Andalucia itinerary help
 

Hello,
My husband, 10 year old son and I will be flying into Malaga and returning home from Madrid. We'll rent a car and are trying to figure out how to plan out where we'll stay. We're used to moving around a lot on trips so are okay with lots of stops and hotels. We're thinking of two night at least in Malaga, will eventually head to Seville and then finally toward Madrid the end. Some of the places I think we definitely want to go to are:

Malaga
Seville
Nerja
Cordoba
Cadiz
Jerez
Ronda
Gibraltar

We would have liked to go to Granada but we might not do because I looked and there don't seem to be tickets available for April to Alhambra.

Any ideas of where else besides Malaga would be a good base for a hotel stay? Any places we're missing or we shouldn't do?

I should have added that we'll be there the week of April 20th so we're planning this all pretty last minute. We'll have about 8 days total in Andalucia to explore.

Thanks!

Strike Gibraltar from your list. The wait, up to 5 hrs, both to get in and out is intolerable. Really too bad about Granada but ... I'd go from Malaga (after a drive to Nerja) to Ronda, Seville (with day trips to Cadiz and Jerez), Cordoba, and Madrid. You'll have a great time.

Just know that the Sevilla Feria begins April 21, so accommodation may be tight and prices are higher than normal.

Bedar, is that the wait to get into Gibraltar only if you drive? Or if you walk across also?

I'm not sure how long the wait is if you walk in. Probably some wait but less than if you drive. Spain is making all the difficulties. Not much to see there. I'd look at a piece of stationery from Prudential rather than going there !!

"We would have liked to go to Granada but we might not do because I looked and there don't seem to be tickets available for April to Alhambra."

Are you sure there are no tickets? Other Fodorites have been reporting some diffiulties with the ticketing site:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-questions.cfm

"We'll rent a car"

For the whole trip? Many of your target destinations are EASILY reached by train or bus.

"We'll have about 8 days total in Andalucia to explore."

You'll need to pare your wish list. IMO, Granada's Alhambra and Cordoba's Mezquita are the two most un-missable places in the region. For the Alhambra, it is best to plan on 2 nights in Granada. Many people visit Cordoba as a day trip; I was glad to spend 2 full days there. Sevilla easily merits 3 days IMO.

And some things will be closed Sunday afternoon and all day Monday....

I recommend that you get some good guidebooks (or spend some time with a few in your local library), identify the things you most want to see in each location, note their opening/closing times, and mark them on a calendar. Then pencil in your transportation, add some time on either side (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting oriented, etc.). Then see how things fit together.

I have to agree with @kja about the train. All of your destinations are easily reached by train and you would not have to worry about paying for parking or trying to find your way around Granada. Spain trains are probably the best thing about the country.

I'd spend 3 days in Sevilla and two days in Granada, which is a wonderful city and has some attractions other than the Alhambra.

A day or two at Feria de Abril in Sevilla April 21-26 could be great fun for all of you. Amusement park, wine, food, music, song, dance almost 24/7 on the fair grounds.
http://www.andalucia.com/festival/seville-feria.htm
http://feriadesevilla.andalunet.com/?lang=en

Great flamenco dancer Ana Pastrana performs in the Centro Cultural in Nerja on April 25th. Sponsered by local private and town council cultural institutions and therefore free entrance. http://www.nerja.es/villadenerja/en/...ry/marzo-2015/
Ana Pastrana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw4_Rmbio-o

When in Nerja, have the famous paella down at Ayo's on the Burriana Beach. The paella has been cooked for lunch here every day year around since 1969. Eat as much paella as you like for 6,50€. Sunday lunch here is a highlight of the week for many locals. http://www.ayonerja.com/chiringuito_en.html

Excellent Andalucian food and the best atmosphere in El Pulguilla in Nerja. Tapas bar, restaurant and terrace. Both delicious freshly grilled tapas as well as more standard portions (both fish, seafood, meat and salads) and set menus. Affordable and authentic, and excellent for families: http://mynerja.com/view/bars/cerveceria-el-pulguilla/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html

Terrific pizzas and pasta dishes at Vitaliano down at the Plaze de los Cangrejos. Consistently top food over a great number of visits during the past thirteen years. Run by Italians: http://www.ristorantevitaliano.com/us.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html

Thanks for all the replies so far.

The first tickets for Alhambra are only available through Ticketmaster starting on April 26th and that's too late for us. Would it be recommended to pay to do a tour if we can't get individual tickets?

We'll re-think Gibraltar perhaps if it isn't worth the long wait.

Is it worth staying in Ronda or Cadiz or just to do day trips from either Malaga or Seville to them?

Thanks again!

You can do a dry trip to Cádiz from Sevilla by rail, but it makes for a long day. We prefer to stay in Jerez and take a quick train ride to Cádiz or Sanlúcar de Barrameda for lunch.

The easiest way to visit Ronda from Sevilla would be to take the bus or drive, but again, it makes for a long day, at least 4 hours on the road, round-trip.

It's a little shorter drive from Málaga to Ronda, and you can do a loop, taking you through some of the other white villages, but spending the night in Ronda makes more sense.