Stacy

My husband and I have had to postpone our trip to Spain and are now having to change our original travel plans because we will be flying into Madrid instead of Seville. We were originally planning on renting a car to drive to Cordoba, Grenada, Malaga, etc . . . and end with a couple of nights in Seville. Now, would it be a better idea to rent a car or take a train out of Madrid? <BR><BR>We were originally just planning on seeing southern Spain in 10 days, but it looks like now we will be seeing more of Spain. Please let me know if you have any recommendations. Thank you.

Patrick

I'm a little confused by your post. I guess you mean that now you will have more than 10 days and will either add more to your itinerary, or stay longer in one or more spots? I think the southern Spanish countryside is so beautiful and the roads are so good, that I'd definitely rent a car. Of course, you won't need one in Madrid, but I'd think you should spend either the first or last part of your trip there and either get the car when you depart from Madrid, or dump it when you return. In terms of expense, I think you will come out ahead as well. The trains really are pretty expensive (especially the AVE) and car rentals are quite inexpensive in Spain.

Pedro

I would take AVE train from Madrid to Sevilla, rent a car there, tour Andalucia for around 8-10 days, then back to Sevilla, drop off the car and return to Madrid by AVE, where you could spend the last days of your trip ( possible day trips to Segovia, Toledo, etc ).

cb

Unless you plan to make stops between Madrid and Seville to see sights for the day or overnight, the AVE is more comfortable. Parking in Seville is difficult and pricey(compared to the rental rate). <BR>You can also sightsee in Cordoba for the day by taking an early train from Madrid, get off at Cordoba, and continue on to Seville.

Celia

Last month we flew into Madrid and drove to Toledo, where we stayed a couple of days before driving on to Granada, Ronda, Sevilla, and some rural areas. The drive from Madrid to Toledo is less than two hours, maybe less than one hour. You get there in plenty of time to relax a bit and then sightsee. We found Toledo enchanting. Parking near the old city was easy, and there are actually spaces reserved for tourists only, and they're FREE!<BR><BR>I would say go ahead and pick up the car in Madrid. Besides adding Toledo to your itinerary, you can enjoy the beautiful olive groves as you drive along the excellent and well-marked roads.<BR><BR>(As you can guess, we had a wonderful time in Spain.)<BR>