We have roughly arranged a trip to Spain in the following fashion, please give me an idea of its suitability. Also will we have a problem with closures in the early part of August ? Flight Lisbon to Seville ,three nights Seville,AVE to Cordoba 1 night, AVE to Madrid 5 nights (day trips to Segovia and Toledo, flight to Barcelona, 3 nights . Your valued opinions please.

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Sounds really great to me. I'm assuming you've ruled out driving. We enjoyed having a car for this trip, and especially enjoyed spending one night each in Toledo and Segovia before going into Madrid for three nights. I would suggest doing that, even though it means a little more moving around. I loved both those cities even more at night than I did during the day. It was very easy by car, and we did a spectacular drive from Segovia into Madrid, going over a mountain. It would be possible to do these by train as well I guess. Depending upon your hotels, I'd even think you'd save money staying a night each in those two cities and renting a car for a couple of days instead of spending those two nights in Madrid and taking trains back and forth to them. But regardless of the actual cost, I think it would give you a better experience. We loved the Cardinal at Toledo, a charming hotel with a great restaurant. There have been some recent posts about hotels in Segovia -- ours was in the city but nothing special.

Sorry about the header ???? Did I do something wrong ? Thought about driving but we both love night life ( and the subsequent sleep in), so thought discretion the better part of valour. I have set aside a day in Madrid specifically for the Prado and environs...enough/too much ???

Don't bother staying in Cordoba. Just get off he train, look around and get back on. There is simply no reason to stay there once you've seen the Mezquita and Alcazar. <BR><BR>Five days in Madrid is a mistake. Aside from the side trips, 1 day is enough. <BR><BR>Andalucia is far more interesting than Madrid and you are making a big mistake by not spending time in there. To miss the Alhambra is to miss the main reason to go to Spain.

You will need one day in Madrid just for the Galleries and Museums and one day for soaking up the colour and the people!Toledo is a must as is the trip to Segovia. I personally loved Cordoba after the day trippers had gone, agreat atmosphere.

Madrid is boring I would spend maybe 2 days there max. You will love Barcelona. Segovia and Toledo are nice. Have a wonderful trip.

OK, so how about an extra night in say Ronda and one less in Madrid. Or go the whole hog and spend the extra night in Granada or possibly spend the night in Toledo ? Now I am confused

Three nights is great for Seville - I was just there for that amount of time and it was perfect. We also spent three days in Madrid - and I don't recommend any less, unless you have no desire to see the Prado. That is a day in itself to really see the majority of the art. Also beware of the siesta time in the afternoon - from 2-5 (depending on where you are) all the stores close. And in Madrid, most all stores are closed on Sunday, so get your shopping done before then! No need to stay overnight in Cordoba - you can catch all the sights in a long day. Ronda is a beautiful city - if you can swing a day trip there, do it!

Mark:<BR><BR>I agree with Erin--spend more time in Seville. Lots to see and do. I disagree that Madrid is boring, but we did like Seville and surrounding areas better. If you are interested in Flamenco, wait until you get to Seville to see a show. <BR><BR>Toledo is fabulous and if time doesn't allow, a day trip from Madrid is better than not going at all. <BR><BR>We also visited Jerez de la Frontera and Cadiz, both of which were great. We visited a Sherry bodega in Jerez and also saw a fabulous performance of the Andalusian horses.<BR><BR>Re your heading--you just asked for ideas please. The question arises, about what? You should have at least included Spain, then when scrolling down we would have had an idea what you wanted.<BR><BR>You will love Spain--it is a wonderful, interesting country.<BR><BR>j

I see your point about the heading....sorry people , I will get better at this .<BR>Regarding cordoba, if we took an early train from madrid and spent the day in Cordoba, would that be enough? and the other question is where would we leave our bags ?

Mark-<BR>You'll have no problem making a day trip to Cordoba. We actually drove in from Salamanca in the very early a.m., had another friend drop us off at the Atocha station in Madrid, and took the AVE to Cordoba. My friend was already tired but I went ahead and got off the train by myself in Cordoba around noon. When you get off the train you take an escalator up and make a left and there's the lockers for luggage storage. Be sure to have change for the lockers (my mistake). I had a 26" suitcase and a small carry-on (too much, I know) and had to use 2 lockers. After you put in the right amount of euros you'll get a little piece of paper that has the code you'll need to get back in the locker. I had a little fun figuring this out! I had met an american couple (fellow travelers trying to figure out the lockers) and we grabbed a cab together to the Mezquita. It was abt. 500 pesatas. I had 3 "must see's" in Cordoba - the Alcazar, the Mezquita, and roaming around the Juderia. In October, when I was there, the Alcazar was closed for siesta until 4 pm and the Mezquita remained open for siesta. I made the mistake of not checking this and visited the Mezquita first and when I wanted to visit the Alcazar it was closed. I had tickets for the 5:50 AVE to Sevilla so I returned to the Alcazar at 4:00 but had to rush myself. <BR><BR>I made it into Sevilla by 7 pm and was a little tired but once you see Sevilla you'll be so enchanted you'll perk right up!<BR><BR>Have a wonderful trip.

Thank you some great advice. Thats what makes this site so good ! Another question is an overnight in Toledo woth it ?

We spent 2 nights in Madrid and also 2 nights in both Toledo and Segovia. It was definately worth it, in my opinion, to stay overnight in both of these places. The day trippers go home and the locals come out - you really get a feel of the atmosphere when you spend the night. Two nights was plenty for me in Madrid, but I'm not much of a museum person. We visited the Plaza Mayor area, and the Royal Palace one day and then spent 1/2 day at the Prado and Reina Sofia another day. We spent alot of time just walking around and enjoying the city. By the way, we went to Toledo immediately after we landed at the Madrid airport. It was nice because it was a small town and we were able to adjust to the jet lag and the different culture at a slower pace then starting out in Madrid.

We spent 2 nights in Madrid and also 2 nights in both Toledo and Segovia. It was definately worth it, in my opinion, to stay overnight in both of these places. The day trippers go home and the locals come out - you really get a feel of the atmosphere when you spend the night. Two nights was plenty for me in Madrid, but I'm not much of a museum person. We visited the Plaza Mayor area, and the Royal Palace one day and then spent 1/2 day at the Prado and Reina Sofia another day. We spent alot of time just walking around and enjoying the city. By the way, we went to Toledo immediately after we landed at the Madrid airport. It was nice because it was a small town and we were able to adjust to the jet lag and the different culture at a slower pace then starting out in Madrid.

Is there a direct link between Madrid airport and Toledo ?