We will be going to Spain to vist a child studying in Seville. Our flights are in and out of Madrid. With 10 nights I was planning on spending 3 in Madrid, 2 in Granada 4 in Seville and the last night back in Madrid for our morning flight home.

I didn't realize that Granada was 4 1/2 hours by train. I'm not sure if we should skip that and spend 3-4 nights in Madrid and the balance in Seville. Since our daughter and host family will be quite familiar I'd love to be able to get more than a tourists experience in Seville.

Also, trying to figure out the pros and cons of driving vs. using trains. While a car seems less expensive I would have to find parking in cities like Seville and Madrid and pay for them. BUT, we would than have the freedom to go when we wanted to............any suggestions / advice? Thanks so much!

Do not miss Granada and Cordoba before going on to Seville. A car is cheaper and gives you freedom. You could drop it off when you get to Seville and take the train back to Madrid. Don't forget to make reserrvations to view the Alhambra. Have a wonderful trip !

IMHO Granada and Cordoba are both much more interesting than Madrid - but in 10 days you are going to have to make some hard decisions. You just don't have time to do it all.

We drove for two trips around Andalusia and then dropped the car when we got to Madrid. Parking not a problem since we had hotels with garages - near the center - and walked to all of the sights. But the car was great for getting from one place to another with stops long the way - as well as day trips to the White towns and a couple of others from Marbella.

Your initial plan is slightly rushed but not bad. 3 nights Madrid and 2 nights Granada is just barely enough. I'd definately budget 4 nights for Sevilla especially if your daughter is going to school in this beautiful city. Honestly if this is our itinerary I wouldn't bother with a car. You won't have time for exploring with the limited time you'll have in the cities themselves. If you had more time for exploring then it would be a good idea. If you purchase webfares on renfe in advance the prices for train travel are quite good compared to car rental, fuel and parking (which can be quite costly). I'd definately daytrip to Cordoba from Sevilla or between Madrid and Sevilla.

If need be, clip a day from Madrid in order to spend a night in Cordoba. Four nights in Seville will be more than adequate for your child to show you around.

I may be in the minority but I think with fairly limited time, skip Granada. It's just not that convenient and IMO if you see the alcazar in Seville, it gives a good idea of the Arabic architecture. The mezquita (mosque) in Cordoba is IMO a don't miss and very easily done as a daytrip from Seville. There is also an Alcazar in Cordoba with nice gardens, not as extensive as the Alhambra but much more easly done. A car would be nice to drive around from Seville to the hill towns and maybe down to the coast. Since you are connecting with a family I am sure they will be very gracious hosts and the very best way to experience a country - so give the stay in Seville some extra time to enjoy their hospitality.

Can you guess my suggestion would be to just do Madrid and Seville. You can do a day trip from Madird to Toledo and maybe also to Segovia. I am not a huge fan of Madrid but with a few daytrips, museums, and sitting in the Plaza Santa Anna you can easily fill up 4 days. Then take the AVE to Seville and rent a car for a day or two (unless the family is eager to show you around). Enjoy!

Take cathy's advice. There is no place like the Alhambra. there is also no need to rent a car. I like to end my trips with 3 nights in Madrid.

wow, great insight from everyone but now I'm more confused than ever. Suec1 brings up a great point about really taking advantage of having a local family & a daughter that will know the ropes by then. Hmmm...I think I'll need to ponder and discuss with the family. I hate to miss Granada, though....UGH!

argmom - the most efficient use of time is to put your nights in Madrid altogether at the end so that you are in the right place for flying home. this works best if you are arriving early in Madrid because you can use the rest of the day to get to your first destination.

your itinerary could look like this:

Day 1 - arrive in Madrid. Get train to Granada - stay 2 nights.
Day 2 - Alhambra. [book for the morning and night sessions]
Day 3 - train/bus to Cordoba. stay one night.
day 4 - train to Seville. stay 4 nights.
Day 8 - train to Madrid. stay 3 nights
day 11 - fly home.

please don't miss Granada - yes the Alcazar in Seville is lovely, but the Alhambra is in a different class.

have a wonderful trip.

ok, after a family discussion AND the consensus of this community....Granada is staying in our itinerary! Any suggestions what to do on our first day in Madrid. Keep in mind we will be arriving early am 10:00 ish and on just a few hours sleep, if that. Not sure what time check in is....mostly because I'm not sure where we're staying yet! We have 3 full days in MAdrid though, one day we're going to go to Toledo. Does that take a full day?

Annhig's itinerary is really good! Put all of your days/nights in Madrid at the end. Go straight to Granada on arrival. You will be rested for touring the Alhambra the next day. You will waste less time checking into and out of hotels. Don't bother with a car this trip.

I might consider going straight to Seville from Granada and stopping in Cordoba on the way back to Madrid, rather than staying the night there, or visiting Cordoba as a day trip from Seville; again, not checking into and out of another hotel.

Toledo is a nice full day, very easy and quick from Madrid, if you want to have lunch there and see as much as possible, though even an afternoon for the cathedral would be better than nothing. Toledo is interesting at night, so if you have a good train connection, you could have dinner there.

Segovia is also a nice day trip from Madrid.

Your trip is similar to one we did a few years back: 3 nights Madrid, train to Granada for 2 nights, 2 nights around Ronda, 4 nights Seville. We took the train all from Madrid to Granada - no problem. The Alhambra is breathtaking, and I would absolutely not miss it.

We rented a car when leaving Granada and drove around a little in the towns between there and Seville. Things got really "exciting" when we drove into Seville to drop off the car...thank God it was at the Santa Justa train station, because we saw NO street signs.

My two cents: take the train.

The main reason we are staying in Madrid in the beginning is that it coincides with my daughter's break from classes. She will be meeting us there after our 1st night and then travel to Granada with us and then ultimately, back to Seville. Since we don't have a lot of extra time to wander I think we sill stick to trains. We figured on a day trip to Toledo while in Madrid and a day trip to Cordoba while in Seville to avoid switching hotels and maximizing our time there.

The reality is you will be exhausted after the flight and useless for skilled actions for the next two days so don't drive during that time. In spain I'd take the train as they are so good and you get right into the centre. The visit to Grenada's Alhambra is vital but it only takes 4 hours even if you do a meditation in the rose garden. So for me I'd train in, leave the bags at a hotel, do the tour, a good nights sleep and hi-tail it over to Seville, with a day trip to Cordoba and or Malaga. Malaga has a reputation as being a sea-side resort, well it is but it's not "magaluf" and it has a fine castle and a Picasso museum.

I've driven into Seville in a rain storm, a bus strike and school holidays. (let the locals do it for you)