I will be taking the ferry from Morocco to Spain on June 10th and must be in Barcelona by the morning of June 14th. In those four days, I would love to visit Granada, spend a day on secluded beautiful beach somewhere on the coast, and see some beautiful architecture along the way. Any advice about must-see places, towns to visit, best mode of travel (we would prefer not to drive, but renting a car is an option), or any other suggestions would be so much appreciated. Our preference is for authentic and truly beautiful places, staying as far away from tourist traps as possible (i.e. no crowded beaches in Malaga!). Also, could anyone tell me what the overnight train is like from Granada to Barcelona?

Thanks so much for your help!
Jhenya

ttt

What you want seems hardly possible. Going to a secluded beach by train is a contradiction in terms. If you really want to see authentic and truly beautiful places (like Carmona), you certainly need more time.

Starting with train connections:

- The big cities are well interconnected by trains, so you can plan your itinerary with the help of www.bahn.de

- From Cordoba (where you find one of the most spectacular architectural gems in Andalucia), there is a very comfortable night train, a socalled "hotel train" (only first class, real beds) leaving at 22:36 and arriving next morning in Barcelona at 8:06. Alternatively you can take the high-speed train with sleeper seats from 18:04 to 23:33. In any case, the train to Barcelona leaves from Cordoba, so you have the chance to see Cordoba which is IMO more interesting than Sevilla while being less touristy.

You'll find beautiful beaches from Tarifa to Barbate. Now drive to Vejer, Medina Sidonia and Arcos (great architecture).
Now you can drive straight to Campillos, or detour to visit Ronda. Then Granada.

Thanks for the tips so far, especially about towns to go to. Vejer and Arcos seem to be really beautiful. I guess we're going to break down and get a car for at least the few days before barcelona to get the most out of our time there. I'm still trying to piece together how we will get to Barcelona. Can two people snuggle in one bed on the overnight train from Granada? Ive taken some trains that have roomy beds and others where I can barely turn over in the bunk. Is the day train a better option? or driving all the way up?

Thanks for the help!

how about a flight from Granada to Barcelona? We got a clickair flight for 15 euros--with tax and fees, it ended up about 27 euros, and took only 1 hour and 20 minutes. We had the whole day in Barcelona then!

If you a find a good fare, usually flights are cheaper than trains for such long distances. And no, I don't think they allow two people on the same bed on the train , unless you buy a double department..but then, you don't need to share the bed

i would like to add to the original question.. we plan to take a sleeper in the reverse-- from barcelona to granada. however, we can't buy the ticket online (maybe because it's a sleeper??) anyone know if that train books up in early june? or what it costs for a sleeper? someone told me that, indeed, the train is more expensive than the plane. however, we like to travel by sleeper... any input??
kawh

If you're starting out in Granada, spend a day or 2 there and then take the bus to Nerja (on the coast). The drive is very pretty and only about 2 and a half to 3 hours. Nerja is a beautiful little beach town with the Nerja Caves nearby. There is a small picturesque town about 10 minutes away called Frigliana. Up in the hills with narrow cobblestone streets and lots of white washed homes and flowers in window boxes. I would forget about a train to Barcelona and just get to the airport in Malaga, (about an hour away) and fly to Barcelona from there. Have fun.