1st Time to Spain
 

11/10/2019 ~8:00 AM arrival in Madrid and departing 11/19/2019 ~1 PM from Madrid.

We are initially looking to enjoy Andalucía and after researching many sites, Rick Steve's included, I was hoping for some personal insights/feedback on experiences for this type of trip. Has anyone taken a similar leisurely trip , and do you have any recommendations/tips when planning our itinerary? This will be our very first time in Europe, let alone Spain. We are not strong Spanish speakers, but I am not concerned as we are brushing up in preparation for the trip. We are in our early 30's and were looking to focus on ~3 or so major towns/cities to limit travel time. Any input is greatly appreciated!

If you want a leisurely trip, you'll have to be selective. It depends on what you want to see and experience, but as a rule, I think it not unreasonable to start your plan for Andalusia by considering about 4 nights in Sevilla, 3 in Granada, 2 in Cordoba, and 1 or 2 for Ronda or Malaga. That doesn't count Madrid (figure 4 or 5 nights as a rough initial estimate) or any of it's surrounds. As danon notes, you can visit Toledo as a day trip from Madrid, but I thought it worth at least 2 or 3 nights (in addition to any time you allocate for Madrid).

I would encourage you to consult some good guidebooks and read trip reports and planning threads here on Fodor's.
Good luck with your planning!

Maybe my math is wrong but I see seven full days plus arrival and departure. Worse arrival and departure is from Madrid. Seville and Granada with virtually no time in Madrid? Even that isn't overly leisurely. If you factor in a bit of time in Madrid and what little leisure you might have disappears.

Based upon the feedback and my hope to have a “home base” in each of the locales we visit here’s the updated itinerary I’ve put together.

11/9 - Depart US for Madrid
11/10 - Arrive in Madrid at 8 AM, Train to Cordoba
11/11 - Cordoba
11/12 - Train to Granada;
11/13 - Granada
11/14 - Granada
11/15 - Train to Sevilla
11/16 - Sevilla
11/17 - Sevilla
11/18 - Train to Madrid
11/19 - Madrid; Depart for US

Experiences?

La Mezquita, Cordoba

I will defer to the first line in The Lonely Planet's description of this incredible site;

- "It’s impossible to overemphasise the beauty of Córdoba’s great mosque"

Bring some tissues.......

Ameen

With the time you have, that looks like a very reasonable plan!

Get your tickets for the Alhambra as soon as you can. I recommend that you visit twice: First during the day, starting as early as you can, and then again during the evening for a separate and quite different visit to the Nazrid Palace.

Enjoy!

Thanks all for your help, it certainly has been appreciated. Any recommendations on accommodations based upon your experiences? I've already booked Cordoba and Granada, with Sevilla and Madrid still up in the air as to where we will stay.

Cordoba 11/10-12 Booked:
Balcon de Córdoba

Granada 11/12-15 Booked:
Hotel Palacio De Santa Paula

Sevilla 11/16-18 Need to book still, options I am looking into:
Hotel Alfonso XIII
Hospes Las Casas del Rey de Baeza
Hotel Palacio de Villapanes
Hotel Casa 1800 Seville
Gran Melia Colón

Madrid 11/18-19 Need to book still: