sn1121

I am sure you are tired of looking over people’s itineraries, but I am planning a last minute trip to Spain and I need help! My husband and I are traveling to Spain for the first time. We are flying in and out of Madrid (cheapest flight) but have decided to spend our time in Andalucia. We only have one week - here is what I have come up with:

Sat 9/23: Arrive Madrid at 10am, train to Sevilla directly from airport (we want to spend weekend in Sevilla)
Sun 9/24: Sevilla
Mon 9/25: Sevilla (with day trip to Cordoba)
Tue 9/26 rent car and leave Sevilla, all day leisurely drive to Nerja, stopping along the way to Ronda , spend night in Nerja
Wed 9/27 Nerja (lay low/recharge batteries before start touring again), leave Wed evening to Granada, spend night in Granada
Thu 9/28 Granada
Fri 9/29 Granada half day, then to Madrid (via flight from Malaga (18 Euros!)), night in Madrid
Sat 9/30 half day in Madrid, 5pm flight to JFK

Questions:
I realize a day in Madrid will not allow us enough time to capture the essence of the city, however we are alright with saving it for a future trip. I did want to spend a little time in Madrid and did not want to be trekking back to Madrid the day of our flight. That being said if we did completely bypass Madrid, where should I spend the extra day? Also, any other recommendations for getting from Granada to Madrid? I went on Renfe and the train was 6 hours – the flight from Malaga seemed faster and cheaper.

Thanks again for looking this over – any advice would be helpful.

RobinSue

I'm afraid I can't answer your questions but your itinerary looks an awful lot like the one I'm planning in early October. We are flying into Barcelona since my brother and his wife are there, then heading to Sevilla for two nights (Fri & Sat) then to Granada for two nights (Sun & Mon) then to Madrid to stay with friends for two nights before we fly home. I really would like to see more of Andalucia but can't stay longer and really want to see the Madrid friends. I would LOVE to hear about your trip after you take it, what you loved the most and what else we should try to squeeze in between stops. I had not planned to rent a car, but am now wondering if it would be worth it to be more flexible with our travel plans.

blackduff

When you're heading towards Sevilla, why don't you stop at Cordoba, en route. Then you won't do backtracking. It's right on the same line on the AVE.

Blackduff

josele

Your itinerary seems to me well thought. The trip Seville-Ronda-Nerja is a long one, but perfectly doable. If you want addtl. info on that trip, clic on my name to see my other posts on the subject.
About Granada to Madrid, have in mind that you'll need at least 90 min drive to Malaga airport, plus the time you must be there in advance to check and board, plus the trip from Madrid airport to the city centre. By train, the Atocha station is just beside Reina Sofia museum (to have a reference in the maps)with metro/taxis (besides, you can leave the car as soon as you arrive in Granada, if you are staying in the city). Or you can drive Granada to Madrid, it is more or less 5 hours good road, and you can leave car in Atocha station.

sgerhar1

In planning my upcoming trip, I found that flights in and out of Seville were nearly the same price as Madrid, even though they involved a flight to Madrid and then the same flights to and from the States. If you haven't booked yet, check it out and perhaps save yourself some time and money.

missypie

sgerhar1, what airline are you flying?

sgerhar1

US Air from Tampa (via Philly), Iberia in country. This was through Travelocity booked as one trip (TPA to SVQ).

sgerhar1

To clarify: I did not actually book this trip. I found a flight only slightly higher going to Madrid and out of Barcelona.

zootsi

We did an 11 day trip that was very similar a few years ago. You might want to try and spend a night in or near Ronda - this is a spectacularly beautiful area. As for Nerja, try and stay on the eastern side of town (near the Parador) if possible. It has a lot more charm than the western side of town. Madrid was fun, especially if you like museums, but I'd personally spend my extra day in the White Villages near Ronda.

annhig

Have you booked your alhambra tickets yet?
You have time to do both the night and day visits, and there are plenty of threads telling why you should do both!If you can't find the alhambra website, i'm sure someone here will know it off by heart.
Have a great time!

sn1121

Thanks for all of your advice! Now I can start booking trains, hotels and rental car. I'll let you know how it goes.

josele

For the Alhambra tickets go to www.alhambradegranada.org , available in english. Read carefully and be sure you understand it, especially the access hour into the Palaces.