Granada
 

We are going to visit our daughter in Granada for 6 nights. We fly in to Malaga, drive to Granada then fly out of Malaga. We want to immerse ourselves in her life there but also want to see Seville. Should we:

Monday: Alhambra
Tuesday evening: head to Seville (we will have rental car)
spend night
Wednesday: Seville (drive back in evening)
Thursday: celebrate Thanksgiving in Granada (either a restaurant or try to cook in our rented appt)
Friday: drive to Malaga for an evening there and stay at hotel?
or stay in Granada until Saturday very early departure

Monday through Friday is only 5 nts. Are you actually arriving on Sunday? I love Granada and think it is often under-rated.

I would not go from Malaga to Granada, RT to Seville and back to Granada and back to Malaga. I would just go directly to Granada and spend a day in Malaga at the end. OTOH, though it would be very rushed with little time for immersing yourself in your daughter's life, you could on arrival, train directly to Seville.

Seville, 2 nts
Train to Granada (stop for three hours and see the mezquita in Cordoba on the way).
Granada - 3 nts
Malaga - 1 nt

Given that it is an hour plus drive from Granada to Malaga, and the airport is Southwest of Malaga ((opposite side from Granada), and you say an early flight, I would stay the last night in Malaga, close to the airport at a hotel with a shuttle or get a taxi.

I like home cooked Thanksgiving, but Granada has some very good food so I would not try to shop and cook. I would instead relax enjoy the opportunity to eat new foods.

Sevilla is a 2-1/2 hour drive from Granada. You can do a one night stand, but why not enjoy Granada and Malaga instead?

Your itinerary sounds great - both Granada and Sevilla are two of our favorite cities. I agree with @Sassafrass about stopping in Cordoba to see the mezquita. It is a special place.
A few helpful links to help you with planning your Alhambra visit:
Hours: http://granadainfo.com/alhambra/times.htm
Tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.es/nav/landi...lhambra&t=fast

It obviously depends on your interests. FWIW, I haven't been to Malaga. I thought Granada worth 2 full days, Sevilla 3 - 4 full days, and Cordoba 2 full days. Granada's Alhambra and Cordoba's Mesquite are, IMO, among the most stunning buildings in the world, so I personally would make sure to be able to see them in a leisurely way.

Whatever else you do, be sure to book your tickets for the Alhambra well in advance -- at least one day-time visit and at least one evening visit, perhaps the gardens the night before your day-time visit and the Nasrid Palace (glorious!) that night after your daytime visit.

I'm not sure a rental car will be to your advantage. It could be an encumbrance while in cities.

Enjoy!

Please note that while pavo is the word for turkey in Spanish, pavo real is a peacock. Turkey is not commonly found in Spain and I, for one, do not have a recipe for peacock stuffing.

@ IMDonehere -- google is your friend:
http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/1960s...olive_stuffing
http://cannundrum.blogspot.com/2013/...t-peacock.html
http://dream-designs.net/roxalana/?p=1512
etc.

On your last night, be sure to stay in the heart of wonderful and three thousand year old Malaga city itself. 10-15 minutes and less than 20€ with taxi to the airport from great value hotel Don Curro in the midst of everything. Taxi stand 50 meters from the hotel entrance. Also plenty of other and more luxcurious hotels around here: http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/hoteldoncurro.html

Don Curro is next door to the great 16th Century cathedral, the 8-11th century Moorish Alcazaba (several hundred years older than Alhambra) and the recently renovated Roman theater beneath.

If you just stay for the night, here are some suggestions:

- Have a typical malaga wine and some heavenly conchas finas in Antigua Casa de Guardia in Alameda Principal, 18, 150 meters from the hotel. The bar is from 1840, and not much have changed since then: http://www.antiguacasadeguardia.net/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT7XsGIld_E

- Plenty of small and excellent tapas bars, cafes and terraces around here and in the direction of central Plaza de la Constitucion and Plaza la Merced, 200 and 400 meters from Antigua Casa de Guardia.

- Once in Plaza de la Merced you have several dining options. For a traditional Malaga food experience, go to El Cortijo de Pepe right on the plaza itself: http://www.cortijodepepe.com/el-local.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html

Or I can recommend more upscale and inventive Meson de Cervantes, close to the the Cervantes theater, 100 meters off Plaza la Merced: http://www.elmesondecervantes.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html

Later in the night, you could go to Bodega El Pimpi. An institution in town and quite close to the hotel. From the terrace at El Pimpi, you look right up on the lit and impressive Alcazaba. http://www.elpimpi.com/en/index.htm
True Malaga by night atmosphere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzLkFsVJdhc

Often great concerts at the Teatro Cervantes: http://www.teatrocervantes.com/

Always updated programme for genuine flamenco events in Malaga: http://www.flamenka.com/html/agenda/...genda2014.html

Malaga is "Picasso's city of hidden treasures": http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...-breaks-travel

Google is not always your friend.

We arrive on Sunday around noon to Malaga. Our daughter is in Granada and has classes all week which makes it harder to have flexibility to travel...but she can miss some classes. We are bringing our 2 sons ages 14 and 18 so I am nervous they will be tired etc.

Thank you all so much for these ideas. I cannot tell you how helpful they are. I am going to take some time and review then now. THANK YOU!!

Not to worry. Your boys will have a lot more energy than you ! I like Sassafras's plan of going to Seville first, stopping in Cordoba, then going on to Granada. It makes the most of your short time there and gives you a good chunk with your daughter. While we always have a rental car, in your case I'd say to use the train. And, yes, spend that last night in Malaga.

Now that your time frame is clear, consider not driving on arrival, but go straight to Seville by train. Actually, for your whole trip, you do not need a car. You have no time for exploring that requires a car and it will be parked most of the time anyway. There is not adequate time for Cordoba. You need to stay in Malaga the night before your flight.

Sunday - arrive Malaga, train to Seville, evening in Seville, but also jet lag
Monday - Seville, 1 day
Tuesday - train to Granada, 1/2 day
Wednesday - Granada, 1 day
Thursday - Granada, 1 day
Friday - train/bus to Malaga, 1/2 day
Saturday - flight home

That is all the time you have

I see Bedar thinks the same, and if you don't mind having only 2 days in Granada, you could stop in Cordoba on Tuesday and arrive in Granada quite late. Check times of bus versus train and where best to store luggage. Travel time will take about 3-4 hours, then 3-4 hours for sightseeing in Cordoba. Very rushed, but if you all have the energy for it, you might enjoy it.

Hmm, perhaps Maxie intends to have her daughter come along on the jaunt to Seville in which case she should get the rental car, go to Granada first, pick up the kid, and take off for Cordoba and Seville. Missing class is no big deal - she'll be seeing more of the country she's studying !! Just be sure all luggage in the car is hidden in the trunk.

I like all of these ideas. I am checking to see if my daughter can meet us in Malaga then accompany us to Seville.

Could we do Sunday night, dinner in Seville, sightsee on Monday then head to Granada late Monday? Then my daughter could attend class Tuesday morning in Granada.

I love the idea of last night in Malaga.

We have an apt for the week in Granada. My daughter mentioned the Hammam Banos Arabes as well.

Any restaurant suggestions for Thursday dinner? My daughter says she mostly has tapas and does not sit done for meals there.

It would be terribly rushed, but you would get a taste of Seville. Luggage in the car might also be problematic. Why not have your daughter meet you in Seville Sunday night? That would save her a lot of time traveling first to Malaga, then on to Seville. She could even get to Seville early for a bit of sightseeing on her own. You could still take the train to Seville if you wish.

I am not sure if it would be better then to rent a car or not. You would have to get to the car rental place, do the paperwork, etc. in Seville, then in Granada, park it (was costly when we were there, but perhaps your apartment has a spot). It is a pretty straight shot driving from Seville to Granada though, and might be just as easy. Others can better advise on that.

If you feel you would be fine driving after the flight, you could go ahead and rent the car in Malaga. Driving in Seville the first time is kind of a pip though. So is driving into Granada. Seville has some really tight streets. Granada streets are confusing at first.

Whatever you do, make sure you stop in CORDOBA !!!!!!

I agree with Bedar.