10 days in Spain
 

I know there have been numerous threads on this topic...sorry!

I have 10 days in early October before heading to a conference in Bologna so my husband and I want to spend it in Spain. I've been to Madrid and Barcelona - he's never been to Spain at all.

I am interested in seeing Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada (The Alhambra) on this trip. Can those be seen as either day trips or short overnights along with a few days in Madrid and Barcelona? We don't mind spending 1 night here an there if the travels between cities is short.

Thanks!!
L

No - you need to stay in Andalusia for several nights in order to see anything of these cities - they are too far for day trips from Madrid (have a look at a map).

If you have already seen Madrid and Barc I would spend the whole time in Andalusia.

I agree with nytraveler -- use all 10 of your days in Andalusia, especially because early October is a wonderful time to visit this magnificent area!

Granada easily merits AT LEAST two nights: During the day, you can visit the entire Alhambra, but you will do so with MANY others. Also, during the day you can use an audio guide (FWIW, the one available on site met my needs) or going a guided tour, if that's your preference. In the evening, you can visit the magnificent Nasrid Palace (only) with just a few other visitors. When I was there, everyone who was there spoke very, very quietly, and I found it absolutely magical! I didn't need to learn about what I was seeing -- I had done that during the day. But I got to see this incredible palace with very different lighting, and to smell the flowering shrubs, and hear the fountains, and … well, I'm sure you get it. Since I was there, I believe the Alhambra also offers evening visits to the Generalife, and if I had the chance, I would snag one of those reservations, too! Do be aware that advance reservations for the Alhambra are critical.

Cordoba can be seen as a day trip from Sevilla, but I was glad to spend two full days there. It has SO much more to offer than "just" the stellar Mezquita!

While it depends on each traveler's preferences, I think 10 days just about perfect for Andalusia. Of course, more would be nice, but you should be able to tailor this region of Spain to YOUR interests with that amount of time.

Hope that helps!

Thank you for the great ideas.

I'm worried that I won't be able to skip Barc and Madrid since my husband hasn't been to either city...but I will do my best to sell Andalusia! It is definitely my preference and I would prefer to do it the way kja and nytraveler recommend.

We've been all the the places you mention. Our last trip to Spain was to Andalusia and we LOVED it. Here's my report to give you some ideas.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-andalucia.cfm

As far as squeezing in Barcelona or Madrid for the same trip, I'd lean towards a couple of days in Madrid. I think Barcelona deserves more time, and with only a couple of days I think Madrid is a better option.

Thanks MFNYC - I'll start reading your report tonight.

I'd start by seeing from where you can fly to Bologna most easily and work backward, but is should be easy to visit Madrid (3), Sevilla (3), Cordoba (2), and Granada (2) in 10 days. The numbers in parentheses are just sample ideas for how to allot your days. I don't think squeezing in Barcelona will add anything but time in a train or plane.

FWIW, you might keep in mind that for most of us, getting to or from Madrid or Barcelona is much easier than getting to Andalusia, so taking advantage of your time in Andalusia on THIS trip, when you already plan to be there, makes some sense. Madrid -- once you count Toledo and Segovia and ... -- easily deserves more than just a few days, although you could certainly get a taste of it if you want to on this trip. Just a thought....

Not so big distances between these cities with the hig speed AVE train. Barcelona to Madrid is 2h 45 mins. Madrid to Cordoba is 1h 40 mins and Madrid-Sevilla is 2h 30 mins. Sevilla to Cordoba is 42 mins. All are city center to city center (renfe.com). Granada is not on the AVE line, but you can go here from Cordoba in 2h 40 mins by bus (Alsa.es)

Barcelona: http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/
Madrid: http://www.esmadrid.com/en
Cordoba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyfGdpF55Uk
Sevilla: http://www.exploreseville.com/
Granada: http://www.lovegranada.com/

Barcelona to Madrid is down to 2h 15m.

kimhe is absolutely right about the AVE train. You can spend 2 1/2 days in Barcelona, 2 1/2 days in Madrid and 3 1/2 days in Andalusia (the half days which I have excluded are for travelling).

In Andalusia, it is probably the best idea to stay in Cordoba, which is a charming city and not so touristy as Sevilla. Cordoba is strategically located, so you can do daytrips to Granada and to Sevilla from there. There are train connections between Cordoba and Granada, the fastest is 2:13 with a change of trains in Antequera. Driving time would be longer, around 2:30, but there are several very scenic routes through the mountains.

IMO, the Alhambra of Granada is the top attraction of Andalusia, followed by the Mezquita of Cordoba. Be sure to book your tickets for the Alhambra in advance (they sell out quickly). You will get a time window for your visit.

http://www.alhambradegranada.org/en/info/ticketsale.asp

And my advice for AVE train travel would be to have the typical around 1:30 lunch in one city, then train departure around 4 pm and well on place in the next city in good time before dinner or some tapas from about 9pm. You could have an after lunch siesta nap on the comfortable trains, makes the travel between cities as seamless as it gets.

And Robert, good to hear that Madrid-Barcelona now is down to 2h 15 mins! The AVE high speed train system is plain fabulous, just hope for the Madrid to Basque Country connection eventually will be established.

>just hope for the Madrid to Basque Country connection eventually will be established.<

The Basque Y line is not progressing very fast. The completion is supposed to be sometime in 2017 and has been underconstruction since 2006. The line south from Donostia and Bilbao will stop in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capitol of the Basque country.

Thanks so much for all the info - still up in the air (no pun intended) about what to do...we may end up just winging it...OMG - too many flight puns.
Whatever we decide, will write a trip report!

10 days is a perfect intro to Andalucia and you can spend the last two or three nights enjoying Madrid. Don't worry about skipping Barcelona. Sevilla and Granada are magical places. They will probably be the highlight of your trip.

personally, I would concentrate on Andalusia, with a night or two in Madrid if you must; it would be more efficient [assuming that you are arriving at about breakfast time in Madrid] to go straight to Seville or wherever and [again making an assumption that you will be flying from Madrid to Bologna] putting your time there at the end.

I think if you try to squeeze Barcelona into the trip you'll feel short-changed.

hold that idea:

you can fly direct from Seville to Bologna on Ryainair for about €35 in October:

http://www.ryanair.com/en/cheap-flig...ate=2015-10-01

so it might make sense to put Seville at the end of your trip, and Madrid at the beginning.