natasha_over

Hello, I'm looking for help trying to plan a 10 day itinerary. We were initially going to Israel via Madrid but with the current struggles have to put that on hold. Instead of dropping off the trip completely we're trying to see if we can put together something in Southern Spain instead. Would appreciate any help / direction as I haven't had a chance to read up yet. We are a family of 4 (2 adults 2 teens age 14 &16). Thoughts for a high level itin are below: Dates of flights are fixed (we can get a refund, but are trying to see if we can make this work instead). Everything else is flexible. Any and all recommendations greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

Monday, December 25, 2023 Arrive in Madrid at 7:55 AM; Travel to Granada

Tuesday, December 26, 2023 Granada

Wednesday, December 27, 2023 Travel to Malaga

Thursday, December 28, 2023 Malaga Malaga

Friday, December 29, 2023 Travel to Seville

Saturday, December 30, 2023 Seville

Sunday, December 31, 2023 Travel to Cordoba

Monday, January 1, 2024 Cordoba

Tuesday, January 2, 2024 Travel back to Madrid

Wednesday, January 3, 2024 Madrid

Thursday, January 4, 2024 Flight Madrid to Chicago

Thanks so much

Madam397

Sounds like a nice itinerary. Be prepared that it will likely be cold when you are in Granada up in the mountains and in Madrid itself. There may be some closures because of the holiday season. Are you thinking of driving or are you planning to travel by train? One day in Madrid doesn't really give you enough time to see the major sights or the sights outside of Madrid but close by such as the Escorial or Segovia, heading North or Toledo, heading South. Something to think about.

Rubicund

Most places in Madrid and Granada will be closed on Christmas Day, with only the odd restaurant open. Your hotel may be the best place to eat on arrival day. As for getting to Granada from Madrid, Iberia have flights around lunchtime .

Most places in Cordoba will be closed on New Years Day, apart from restaurants, but you will have to book now to have any hope of getting into somewhere decent for either NYE or NYD. The rest of your itinerary looks OK, so be careful of those holiday closures.

dreamon

I would take the train on arrival in Spain to your first destination, not fly. More enjoyable and more relaxing. And much better for the environment. Your plans sound fine but a bit fast paced for me so I'd probably skip Malaga, just because it's further afield, not because we didn't enjoy Malaga.

I think Madrid airport - Cordoba - Granada - Seville - Madrid would work well (or vice versa). All these towns are linked by excellent train services. I just suggest Cordoba first as it's the closest from Madrid and the train station in Cordoba is an easy walk to the town centre as well as Cordoba making a great introduction to Andalusia. Make sure to book the Alhambra in advance, assuming you're going there.

My daughter (then 20) and I had a holiday in Madrid and Andalusia in December just before Covid hit and had a wonderful time. Loved Cordoba and Seville best but everywhere we went was great. She had never visited before and loved it.

natasha_over

Thank you everyone for your responses. Much appreciated.