robyn

i've reviewed previously posted messages, but cannot find the answers to my questions regarding traveling by car in southern spain. <BR><BR>my itinerary is as follows: arrive early morning in seville, spend night there. travel by car next morning to granada for afternoon admission to alhambra. travel by car that evening to tarifa spending next 2 nights there (day trip to morocco). drive next morning to gibraltar, then same evening from gibraltar to seville. spend night in seville, travel by AVE to madrid following night.<BR><BR>does anyone know approximate travel times? 1. seville-granada(i think is 3 hrs), 2. granada-tarifa, 3. gibraltar-seville<BR><BR>i truly don't want to spend this part of my vacation only in a rental car, so if travel distances/times are too great, i'd love to hear from those familiar with the area as to what highlights to keep, and which sights i should pass up.<BR><BR>THANKS! p.s. leaving in one week! please respond.

BeeGee

Sevilla to Granada is more like 4 hours, if I recall, somewhere around 200 miles on fairly decent roads. Your itinerary is, as you say , rather ambitious. Frankly, I'd skip the trip to Morocco and see Cordoba instead. That way, you could still spend a full day in Sevilla and Granada. You will need at least 5 hours to do the Alhambra and Generalife justice, and you could spend an entire week in Sevilla alone. Whatever you decide, enjoy yourself !

mamacrow

Hi robyn,<BR>funny, I am working on similar ideas for a week in spain 3/21-<BR>I was looking at 2 nights in Seville, then renting a car to go to Algeciras, (estimate the drive at 3 hours),taking a boat to Tanger for a day trip. Do you know how long that takes to get there? My thoughts are when will I ever have a chance to go to Africa again, and its so close. Gibralter looks a bit touristy.? then I was thinking drive to Cadiz or Rondo-(estimate this would be 1-1 1/2 hrs.<BR>From there our thoughts are to return to Seville, then head to Portugal - <BR>Lagos and Lisbon for a total of 3 nights, then take a train back to Madrid.<BR>I am wondering if this is too much, so in response to your question I'm sort of piggy-backing my own. <BR>Any thoughts out there?<BR>

Maria

Robyn and Mamacrowm<BR><BR>Both of your trips look like way too much driving and travel time and way too little enjoying the places you are trying to get to! I second the idea of dropping the Morrocco piece of the trip in favor of more time in either Seville, Granada or Cordoba. Also fabullous places in the area are Ronda and Arcos de la Frontera and the Pueblos Blancos. A lot of the driving in Andalucia is not to be done in the dark and in a hurry. Besides the Alhambra there are things to see in the city of Granada (the Cathedral, the Albaicin neighborhood, etc) and Seville is worth 2 days at a minimum.<BR><BR>Just my opinion but I think you will be very rushed and missing some wonderful things in locations you are in.<BR><BR>Maria

Maribel

robyn and mamacrow,<BR>I concur with Maria and BeeGee. Your itineraries also look to me to be quite rushed in my honest opinion.<BR><BR>robyn,<BR>I think you'll find that just 2 nights, one at the beginning and another at the end, doesn't quite do Seville justice. And it's at least a 4 hr. straight drive to Granada from there without stops to sightsee, and it does take time to pick up a rental car and find your way out of an unfamiliar city. Then you'll only have time to stash your car and pay your visit to the Alhambra (5 hrs. is an absolute minimum) and little more (please secure your Alhambra tickets in advance at www.alhambratickets.com if you're traveling high season). Like Maria and BeeGee, I too would eliminate the Morocco and Gibraltar trips (I've been to both) from Tarifa, eliminating the need to stay so long down there tand add more time for Seville/Granada and an perhaps overnight in Ronda to see this lovely town plus a pueblo blanco such as Arcos on route. I'd also stop in C&oacute;rdoba on the way back from Seville to Madrid, but this stopover requires 2 separate AVE tickets.<BR><BR>mamacrow,<BR>I think that 3 nights to do C&aacute;diz to Lagos to Lisbon then the overnight train back to Madrid just isn't nearly enough. Since you only have 1 week, I'd concentrate on Andaluc&iacute;a instead, saving Portugal for another wonderful trip. I'd do Seville (C&aacute;diz, maybe, with more time)-Ronda-pueblos blancos-Granada-C&oacute;rdoba.<BR><BR>Just some thoughts...