Cordoba or Toledo?
 

We're planning a 2 week trip to Spain in Feb. We're flying into Madrid and will spend about 1/2 the time in the south and the rest in Barcelona and that area.

I'm wondering if we should stop in Toledo for a night when we land in Madrid and then continue on to Granada for 2 nights and Seville for 2 nights. Or should we skip Toledo and do a day trip to Cordoba from Seville? Thanks for your help!

I have not been to Cordova, but Toledo is very nice and we really enjoyed our day there. You can also see how they make the famous Toledo gold items.

with so much time i would not give up either of them.

you can go directly to toledo from the madrid airport and settle into a much friendlier atmosphere than a mega city on arrival.

Both are two of the finest old-world looking gems in Europe i've seen. You can't go wrong.

We drove directly from the airport to Toledo last spring. It is a very easy drive of a little more than an hour, if I remember correctly. We spent two nights there and felt this was a good amount of time, but even with one night, I recommend a visit to this incredible place. Will you have a car?

IMO, that's a bit of a tough call. Moreover, it's a call that will probably be dictated by how you are traveling - car or train.

The simple solution is to leave Madrid by AVE and head for Sevilla. Do a day trip [or less-45 minutes] to Cordoba to see the Mezquita which I think is truly one of the amazing things to see. The rest of Cordoba is good but similar to what you will see in Sevilla and Granada.

When ready to leave Sevilla, either a] rent a car at Santa Justicia rail station and drive, via Ronda, to Granada. A night in Ronda is a good thing. or b] take the train or bus from Sevilla to Granada [there is not that much of time difference].

If it were me, I'd do the AVE to Sevilla, a day trip to Cordoba, drive to Granada and turn the car in the moment I got there. This lets you avoid parking etc in both Sevilla and Granada but does let you see Ronda, Grazalema, etc.

Toledo is indeed very good. However, it seems to be consistently overrun with people like you and me, and that limits your ability to really see the city. However, should you go to Toledo, I recommend the Hostal de Cardinal. It is one of my favorite palces in Spain.

Re-reading your posting, I noted that you are going in February. Crowds in Toledo won't be that bad. If I wanted to see Toledo, I'd do it as a daytrip as soon as I arrived in Madrid and leave the next day from Madrid for Sevilla. [To get to Sevilla from Toledo by train you have to go back to Madrid.]

Thanks for all of the info. We've changed our flight so that we're coming in a day early so we can do both. I like the suggestion of the AVE down to Seville and I heard the same from a friend. Thanks again everyone!