goosteroo

Hi all. We're a group of late 20s - early 30s people that'll be taking a trip to southern spain mid-May. There'll be 8 of us. We want the trip to be both cultural and historical, but also about beaches and relaxation. Transportation wise we want to keep flexibility in mind. So, the first leg of the trip will be done through Trains, and the latter will be done through rental car. Below is the tentative itinerary:

5/12 (Sat): Arrival into Madrid, AVE train to Sevilla.
5/13 (Sun): Overnight in Sevilla.
5/14 (Mon): AVE train to Cordoba. Overnight in Cordoba.
5/15 (Tue): Overnight in Cordoba.
5/16 (Wed): Rental car in Cordoba. Drive to Nerja villa.
5/17 (Thu) - 5/20 (Sun): Villa in Nerja. Daytrips to Granada, Malaga, Cadiz, Tarifa, White Villages, caves, beaches.
5/21 (Mon): Drop rental car off at Malaga. Take Talgo train to Madrid.

Sevilla and Cordoba's schedule can be switched around, but my understanding is everything closed on Mon in Sevilla. Some questions are:
- Is Nerja a good base for day trips? Can you recommend some villas that can accomodate 8?
- I heard driving around the White Villages and the shore can be trecherous. Any truth to that?
- Is the Talgo punctual from Malaga? I'm worried about getting into Madrid on Mon morning at 11AM and making the 1:15PM flight. Should we take a taxi there, or metro?

Any other suggestions with the itinerary would help, including suggestions for restaurants, flamenco dancing locations, and bullfighting.

Muchas Gracias,
Kevin

josele

Hi, Kevin
Nerja may be suitable for trips to Salobreña and Alpujarras/Granada (NE) or west to Axarquia and Malaga city. These are good daytrips, with lots to see. Other destinies such as Ronda and White Villages are far and a long drive. Cadiz is too far.
Search in Spain for thread " Spain Itinerary: Yes, for you the expert to comment on!" and read through it, you'll find extra info.

artlover

Two suggestions:

I would increase a day in Seville and just do one overnight in Cordoba. Although Cordoba is great, Seville is larger and there's more to see. Even if things are closed on Monday, walking around the Barrio Santa Cruz and Plaza Espana etc. are wonderful.

Can you fly in and out of Malaga?

goosteroo

Hi Josele, would having our villa in Marbella be a better choice for making day trips to both Granada and the White Villages? Thanks for the suggestion on checking out the other thread. Lots of info there!

Artlover, your suggestion on tacking on another day in Sevilla is well noted. I think we'll do that. Unfortunately we already bought tickets in/out of Madrid. I'm thinking of adding another night in Madrid for our last day. I just don't want to miss the flight out.

I'd love to hear young/hip areas to stay for our final night in Madrid that's also close to transportation hubs to the airport.

Thanks both for our responses.

Kevin

josele

Granada is 100km/1'40hrs from Nerja (part coastal, part mountain scenic road); and it is 180km/2'10hrs (highway with probable jams) from Marbella.
From Marbella you are near Ronda (60 km/1'15hr) and White Towns proper. Other nearby destinations are Casares and Castellar.
From Nerja (where the caves are)you access other kind of white villages such as Alpujarras towns: Capileira, Trevelez, Lanjaron) or those of the Axarquia area: Archez, Competa, Salares. And very near Frigiliana. These much less crowded by tourists.
Hip areas you'll find more in Marbella. Higher prices as well.
About Cordoba: You can make it as a day trip from Seville, taking the fast AVE train. You'll have enough time to walk the old quarters and visit the Mezquita-Catedral, which (though there are other things to see)is almost everything visitors look for. In any case, spend more time in Seville, much more to see.
Talgo-AVE is proud to be always on time. If not and it is their fault, they return the ticket money.
Driving is perfectly safe.

goosteroo

bump

goosteroo

Hi all. Based on the research and the numerous post, I'm revising the intinerary. I've opted for more historical/cultural, than the beach. Comments would be welcomed!

5/12 (Sat): Arrival into Madrid, AVE train to Sevilla. Overnight in Sevilla.
5/13 (Sun): Overnight in Sevilla.
5/14 (Mon): Overnight in Sevilla.
5/15 (Tue): Rental car in Sevilla. Drive to Cadiz. Stop by Jerez on the way. Overnight in Cadiz.
5/16 (Wed): Drive west through the White villages, stopping at Arcos and Ronda. Overnight in Ronda.
5/17 (Thu): Drive to Granada. Overnight in Granada.
5/18 (Fri): Overnight in Granada.
5/19 (Sat): Drive to Cordoba. Overnight in Cordoba.
5/20 (Sun): AVE train to Madrid.
5/21 (Mon): Fly out.

Questions:
1) Is Cadiz worth an overnight? I've been getting mixed reviews on this city. Should we stay overnight in Jerez instead?
2) How is the drive from Ronda to Granada? I've heard driving around the White villages can be adventurous!

Thanks all.

josele

On wed, from Cadiz to Ronda you drive East.
From Ronda to Granada you dont cross white villages, these are left behind, and you keep heading east. You drive to Cuevas del Becerro-->Teba (a short stretch of bad road)-->Campillos, and hiway to Granada.
Cannot tell you about Cadiz, sorry.

jfletch

Hello, Driving in Spain is not bad, roads in small towns are tight but doable. Some drivers will take chances but I've seen more stupid and worse driving in Omaha, NE. I also support the thought of spending another day in Sevilla unless you like the beach much better than historical stuff. If you ever wind up south of Sevilla in a small town called Rota (on the Atlantic ocean) stay at a place called Playa de la Luz.

RLUCIDO

Last year I rented Casa Dona Angela in Frigiliana, just 10 minutes from Nerja for our group of 10. It was wonderful and we did day trips to Granada, Ronda and spent days on the beach in Nerja. Great trip and I absolutely recommend Casa Dona Angela. www.frigiliana-spain.com. 4 or 5 bedrooms, 4 or 5 baths, multiple patios and beautiful pool.

Ginto

Your itinerary looks very good. If I could suggest, on day 1 (May 12) you might want to take the AVE to Cordoba and stay overnight there. Then proceed to Sevilla. This also removes the backtracking from Grenada to Cordoba later.

If this is your first trip to Spain, Madrid would likely hold more of interest than Cadiz or Jerez de la Frontera. You could rent your car and proceed from Sevilla to Ronda (via Arcos, Grazalema, other white villages) for the overnight in Ronda. This gives you an additional night to stay in Madrid near the end of your trip (or perhaps hit the beach in Nerja). If Madrid holds no interest or you've visited before, Toledo or Segovia are nearby.