We are planning to visit Spain in two weeks. Flying to Madrid, staying there for three nights then taking a train to Seville (three nights there), then we are planning to rent a car and go to Malaga for four days (going to visit Ronda, Granada, Gibraltar, and spend one day in Malaga) Please, could you advise - should we return a car in Malaga and them take train to Madrid? Or should we drive to Cordoba spend a few hours there, return the car there and then take a train to Madrid? Do you know how long the drive is from Malaga to Cordoba?
Would really appreciate any advice you might have,
Thanks!

Try http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichel...MaHomePage.htm. It is very helpful for planning driving routes.
However, I would just try to visit Cordoba from Sevilla, or en route from Madrid to Sevilla. You can stop, stay the night, and continue the next day, or just stop for an afternoon to see La Mezquita.
Another however, I would not rent a car at all for this itinerary, the trains and buses are far more efficient for getting from place to place. Can rental is only a necessity when visiting small towns.
Of course I would skip Gibraltar and spend the two days in Ronda and Granada respectively, and save Malaga for another time (though I adored Malaga).
Good Luck!

The drive is about ninety minutes. But I think better leave the car in Malaga and take the train to Cordoba, there are many services and it is really fast.
I'd recommend driving from Seville to Ronda and Pueblos Blancos, then to Malaga and leave the car. From Malaga to Granada there is a good bus service, better than train.
And yes, why not skipping Gibraltar? Besides everything, it is off the path of your itinerary.

My 2 cents
1) Make Malaga your last night, drop car at the Malaga airport and fly to Madrid to make your connection to the US
2) Cordoba is an easy drive from Malaga, but a brutal daytrip from Malaga

FrankS, with the AVE fast train is only 1 hour to Cordoba, very doable for a daytrip. But I agree that by car is longer, and you have to face parking there.

Parking is truly appalling in Córdoba, as is traffic. I was there a couple of weeks ago and there was no legal parking to be had anywhere within walking distance of the Mezquita, and the old city was effectively out of bounds to cars with day-long jams and no entry signs.
I also drove from near Málaga. There is an almost complete autovía A45 (free expressway/motorway) between the two, with only a couple of short incomplete sections. It's nearly 100 miles (160 km), and with heavy traffic in mind in both cities, I'd allow 2 hours.

Thank you everyone for your input. I never stop to be surprised how helpful and friendly people are on this site. I think we will follow Josele’s advice and will return the car in Malaga and will take the train to Cordoba, stop there for half a day, and then will take the train to Madrid. Thanks again.

If our cruise ship has Malaga as a port to visit, could you tell me how often the train to Cordoba comes and goes. If going to Cordoba is not an option does anyone have other suggestions for Malaga. Thanks

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&so...ba&ie=UTF8&z=9

I am traveling to Toledo Spain in March to visit my daughter.
We would like to visit Malaga, Sevilla, Ronda and Cordoba, but have limited time of about 10 days. We realize these 4 places might be too much, so I'm looking for advice on these 4 towns, which are the MUST SEES! We were going to rent a car, I'm reading that trains and buses may be a better alternative, if you have any advice on this issue that would be great. There are 4 of us traveling and we wonder if renting a car would be more economical than a train?

tunema - post a new thread - more people will see it and respond