best way to go from Madrid to Granada
 

We are going to Spain in January. We want to go from Madrid to southern Spain. I know we will need a car at least part of the time becuase we want to spend some time in rural areas, maybe around Orgiva. My husband also wants to see the Alhambra and Gibralter. I thought it might be best to take the train from Madrid and then rent a car later. Any suggestions on this and also on our itinerary ? We will have about 2 weeks. ( Our only experience in Spain is Barcelona in 1972.)

Plane, train, coach - which will it be?

Fly with www.vueling.es or take the train (www.renfe.es, 5.35 hrs or more), and there is a spiffy coach also if you look at http://www.madrid-guide-spain.com/ma...onal-bus.htmld

Ooops, don't know where that last letter d came from - this URL should work:

http://www.madrid-guide-spain.com/ma...ional-bus.html

fwiw it's a really easy drive. Once you clear Madrid, you stay on one highway the whole way until you exit for Alhambra in the south end of Granada. 5 hrs give or take.

Ian

Thanks for the help. What is it like to rent a car in Madrid ? Would we want to avoid driving out of Madrid ?

We rented & dropped at the airport & it was pretty easy to find the highway south & the airport on our return. The traffic in Madrid seemed very manageable although I didn't drive it. Certainly not crazed like Italian cities.

Ian

I've done the car, the train and the bus Madrid-Seville (not to Granada) and if the goal is to get there cheap, the bus is the answer. If the goal is to get there quick, the AVE train (and rent a car that you can drop at the Madrid Barjas Airport no drop off charges). If the goal is to do some sightseeing while getting there, you drive and stop in Toledo on your way down. My best advice is that you bus/train to Seville, spend a couple of days there, taxi on to Estacion Santa Justa, pick up a rental car (Auto Europe; no drop off charges if dropping the car at Barajas) and begin exploring by car from there.

We are doing the same thing in Feb and decided to fly on Vueling from Madrid to Granada and it was only 20 euro for a 1way ticket. This was a lot cheaper than the train. We're going to spend a couple days in Granada and then rent a car when we're ready to leave and make our way to Seville. I read from another posting that picking up and dropping off cars from airports is best b/c there are usually clear signs. Here is a web site someone recommended, http://www.travelinginspain.com/car.htm. I just posted a question about my 8 day itinerary for Southern Spain so hopefully people come back with some info we can both use. This website also seems to have some good info, http://www.maribelsguides.com/.
I just realized that you have 2 weeks. You might consider arriving in Madrid and taking the train to Toledo for a night or 2. Coming back to Madrid and flying down to Granada. Enjoy your trip!

thank you cd75. I went to the sites you list and found lots of information already.

I can't recommend one form of transport over the other, but I took the bus from Madrid to Granada and it was perfectly alright. If you decide to take buses anywhere in Spain, here's a good website:

http://www.movelia.es

Sorry to contridict myself, but after reading more on this site, people seem to say that picking/dropping off cars at the train stations in Granada and Sevilla is actually easier than the airports b/c they are closer to town. Enjoy your trip!

You can also try www.spanair.com. The flights from Madrid are 23 euros each way.

If cost is the issue, take vueling airlines and you will get there fast and cheap. If you want scenery then decide whether you want to have to drive or leave the driving to others.

Baldworth