Need help Dec/Jan Honeymoon plans
Sep 17th, 2003 | 09:02 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 38
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Need help Dec/Jan Honeymoon plans
My husband and I are planning a delayed honeymoon during the holidays and would like help with our itinerary. This will be the second half of our trip, so jet lag will not be an issue.
Our wish list includes:
Granada
Ronda
Cordoba
Merida
Lisbon
Sintra
Madrid
We plan to take the overnight train from Paris to Granada. We have scheduled to spend a total of four days between Granada, Ronda, Cordoba and Merida, three days in Portugal (including New Years Day) and two days in Madrid. If we have to skip any towns, they will probably be Ronda and/or Merida.
For the Granada, Ronda, Cordoba Merida portion, what are some recommendations for travel ? train or bus? Is it possible to view any of these towns in a few hours so we can spend more time in another?
We hope to take the train whenever possible, and the bus as needed. I have found some train schedules online, but where can I find bus schedules?
Our schedule is fairly flexible, so any advice we can get will be appreciated.
Our wish list includes:
Granada
Ronda
Cordoba
Merida
Lisbon
Sintra
Madrid
We plan to take the overnight train from Paris to Granada. We have scheduled to spend a total of four days between Granada, Ronda, Cordoba and Merida, three days in Portugal (including New Years Day) and two days in Madrid. If we have to skip any towns, they will probably be Ronda and/or Merida.
For the Granada, Ronda, Cordoba Merida portion, what are some recommendations for travel ? train or bus? Is it possible to view any of these towns in a few hours so we can spend more time in another?
We hope to take the train whenever possible, and the bus as needed. I have found some train schedules online, but where can I find bus schedules?
Our schedule is fairly flexible, so any advice we can get will be appreciated.
Sep 17th, 2003 | 12:37 PM
#2
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 637
Likes: 0
carmand
just some comments:
How much time do you have all together?
You are going to travel end Dec and there are some days 24/25 with few train, bus services.
Train from Paris to Granada involves a stop in Madrid changing trains and the Granada one leaves at 8:10
Merida does not really match with the Andalusian part, but more into the portugese side.
Back to the first question how long and when.
just some comments:
How much time do you have all together?
You are going to travel end Dec and there are some days 24/25 with few train, bus services.
Train from Paris to Granada involves a stop in Madrid changing trains and the Granada one leaves at 8:10
Merida does not really match with the Andalusian part, but more into the portugese side.
Back to the first question how long and when.
Sep 17th, 2003 | 03:54 PM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,662
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Hi carmand,
4 nights to do Granada, Ronda, Córdoba and Mérida depending on the limitations of public transportation seems very, very challenging to me.
Since you'll be arriving to Granada from Paris in the afternoon, you will have that afternoon only to visit the Alhambra (you might want to purchase advanced tickets at www.alhambratickets.com, particularly if your visit coincides with the school vacation) and the Cathedral/Royal Chapel and the rest of downtown, then an overnight.
I'm assuming you'll depart for Ronda the next morning. There's a 7 a.m. direct train, then a 1:45 train, both Andalucia Express (see www.renfe.es) which takes almost 3 hrs. Bus would be the same. Then a night in Ronda, then on to Córdoba (skipping Sevilla?), but it's time consuming to reach Cordoba from Ronda by public transportation. You'd need to switch bus or train in Antequera, I believe. It's 1 1 1/2 hrs. by train from Ronda to Antequera then another 2 1/2 hrs. from Antequera to Córdoba via Alsina Graells Sur bus. Overnight in Córdoba, but that's the 3rd one-nighter in a row. Just doesn't seem like a relaxing honeymoon. Then you'd need to leave early the next morning to make your way to Portugal, but Mérida isn't on any direct bus or train route to Lisbon. I'm not sure how you would travel from Córdoba to Lisbon by public transport without going through Madrid. So I'm afraid this just isn't doable.
And as car says, when traveling on Xmas eve or day, you'd be a prisoner to the truncated holiday schedules.
It would really be easier and more enjoyable, I think, to limit your trip to Andalucía and Madrid (skipping Mérida which is in the region of Extremadura), as you could have more than 1 night in a destination and take the easy and quick AVE back to Madrid from Córdoba. It's just a huge hunk of Iberia to cover in a week depending on public transportation with fewer holiday departures. Just some thoughts...
4 nights to do Granada, Ronda, Córdoba and Mérida depending on the limitations of public transportation seems very, very challenging to me.
Since you'll be arriving to Granada from Paris in the afternoon, you will have that afternoon only to visit the Alhambra (you might want to purchase advanced tickets at www.alhambratickets.com, particularly if your visit coincides with the school vacation) and the Cathedral/Royal Chapel and the rest of downtown, then an overnight.
I'm assuming you'll depart for Ronda the next morning. There's a 7 a.m. direct train, then a 1:45 train, both Andalucia Express (see www.renfe.es) which takes almost 3 hrs. Bus would be the same. Then a night in Ronda, then on to Córdoba (skipping Sevilla?), but it's time consuming to reach Cordoba from Ronda by public transportation. You'd need to switch bus or train in Antequera, I believe. It's 1 1 1/2 hrs. by train from Ronda to Antequera then another 2 1/2 hrs. from Antequera to Córdoba via Alsina Graells Sur bus. Overnight in Córdoba, but that's the 3rd one-nighter in a row. Just doesn't seem like a relaxing honeymoon. Then you'd need to leave early the next morning to make your way to Portugal, but Mérida isn't on any direct bus or train route to Lisbon. I'm not sure how you would travel from Córdoba to Lisbon by public transport without going through Madrid. So I'm afraid this just isn't doable.
And as car says, when traveling on Xmas eve or day, you'd be a prisoner to the truncated holiday schedules.
It would really be easier and more enjoyable, I think, to limit your trip to Andalucía and Madrid (skipping Mérida which is in the region of Extremadura), as you could have more than 1 night in a destination and take the easy and quick AVE back to Madrid from Córdoba. It's just a huge hunk of Iberia to cover in a week depending on public transportation with fewer holiday departures. Just some thoughts...
Sep 19th, 2003 | 08:47 AM
#4
Original Poster
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 38
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Thank you so much for your advice. I was able to use the RENFE web site to check out train schedules. It showed me just what you said, my wish list is not possible in the time allowed. I've revised our plans to be less ambitious, but still busy. I would appreciate if you give it a glance and let me know what you think. Since we want to spend Christmas in Paris, the Spain/Portugal portion of our trip will begin on December 27 and last through January 5 (9 days and nights).
We plan to leave Paris on the overnight train on December 26. Even though the train arrives in Madrid on the morning of the 27th, it will be too late to catch the morning train to Granada. We will play around Madrid for awhile and head out to Granada in the evening, staying there for two nights.
We can take the 7:00 train on the morning of December 29 to Ronda and visit for awhile, then take the 4:35pm train to Cordoba. (If I am reading the schedule correctly, it is a 2-1/2 hour train trip from Ronda to Cordoba on Alteria 00147).
We will spend the night in Cordoba and take an evening train to Madrid in time to catch the overnight train to Lisbon. This would put us in Lisbon on the morning of December 31. We plan to wander around Lisbon for a few days, which will allow us to work around the holiday on January 1. We hope to visit either Sintra or Obidos while there. We will head to Madrid on another overnight trip arriving the morning of January 3 and leave to fly home around midday January 5.
This schedule allows us to stay in cities at least two nights, except for the night in Cordoba. My husband has been to Madrid, Sevilla and Toledo. He would prefer to spend most of his time in cities that he has never had the pleasure of visiting. I have never been to Europe, so it will all be new and wonderful to me.
A few questions - How early do we need to be at the train stations in order to make sure we get aboard? Missing scheduled trains would not be too upsetting, except for the sleeper trains. Will we be able to leave our luggage at the station in Ronda while we wander about? We will be travelling light, but we prefer not to carry the bags with us all day.
We plan to remain flexible. I will make reservations for the sleeper trains, but if things seem too hectic or we want to stay in one place a little longer, we will just change our plans. I find that the more information I have in advance, the easier it is to make these last minute decisions. Taking advantage of those unexpected opportunities are what life is all about.
Thanks again for your help. It is going to be an amazing honeymoon!
Carmand
We plan to leave Paris on the overnight train on December 26. Even though the train arrives in Madrid on the morning of the 27th, it will be too late to catch the morning train to Granada. We will play around Madrid for awhile and head out to Granada in the evening, staying there for two nights.
We can take the 7:00 train on the morning of December 29 to Ronda and visit for awhile, then take the 4:35pm train to Cordoba. (If I am reading the schedule correctly, it is a 2-1/2 hour train trip from Ronda to Cordoba on Alteria 00147).
We will spend the night in Cordoba and take an evening train to Madrid in time to catch the overnight train to Lisbon. This would put us in Lisbon on the morning of December 31. We plan to wander around Lisbon for a few days, which will allow us to work around the holiday on January 1. We hope to visit either Sintra or Obidos while there. We will head to Madrid on another overnight trip arriving the morning of January 3 and leave to fly home around midday January 5.
This schedule allows us to stay in cities at least two nights, except for the night in Cordoba. My husband has been to Madrid, Sevilla and Toledo. He would prefer to spend most of his time in cities that he has never had the pleasure of visiting. I have never been to Europe, so it will all be new and wonderful to me.
A few questions - How early do we need to be at the train stations in order to make sure we get aboard? Missing scheduled trains would not be too upsetting, except for the sleeper trains. Will we be able to leave our luggage at the station in Ronda while we wander about? We will be travelling light, but we prefer not to carry the bags with us all day.
We plan to remain flexible. I will make reservations for the sleeper trains, but if things seem too hectic or we want to stay in one place a little longer, we will just change our plans. I find that the more information I have in advance, the easier it is to make these last minute decisions. Taking advantage of those unexpected opportunities are what life is all about.
Thanks again for your help. It is going to be an amazing honeymoon!
Carmand
Sep 19th, 2003 | 10:20 AM
#5
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,662
Likes: 0
carmand,
While your revised itinerary still seems very ambitious to me and replete with very long train rides (I'm assuming you both are train enthusiasts!) and if I were going, I'd still pare down a bit more, leaving Ronda for another trip, I'm glad that you'll have that "down time" in Lisbon over New Years.
I once spent a magical Xmas-New Years holiday in Lisbon, and it was one of my most memorable trips ever. It's a beautiful city during the holidays.
About your questions:
I would arrive at the train station 1/2 hr. in advance to err on the safe side, as holiday ticket lines can be long. You most certainly (!!) need those prior reservations for the sleepers, particularly during the holidays. And I would also pre-purchase your Córdoba-Madrid AVE tickets on the www.renfe.es Tiknet site. You can then pick them up at Chamartín station when you arrive in Madrid from Paris.
If you decide to linger in Córdoba, you can always exchange the tickets at the station for a later departure. The AVE trains run full during the Xmas and Holy Week seasons.
Luckily your train to Granada from Madrid departs from Chamartín, where your Paris train arrives, so you can take stash your bags in the luggage lockers outside the station, open from 7-11, then take the metro to downtown Madrid to play around.
Since you'll be arriving in Granada rather late, at 10:42 p.m., I would certainly have Granada hotel reservations firmly in hand, again, particularly because of the school holiday which lasts until Jan. 7, after Epiphany.
About the inclusion of Ronda:
I'm not sure about the luggage check, called the "consigna", at the Renfe station in Ronda. On the Renfe site, if there's luggage storage at a station, it's usually indicated with a symbol and the opening hrs. given, but I see nothing for Ronda. If there isn't a "consigna" there, you can always walk the 3 blocks to the bus station at Plaza Concepción García Redondo, where there IS luggage storage, open at 9 a.m. and costs 3 euros for the day.
That said, I really do love Ronda and always plan an overnight there. I wish you did have time to spend the night, as after the tour busses leave I find it truly lovely and very romantic, but perhaps you can return someday. Or you may be so happy in lively Granada, that you'll want to spend more time there, leaving Ronda for another trip and heading straight to Córdoba, which is an easy 3 hr. Alsina Graells bus ride from Granada (no direct train connection).
This is what I would do.
Or add more time to your short Lisbon stay.
Ronda is a very walkable town, by the way. If you go, make sure to stroll the streets of La Ciudad, the Old Arab Quarter, across the bridge, which has so many beautiful mansions and great photo ops, along with those from the spectacular gorge.
About your Córdoba-Madrid AVE trip:
You'll be arriving at the Puerta de Atocha station in the southern part of the city and will need to transfer to Chamartín up north for your Lisbon sleeper, the Lusitania Express. Just take the Cercanías train from Atocha to Chamartín which has only 2 intermediary stops, at Recoletos and Nuevos Ministerios.
Hope this has answered at least some of your questions.
While your revised itinerary still seems very ambitious to me and replete with very long train rides (I'm assuming you both are train enthusiasts!) and if I were going, I'd still pare down a bit more, leaving Ronda for another trip, I'm glad that you'll have that "down time" in Lisbon over New Years.
I once spent a magical Xmas-New Years holiday in Lisbon, and it was one of my most memorable trips ever. It's a beautiful city during the holidays.
About your questions:
I would arrive at the train station 1/2 hr. in advance to err on the safe side, as holiday ticket lines can be long. You most certainly (!!) need those prior reservations for the sleepers, particularly during the holidays. And I would also pre-purchase your Córdoba-Madrid AVE tickets on the www.renfe.es Tiknet site. You can then pick them up at Chamartín station when you arrive in Madrid from Paris.
If you decide to linger in Córdoba, you can always exchange the tickets at the station for a later departure. The AVE trains run full during the Xmas and Holy Week seasons.
Luckily your train to Granada from Madrid departs from Chamartín, where your Paris train arrives, so you can take stash your bags in the luggage lockers outside the station, open from 7-11, then take the metro to downtown Madrid to play around.
Since you'll be arriving in Granada rather late, at 10:42 p.m., I would certainly have Granada hotel reservations firmly in hand, again, particularly because of the school holiday which lasts until Jan. 7, after Epiphany.
About the inclusion of Ronda:
I'm not sure about the luggage check, called the "consigna", at the Renfe station in Ronda. On the Renfe site, if there's luggage storage at a station, it's usually indicated with a symbol and the opening hrs. given, but I see nothing for Ronda. If there isn't a "consigna" there, you can always walk the 3 blocks to the bus station at Plaza Concepción García Redondo, where there IS luggage storage, open at 9 a.m. and costs 3 euros for the day.
That said, I really do love Ronda and always plan an overnight there. I wish you did have time to spend the night, as after the tour busses leave I find it truly lovely and very romantic, but perhaps you can return someday. Or you may be so happy in lively Granada, that you'll want to spend more time there, leaving Ronda for another trip and heading straight to Córdoba, which is an easy 3 hr. Alsina Graells bus ride from Granada (no direct train connection).
This is what I would do.
Or add more time to your short Lisbon stay.
Ronda is a very walkable town, by the way. If you go, make sure to stroll the streets of La Ciudad, the Old Arab Quarter, across the bridge, which has so many beautiful mansions and great photo ops, along with those from the spectacular gorge.
About your Córdoba-Madrid AVE trip:
You'll be arriving at the Puerta de Atocha station in the southern part of the city and will need to transfer to Chamartín up north for your Lisbon sleeper, the Lusitania Express. Just take the Cercanías train from Atocha to Chamartín which has only 2 intermediary stops, at Recoletos and Nuevos Ministerios.
Hope this has answered at least some of your questions.
Sep 19th, 2003 | 12:05 PM
#6
Original Poster
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Thank you so much for the advice. You have answered all of my questions.
We may need to drop Ronda from our trip, but I really hate to do that. I don't know when we'll get back to Spain and the city sounds absolutely amazing.
Are you the Maribel who has those wonderful Madrid files that I keep reading about? If so, I would love to get a copy.
Thank you again for your help.
Carmand
We may need to drop Ronda from our trip, but I really hate to do that. I don't know when we'll get back to Spain and the city sounds absolutely amazing.
Are you the Maribel who has those wonderful Madrid files that I keep reading about? If so, I would love to get a copy.
Thank you again for your help.
Carmand
Sep 19th, 2003 | 12:22 PM
#7
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,662
Likes: 0
carmand,
Before I disappear for a while or permanently change my screen name!
, I'll be happy to send the now infamous files if you could provide me with an email address.
Thanks, and again best wishes for a wonderful honeymoon!
Before I disappear for a while or permanently change my screen name!
, I'll be happy to send the now infamous files if you could provide me with an email address.Thanks, and again best wishes for a wonderful honeymoon!
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Sep 22nd, 2003 | 06:46 AM
#8
Original Poster
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Maribel,
Please send your files to me at [email protected].
Thank you so much for all of your help in planning our trip. Thank you in advance for your files. I'm sure that they will be a wonderful assistance when we start to fine tune the details.
Carmand
Please send your files to me at [email protected].
Thank you so much for all of your help in planning our trip. Thank you in advance for your files. I'm sure that they will be a wonderful assistance when we start to fine tune the details.
Carmand
