Day trips from Seville

Old Apr 18th, 2016, 01:09 PM
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Day trips from Seville

Hi everyone,
We (me,my husband and our nephew, 20 y.o.) will be traveling around Spain for a week together May 7-14. We will meet in Barcelona for a few days, take a train to Seville and then head up to Madrid to finish the trip. We will arrive in Seville early afternoon on May 9 and leave early on the 12th. We wanted some suggestions as to which towns would be best to try to see outside of Seville. We do not have a car rented, so would be relying on train or bus. We tend not to prefer the pre-set tour groups, but if there is one that is outstanding, please share that as well.

We realize there is not enough time, and since this is our first visit, we consider it a "taste" of Spain, with hopes of returning sometime to explore further.

Thanks very much!
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Old Apr 18th, 2016, 03:23 PM
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Cordoba, definitely, unless it's already scheduled in your itinerary for later.
Train, drive, or tour there.

However - Consider spending the entire two days in Seville. There is plenty to do and see for two full days.
I spent a week there one June, and only did one day trip to Cordoba.

On the way into/or out of Seville, you could see Cordoba; or one of the white hill towns. I remember reading about a bus to Arcos de la Frontera.

I think there are tours now to Ronda, and that is definitely worth a day trip if you have time (no more than a day, imho.)

Trains also travel to Jerez and Cadiz to the south.
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Old Apr 18th, 2016, 03:25 PM
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Re-reading your post - I think Cordoba could work well on the way to Madrid. Maybe overnight there, and leave for Madrid in the morning.
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Old Apr 18th, 2016, 05:09 PM
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Are you sure that you want to fit all these destinations into your allotted time? I must admit that your plan sounds unpleasantly rushed to me. I am aware that you consider this itinerary to be a "tasting" menu -- but I would hate for you to end up choosing not to return to any of these delightful places because this trip left you with bad memories!

FWIW, note that many things in Spain are closed on Monday, and often for all or part of Sundays too; and many things in Spain will also be closed daily for a very long mid-day break. Plan accordingly!

Good luck!
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Old Apr 18th, 2016, 10:34 PM
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The famous patio festival goes on in Cordoba May 2-15. Patios, food, wine, music, song, dance and concerts almost 24/7: http://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres...ordobeses.html
http://www.andalucia.com/cities/cordoba/patios.htm
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Old Apr 20th, 2016, 01:54 PM
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Thanks! The festival sounds great in Cordoba, and the reminder about many things being closed on Monday is good. Ronda, Jerez and Cadiz are possibilities. May do Cordoba from Madrid, as we may end up staying a few days longer now...

A friend has given us info on Jerez and Cadiz, but what would anyone recommend about Ronda?
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Old Apr 20th, 2016, 02:02 PM
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cordoba is sweet - yes another ABC town (Another Bloody Church at every turn) but these churches and monasteries are so neat - especially the grand daddy of them all - that former Mosque turned Christian cathedral.

I like Jerez-de-le-Frontera - a so-so town with one of the highest unemployment rates in Spain I read but with two smashing things to do - take in practices at the Andalusian Horse Riding ring - those big steeds training for shows and the famous Sherry houses with tours and yes samples - sherry being a British corruption of the word Jerez after the Brits cornered the sherry market after finding little old ladies loved to drink a tot of sherry from time to time.

A short train ride from Seville.

If stopping in Cordoba for the day en route to Madrid check to see if the left-luggage is still open - it should be but in today's world you never know - many Spanish stations do not have them and those that do have airport-like screening machines IME.

buy your train tickets early at www.renfe.com - book early for deep discounted tickets - for lots of stuff on Spanish trains check www.seat61.com - great info on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. You can take high-speed AVE trains to Cordoba or slower local trains that are cheap but book any long-distance AVE ticket far in advance to get a neat discount.
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Old Apr 20th, 2016, 02:16 PM
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Ronda is drop-dead gorgeous, and well worth a day trip.

Without a car, I'd consider an overnight stay there. The bridge and gorge are lit up at night.

To be honest, I did not actually go into any museums or anything in Ronda, we just walked around all day, people-watched, took photos, walked down to the gorge, ate, drank...
We went on our way to Granada, and drove, so not sure how to get there by bus or train from Sevilla. Again, it may be a long enough train or bus trip that you might consider an overnight.

Arcos de la Frontera, another white village, also supposed to be very beautiful, might be a closer trip by bus, and again, I believe it is on the way to Jerez.

Good that you are considering staying longer - southern Spain is a place you want to linger and savor. So many places just to hang out, enjoy the beautiful scenery, warm weather, and people watch. Good food, too. I'm a vegetarian and I still ate well, lol!
My husband had the famous jamón and some fish dishes in Sevilla and Cordoba, he claims they were very, very good.

Order a tinto verano at least once! Red wine mixed with sparkling lemon soda.

i also highly recommend you make time to see flamenco in Seville or Madrid. An amazing experience, really.
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Old Apr 20th, 2016, 02:19 PM
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I took a bus from Seville via the iconic perched white villages to Ronda - but I think the ride was 3 hours or more each way and though Ronda is physically awesome - a deep gorge bisects the town and it is rather far by bus (no trains from Seville) makes it not the ideal day trip.
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Old Apr 20th, 2016, 05:03 PM
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I enjoyed Ronda -- if your extra time gives you the latitude to include it.
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Old Apr 21st, 2016, 07:07 AM
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YOu can get direct buses that only take about 2 hrs or less from Seville to Ronda and back. The company is Los Amarillos bus company.

I think this is the schedule
https://regular.autobusing.com/info?...a=losamarillos

They leave from Seville Prado bus station. They have one at 9:30 that only takes 1:15 hrs and one at 10 am that only takes 1:45 hrs. The return schedule isn't quite as good but one at 6 pm only takes 2 hrs direct.
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Old Apr 21st, 2016, 08:54 AM
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I'd recommend Cordoba over Ronda. The Mezquita is a highlight in my memories of Andalusia. (That Christian church planted smack in the middle!) And if you're there for the patio festival, it's a no-brainer.

Ronda is a little harder to get to. It's a nice town whose outstanding characteristic is its location, on a sort of mesa bridging a gorge. I liked the bullring and the old Moorish baths (steep walk though).
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