redhead68

I'll be travelling with my parents and my daughter. Finally going to apply for her passport today, after 7 weeks of pressuring her dad to sign the paperwork. This will be the first trip to Europe for all of us and we're very excited!!

Here's our itinerary:

April 9th. Arrive in Malaga, pick up rental car, check into condo in Mijas.
April 12 - Day trip to Seville during the Feria
April 14 - drop off rental car, fly to Barcleona, stay for three nights
April 17 - fly to Madrid, stay for two nights
April 19 - return to Malaga, pick up rental car
April 20 - Day trip to Gibraltar
April 23 - return to US

This way we'll have a few days at the beginning and the end of the trip to "take it easy" even though we plan to explore a bit. We're thinking Cordoba, Ronda....any other suggestions for easy drives from Mijas?

Anyone ever been to the Feria de Abril in Sevilla? I'm trying to decide if I should go for a day to see some of the festivities. Then I'll probably want to go back on a regular day, after the Feria is over.

Chele60

One thing I can see right away is that you will be in Madrid on Monday. I'm not sure what you wish to see there, or what time you will be arriving in Madrid on Sunday, but you do realize that the two largest art museums are closed on Mondays?

I'm sure others will give their more experienced observations regarding your itinerary!

car

just some ideas,
The Feria in Sevilla has the must interesting action at night. So plann to stay until late otherwise you will miss the best part. You can combine a visit to Sevilla during the day and the Feria later on. And then even if it is difficult to find a place to stay I will not recomend a drive back the same day to Mijas.
Cordoba, Granada, Ronda. They are all reacheable in one day but still 2/3 hours drive each way from Mijas, so start early, and take a rest between daytrips.
I will give one more day to Madrid, to visit Toledo or Segovia and skip Gibraltar.
Have fun

JoeTro

I had two full days in Madrid, and one additional day as day trip to Segovia. I strongly recommend 3 or maybe 4 days in Madrid, especially as Monday will be problematic. I personally preferred Madrid to Barcelona, but I may be in the minority on this.

redhead68

I didn't realize that the museums would be closed on Monday! Will most other things be open? We'll be arriving early enough to see alot on Sunday. I'll keep that in mind when planning.

The short stays in Barcelona and Madrid are due mostly to budget constraints, unfortunately.

I've been up in the air about Gibraltar and have seen mixed reviews about it here, so I may have to see how I feel about it when we're there. It's only about a 45 minute drive from where we're staying, so we'll see.

PEPOMALO

Nothing really interesting in Gibraltar, but in Malaga you can see Picasso´s Museum, (In a XVI century small palace), and the house where he was born. You can combine it with a visit to the Alcazaba (Arabbian fortress), and a nice walk through the city for tapas.

Molloy95

Hey Redhead! You will find wonderful guides to Barcelona, Madrid and Sevilla at www.maribelsguides.com. She notes when things are open/closed and gives excellent tips, eg. when to arrive at the Prado, and at what door even, to make the most out of your trip. She is a true expert and used to post here regularly.

My husband and I are headed back to Madrid this May. As you mention that budget is a concern, I can recommend a place to stay in Madrid that is spotlessly clean and in an excellent location (caveat - up five flights and no elevator): Hotal Adriano (www.adrianohostal.com). There may be better options for family groups at other places -- I recommend you check out lodging recommendations on the forums at madridman.com.

Have a ball!

travel_deb

Redhead,
My husband and I have been to many places in Europe and agree that Spain was surprisingly our favorite. We flew into Madrid, then drove down to the coast and up the coast to Alicante, then Barcelona, then flew home to Atlanta.

We (and many friends) think that Madrid is much more interesting than Barcelona. Barcelona can easily be seen in two days, (but has some good day trips). Madrid has such a great historical feel to it and some more interesting day trips like the Valley of the Fallen and Toledo.

We stayed in Arcos de la Fronterra, a town close to Rhonda, that we fell in love with. You might look into that. The drive through the countryside was amazing.

Granada was wonderful - the Alhambra was amazing. If there is any way to see that instead of Gibraltar, I would advise it. We were not impressed with Gibraltar at all.

Have a great time! You'll love it!

nytraveler

Do I understand that your daughter has just applied for a passport - less than four weeks befor the trip? I hope you opted for the expedited service - or do so now - or she may not be going with you.

redhead68

Thanks for all the tips.

nytraveler, yes, we had to go with the expedited option for my daughter. I hope to have the passport by the end of next week at the latest.