SashieZ

Hello All:

My husband I are travelling late October to Spain. We are in our early 50's, fit, love to walk, walk, walk so we can eat, eat, eat. The orginal plan was to visit Barcelona and Morocco but it got so complicated that I decided to stay in Spain instead.

We fly in and out of Barcelona. if I were to do that again, i would fly into Barcelona and out of another city but that can't be changed. My tentative itinerary is:

Barcelona for three nights
Fly to Granada for two nights.
Pick up a car in Granada and drive to Ronda for two nights. Explore the pueblos Blancos area.
Drive to Seville for three nights. Early flight to Barcelona (arrive 8:30) to catch 10:30 flight to nyc. (not enough time to make fligh?)

my initial plan was more time in Granada and Barcelona and pass through Ronda. In the past when travelling in France and italy for 10 days we did only three cities. I hate rushing and packing and unpacking but I've heard great things about Ronda and thought it would be nice to spend some time there.

i've also read some negatives about renting a car. When in Provence we rented a car and drove all over - until the gas strike! We had no problem and really enjoyed seeing the countryside. We don't plan on using the car in Granada or Seville.

Should I delete ronda and make it a drive through? We were thinking of driving along the coast after leaving Granada and then heading to Ronda. has anyone done this? Any suggestions on improving my itinerary would be appreciated!

Thanks for your help (once again)

OHandrew

Hi there,

well 3 nights will be sufficient if you only have 10 nights. Firstly there is so much to see here for everyone of any age.

Secondly flying to Granada I think is a good option. The south of Spain is extremely beautiful and Granada always receives great reviews from many. Again I think 2 nights will be sufficient with your time schedule.

Now with hiring a car, you have to be careful with this. A drive could be worth it but at the same time, I think its great just to stay in a city for some time instead of rushing your trip.

And then you can go to Seville. Here this can leave you with one or two nights more in any of the cities that you really enjoy. In this way, you are not rushing at all and allows you the liberty to stay longer in some cities.

Also with your 8:30 flight, I honestly think that is cutting it too thin. Reconsider that I think because it could cost you quite a lot of you miss your flight back to the states.

Anyway, I hope you have an amazing time in Spain.

OHandrew

(OH-holidays)

sdfamily

We rented a car in Granada and drove through Ronda to Sevilla. We also drove from Granada to Nerja to explore the caves. Honestly, the coast near Malaga was nothing special, but we did enjoy the caves and we had lunch in some little town on the hill that was beautiful. We did not stay overnight in Ronda, but just stopped for lunch and a walk around. Renting the car and the driving was easy (and we were dragging three young kids with us:=).

We returned the car immediately upon getting to Sevilla. Driving in that town is tricky. The car rental returns are near the train station. My husband dropped us off at our apartment and then went to return the car. I would get specific directions printed off beforehand for returning the car.

I would say that two nights in Ronda is too much, but that will give you time to explore on the way from Granada to Ronda, spend the next day relaxing in Ronda, and then the next day you will have plenty of time to explore the Pueblos Blancos on the way to Sevilla.

Oh, we stopped on the way to Ronda at really cool park up in the mountains. There were these really unique rock formations. I'll have to look up the name on my other computer.

SashieZ

Thanks all for your replies.

sdfamily - We weren't planning on stopping anywhere on the coast...just driving along the coast to get to Ronda from Granada... not really direct but I thought the drive would be prettier. True??

thanks again

danon

If your flights are not connecting ( i.e the same company) and you miss your flight, you are in trouble.
Barcelona is a great city with fantastic restaurants and much to see. Two days seems a very short time ( if you suffer jet-lag, even shorter).

danon

p.s
If you can get a flight from Bc to Granada right away, stay 2 nights in Granada,a night in Ronda, three nights in Seville and the rest of time in Barcelona you might find it more relaxing.?????

yorkshire

Granada to Ronda would not take you near the coast though. The countryside is my favorite part of the region--especially parts west/southwest of Ronda. I love Ronda and it makes a fantastic base.
I think your itinerary works, though I would have stayed in the BCN region all 10 days--there is just so much to see in Andalucia no matter what you will feel cheated.
But you are set--so I would now focus on narrowing down stops between Granada-Ronda and Ronda-Sevilla. Arcos is an obvious stop for the latter. PB are scattered over quiet a large area so prioritize.

SashieZ

Danon

yes, I like your reverse itinerary - but is it better to be aggravated at the beginning of a vacation or at the end? Any time we book a connecting flight something goes wrong...every time My husband is not an easy going traveller so I thought better to be relaxed at the beginning of our trip. I would love to spend more time in Barcelona but I know that if I love it, I'll be back.... but returning to Andalusia- probably not.

Yorkshire - I know the coast is not direct - I just thought if it was a beautiful drive it would be worth taking a detour...


maybe I can switch the flight going home to a later one....

thanks again all

sdfamily

I thought the inland (more direct) route to Ronda was beautiful. I'm pretty sure the national park we visited was Grazalema. It was very unusual and beautiful. I remember jotting down some other interesting places to stop along the way.

1travelbug

When I went to Spain, we stayed in Sevilla and took a day trip via bus to Ronda...1/2 day was plenty to visit the shops, see the bull ring and grab a bite to eat. The bus ride was scenic and passed by the pueblos blancos, little white villages nestled into the mountains. On another trip, I spent 3 or 4 days in Barcelona...plenty to do, great fresh market, architecture, seafood! If I were you, I'd try for 3 nights in Barcelona, 3 nights in Granada and 4 nights in Sevilla (including a day trip exploring Ronda/pueblos blancos). Enjoy!!!

Lifeman

I agree that Granada, which is really only the Alhambra, merits one night. The drive from Granada to Ronda can be done either along the coast or inland. The inland route is across country and takes you through some lovely countryside.

The old coast road through Malaga, Torremolinos, Fuengirola etc. is very slow and doesn't give you a fantastic view of the coast/sea along its whole length. It will give you a flavour of the touristy areas along the Costa del Sol.

As you can't change your flights, which is a shame, what about this for your ten nights:

Arrive Barcelona and overnight-gives a flavour of the city
Plane to Granada and overnight-time to see the Alhambra in the afternoon of the arrival day and then take the inland route to Ronda the following morning. It's about two and a half to three hours and 115 miles. Arrive for lunch and two nights to explore.

Ronda to Seville is 85 miles and a couple of hours by road. Plenty of time to arrive for lunch and two nights here.

Fly to Barcelona for 4 nights, which is nowhere near enough for this great city. It does give you the security of being sure that you won't miss your flight back to the US.

Hope this helps.

john183

We did this itinerary (which is almost the same as what you are proposing) in 2006 and had a GREAT time. Our style is to get up early and stay up late to see as much as possible so even though we had a short time in different places, we saw a lot!! We enjoyed the whole trip but our time in and around Ronda was our favorite. Having a car in Ronda for day trips was very nice. If you enjoyed driving in the countryside of Provence you will also love driving through the countryside of Andalucia. I'm not sure what negatives you have heard about renting a car but it worked out very well for us. We took the inland route to Ronda so I don't know if detouring to the coast would be worth it. I always get to the airport way too early (just ask my wife) so I'm not a good one to comment on having only 2 hours to catch your flight home. Hope you have a great time!!!

Spain Itinerary

Oct. 11 Arrive Barcelona at 11:05 AM

Oct. 11-12 Barcelona

Oct 13 Overnight train to Granada Leave 9:30 PM arrive 8:57 AM

Oct. 14-15 Granada

Oct. 16-18 Rent Avis car in Granada – drive to Ronda
stayed at the Parador de Ronda (underground parking included)
Day trips to Gibraltar and the “white villages”

Oct. 19-20 Sevilla - drop car off in Seville upon arrival

Oct 21 Take AVE train to Cordoba
Store luggage in locker, tour Mezquita
Continue on AVE train to Madrid arrive early afternoon

Oct 21-24 Stay with friends in Madrid
Day trip to Toledo

Oct 25 Leave Madrid at 11:25 AM

amycyma

Bookmarking

I am in the midst of planning my first trip to Spain, and interested in this area

amy

SashieZ

Thanks for your replies.

I am tempted to change the itinerary so that we end the trip in barcelona. I thought about staying one day in Barcelona and then moving on to Granda but checking in and out and back and forth to the airport doesn't appeal to me and will make my husband grouchy. However I am considering taking click air (or another airline??) to Granada when we initially arrive in BCN.

Please let me know those of you who travelled to the white towns....which are the ones not to miss?

joannyc

Horseback riding at sunrise in Ronda... excellent!

amsdon

Joannyc...plz tell more about this I would like to do that too. Is there a website for the horseriding?

SashieZ

Danon - I might have to take your advice with regard to ending my trip in Barcelona. Continental has only one flight from Barcelona to Newark (10:30 AM) and I can't find an early flight from Seville to Barcelona in order to make it.

So I think my itineray will now be

Fly to barcelona with a connecting flight to Granada
two nights Granada
rent a car and drive to Ronda
two nights Ronda
drive to Seville and drop off car
three nights Seville
Fly to Barcelona
three nights Barcelona

I haven't booked the flights yet (BCN to Granada and Seville to BCN) because it's a nightmare....but it looks like I'll be flying with two different airlines (air europa and Click Air).

Should I take one day away from Seville for four nights in Barcelona??

John - what would you say was the highlight of your trip?? and what would you have done differently?

joannyc

amsdon - It was a great 3 hour ride! The guides' dog and pony followed us until they had their fill. You ride thru people's front 'lawns' with their chickens, goats, cats, etc., and have the most amazing views of the town above! The guide will pick you up and drop you at your hotel. I have to say, it was a last minute decision upon seeing the brochure when checking into our hotel the previous night. But, it is one of my best memories of Andulsia!

Have to say... love the pics of us riding than posing in the cities!

Can't find a website but dug out my album and luckily I kept the flyer! Here's the info:

Picadero "La Granja"
Telf Reservation: 666 56 78 11
Telf: 95 287 59 56
Movil: 6666 66 78 11
Oficina: Plaza de Espana, 3

danon

I cannot comment on Rhonda but someone else may give you an idea if you really need 2 nights there.
I don't know about Seville either ( was there too long ago to remember) but Barcelona is a large city with tons to see and do.
We flew Vueling ( very good service) from B - Granada. they also fly Seville- B.

http://www.vueling.com/index.php?language=EN&mode=

danon

sorry, that is... Ronda