Need help with Andalusia Trip.
 

We are planning to Ansalusia for Christmas and New Year . We will be probably arriving in Sevilla on December 25, and staying 10 days. I am not sure yet which cities will be visiting, but planning 4 nights in Sevilla, 1 night in Cordoba, and 3 nights in Granada, having 2 nights free for any other idea.
I would like to visit The Alpujarras from Granada, or perhaps Pueblos Blancos, staying maybe in Ronda or Arcos or somewhere else, but not sure if we could make it in late December because of weather/snow etc. I need advise please.
1) Is my itinerary good?
2) Is convenient to rent a car once we leave Sevilla? I may consider also doing Sevilla- CVordoba- Granada WITHOUT a car as parking is arounf 15 euros a day in the hotels plus city parking ....
3) Sugestions on side trips? I heard Carmona can be a day trip from Sevilla, any other recomendation?
4) Buses or trains ?
Thank you fellow travellers !

Excellent public transportation in the area as in all of Spain. A car is a hassel in cities such as Sevilla, Córdoba and Granada (narrow streets, one way driven all around etc etc), and parking is - as you say - expensive. I would't rent a car unless you plan to go into the beautiful Alpujarras which can be snowy at this time of year.

Sevilla to Córdoba with the high speed AVE train in 50 minutes (renfe.com), a car would take two hours. Bus or train from Córdoba to Granada(alsa.es, 2h 45 mins), train from Granada to Ronda (renfe.com, 2h 30 min) and bus from Ronda to Sevilla (losamarillos.es, 1h 45 min).

Carmona is a good side trip from Sevilla. When in Sevilla I also recommend to see the ruins of the Roman city Itálica. The quite well preserved Roman theater held 25 000 spectators and was the third largest in the Roman empire. 10 mins and 20€ by taxi or frequent buses (25 mins and 1€) from the Plaza de las Armas bus station. The allegedly most successful and competent of all the Roman emperors, Trajan, was born here. A fine tapas bar/restaurant right in front of the entrance:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italica

When in Córdoba, perhaps also visit the ruins of the 10th century palace city Madinat al-Zahra just outside town? http://www.andalucia.com/magazine/en...d4/madinat.htm

Whatever you end up doing, just remember that the days are shorter in late December/early January, so plan accordingly.

Also, the Christmas season begins on the 24th and ends on the 6th of January, Epiphany. Most restaurants will be closed on the 25th and 1st of Jan, and some will close for the holidays.

Thank you kimhe & Robert. I will then plan accordly !

> I would like to visit The Alpujarras from Granada

I thought Las Alpujarras a spectacularly beautiful area, but am not sure I would want to try visiting it in winter. I visited it from Grenada one Oct.; here are some comments from a previous thread:

kja on Aug 4, 10 at 5:19pm
... I really enjoyed a night in Capileira in Las Alpujarras. The bus ride to get there (from Granada) was terrifying, with a seemingly endless stretch of blind, sharply switchbacking curves, but the area is lovely IMO. I'm not sure one can really experience "village life" there, but it might be worth considering.

weber6560 on Aug 4, 10 at 5:50pm
kja: scariest road I have ever been on.

lincasanova on Aug 4, 10 at 5:57pm
My aunt wouldn't even get out of the car to be in the picture at a picturesque spot.!LOL!

kja on Aug 4, 10 at 6:57pm
weber6560 and lincasanova - so glad it wasn't just me! At first, I thought I was really lucky because I had gotten the front seat on the right-hand side of the bus. But that just meant that I felt like I was hanging off the road on many of those turns! I kept telling myself to go ahead and look because the scenery was stunning and if I was to die, I might as well enjoy the view, but every time I looked, it was so frightening that I reflexively turned away. And as though the road wasn't bad enough, my driver on the way in played really irritating music at full volumn and spent most of the trip talking - with his hands. I wondered whether I could bring myself to board the bus when it was time to leave, or whether I'd have to choose between hiking out or moving in!


BTW, the ride out was much less terrifying. And I don't think that was entirely due to the large (very large!) glass of beer I had before boarding. I chose a seat part-way back and this driver seemed much more attentive to the road, which makes sense because drivers do generally have more control going up than coming down.

Thanks kya !

Let us know what you decide and how it works out!

Hey KJA:

2 more questions:

is it convenient to stay in Cordoba for one night or can be done in one day ? What are your thoughts about it ?

I am also considering skipping Granada and do a base 6 days in Sevilla and 4 days in Cordoba and visiting Ronda for one day ( return by bus in a day ) and add Ubeda and Baeza instead of Granada....any thoughts about this one to ?

Thanks !

You are lucky getting excellent advice from fellow before my posting.
Charming as Carmona is I would not spend time there unless I choose to stay in the beautiful Parador of Carmona. instead I would simply focus in Seville, Itaca is a better choice for a day trip
because it adds the Historical presence of the Roman Empire in the region' history.
I would add to my trip something different from the regular Andalucia visitor 's itinerary and go to Ubeda and next door Baeza. These two Rennaissance jewels are fascinating and offer the plus of excellent foot tours.
I took them in Spanish and they were a highlight in our trip.Cordoba , Sevilla and Granada are a must
And in themselves justify and fullfil any trip. buena Suerte.

you know I have not read before your last posting mentioning that you have thought of going to Ubeda.
Then we agree, :-) but skipping Granada seems a sin.
In my opinion Ronda is the one place to be skipped, Granada, you will love it, and the Alhambra is a must, .....I am thrilled you thought of Ubeda- Baeza, the company that offers the foot tour is private, not the city.It is not expensive and they have a combo ticket for Ubeda and Baeza.
I am sure you are aware that you can reserve the day and time of visiting Alambra, rent an Audioguide
And if you have time visit the Museum inside , guides are retired university professors, if you know
Spanish they are very interesting.
going up the Cuesta to the Alambra in Granada there are buses also a taxi is not much and worth taking it.
Buena suerte.

> is it convenient to stay in Cordoba for one night or can be done in one day ?

It really depends on what you want to see and experience. I spent 2 nights and nearly 2 full days in Cordoba - and I was NOT traveling at a leisurely pace! If all you want to do is to see the Mezquita, you can do it as a day trip. I'm very glad that I made time for some of Cordoba's other worthy sites.

> I am also considering skipping Granada and do a base 6 days in Sevilla and 4 days in Cordoba and visiting Ronda for one day ( return by bus in a day )

Again, it really depends on what you want to see and experience. And your preferred style of travel. For example, I don't mind one-night stays, but many (most?) people try to avoid them at all costs.

FWIW, here's what I did in the area:
I reached Cordoba by late afternoon/early evening. I spent two nights in Cordoba, so my time there included that 1st evening + full day + until early afternoon the following day.

I reached Granada in time for a short walk and dinner, and then left the next morning for...

Las Alpujarras. See above. I arrived in Capileira (where I spent the night) in plenty of time for a long hike on my first day there, spent one night, and had time for a somewhat shorter walk the next day before my bus back to...

Granada, which I reached in time to check in and go to the terrace of the Mirador of St Nicolas to see the sun set over the Alhambra. I spent 3 nights in Granada (or 4, if you count the one before my trip to Las Alpujarrus), giving me 2 full days in Granada. I can easily imagine enjoying another 1/2 day there, even moving at a fast pace.

I left Granada in time to reach Ronda by mid-day. I spent the rest of that day and the next morning in Ronda. I had planned to leave Ronda during the late afternoon, but decided that I'd seen what I wanted to see by early afternoon, so I left for Sevilla.

I did not give myself enough time in Sevilla, which I now believe deserves at least 3 full days.

> and add Ubeda and Baeza instead of Granada....any thoughts about this one to ?

I didn't visit Ubeda or Baeza, so I can't offer direct comparisons. I can - and will - say that I thought the Alhambra one of the most beautiful and unique spaces created by human hands that I have ever been privileged to see. Breathtaking! And as I have repeatedly said on this board, I recommend spending at least a half day exploring the Alhambra during the day and then visit the Nazrid Palace a 2nd time during the night. Now that the gardens are also open at night (they weren't when I was there), making that a 3rd visit would seem worth considering. Visiting the Alhambra was one of the thing that I most wanted to do during my 24-day trip to central and southern Spain, so I would never have considered skipping Granada. But to each his/her own!

Hope that helps!

BTW, note that many things will likely be closed on Mondays. Plan your time accordingly!

Granada with the Alhambra and Córdoba - once the most advanced city in the western world - would be very sad missing when you are in the area.

Alhambra: http://www.andalucia.com/cities/gran...hamhistory.htm

Córdoba has got lots more to offer than the obvious tourist atractions such as the Mezquita, the Alcazar etc. Go a little North of the major tourist atractions to find "Roman" Córdoba with excellent and affordable tabernas on every corner and a much more local atmosphere.

Had great meals in some of these tabernas last summer. At night, we used to pay some 30-35€ included a bottle of wine and a couple of brandys. Taberna Salinas is one of the more famous, recommended by the Michelin guide: http://www.tabernasalinas.com/

I also loved Taberna El Gallo in C/Mária Cristina, 6, two minutes from Plaza de las Tendillas, close to the Roman ruins. Great wines - try the dry Amargoso - and excellent tapas. In one word: Genuine!
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html
http://cordobapedia.wikanda.es/wiki/Taberna_El_Gallo

Here's a list of more tabernas in Córdoba. http://www.cordoba24.info/tavernen/h...vernen_en.html

If you go to Córdoba, perhaps also visit the ruins of the 10th century palace city Madinat al-Zahra just outside town: http://www.andalucia.com/magazine/en...d4/madinat.htm

We had 8 nights and spent 2 Granada, 2 Cordoba and 4 Seville. I agree with the other comment that Cordoba can be done as a daytrip but we were glad we spent the additional time there. We actually preferred both Granada and Cordoba to Seville. I also agree that being there I would not miss out on Granada. The Alhambra and the El Albaicin (The Arab Quarter) which maintains much of its Moorish past, are both must sees in the region.

Here is a link to my trip report with pictures:
http://www.fromhometoroam.com/catego...ope/andalucia/

Thanks all ! Will get the map and plan accordly. Will share plans...

We all agree that Córdoba ,Seville and Granada are a must however I hope you follow your guts and and also include Ubeda-Baeza . Totally different from the rest and often not include in the beaten path the fact is that its Casco Antiguo in one of the most outstanding enclaves of Renaissance Architecture in Spain.A paid walking tour is a must because it includes access to fascinating buildings
otherwise closed to the public.
We stayed in the old Parador Nacional ( I believe that they were building a new one at the time) I really enjoy it because this old Parador actually is the Xvi Century palace residence of a Bishop, designed by Andres de Valdelvira.It is located in beautiful Plaza Vazquez de Medina, next to the Capilla del Salvador also built by Valdelvira and the most famous building in Ubeda. The tour guide has the key.
Nothing is that far , although the terrain can be hilly and I hope you find a way to visit all those wonderful places, personally I would leave Ronda out but this personal. Ronda has a lot of charm being a very old town located in a spectacular location. We also stayed in the parador great view but it is a recently built
one.

I am seriously considering it Graziella ! Thanks for the tip!