salamanca, husband not so sure. We will think some more about all your suggestions, but prefer to stay for a longer time in places rather than move too often. Another night in Madrid for a day trip to Segovia perhaps? More time in Barcelona or Seville?
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