MFNYC

We took a train from Cordoba to Granada and it was fine. From Ronda to Seville we took a bus as there weren't any decent train routes.

We considered driving, as we had in Europe several times before, but parking could be tough and driving into some of these cities could be tougher. There's no need for a car once in the city. We really enjoyed the trains and the bus. We found them relaxing, after long days of sight-seeing.

Here's the trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-andalucia.cfm

A4MYS

MFNYC, thanks for your reply and the report. How was the train ride from Cordoba to Granada? Was it a direct train or you you have to change at Antequera? I am also checking out the places that you stayed in as they sounded interesting and not run of the mill places. Also do you think summer heat will subside after Sep 17 in the Andalucia region? My wife is a bit concerned with the heat. We are going to take a chance to buy tickets on the spot as it is much easier and more flexible. I just need to find out if I can purchase a senior pass for discounts. Also we found it quite straight forward to buy train tickets from a ticket booth as we have a credit card (with chip) that would work in Europe. We tried that out in Northern Italy last year traveling by local trains between Milan, Verona and Venice. We are not sure if we should go with 2 nights Ronda and 2 nights in Seville or 1 and 3. Is there enough to see for a 2-day stay in Ronda. What do you think?

PalenQ

Having stayed in Ronda to me the attraction of the town is Ronda itself and a half day was enough for me - a really small town compared to Seville and its profusion of interesting diverse sights.

A4MYS

PalenQ, thank you for your feedback on Ronda and I will probably stick to my original plan of spending just 1-night in Ronda and take the bus to Seville from there.Cheers

MFNYC

We did not have to change trains on any of the routes. As PalenQ says, Ronda is a quick visit. I dabble with photography, and heard how picturesque it is, so wanted to stop there. It lives up to it's expectations. Especially when you walk a bit down into the gorge on either side of the bridge. Seville is a great little city, lots to do. Definitely spend 3 nights there, and consider doing a tour or 2 with Concepcion (who I mentioned in my trip report). She's the best!

We went in mid October and weather was beautiful, except that one very rainy day while touring Alhambra. You can't really predict the weather, the best you can do is check right before you leave, and pack accordingly. We had seen rain in the forecast so were prepared, but not everyone was.

As far as my hotel picks, I am a 'bang for the buck' kind of traveler and gravitate towards small, charming, mid-range hotels. And I always check several on-line review sources.

A4MYS

Hi there,

Slowly and surely I am almost done with my trip planning. Here is the itinerary and would appreciate your comments.

- Arriving Madrid Airport and take the direct bus (once a day at 12:30pm) from airport to Toledo for 2 nights at the La Posada De Manolo B&B in the old town. (Does it worth a taxi ride to Parador across town to see the view or dinner there?)
- Early train from Toledo to Cordoba via Madrid Atocha and will stay at the Eurostars Maimonides for 1 night. Hope there is enough day light to visit both Mezuita & Alcazar.
- Bus (2pm) again from Cordoba to Granada and stay for 2 nights at Casa Del Capitel Nazari. Will check out Albayzin the same day and visit Alhambra the next morning for the 8:30 reserved slot. Rest of day will explore Granada.
- Take the 12:45 train for a 3hr ride from Granada to Ronda and stay there for the night at the Baraka Boutique B&B.
- Bus the 1:00PM bus from Ronda to Seville and stay for 2 nights at the Las Casas Del El Arenal (B&B). Hope to cover Cathedral & Giralda Bell Tower, Roayl Alcazar plus a Flamenco show in these 2 days.
- Direct train back from Seville to Madrid and stay for one night near the station so to catch the early train to the airport heading home.

Does this sound ok as I feel rush with this itinerary? Should to stick to this or skip a city or two? My wife told me the temperature is around 100F in Granada and Seville the last 2 days. I hope it will be less warm by the 3rd week of Sep.

kimhe

<plus a Flamenco show in these 2 days>

Recommend Casa de la Memoria or La Casa del Flamenco. Both are intimate venues, popular with tourists, but only great artists perform here, changing all the time. All the basic elements in every performance, cante (song), toque (guitar) and baile (dance, both male and female dancer). No food, no drinks, just flamenco for some 60 minutes.
http://www.casadelamemoria.es/
http://www.lacasadelflamencosevilla.com/

The sevillana Pastora Galvan was voted best female flamenco dancer 2010 by Spanish critics, and she has danced almost once a week in Casa de la Memoria for many years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2SBUcrJgeQ

Lucia Alvares "La Piñona" dances every now and then in La Casa del Flamenco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSlP-XTBvfE
So does Alberto Selles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsNyk0eUU9k

A4MYS

Hi, happy to report back after the trip. I stuck to my original itinerary and it was fine as we had enough time to see what we wanted to visit. We absolutely love all the places we visited and in the following order: Toledo, Granada, Seville, Ronda and Cordoba. Our trip in Toledo coincided with the World Jazz festival schedule in Toledo so for 2 nights we were treated to some wonderful free festivities near the Cathedral (near our hotel) with some top class performers. Also we also enjoyed a wonderful free piano concerto inside the Mesquita at Cordoba even before we visited the place officially. We went up to St Nicolas Plaza at El Albaicín the evening we arrived in Granada and took in the vista of the Alhambra site and what a view from this hilltop at sunset. We were at the same spot on the morning we headed off to Ronda to kill off some time. We got there and there was hardly anyone except for the 2 guys singing with their flamenco guitars (rehearsing I guessed). We literally had the whole place to ourselves with them and we enjoyed the moment a lot. We like Ronda and glad that we stopped there. We will visit Seville again as it is such a lively city. We did see a very good flamenco show (at Casa Delamemoria). We will base there to explore the coast line. We got the Renfe senior rail cards so we will use it for the next trip in Spring. Again, thank you all for helpful information provided in this blog.