Pawleys

I am making plans to visit Spain next spring. We will be in the Madrid area for a week after which we want to visit southern Spain. I was planning to use high-speed train to get there, probably stopping in Toledo before heading further south. If I want to see Cordoba, Granada, Seville and perhaps some of the Pueblo Blancoes (suggestions)what would be the best order. I was thinking of renting a car to visit the villages and see some Of the countryside. I really prefer villages and the countryside to cities and have enjoyed traveling through Tuscany and Provence by car.

After visiting southern Spain we need to travel back to Madrid to fly home. We will probably fly or train back, suggestions, please.

PalenQ

I'd do Toledo as a day trip from Madrid - may not be any luggage storage in station there as many Spanish stations do not have any.

anyway book long-distance high-speed trains at Renfe - as early as possible for nice discounted fares. www.seat61.com has superb advice on doing that yourselves - general train info also BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. Given your preferences for countryside rent a car in say Seville and return in Granada and take high-speed train back to Madrid. There are buses Seville to Ronda that go thru those iconic villages if not renting a car.

or2nh4me2

If you are not locked in to staying in Madrid after you arrive, I would fly in and either stay one night to combat jet lag, or train direct to Toledo for a night. then on to spend time in Córdoba and Sevilla (which are all on high speed rail). Then travel to Granada either by train or rental car. I cannot advise on Pueblos Blancos as I have not visited but know you need a car to reach them. I would end the trip with time in Madrid. I prefer to spend time last in the place from which I’m flying out. Good luck!

PalenQ: Last I knew there was no high speed train from Granada to Madrid?

Hnh6

Right, I think it is a train and bus combination as they are still working on the rail tracks... And the trip would take 3 to 4 hours.

I would fly straight to Granada when you land in Madrid (already at airport, flight is just 1 hour). Work your way west to Cordoba and Sevilla. Can't advise on the white villages as I don't drive on my trips. And then take the high speed train from Sevilla to Madrid and spend your last week there.
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Christina

I wonder why they can't get that line finished, it's been a long time (to Grenada).

You can't go from Madrid to Cordoba by high-speed train stopping in Toledo, it's not on the high-speed AVE route. So forget that idea. In fact, even if you stay overnight in Toledo, I think to get to Cordoba, you have to go back to Madrid to transfer trains. So you can either go for a day trip, or stay overnight and then do that train transfer.

This is an unusual itinerary, especially since you want to return to Madrid. And you seem to already be required to stay in Madrid upon arrival for a week, is that a requirement? Just very awkward. If it were me, I'd thus make either Seville or Cordoba the last city to make it easy to get back to Madrid and not waste time at the end of the trip.

So I guess I'd do Madrid (toledo as day trip), then Granada, then Seville, then Cordoba.

Or, Madrid (Toledo as day trip), Seville, Granada then Cordoba.

If you drive between Seville and Granada that would work with either of those itineraries.

Jomicdia

I just returned from the same cities, Madrid to Cordoba by train, Cordoba to Granada by bus, Granada to Seville by bus, Seville to Madrid by train and one day trip to Toledo by train from Madrid. All went smooth

Pawleys

Thanks so much for your replies. I am going to study them carefully. The week I was referring to we will spend at two different hunting preserves that are not actually in Madrid. One is in Gredoes slightly west of Madrid and the second is in Pinos altos which is near Ciudad Real. We may be able to visit Toledo from the last location.

So I will have to determine how to get to Cordoba from Ciudad Real. (Ideas?) Then it might make sense to go on to Granada, rent the car as we leave there. We could then travel through the white villages, see Ronda and drop the car off in Seville. After Seville we could take the train back to Madrid and fly home from there. How does this sound?

KarenWoo

Pawleys, Have you made your airline reservations yet? If not, I suggest purchasing open-jaw tickets, or multi-city tickets, where you fly into one city and out of another one. This would save you time because you don't have to backtrack to Madrid. And it's generally not that expensive. For instance, you could fly into Madrid and fly home from Seville.

Last September we had a similar itinerary, except that we did not visit the white villages; instead, we visited Malaga. This was the order of our itinerary:

Madrid
Toledo
Cordoba
Granada
Malaga (you would substitute white villages here)
Seville

To get from Toledo to Cordoba, we had to take the train back to Madrid, and then change trains to Cordoba. It was very easy, no problems at all.

As of last September the high speed rails were not completed to Granada. We, therefore, took the ALSA bus from Cordoba to Granada. The bus is modern, clean, comfortable, and air-conditioned.

Hope this helps.

PalenQ

Yes high-speed tracks to Granada not quite finished and I guess should have been by now so there is a bus link but most of the route is via high-speed trains on high-speed tracks.

gemini21

Hi Jomicdia,
If you have 10 days how would you divide it between these citiies?
Thanks.

PalenQ

I just returned from the same cities, Madrid to Cordoba by train, Cordoba to Granada by bus, Granada to Seville by bus, Seville to Madrid by train and one day trip to Toledo by train from Madrid. All went smooth>

Jomicdia may return to comment but with his/her cities for 10 days use his/her order

Cordoba 2 nights
Granada 2 nights
Seville 3 nights

you have plenty of time for his/her order in 10 days - maybe also throw in Malaga after Granada.

gemini21

Thank you PalenQ

joannyc

Toledo to Barajas Airport is not a bad ride by taxi or car service.

So, you could start in Madrid, head south, see what you want to see then rent a car at Córdoba or Grenada and head north to Toledo. Drop the car in Toledo, stay a couple of nights (highly recommended!) then take a taxi/car service on the morning of your departure to Barajas.

Or you could reverse that and go from Barajas to Toledo upon arrival, then train up to Madrid for the high speed train to Seville, do Granada, Córdoba, etc. before returning to Madrid for your final days.

Jomicdia

My itinerary was flight to Madrid round trip, most economical from my home city and we loved it.

Madrid 2 night
Cordoba 2
Granada 2
Seville 2
Madrid 3 with a day trip to Toledo

Hope this helps

PalenQ

Yes more time perhaps in Madrid which has some neat day trips besides Toledo - Segovia and Avila and El Escorial to name some neat ones - all easy by train. Salamanca is really nice but a longer but possible day trip.

kja

It depends very much on what you want to see and experience. Toledo is not on the way to Andalusia, so you would visit that from Madrid. Many people give Toledo part of a day; I thought it easily worth 2 full days.

No need for a car for any of what you mention, although some of the White Towns are more easily visitied with a car. You do not HAVE to have a car for Ronda.

If you have to fly out of Madrid, consider putting all of your time there at the end of the trip.

Many things in Spain are closed on Mondays, so you might want to plan your itinerary with opening times in mind.

I don’t think Pawleys has said how much time is being planned – for your itinerary, I would think you want something on the order of 2 weeks. If you have less time, you might consider what you will skip.

alison

bookmarking for my spring 2019 planning!

Pawleys

Bookmarking

Pawleys

You’re still fine-tuning our trip to Spain. We have 31 days and our flights and first part of our trip to Madrid and the two you’re still fine-tuning our trip to Spain. We have 31 days and our flights and first part of our trip to Madrid and the two unlatches is sad hunting lodges is set.
We are still tweaking the Andalusia part of our trip and I would love your suggestions.
here is what we have so far.
Fly into Madrid spend four nights with a side trip to Segovia
three nights at the first hunting lodge in the Gredos mountains with a side trip to Ávila and Salamanca.
four nights at the second hunting lodge in Pinos Altos with a side trip to Toledo.
train then bus to Granada, spent three nights.
Rent a car when leaving Granada drive through the Pueblo Blancos spending 2 nights in Ronda
five nights in Seville with a side trip to Cordova (Is this too much? Should we consider other side trips? Should we keep the car in Seville to do side trips?
Train to Madrid for last night before flight home the following morning.
I would love to have spent a night in Cordova, but I’m trying to avoid too many stops, getting into and out of hotels and packing and unpacking.

Pawleys

Don’t know what happened to the first part of that post must have been spellcheck. Sorry I meant to say “ I am still fine tuning our trip of 31 days” .and “unlatches” was supposed to say hunting lodges.