Hi Ann,
Thanks for all the information! I will definitely read thru your trip report....
one more quick question...do we need 3 days in Sevilleor is it worth making another side trip from Seville for a day and spend 2 days there?

Also, do we need to book for the train journey from Madrid to Seville in advance?

Thanks!!

hi, love - hope the trip report helps with the madrid bit.

sorry to say I can't help with seville - it's high on my wish list!

regards, ann

My no.1 capital for culture in Spain is Barcelona. Fantastical Gaudi buildings, art galleries, festivals, a brilliant city mountain-to-beach, Gothic architecture tapas and Picasso, with both Spanish and Catalan cultures, while they are mostly very helpful in English. There is a really good company for vacation apartments, www.way2stay.com and the supermarkets are a very cost-effective way to self-cater. Enjoy!

Spain and Italy in the same trip—what could be better! A few suggestions . . . I think your itinerary will work great by train. If you can plan ahead I recommend booking train journeys in advance at www.trenitalia.com and www.renfe.com for Italy and Spain respectively. You might be fine booking tickets as you go, but for past trips to both Italy and Spain in April/May had I not booked some legs in advance we would have simply been out of luck. The best way to visit Siena from Florence is by bus. I personally think Pisa is worth a visit, but I must admit it did not make it on the itinerary until my third trip to Italy. If you plan to ascend the tower, which I would recommend, since tickets are limited to small guided groups up and down the tower, I would book this in advance at www.opapisa.it. I also think booking your Alhambra visit at www.alhambratickets.com is wise. I would also suggest that you book your admission time for an hour and a half after you plan to arrive. This will not only ensure ample time for the will-call line (which can be a wait itself) but also allow you time to see some of the other buildings in the Alhambra complex before your scheduled time into the Palacios Nazaries, which makes good sense avoiding more walking and backtracking. And note that they are strict on your ticket entry time into the Palacios Nazaries. If you’re planning a day in Cordoba, consider doing this en route from Madrid to Sevilla instead of a day-trip from Sevilla which will save you time and money on transportation. You can take the AVE to Cordoba, stash your luggage at the station, spend the day in Cordoba, then catch the AVE onto Sevilla from Cordoba. As for your Sevilla stay we spent three nights in Sevilla and thought that was perfect (though I would not have regretted another). Also if you are interested in larger accommodations with kitchen and dining facilities I highly recommend staying at Apartomentos San Andres. It’s just a 10-minute walk to the center (along a lovely pedestrian shopping drag) and the apartment itself was wonderful, large, very petty, clean, etc. We booked at www.sevilla5.com. Have a wonderful trip!