KarenWoo

Vipsha, it's too bad that it rained when you were in Cordoba. Bad weather can definitely influence a person's opinion and experiences. We were fortunate to have lovely sunny weather during our visit to Cordoba. We were there sometime in September, and perhaps September is livelier than April? Our first night we had dinner reservations at an awesome restaurant, and then after dinner we lingered on the Roman Bridge. It was a Saturday night, and there were many Spanish families with their children walking up and down the bridge. The children were riding their bikes. It felt like a Saturday night custom. The bridge was lit up as was the Mezquita, so the views and ambience were wonderful. On the second night, we had dinner at an enclosed market just outside the old walls. I don't remember the name. It's in my trip report. We took our time at the market trying different dishes, and there were lots of people around. What I liked is that we didn't have to elbow our way through crowds of people, like we did in Seville.

I agree it would have been nice to have an extra night in Seville (so 5 nights instead of 4), and an extra night in Granada (so 3 nights instead of 2).

joannyc

You seem to be active travelers since you like to hike, etc... I did a 3-hour sunrise horseback ride in Ronda down in the gorge. Beautiful views and great ride! Loved it!

castlesANDfalls

We are back from our trip. Here is what we did:
4 nights in Madrid at Hotel Petit Palace Plaza Mayor
Day 1: Got a late start due to plane delays. Walked to the Palace of Madrid, used the audio guides, went next door to see Almudena Cathedral, San Isidro Church and then the Reina Sofia Museum.
Day 2: Train to Toledo, visited 15 sites using a wrist band for entrance to 9 of those.
Day 3: Madrid: San Francisco Basilica, photographed exteriors of Edificio Metropolis, Banco de Espana, Palacio de Comunicaciones, Plaza de Cibeles, Puerta de Alcala. Went inside the communications building but the floor with observation deck was closed. Had lunch at a café in Retiro Park, visited the Palace of Crystal and then the Prado Museum.
Day 4: Rented a car and drove to El Escorial, Valley of the Fallen, La Granja Palace and then Segovia. Got back to Madrid after midnight.
Day 5: Train to Cordoba: Luggage storage ONLY at the Bus station Now!! Place across the street was closed and vacant. Alcazar, Roman Bridge, Puerta del Puenta, Mezquita, Calleja de las Flores, Plaza de la Corredera, Palacio de la Merced
Day 6: 1/2 day in Cordoba: Palacio Museo de Viana and Patios, Museo de Julio Romero de Torres, and the Roman temple of Cordoba. Train to Sevilla

castlesANDfalls

For Cordoba, we rented an apartment for one night with a washer and dryer. Then, 3 nights in Sevilla at Gran Melia Colon.
Day 6: 1/2 day in Seville: check into hotel, walked to Torre del Oro for photos and walk along the river and outside of the bull ring. Watched a guitar and flamenco show at Casa de la Guitarra
Day 7: Seville: , this is getting long. Guess I should do a trip report for the rest We still have El Torcal, Ronda, Caminito Del Rey, Granada and Nerja to go.
Thanks again for everyone's help.

kja

Did you enjoy it?

castlesANDfalls

Yes, kja we enjoyed it. The buildings, art and outdoor scenery were spectacular. However, even in early September, it was steamy, hot and unfortunately we had rain on several days including the day we visited the palace with all the patios, near the end of our hike in the Charro Mountains and on our beach day at Burriana Beach in Nerja. But, even though we were caught without our umbrellas, I did carry "emergency" ponchos in my purse so we were able to keep moving and laugh at how silly we looked in them. Thanks for asking.

annhig

Thanks for coming back to tell us about your trip. glad it all worked out, even if you got a bit wet occasionally!

macdogmom

What was your favorite places in the south? We only have 7 nights and are thinking of 4 in Sevilla, 2 in Granada and one night on the coast. My husband surfs, so maybe a place that gets waves.

castlesANDfalls

We really enjoyed the outdoor areas for hiking but Segovia, Cordoba, Toledo and Ronda were super neat places to be. macdogmom, we were looking for a beach and area with little to no surf since we wanted to snorkel or kayak. I'm used to the warm, Gulf waters so the water temp near Nerja was too cold for my comfort. We don't surf but I think I read of areas in the south that are good for that activity. I don't think you can go wrong with Sevilla and Granada either. Enjoy your vacation.