nicky54

Hi we are a married couple in our 50’s going to Spain for three weeks in late Sept – early Oct.
Our tentative itinerary is
Fly in to Barcelona -4 nights
Train to Madrid -3nights
Train to Toledo -1 night
Train to Cordoba -2nights
Train to Seville -3 nights
Rent car -White Pueblos – -Ronda 1 night
Ubeda – Beaza --2 nights
Get rid of car -Granada- 3 nights
We still have 4 nights unaccounted for.

What should we add or subtract from. We are open to suggestions.

Also wondering if anyone has any advice on Travel insurance, reputable companies etc. We are from the States and AAA has some packages but we having nothing to compare them to. We have 4 elderly parents -80s and 90 and want to cover ourselves in case something happens.

Thanks in advance

CathyM

I think for a first pass you have a good itinerary. You have a nice mix of large, medium and small cities. There are all kinds of ways you could "tweak" to dd the 4 days. Of course, alot has to do with your interests and travel style (looks like you have a moderate pace outlined).

*Barcelona - 4 nights
I'd probably add a night. 4 would be OK but you may be jetlagged your first day. If you have 5 nights you'd have time to recover from jetlag and perhaps also do a daytrip.

*Madrid - 3 nights
*Toledo - 1 night
3 nights should be OK for Madrid if you're going to spend a night in Toledo so won't need the day for a daytrip. But if you want to visit Segovia as a daytrip from Madrid you may want to add another day.
I personally don't like 1-night stays. It's just not worth the moving of luggage, packing/unpacking and checking in/out. But that's me. If you don't mind this then 1 night would be good for Toledo. Otherwise I'd consider either adding a night to Madrid so you can allow for the daytrip to Toledo OR spending 2 nights in Toledo.

*Cordoba - 2 nights
Since you have time in your schedule this is great. Cordoba makes a good daytrip from Sevilla if people don't have time for an overnight. But it really is a nice little city with a wealth of sites outside of the Mezquita and Juderia that most tourists totally overlook.

*Sevilla - 3 nights
This would be adequate given you won't need a day for trip to Cordoba. It's just enough to see Sevilla. But it's one of my favorite cities in Spain and I'd consider adding 1-2 days. There are numerous options for daytrips so there's no way you'd be bored. It may be nice to have a 4-5 night stay towards the middle of the trip. Alternatively it may be interesting to keep the 3 nights in Sevilla then head to Cadiz for 2 nights. From Cadiz you could rent a car to start the White Villages portion of the trip. I'm a little biased I must admit that Cadiz and Sevilla are my 2 favorite cities in Andalucia and in my top for all of Spain. If you're at all interested in wine this would be a good part of the trip to head to one of the three sherry triangle towns (Sanlucar, Jerez or El Puerto) and visit a bodega. It would be a good insight into the culture of this region.

*Ronda/White villages - 1 night
I'd probably add a night so you can do more exploring. On day one once you leave Sevilla (or Cadiz) you could take your time getting to Ronda stopping along the way (for example Arcos, Zahara, Grazalema) arriving late day in Ronda. Then the next day you could focus on sightseeing in Ronda at least 1/2 day and then exploring some more by car.

*Ubeda/Baeza - 2 nights
This is a good amount of time for these 2 neighboring cities. These cities are very unique for Spain and a little off the beaten track - enjoy.

*Granada - 3 nights
I'd actually cut down Granada by a night to 3 nights. I'm a moderate to slow traveler and 3 nights was more than enough for me even during a festival with extra things to see and do.

Hope this helps. The time of year should also be quite nice.

joannyc

Where are you planning to fly home from? I see that you are flyiing into Barcelona. Depending on your departure point, itinerary suggestions could change.

nicky54

Thanks for your ideas Cathy we will check them out Anthing else near Ubeda/Baeza on our way down to Granada ?

Joannyc, we will probably fly out of Granada or somewhere close by.

Thanks again

iris1745

Cathy's itinerary works.

You could also consider another night in Madrid to do a day trip to Segovia. http://wikipedia.org/wiki/segovia

About your concern, If you use www.booking.com/spain for all your hotels, you don't pay up front, but at the counter of the hotel.

Just make sure that if you do use this site, it says 'free cancellation'. Cancellation on this site is within hours of the request.

On this site, there is also no up front costs for a car rental. www.carrentals.com Easy cancellation.

So then you just have to be concerned about flight insurance.

Do you have an American Express CC? They have very good auto insurance for $19.95 or $24.95 that makes them the primary insurer and CDW at zero. Loss of use is not covered, but they negotiate with the auto company and our $2000 euro damage bill cost us nothing.


Driving in Spain you are required to have an IDP, an International Driving Permit along with your own license.

Purchased at any AAA office for $22 dollars that includes your photo.

CathyM

I use booking.com and TA to review hotels but I like to book directly through the hotel website versus using a 3rd party. The prices are sometimes less expensive when booking directly with the hotel. Most times, unless you are accepting a reduced special fare, there is no prepayment and you can cancel within a specified time (just like hotels in the US).

kja

> 3 nights should be OK for Madrid if you're going to spend a night in Toledo

FWIW, I was fully occupied for my 4 days in Madrid (not counting 2 days in Toledo, 1 in Segovia, and 1 in Avila - my ONLY day trip from Madrid was 1/2 day for El Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen). I'm a great fan of art, though, and so spent a lot of time enjoying Madrid's great museums. Not everyone would want to do that.