Madrid, Andalusia and possibly Tangiers
 

Hi. A friend and I are planning a 2 week trip (15 or 16 nights) to Spain around the middle of October. We will be flying from JFK to Madrid. From Madrid we would go to Córdoba, Sevilla, Malaga or another town with ferries going to Tangiers, Tangiers, Granada and back to Madrid for our flight home.

We are thinking 2 nights on each end of our trip in Madrid. Question is should we nix Malaga (or whatever town has the best ferry schedule to Tangier) and Tangier and see more of Andalusia, taking side trips to hidden jewels and quaint towns. Is there a special town I am missing that is worth checking out?

I've read comments that it isn't necessary to see Alhambra and Alcazar. Comments, please.

We would like time to enjoy our trip and not rush from one place to another where everything becomes a big blur. Any ideas, suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Besides the above, how many days/nights in each city?

Thank you,

Maryann

Algerciras has many many more ferries to Tangiers and a much shorter trip and can be reached directly by train from Seville.You could maybe fly from there to Madrid.

Anway if going by train be sure to book long-distance train tickets ASAP -for nifty discounts if available -if not you may as well wait till you get there when you know exactly what train you want to take -discounted tickets inevitably have severe restrictions from changing from a specific train on a specific date so you flexibility.

anyway see www.renfe.com or www.thetrainline.eu -similar fares latter is said to be easier to get to work for self-ticketing. For general info on trains check www.seat61.com - www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com..

In Madrid area Toledo is a superb and easy day trip.

Thank you; very helpful advice.

topping for others to see and comment.

It isn't necessary to see the Alhambra ??? That was one of our main reasons for going to Spain. As far as Tangiers. We made the trip from Algeciras . Easy, but I didn't enjoy the atmosphere of Tangiers. We returned another time and drove thru Morocco from Casablanca to Marrakesh thru the Atlas mountains. Much more interesting. My advice would be to skip Morocco this trip. As PalenQ said, Toledo
is a good trip.

The Alhambra is definitely worth visiting!

the Alhambra is indeed worth visiting in general but if doing Morocco then I think it would take too much time just to get there and back.

Cordoba's once mosque turned Christian cathedral is also an imposing Mudejar - Moorish building.

"I've read comments that it isn't necessary to see Alhambra and Alcazar. "

Who on earth said that? It has to be one of the craziest statements I've seen here. As far as I'm concerned, the Alhambra is the single best sight in Spain. Make sure you take the evening tour as well as the day one.

I would save Morocco for a proper trip there. Alternatives are the white towns, e.g. Ronda, and Gibraltar. Or you could fly into Madrid and out of Barcelona, or vice versa. Or visit some of the towns near Madrid, such as Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca.

<<"I've read comments that it isn't necessary to see Alhambra and Alcazar.>>

Well, there will always be crazy people with crazy ideas on the internet who think that some of the world's most amazing sights aren't worth visiting because they'd rather be in Disneyland, but that doesn't mean you should pay any attention to them. The Alhambra is breath-takingly fabulous. If you choose to listen to idiots, your (BIG) loss.

I would also take a pass on a fly-by trip to Morocco. It's a fabulous country that deserves an awful lot more than a zip into Tangier, where you will probably have an interesting exprience of something that will seem "exotic" but will not by any means be representative of the wonderfulness of Morocco itself.

Have our tickets flying from JFK to Madrid arriving 10/19 and returning from Madrid 11/4 (16 nights). Decided NOT to make a side trip to Tangiers.

As if now we are thinking:

- one night in Madrid

- three nights in Granada

- two nights in white hill towns. Thinking of Jerez or Rondo as home base and renting a car or hiring a driver to explore the area. Would love suggestions as to which town would be the best base. Open to other other base towns. In doing research, these seem to be good options but they are only two of many.

- four nights Seville

- two nights in Córdoba

- four nights in Madrid. Plan to go to Toledo. Does an overnight make sense? Or is this more of a day trip destination?

Suggestions/comments greatly appreciated. This seems like a lot of moving around but I don't see anything that should be cut out. Again, open to other options.

Another route would be Madrid, Seville, White Hill Towns, Granada, Córdoba, back to Madrid.

If Toledo should be a stop on its own vs a day trip, then Córdoba, one (or two nights) in Toledo, then on to Madrid.

Comments please.

I thought 2 full nights / 2 full days barely sufficient for Toledo, but many people visit it as a day trip.

You will, I believe, have to go through Madrid to get to Toledo.

As you finalize your plans, remember that many things in Spain are closed on Monday, and often for all or part of Sundays too; and many things in Spain will also be closed daily for a very long mid-day break.

In general, I think you have a really nice plan!