Day trip from Madrid to Seville?
 

We will be in Madrid for a week in feb and wondered whether it is possible to do a day trip to Seville or even Granada. We thought maybe Seville would be possible on the Tlago. Has anyone done this?

Dear Patrick, <BR>The quickest train route from Madrid to Seville is on the AVE, and it takes about 2.5 hours. The Talgo takes considerably longer. Either way, I think a day trip is unreasonable -- try Toledo, Segovia, or El Escorial for daytrips instead. Better yet, spend a couple of days in the Andalucia region and give Seville the time it deserves! Enjoy your Spanish holiday. <BR>Buen viaje, <BR>Tonya

Dear Patrick, <BR>Ditto to Tonya's advice. Better to save Sevilla and Granada (a six hr. Talgo ride)for another visit,if you can, and then you can take in more of Andalucia-the Mosque at Cordoba plus the white towns between Arcos and Ronda are must-sees too, and maybe a visit to the sherry bodegas in Jerez? There's plenty of great sightseeing in southern Spain for a week. <BR>Other day trip possibilities from Madrid are Avila and Aranjuez (both easy by train), but I'd see the sites that Tonya has suggested to you first. <BR>Have a great time in Madrid!

I agree with the other responses. A daytrip is unreasonable to Seville or Grenada. <BR> <BR>When in Madrid, my husband and I took a daytrip to Segovia and Avila. We spent a night in Toledo, but that could be a day trip too. <BR> <BR>If you have the flexibility, I would stay in Seville for at least a couple days. <BR> <BR>We rented a car and found the roads pretty easy to navigate with a good map. <BR> <BR>

Okay, here's a vote the other way! <BR> <BR>My wife and I "did" the one-day trip to Sevilla last year and were thrilled with it. The AVE is a great train (esp. 1st class) -- we left at 8 or 9 am, ate on the train, got to Seville and figured out the right bus to take downtown from the station, but took a taxi back later -- neither is hard nor expensive. We wandered through the old part of the city, "did" the Alcazar -- revelling in the gorgeous garden -- and cathedral. We did none of it at a fast pace (actually skipped the guided tour to the Alcazar and just wandered). Had a nice late-afternoon meal at a cafe, did a little shopping, walked around a bit more, and caught the train at about 6 or 7 and got back to Madrid in time for one of the traditionally late Madrileno dinners. I'm sure there's a lot more to Sevilla than what we saw, but I really felt we got a good flavor/taste of it in that one day. It was a highlight of our trip.