Cordoba question
 

We are going to Madrid and Seville in a few weeks
Flying in and out of Madrid, taking AVE to Seville and back.
We have visited both cities in the past.
In Seville , we have free accommodation for 5-6 nights.
The plan was to make a few day trips including Cordoba.
On the other hand, on the way back to Madrid AVE is
stopping in Cordoba ....I cannot decide if we should:
...make it a day trip from Seville...
...stop in Cordoba for several hours on the way to Madrid
...stop in Cordoba on the way to Madrid and stay overnight

I was in Cordoba on some bus tour as a youngster,
...don't remember much, my husband has never been.
We would like to be in Madrid the day before our flight...I prefer
not getting to Madrid late in the evening .

What do you think?
Hotel recommendation in Cordoba?

Well it's an easy peasy day trip from Seville to Cordoba so I guess it gets down to if you want to spend the night / pay for a hotel. I'm sure it would be nice to wander around in the evening in Cordoba but Seville is very nice as well. But I think a daytrip or overnight would be preferable to having it as a stop to or from Madrid so you are not having to deal with luggage.

I think the Mezquita in Cordoba is one of the most unique / interesting sights in Europe. There is also an Alcazar with nice gardens but you will have that in Seville as well, Enjoy!

Thanks,
We do have free accommodation in Seville,but
AVE tickets to and from Cordoba for the two of us would be over100 euros

this is, partly , why I am not sure what to do
We were in Seville several years ago during la Semantic Santa.


...

I day tripped to Cordoba from Seville and spend the whole day there and felt I did not really see everything I wanted to - besides the famous Mezquita and its ancient warrent of lanes around it there are several other ancient churches, monasteries, convents, etc. Spend as much time as possible there - do it as a day trip from Seville - personally I hate relocating hotels for a day so day trip from Seville IMO.

Cordoba to me was an amazing town - one of the nicest old-worldish ones I have ever been to.

Well seeing the 100 euros thing I'd say now to either do Cordoba as a stopover or en route to Madrid - sorry did not see the 100 euros thing - an expensive day trip.

"la Semantic Santa"? Okay, that's a new one.

If you take the Avant, 09:20 departure, you can do the roundtrip, Sevilla-Cordoba, for €64,40 for two people (tourist class), and as low as €41,80 R/T on the MD if you don't mind spending a little over an hour of the train each way.

thanks....AVE is costly....there are less expensive options....but more time consuming.

"Semantic " is my iPad correcting on its own...I speak Spanish, but the machine
does not.
Thanks for suggested options.....I have been looking at RENFE website....

according to www.bahn.de the Avant trains take 45 minutes vs 41 minutes for the AVE so seems to be about as quick so why take the AVE? The Avant trains are 2nd-class only.

You don't need to travel preferente when you're only traveling such a short distance, which is why the AVANT is such a good deal. The MD is also a good deal. It allows you to catch a few more minutes of sleep on the way up to Cordoba. You can take the MD up and the AVANT back.

thanks PQ....the reason I am considering AVE is the frequency of service...
(more flexibility for lazy travelers)

I loved Cordoba and the Mesquita. If you do spend the night I recommend the Hotel Don Paula, well located and inexpensive.

If an overnight doesn't work out, a day trip is better than not going at all. I agree with suec1 that the Mesquita is something to experience.

thanks Judi,
we still have some time to decide....

Can you purchase advance tickets at a discount for the train. Personally I miss the days when it worked just fine to walk up a purchase a ticket but now, like the airlines, there are all sorts of advance purchase promos and last minute tickets, bought in country, are pricey. It has been awhile since I purchased tickets in Spain - you might want to look at the website maninseat61? is that it, fellow posters? or someone here might give you the info for a better price. Over 100E seems HIGH! but as we all know Spain's ecomomy is struggling so maybe that is what it costs.

You can purchase the tickets at Renfe.com is your CC will work through their system. If not, then you can buy them at Petrabax.com, but you will pay a fee.

"I miss the days when it worked just fine to walk up a purchase a ticket" Yes, I remember standing in those long lines along with hundreds of others in the sweltering heat of Madrid or Sevilla waiting to buy a ticket, but that was a couple of decades ago. Things change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not, but in this case, being able to purchase discounted tickets online is one of those times they turned out for be better.

My CC works on RENFE... Seville- Cordoba AVE does not show discounts,
except for M ticket...( I think it is four tickets.)
It is a bit surprising....no P or P+ option....
I'll check RENFE in a couple of weeks, just in case.
Thanks for the input.

If they are not showing any P or P+ options, then they have already sold all of the seats they set aside. The price will only go up the longer you wait. It's similar to the Moscow rule of shopping (Suzy Gershman). If you see it and want it, buy it, because it will not be there tomorrow.

I just purchased discount Turista tickets to Leon at the end of October at double the price of just one week ago.

Sorry, I was referring to time of the day we prefer... ...there are discounts early in the morning and afternoon.

I checked some days in Nov...no discount or even information for mid day AVE trains.

I thought Cordoba deserved 2 full days.