Mostly Andalucia Itinerary - Opinions Please
 

We originally thought we might have 3 weeks in Spain but due to other plans will only have 14 days there. Our thoughts are now as follows:

Day 1 - Arrive Madrid and go to Toledo for 2 nights
Day 3 - Train to Cordoba for 2 nights
Day 5 - Train to Seville for 4 nights (day trip one day to Ronda)
Day 9 - Train or bus to Granada for 2 or 3 nights
Day 11 or 12 - Train or bus from Granada to Malaga for 2 or 3 nights
Day 14 - Train to Madrid for last night
Day 15 - Leave for US in am

Would you change anything here? Would you stay 3 nights in Granada or Malaga?
Would you cut out Toledo and put the time in Andalucia?

Though not mid-way as the crow flies, in travel time Ronda is about half way between Seville and Granada. You can take a bus from Seville to Ronda in about 2 hours and also a bus from Ronda to Granada in about 2 hours. This allows at least a full day (and some evening time) in Ronda.

I would suggest this alteration:

Day 1 - Arrive Madrid and go to Toledo for 2 nights
Day 3 - Train to Seville for 5 nights (includes one day trip to Cordoba - 43 minutes each way on AVE train)
Day 8 - Bus to Ronda for 1 or 2 nights
Day 9 or 10 - Train or bus to Granada for 2 or 3 nights
Day 11 or 12 - Train or bus from Granada to Malaga for 2 or 3 nights
Day 14 - Train to Madrid for last night
Day 15 - Leave for US in am

Do you have to go back to Mardid - no planes from Malaga or elsewhere - to avoid wasting a day returning?

bardo1: We originally had 2 nights in Ronda on our itinerary but I've read a lot of comments that Ronda is only worth a day. We do enjoy small towns but given our cut-back from 3 weeks to 2 weeks, thought we'd do it as a day a trip. It sounds like you think it's better to spend the time there than Cordoba?

nytraveler: We have early morning direct flight from Madrid to our home town so need to leave from Madrid. We want to be there the night before our return flight.

Would you spend 3 days in Granada or Malaga?

I'd spend the night in Ronda and make Malaga 2 nights. Enjoy!

yorkshire: thanks for your input. I really hate 1 night stays but maybe Ronda isn't worth 2 nights. Otherwise, I could cut back 1 night each on Seville and Malaga.

What does everyone think about 2 nights in Ronda and cutting back to 3 nights in Seville and 2 nights in both Malaga and Granada or should we do Cordoba as a day trip from Seville as Bardo1 suggests?

Forget Ronda. Isn't worth one night. Can be done as a day trip from Malaga. Give two nights to both Granada and Cordoba. They are majestic.

Karen,

It appears there are differing opinions on Fodor's - shocking!

FWIW, we spent two nights and two full days exploring Ronda and wouldn't have changed it all.

On another thread here - there are plenty of Fodorites who rated Paris and Rome as "meh".

Do your research here and maybe Tripadvisor and decide for yourself...

Karen,

As to Granada vs. Malaga for three nights: both options are equally appropriate either is worthy of three nights. If you could rent a car for a day from Granada to explore some of the nearby white villages, that would be a plus.

bardo1: thanks, i just saw your trip report from 2007 and will read it tonight. I think we need to add 2 days to our trip to fit it all in :)

If you're spending a couple of nights in Toledo, you'll have to return to Madrid in order to take the train to Cordoba.

As noted, you can catch a connecting flight from Malaga instead of having to return to Madrid for the night. Just book your return flight from Malaga.

Robert2533: We know about the connection in Madrid from Toledo. We also like to be in the city we are departing to the US from the night before as we have an early morning departure to the US the next day. We have direct flights from Madrid to our home city and AA does not fly from Malaga so we will be flying or training from Malaga to Madrid the night before.

I spent one night in Ronda and left after a total of a bit under 24 hours -- earlier than I had planned. I enjoyed my time there, but was ready to leave. Visiting Ronda between Granada and Sevilla, whether you spend a night or two there or not, might save you time.

I spent 2 nights and nearly 2 full days in Cordoba and thought it worth every moment.

It really depends on what you prefer and like and how you usually visit sights, small villages and take them in. I can imagine people staying a night in Ronda, two seems a bit over the top, while I recommend going there in transit and simply spending half the day between whichever two beautiful cities you end up going to.

depending on your arrival and departure, 2 nights can be one full day or almost 2days.
We had 3 nights in Granada...arriving early and leaving late( we flew in and out)...gave us 3 days- which was a bit long.
Perhaps you could check the train/bus schedules before deciding.

kja and malobalo: thanks for your opinions. We enjoy the small hill towns in Italy and France. Are the white villages in Spain similar to those? In any event, we've decided to put Ronda back on our itinerary in some fashion.

We would like to break up the larger cities with a stop in a smaller town. Now just need to decide how long.

AA has a connecting flight through Iberia.

Robert2533-thanks for info on Iberia. We'll check it out.

Karen,

With the exception of Madrid, none of these are "large cities. They are "medium sized" at best.

Now that you are considering Iberia airlines, as well as some smaller towns. You might reconsider the entire itinerary (!) and consider an open jaw and skip Madrid altogether. Then you could travel in one direction only (south) and have a one-way car rental to see some smaller village and towns along the way. The only disadvantage is you'll connect in Madrid on the flight home. Maybe flying into Madrid and home from Granada. It may be worth sacrificing the non-stops. Just a thought.

Bardo1 - thanks for some more food for thought. We read your trip report from 2007 to the area and loved it! It certainly made our decision to stop in Ronda and other small villages easier.

We actually wanted to see Toledo so will probably plan on flying into Madrid (direct flight from DFW) and then return from Malaga (on Iberia with stop in Madrid to connect to US). This will save us a night and give us an extra day in Malaga or area. We are still undecided if we wsnt to do Nerja or Malaga. We also added a day return on Sat instead of Friday since the following Monday is Memorial Day and will have an extra day off work.

Thinking of this option:
Day 1: Fly to Madrid, arrive day 2
Day 2: Train to Toledo for 2 days
Day 4: Train to Cordoba (thru Madrid) for 2 days
Day 6: Train to Seville for 4 days
Day 10: P/U car and head to Ronda for 2 days to see small towns
Day 12: Drive to Granada for 2 days
Day 14: Drive to Malaga (or Nerja), drop car if Malaga
Day 17: Fly from Malaga--Madrid--US

What do you think? Is 4 days in Seville too much? Should we add a 3rd day to Granada instead?