yinandyang

My husband and I and another couple are taking our first trip to Spain in September. We are going for 12 days, flying in and out of Madrid. Here is our itinerary so far:
Arrive in Madrid on the 6th. Fly to Barcelona on the 7th - 11th; on the 11th fly to Granada.

This is where I need help. We would like to go to Sevilla and somehow get back to Madrid on the 15th or 16th. Is there a train that we can take to Sevilla from Granada that will allow us to see other parts of Southern Spain along the way? We thought about renting a car but all the cars seem pretty small for a 6'2" guy to ride in comfortably.

I would really like to see Ronda, but do not know how to work it in to the itinerary. Help!!! We leave on the 18th.

I have used this board for other trips so I know my fellow fodorites always give great ideas.

Thanks for you help.

pavfec

I believe there's a high-speed train between Seville and Madrid, so you would just have to get from Granada to Seville. I'm not familiar with the Spanish train network, you might want to consult the Spanish railway site. There must be buses between the two cities though.

As for renting a car, my hubby and I are both 6' tall and we had no problems with our rental car in Spain. We had a compact car and we had enough legroom, so you could always go up one level for more legroom.

With regard to your itinerary, I'm not sure you'd really see anything of Seville and Ronda before going back to Madrid. Having been to Seville, I can recommend it. It's a great, walkable city with lots to see in a couple of days.

You could rent a car in Granada, drive to Ronda (approx. 3 hours), stay a night or two, drive up to Seville, drop off the car, stay two or three nights, then head up to Madrid.

Not sure if that helps, but...

yinandyang

When I saw the size of the intermediate size vehicles, I was a little worried about 4 adults traveling for 4 days in the car. I will check out the spain railway site.

I have seen many 5 day tours from Madrid but not from Granada. I hate to go back to Madrid twice.

I am thinking 2 days in Sevilla and 1 or 2 days in Ronda. A few posters on Fodors have said 1 day was good for Ronda.

Chele60

Payfec offers some good advice for you.

Flying into Granada and then going to Seville might be your better option, but you still have to determine how much time you wish to spend where. There is both a bus and a train that travels between Granada and Seville. The bus is slightly faster than the train, but both take approximately 3 hours. I've heard the buses in Spain are quite comfy, however.

We rented a car almost the entire time we were in Spain and were very happy with our decision. We opted to not rent a smaller car, as my S/O is taller and we were essentially doing a road trip so comfort was a top priority. I ended up renting a Opel Zafira, which we were very pleased with. Very roomy, very comfy, but handled great, even in those narrow, tight streets of Ronda! You say you are traveling with another couple? Personally, I think it is important to think of the comfort of all passengers. It is no fun to be on vacation and to be crammed in the backseat of a tiny rental, but that's just me. And we were surprised that, while the streets in some places were more narrow than at home, they were not impossible. (In other words, my mid-sized SUV would fit quite comfortably) My advice to anyone would be if you decide to rent a car, select a car that can comfortably carry all passengers and luggage.

The last point I'm seeing are the days you are allocating. You are arriving in Granada on the 11th and you need to get back to Madrid 4 or 5 days later. In that time you want to see Granada, Seville, and possibly stop in Seville - correct? It's doable, but if you do elect to drive between Granada and Seville, with a stop in Ronda, you need to allow time. I'm not sure what you expect to do in Granada and Seville, though.

yinandyang

Chele60,
In Granada, I would like to see the Alhambra. How much time does it take to drive between Granada and Sevilla with a stop in Ronda?

Graziella5b

For routes in Spain, and they will give you ALL the information you need, go to www.guiacampsa.com.
THis site will give the time, toll expense,kms, best route, fastest route , whatever....good luck.

Chele60

Drive times for us (keeping in mind we spent 2 nights in Ronda), were approximately 3 1/2 hours from Seville and 2 1/2 hours to Granada. We drove very leisurely from Seville and took mostly back roads, staying off the main highways whenever possible. For our trip to Granada we needed to be at the Alhambra by a certain time, so we hustled and stayed strictly on major highways.

Hope that helps...

kayd

We were able to spend a liesurely afternoon in Ronda on the day we drove from Granada to Seville, using country roads for most of the trip. I wish we had had more time in Ronda, but if you are pressed for time you can see the spectacular scenery with just an afternoon there.

yinandyang

So it seems like it will take 6 hours from Granada to Sevilla with a stop in Ronda.

Kayd, it is good to know that if we get pressed for time Ronda is still a good choice for one day.

Well I checked with the other couple and they would rather take the train versus driving. So I am off to check train routes. From what I have seen so far, Granada to Sevilla via Ronda has a few train changes.