2 weeks October in Spain , need help

Old Aug 16th, 2005, 09:58 PM
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2 weeks October in Spain , need help

We are a 50ish couple on our first trip to Spain. Also newbie on forums. We are arriving in Madrid Oct 8 & leaving from Seville Oct 23. This is our trip plan Madrid 2 nights (Hotel Plaza Mayor), Toledo 1 night, night train to Barcelona (Hotel Goya) stay 3 nights, train to coast Valencia or ? for 1 night then Granda, White villages 4 night total, then to Seville for 3 nights. We thought about a rental car from Vallencia ? to Seville. Any help or suggestions would be apprecoiated.
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Old Aug 17th, 2005, 12:04 PM
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You might want to consider an itinerary that would have you arriving in Barcelona, then heading down to Valencia before going to Madrid and Toledo and then heading south to Andalusia.

If you follow your original itinerary, the drive from Valencia to Sevilla covers nearly 800 kms (500 miles) and will take at least 8-1/2 hours of driving time. That’s a long day, which means that you should plan on stopping somewhere along the way, possibly around Baza, which is about the halfway point.
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Old Aug 17th, 2005, 05:44 PM
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Unfortunatly our flights are already bought. What about a train from vallencia or ? to granda then rent a car to drop off in Sevlle? Is it reasonable to drive from Granada to white villages then to Seville?
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Old Aug 17th, 2005, 07:01 PM
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I agree with Robert's suggestion about breaking up the ride from Valencia. Allicante might be a good place as well to break it up.

As to your question about the white villages...yes, it's possible...the white villages are in many areas in Andalusia, so you could do that. Check out some of the Spanish websites (spainalive.com, red2000. com, spainlist.com, aboutspain.net, to name but a few) to get a better idea as far as which white villages you want to go to. You might also check out Parador.es.
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Old Aug 17th, 2005, 07:36 PM
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You're better off driving from Valencia to Sevilla and making a few stops along the way. artlover is correct in that there are a number of "white villages" in Andalucia and you should have plenty of time to enjoy them. If you head down the Granada, I would include a stop in Ronda before heading to Sevilla. You can take a drive from Granada to Marbella and then to Estepona before following the A377 north to Ronda. There are a number of great "white villages" to be found along this route.
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Old Aug 17th, 2005, 07:48 PM
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for my two cents' worth.

alicante is not my favorite stopover down the coast and is only two hours from valencia.

i would break up the trip with a short stop in lorca.( 3.hrs). and then sleep in granada.(5 hrs from valencia).

stop to see the cave houses at guadix before arriving in granada.

how you go to sevilla from granada is up to you and suggestions from others.

or... you can fly one way super cheap to sevilla from valencia with www.vueling.com.
might be a good option.

i don't know how much you like to drive .
it is not a difficult drive at all.. but the drivers ARE fast and somewhat aggressive over here.
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Old Aug 17th, 2005, 08:20 PM
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I would have to defer to lincasanova--he/she knows much more about Spain and I didn't realize Alicante was so close to Valencia. And, there are so many other places that would be much nicer to spend your time, I think you'd be better off flying that part of the trip.

And, yes, drivers are FAST in Spain (especially the huge trucks)!
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Old Aug 17th, 2005, 09:46 PM
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Thanks for all the great suggestions. The air fare with vueling is so cheap 10euros from Valencia to Seville & 25 euros Madrid to Barcelona that we are thinking about passing on the night train. Is there any tips on flying with this airline? Also any suggestions on a budget 2 or 3 star hotel in Seville. Are there Bed & Breakfast type lodging in Spain?
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Old Aug 17th, 2005, 09:56 PM
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Spanair also flies very inexpensively between Madrid and Barcelona and various other locations in Spain, such as Seville.

What is your budget for accommodations in Seville, rather than star rating preference?
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Old Aug 17th, 2005, 10:02 PM
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We would like it to be 70 euros or less , I don't know if this is possible.
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Old Aug 17th, 2005, 10:04 PM
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Hola

The Hotel Amadeus - http://www.sevilla5.com/hotels/amadeus.html - gets good reviews. See also Hotel Simon - http://www.hotelsimonsevilla.com and Hotel Dona Manuela - http://www.grupomodesto.com/d_manuela.htm.

You might want to include Cordoba as part of your Andulican itinerary.

Adios
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Old Aug 17th, 2005, 10:09 PM
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Woops that's "Andalucian" itinerary.

70 Euro? Looks like Hotel Simon is bang on the bucks.

Cheers

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Old Aug 18th, 2005, 12:52 AM
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Ax to using so-called "budget flights" my only suggestion would be to remain aware of the airline's checked baggage limitations (if you are going to even check any baggage). Wheter or not you will end up being charged for extra weight can be hit or miss in our experience; the limitations sem to range from between 15 and 20 kilos per person.

Unless you are absolutely determined to do the night train (and I am a very big rail buff) I would consider flying which takes much less time and gives a litle more opportunity to explore in your final destination.

Others may disagree but I personally think three nights in Seville is more than enough. I know a lot of people love to wander around the Barrio Santa Cruz and take in museums but IMO the BIG attraction in Seville, other than the architecture, is the cathedral which, even though large, can be done in a day as well as the several buildings in the immediate surrounds.

You might, if interested, consider taking in one of the flamenco shows while there; these seem to vary in quality somewhat.

Have a wonderful trip.
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Old Aug 18th, 2005, 07:36 AM
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Sevilla Accommodations:
Since you will be in Sevilla for three nights, you might consider renting an apartment. We used www.sevilla5.com to rent a lovely place on Arfe street. Not in Barrio Santa Cruz, but just minutes walking, basically in between the Cathdral and the bullring. The only caveat is there is no elevator and the stairs are steep, but the one we stayed in (#5) was in tip top shape and beautifully decorated for 59E a night.

I have posted before about some of the good tapa places near this apartment building -- if you end up booking this place, do a search on the apt name on this forum and you should find the info.

Sevilla Walking Tours
I also really enjoyed the tours offered by Concepcion Delgado (http://www.sevillawalkingtours.com). I did all three: the walking tour gives you a great overview of the city and its rich history and was my favorite tour, the Alcazar is really not to be missed and she brings it all to life for you, the cathedral tour is for cathdral buffs -- my husband took a pass on this one and scoped out good tapas spots for us

And my perennial suggestion to all Spain-bound:
The guides by Maribel (Fodor Queen of Spain) are fantastic (www.maribelsguides.com). Print out for the cities you will be in (Madrid, Barcelona, and Sevilla) Her restaurant/bar recommendations are fantastic.

Keep posting and happy trails!
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Old Aug 18th, 2005, 09:54 AM
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What is the basis of your itinerary? Barcelona is a fantastic city, but given the limited amount of time, I would skip it. But I consider Segovia, Avila, Salamanca to be more interesting than Valencia, based on the guide books that I read (those are the towns I visited). You could rent a car from Madrid and do these towns, drive down the Extremadura towards Seville and cut off to visit Cordoba and Granada before ending up in Seville.
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Old Aug 18th, 2005, 01:11 PM
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just watch those luggage limits. they DO check adn charge.

i know very few americans ( who come ot visit me!!)who can cross the ocena with under 20k. of NECESSARY clothing and shoes!! so pack light and you will be fine.

vueling is great. brnad new planes and a sense of humor.!! sometimes the pilot /or copilot say "goooooooo vueling!!!" at takeoff.. like at a football game!
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Old Aug 18th, 2005, 04:29 PM
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wilkie,
check out bancotel.com, solmelia.com, and petrabax.com for hotel deals. If you can go a bit higher, (and for these places it would be worth it), check out parador.es and look into the 5 day or week pass.

I haven't been to Valencia, but Segovia and Avila are incredible and easy daytrips from Madrid.

Considering the time and the distance, I agree that you might want to save Barcelona (and therefor Valencia) for another trip. It's a great city, but you'll have more than enough to see and do if you stick to the Madrid with day trips and Andalucia.
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Old Aug 18th, 2005, 05:10 PM
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now that i have my GLASSES on.. hopefully i will have many fewer typos.. ho-hum.

you have a lot of good advice for lodging, etc. so far.

there is so much to see in spain, it is such a varied country, i think you might have to decide if you are getting enough of the big cities you want to see.. or of the smaller towns.

it all depends on your personal taste.. and how much you like to move around.

i, myself, just enjoy the sights driving from town to town on the secondary routes in some parts to get away from it all and see castles in the distance.

the paradors are great.. but you will need a car to easily get from small town to small town IMHO.

with 15 days i think you can handle 3-5 days in three different areas with no problem.

the parador pass will suit you well as it is low season in many places, except for your first week that between oct.10th and 12th,(holidays) most of the country will have very long weekends, heavy highway traffic and plenty of local holiday touring.
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Old Aug 18th, 2005, 10:22 PM
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I stayed 2 night in Sevilla back in January and I highly recommend the Hotel Amadeus. Very quaint hotel in the perfect location. Just steps from the Cathedral. It couldn't have been better. The only problem was there is no way to drive up to it as it is in a small alleyway. I took the train in from Granada so it wasn't a problem.
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Old Aug 19th, 2005, 01:32 PM
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thanks again for all the great advice. One of the reasons we are going to Barcelona is to see Gaudi's work. We are both interested in seeing the architecture, art, culture & food of Spain (maybe not in that order)I don't mind driving, but I worry that my very limited Spanish will cause us problems with directions etc. We would actually like to stay in some smaller towns but really don't want to be moving every day. We thought that if we spent 2 or 3 days in each of Madrid, Barcelona & Seville that we could get a "lay of the land" & get comfortable with the tranit etc. We thought that if we fly from Barcelona or Vallencia to Seville or Granda or Cordoba, we could rent a car somewhere in Andalusia & drive around for 3 or 4 days returning the car to Seville with the last 2 or 3 days in Seville. The reason for visiting Vallencia is that it looks interesting & is on the Med also the Euromed train ride looks like it goes along the coast so the views would be good, is that true?
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