Dec Spain Trip: Need help with planning
 

I will be going to Spain in Dec and would appreciate any help I can get.

12/26 - I arrive in Madrid at 7:30am - Plan to see the Prado museum and sightseeing
12/27 - Sightseeing in Madrid
12/28 - I meetup my friend who is flying into Madrid @ Airport at 8:30am. Should we fly or take train - we are thinking of spending some time in Torremolinos (fly or take train to Malaga?). Any other ideas?
12/28: Torremolinos
12/29: Granada
12/30: Tanjier (?)
12/31: Torremolinos (or should we come back to Madrid for New Years?)
1/1: Take train back to Madrid, stay overnight
1/2: FLY back in the morning

PLEASE let me know what would you do? any recommendations?

Thanks,
Mil

I would have taken the high speed AVE train from central Madrid (Atocha station) to central Málaga in some 2h 30 mins (renfe.com). And I would have stayed in authentic Málaga city itself with the best atmosphere and lots of things to see and do, great restaurants, tapas bars, nightlife etc. instead of going to touristy Torremolinos.

The article "Málaga: Authentic charm of an overlooked treasure": http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ci...-treasure.html
http://www.andalucia.com/cities/malaga/
http://www.andalucia.com/magazine/en...ed2/malaga.htm

Málaga is candidate to be the European capital of culture in 2016: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxfDo...eature=related

And I would have stayed in Málaga all the days in the south before going back to Madrid. Granada would be some 90 mins away by bus. Frequent departures from the bus station next to the fabulous new María Zambrano train station. If you plan on seeing Alhambra, you should book tickets in advance to be on the safe side.

Do you already have your flights? If not, you might consider flying out of Malaga to avoid back-tracking to Madrid.

If you are interested in seeing the Alhambra, note that many of us thought it worth seeing both during the day (when you can see all open parts of the buildings and grounds) and in the evening (when many of us have found the Nasrid Palace to be particularly magical). I'm not sure if you will have time to do that with your current schedule.

Thank you so much for the feedback. Based on comments and what I have heard, I am going to make Malaga as my base area. For Granada, I am thinking of taking a day tour - since we don't have much time we are going to make most of it. Yes, the main reason for going to Granada is Alhambra, so I am going to do the tour or book the tickets now.
The reason we decided to go back to Madrid and not fly back from Malaga was the cost - it was $400 more to fly from Malaga plus the layover was 7 to 8 hours. We decided that going back to Madrid would be better and my friend who joins me later will get a chance to explore Madrid for a day.

Any other recommendations? Should we skip Tanjer and go somewhere else near Malaga - like Seville or ?

What about hotels in Malaga?

Thanks,
M

Málaga itself is well worth exploring. You'll find a newly excavated Roman theater, the Moslem Alcazaba (fortress/palace), the 16th Century Cathedral, Picasso's childhood home and the Picasso museum within three hundred metres in the city center. The party on New Year's Eve will also be centered in this area, around Calle Marqués de Larios.

Go and have the freshest fish and seafood with the locals at one of the many seashore restaurants in Pedregalejo, some 5-10 mins with bus/taxi east of the city center.
http://travel.aol.com/travel-guide/e...a-restaurants/

Casa Aranda, in the heart of Málaga, is perhaps the best café/coffe and chocolate con churros place I've been to in all of Spain.

Bodega El Pimpi is an institution in the city.
http://www.discovermalaga.com/tag/bodega-el-pimpi

Perhaps tapas at El Tapeo de Cervantes? Was here a couple of months ago, and it gets deservedly great reviews:
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaur...Andalusia.html

These hotels are all in the middle of everything, ranging from luxcury to basic and great value:

Hotel Molina Lario:
http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/molina-lario.en.html

Hotel Room Mate Larios:
http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/malaga/larios.en.html

Hotel Don Curro:
http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/mala...ncurro.en.html

Sevilla would be 2 1/2 hours away by train/bus. Perhaps go to one of the so called white villages/towns closer to Málaga. Famous Ronda would be an option. But perhaps my best bet would be to go into the Axarquía region just east of Málaga. http://www.andalucia.com/province/ma...rquia/home.htm

It's a pity you don't have time to stay in Sevilla. I wouldn't try it as a daytrip from Malaga - it's just too much travel in one day for my taste and would be a very rushed visit.

If you have time for a daytrip from Malaga I second the recommendation for Ronda or alternatively Antequera. Antequera is an hour away by bus and doesn't see many tourists.

Thanks again for the insights. I am debating between staying at Molina Lario vs Vincci Seleccion Posada del Patio. Which one would you stay at? I was thinking of Room Mate Lario but they dont have a pool.

If you're going in Dec I don;t know what you need with a pool. Have you looked at the average temps? This is NOT beach weather.

Antequera is a good idea for a daytrip from Málaga. Some 35 miles inland. Known as the "heart of Andalucía" with its ancient dolmens/burial chambers, Roman baths, a Moorish fortress, Gothic churches, Renaissance fountains and baroque bell towers. Antequera was the first of the Granada emirate towns to fall to the Christians in 1410.
http://www.andaluciacoastandcountry.com/antequera.html

The article "A Tapas Tour of Antequera" should give you some ideas of places to eat. http://www.andaluciacoastandcountry.com/tapaspain.html

Some suggestions for things to see/do:

- If weather is good, drive up to Torcal, just outside town, with views to Africa on a clear day. http://www.andalucia.com/antequera/torcal/home.htm

- La Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor, the first partly Renaissance-style church in Spain. Situated on a peaceful square (with a great little bar/restaurant in the corner) overlooking the recently excavated Roman baths and looking up on the 13th century Moorish alcazaba/fortress.

- The 5-6000 years old dolmens (burial places) on the outskirts of town, facing the mythical Peña de los enamorados/Lovers' rock"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cueva_de_Menga
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news...le_18509.shtml

- The Museo Municipal at Plaza del Cozo has arguably got the finest piece of Roman sculpture found in Spain, the Efebo de Antequera/The Youth of Antequera. Also a very interesting first floor that bear witness of the towns history on the border between Christian and Moslem Spain before the final takeover of Granada in 1492.
http://traveldk.com/andalucia/dk/mus...ipal-antequera

mil2spain , if the choice is between these two, I'd opt for the Molina Lario.
But just across the street you have the AC Malaga Palacio, lower fares, and great views to the harbour.
The Antequera Museum address is Coso Viejo.

I would skip Tangier and spend at least 2 nights in Seville.

I see you plan to see Prado on the 26th. Make sure they will be open, as on a Xmas trip we found most museums closed early on the 24th and didn't re-open til 27th. It may have been the way it fell within the week, but check.

Both Prado and the fabulous Reina Sofía contemporary art museum (Paintings of among others Dalí and Picasso, movies, photographs, posters etc. dealing with two of the greatest civilizational breakdowns in the 20th century, The Spanish Civil War and WWII) are open on the 26th of December. So is the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza.

http://www.museothyssen.org/en/thyssen/home
http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html

Thanks everyone for sharing great ideas and feedback.
In Malaga, we will be staying at Molina Lario.
Yes, we have decided to skip Tanjier.
Granada & Antequera are on our list to-do
If time permits, we might go to Seville and town near Malaga.

Pulling my hair trying to buy tickets @ RENFE site... I need some good luck...

Do we need to rent a car or can we take bus or trains from Malaga?

thanks, MMJ

Excellent public transportation. Granada would be 90 mins and Antequera about 50 mins from Málaga by bus. You can buy tickets on the bus station, frequent departures.

I would skip Torremolinos; nothing to see there especially in the winter. Malaga is worth it but Seville is more interesting; why not limit to Seville & Granada.

Also if you stay in Madrid near Atocha (which is in walking distance from Prado) then there is a new bus (2 euro) from Barajas to Atocha http://www.emtmadrid.es/lineaAeropuerto/index.html

The Antequera Efebo (a roman sculpture, highlight of the museum) is actually on display in Malaga, at Palacio del Obispo, 5 min. walk from Molina Lario Hotel.
You can take the bus to Antequera or Granada, much better than train. But if you rent a car, the hotel has parking lot.
Which town near Malaga?

mil2spain,

Explain your problem with the RENFE site - but if anything to do with finding schedule detail, the price (will) and the schedules (may) change so until as late as 19th December the site could not be updated for some routes.

WomBatt - its a common issue when US users r trying to buy tickets on RENFE site. After six trials I finally succeeded in buying the tickets.

hkto - thanks on the suggestion for the bus from airport. Since my hotel is close to "Banco De Espana" - I might either take the train or if I take the bus to Atocha, then may be the cab would make it easier.

thanks all - the bus to granada & seville sounds great. The reason I opted to stay in Malaga was to be central.

Thanks,
MMJ

mil2spain,

ok, so long as you know - I thought you were not aware of somethings.