Cordoba or Toledo how to choose?
 

We will be travelling from Seville to Madrid on a Saturday and staying in Madrid for 3 nights. Due to the closing of many sites on Mondays we are forced to choose between visiting Cordoba (on the way to Madrid) or Toledo (a day -trip from Madrid). I would appreciate any opinions on which city would be the best one to visit We are travelling with three teenage girls.
Thanks again.

Toledo, for sure. It has the most beautiful and magestic Cathedral in Spain - with paintings by El Greco - and lots of little stores, cafes, squares around it to keep teenagers busy and satisfied. Be sure to pick up the damascus-type jewelry there; it will be a lot cheaper in Toledo than anywhere else.

I loved Toledo but adored Cordoba. The Mezquita-Catedral is absolutely amazing! Worth a journey just to be there...Toledo has some more stuff to see: the catedral, the alcazar, the museum, etc. The old synagogues in Toledo are beutiful and the crafts are wonderful. Make sure to go to the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes, it is beutiful!

Do not worry - you cannot go wrong with either.

can you not make a quick stop in cordoba to at least see the mezquita? then also go to toledo on day trip.
i think you can do both although squeezing. shame to pass up cordoba.. and toledo is definitely an easy and pleasant trip from madrid.

Hello, my name is María and I'm an official tourism guide in Toledo (Spain).
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How long with you be in Seville? If enough consider day trip to Cordoba from there. As for visiting en route to Madrid yes for a quick look at Spain's 2nd most famous Moorish relic 0 a former mosque now a cathedral

But recent threads have cast doubt on any luggage storage being dependably open in Cordoba station or nearby bus station. Check on that too.

Book train tickets early at www.renfe.com for discounted fares - no sure but stopping off in Cordoba may cost more if two tickets or you can do it on one discounted ticket. For lots about Spanish trains check www.seat61.com - adroit advice on booking discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

And definite yes to Toledo - so so great.

They are both magnificent but Toledo might be easier for you, given your itinerary. Buy your tickets ahead of time (Toledo is a very popular day trip destination) and be sure to print out the entire ticket screen; we encountered a fussy bureaucrat who gave us a hard time because our printer had sliced off some insignificant info, an ad, actually, at the bottom of the page.

Go to Toledo early to have a long day visit.

Everyone is different and likes different places, etc. We traveled to Madrid, Toledo, and Andalucia this past September. If you only have time for one, I would choose Cordoba. We loved Cordoba!! The Mezquita is amazing; we loved Cordoba's Alcazar, too. (especially the gardens.) We enjoyed walking around the Juderia, walking across the Roman Bridge, and having dinner one night in the mercado Victoria in the modern part of the city. Also really enjoyed the courtyards of Palacio de Viana. And had one of our best meals at La Regadera. I liked Toledo a lot, but prefer Cordoba. Toledo was extremely crowded when we were there. I think it took me longer to warm up to Toledo because of the crowds. We also really loved where we stayed in Cordoba: Las Casas de la Juderia.

What time of year is your trip? How many nights do you have in Seville?

Cordoba.

Cordoba !

Tough choice! Each is magnificent, and each is easily worth 2 nights, IMO.

FWIW, note that Madrid has an international airport, and so – unlike Sevilla – Madrid is a place through which international travelers can pass on future trips with comparatively little difficulty. For me, that tilts ALL choices in favor of locations away from Madrid – so even though I loved Madrid, and even though I adored Toledo, I would suggest that you visit Cordoba on this trip, and also make sure you have time for everything else you want to see and do in Andalusia.

The good news: You haven’t got a bad choice here!

P.S. If it wasn’t clear, my arguments were based on the fact that Toledo is only a short distance, easily crossed, from Madrid.

Cordoba and Toledo!

Well this was posted in 2005! And it's a guess as to what they did as the OP hasn't returned to tell us what the family ended up doing.

Yes only revived due to ad placed by maria - but we fail to look at OP dates. Still a good discussion.

Good catch, Progol!

Thanks, EYWandBTV!
:)

Paule