Hi all, will be flying into Malaga for a conference and out of Madrid in early-mid October. It will be my first time in Spain, and given the amount of time, didn't think there will be time for Barcelona, so have structured it around the Andalusia region. Prefer a mix of large cities / small towns for a variety of experiences; keen on photography, nature / wildlife, but don't think the Sierra Nevada is particularly pretty? Grateful for any comments / suggestions on my itinerary below; and if there are any areas in particular which I should be wary of as a solo traveller, please feel free to share!

It's currently 2 nights in Granada, 3 nights in Seville, and 4 nights in Madrid. Not sure if I should take 1 day from Madrid and allocate it to Granada or Seville? Also, should I spend a night at Cordoba, or do it as a day-trip from Seville (see Day 6)?

Day 1: Malaga (Mercado Central de Atarazanas, Malaga Cathedral, Puerto de Malaga)

Day 2: night in Granada - will probably reach Granada from Malaga by bus, at 5pm. Mirador de San Nicolas (sunset view + views of Alhambra)

Day 3: night in Granada - Albayzin, Carrera del Darro in the morning; the Alhambra in the afternoon: secured tickets to the Nasrid Palaces at 3.30pm.

Days 4 and 5: Granada to Seville by bus. 3 nights in Seville. Real Alcazar, Catedral de Sevilla, Barrio Santa Cruz, Torre Giralda (bell tower), Centro Historico de Sevilla,Triana, Mercado de Triana, Basilica de la Macarena, Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza

Day 6: Day trip to Cordoba

Day 7 to 10: Seville to Madrid by train. 4 nights in Madrid.
- Parque del Retiro, Palacio De Cristal, Royal Palace of Madrid, Gran Via, Palacio de Cibeles, Mercado San Miguel, Mercado de San Anton, La Latina, Puerta del Sol
- day trip to Toledo

Day 11: early morning flight out of Madrid

If you like small towns Cordoba is great to stay overnight. Out of Granada, Seville and Cordoba, Cordoba felt the most charming and friendly. We stayed in the old town where locals still live and our hotel (Hospederia del Atalia) is located within a residential compound and share a private gate with the residents. So coming back after a stroll felt like coming home. Contrast this to Seville where locals don't really stay in Santa Cruz until very recently (there's history on why) and many homes are actually just now occupied for tourist shops and Airbnb. And of course Seville is way larger/sprawling even if I like it for different reasons.
Granada was our first stop and we only stayed for two nights so I don't have a clear impression of it. I thought Sacromonte was really pretty. But we overheard locals sitting in their front yard grumbling about tourists. San Nicolas was mobbed (this in February) so either you claim your spot early or just get your sunset views elsewhere.
Can't help you on the nature front. I went for the Moorish history and architecture, and yummy cheap food.

I would definitely spend at least one night in Cordoba. It's a beautiful town/village, especially the Juderia with its narrow lanes, white-washed buildings, and patios filled with flower pots. We spent 2 nights in Cordoba, and I would have enjoyed a 3rd night. the Mezquita is amazing, but there is more to Cordoba than just the Mezquita. We loved the gardens of the Alcazar, Palacio de Viana, the Roman Bridge, Mercado Victoria, and just wandering through the Juderia. I think people who visit Cordoba as a day trip are shortchanging Cordoba.

As much as I like Madrid, I would take one night from Madrid in order to spend 1 night in Cordoba. We really liked Toledo, but we preferred Cordoba to Toledo.

I agree with your allocation of 2 nights in Granada and 3 nights in Seville, although we had 4 nights in Seville and could have enjoyed an extra night. There is never enough time for these great places!

I ALSO LOVED CORDOBA. It was a charming town and so beautiful with all the narrow little streets and flower pots. I hope to be able to go back one day, as I didn't get to spend as much time in the town as I would have liked. So much history & lovely shops, and of course the restaurants & all the food! enjoy this part of Spain.

Both Cordoba and Toledo are worth more than a day trip (I stayed 2 nights in Cordoba and 3 in Toledo), but you really don't have time for that with your itinerary. With the day trips, you already only have 1-1/2 days in Seville and 2-1/2 in Madrid.

I've been to all the destinations you mention except Malaga as a solo female traveler -- no worries!

I only spent a day and night in the Sierra Nevada (in the Poquiera Gorge) and thought it quite spectacular. I don't know why you don't think its particularly pretty.

Your timing seems very fast paced to me, perhaps too much so.

• For Granada, the Alhambra is MUCH more than just the Nasrid Palace. I literally spent an entire day at the Alhambra, and then returned in the evening to see the Nasrid Palace again in different light.
• 3 nights in Sevilla is not much, particularly if you plan to visit Cordoba from there.
• I thought 2 full days barely sufficient for Cordoba!
• Toledo is another city that IMO easily merits 2 or 3 nights.

Of the places you mention, Madrid is the easiest to include in a future trip, so you might consider giving it just the night before your flight so you can add time to Andalusia. And I say that as someone who thoroughly enjoyed Madrid!

Hope that helps!

There's little point in suggesting the OP spend more time in each place when she doesn't have it. OP, I think your plan sounds fine and if you prefer smaller places to big cities, then stop in Cordoba overnight on the way to Madrid. But remember that if you go for the day from Seville, you can leave Seville at dawn and return at midnight if you want to. If you move hotels, you have to juggle luggage and hotel checkin, etc. Six of one: half a dozen of the other, I'd say, if only staying one night.

You are welcome to your opinion. Given that I suggested a way to make that time, I'm not sure your point applies.

danon, of course it's in the eye of the beholder. I was just saying that the OP already has 5 hotels in 10 nights, so in her case, Cordoba and Toledo would be better as day trips, as she has planned. Any way you look at it, it will be a fast-moving trip.

It seems to me that people not only travel in many different ways, but they also give travel advice in many different ways -- and IMO, vive la difference! When I'm an OP, I want to hear not only if my plans seem potentially do-able, but also whether they make sense to others -- so knowing whether others would want more time in any specific place would be valuable to me, if for no other reason than to make me pay particular attention to my priorities. "Worth" is definitely in the eye of the beholder -- but the beholder's eye might value things differently with the benefit of the input of other travelers. Indeed, that might be one reason why they are asking! Personally, I wish more Fodorites would spend time offering their advice to OPs and less time commenting on the advice offered by other Fodorites. JMO. And again, vive la difference!

Hi all, really appreciate the comments, all are very helpful and it is likely that I will allocate one night to Cordoba (taking into account the hassle of checking in and out of hotels). Also thanks to Kja for the assurance that it's fine as a solo traveller to these places.

Just as an example, I loved Annecy and Chamonix, as compared to e.g. Lyon, a big city with nothing unique to offer (imho). Have not been to Spain, so will not have any comparisons to make.

Currently it seems to be: 2 nights Granada (with 1.5 days to explore); 3 nights Seville (3 full days, or 2.5 if I leave Granada in the afternoon); 1 night Cordoba; 3 nights Madrid (2 days to explore + 1 day trip to Toledo).

Although contemplating moving one night from Seville to Granada in order to explore the Sierra Nevada (reason I thought that it is not as spectacular was due to the barren landscape, and that I'll be there in early October).

Any thoughts on Ronda?

Ronda offers a spectacular view, but IMO, it is not in the same league as any of the other places you are considering.

Just so you realize - it takes time to check out of the hotel, get to the train station, time there, the actual train ride, same at the other end. So 3 nights in Seville and Madrid only gives you 2.5 days in those cities, not 3. And 1 night in Cordoba gives you about half a day there.

Susan is right ... that's why I always plan any travel day as a full day of travel, even if the plane or train will take only 1 or 2 hours. I count the "extra" time I get as bonus time to do more in one of the locations. That sometimes requires concentrating on fewer places, but IMHO allows a richer and slightly more in-depth experience that's less like watching a travel video through a train window.

You can swap the order and go from Granada to Cordoba to Sevilla. Geographically these cities run East to West in that order.
I took a noon bus (late riser) from Granada and arrived in Cordoba at 2:45pm. Just in time for check in. I spent the rest of the afternoon strolling through town and visiting the lovely flower patios. Plenty of blooms even in February. Then dinner, then evening stroll across the Roman Bridge. Next day visit the Mezquita in early morning (free time slot) and check out of hotel. Leave your luggage with hotel reception. Go to the alcazar or the Viana Gardens, or both as time/energy/interest allows. Grab lunch, pick up your luggage and take the 30 min train to Seville. Time your trip to arrive near check-in. You're left with the afternoon and evening again for some easy strolling. I actually visited the Seville alcazar and did a food tour on my arrival day in the city. I went to the alcazar at their 4:00pm time slot which is free on Mondays and the food tour at 7pm. You just have to know your own energy level and how much you can do in a day. Leave some flexibility so you can add or subtract as needed.

When we traveled through Andalucia, we took trains or buses that departed any time between 9 and 11AM. We arrived at our next destination any time between 11AM and 2PM. So we typically had time for lunch after we checked into our hotel, and then had some time for sightseeing. So, depending on the distances between destinations, I don't think it's accurate to count the travel day as an entire day of travel. We would typically have half a day on arrival day for lunch and sightseeing, even when we arrived at 2PM. Especially during the summer, when you have longer daylight hours.

So one night in Cordoba can give you 2 half days, depending on when you arrive and when you leave the next day. And Cordoba, and many other cities/villages, are so pretty at night when everything is illuminated, and much quieter, too, especially in a place like Cordoba where you have a lot of daytrippers.

Many thanks, it didn't occur to me that Granada to Cordoba to Sevilla to Madrid is also doable; suppose the entire travel duration is the same for Granada --> Seville --> Cordoba --> Madrid?

Need some help with the general route above, which routes should I go with buses and which trains? (the faster option, and also taking into account frequency?)

Malaga to Granada --> ALSA bus
Granada to Cordoba --> AVE train?
Cordoba to Seville --> train
Seville to Madrid --> train