Hello all!

For the month of July I will be studying abroad in Spain. I'm staying in Madrid, but also traveling to Toledo, Segovia, Avila and Barcelona. During this time, I have one free weekend (Friday-Monday) and was hoping to explore another region of the country.

My idea was to leave Madrid for Malaga and then to go from Malaga to Granada to see the Alahambra and from there, back to Madrid. I know it sounds like a lot, but I have been checking out train and bus routes and it sounds possible.

Does anyone have any advice or suggestions? I appreciate your help as this will be my first time to Europe, and I've been dreaming of this trip for years!

I would suggest going to Sevilla. It is much different from Madrid, the pace is slower, but it's still quite a city. You can take the AVE high speed train direct to Sevilla's Santa Justa Station, and it's a very short cab ride to all the hotels. The central area you'll probably want to stay is near the Barrio Santa Cruz.

Sevilla is another city I was considering, so it's good to hear others would suggest it.

Does anyone know a good website for bus travel? I want to weigh options between Malaga and Sevilla.

Thanks again!

On July, a very hot month in central and southern Spain, is the perfect time to visit San Sebastian in northern Spain.
http://www.donostia.org/CAT/Home.nsf...N?OpenFrameset
http://www.todopintxos.com/home/home.php?lang=en

Another vote for the north in July,
Asturias is a great choice.
Combine Oviedo old town and a nice beach like Ribadesella.
Great food fantastic views and better temperatures than center or south.

San Sebastian is definitely a great choice, I forgot about that one. From there, you could also venture in to France to visit St. Jean de Luz, which I think is a beautiful little town.