gocardsjoeh

Hello everyone,
My wife and I are going to do a winter vacation in January in Europe. We are not looking for a beach vacation but rather a "sweater weather" touring vacation. We like to drive ourselves around. We are debating Andalucia vs Sicily vs Greece. We would like to be on the ground maybe 8 or 9 days. We generally like to plant ourselves in one spot and do day trips. Would be interested in your ideas.
Thanks much,
Joe and Jan Hill
Louisville, KY.

kja

They are all wonderful destinations, but there are some things you might want to keep in mind other than climate.

- Sicily does not lend itself well to a single base and is much too large for one to see it's highlights in just 8 or 9 days. It could work for you if you are willing to see just part of the island (say, west or east) and are willing to relocate at least once.

- Greece is huge -- what part interests you?

- Andalusia can be a great winter destination. if you can add a day or so, it might suit your needs well. No car is needed for Andalusia, but a single base is unlikely to work well, as Granada is really too far from Sevilla for a convenient day trip that would also allow sufficient time to see the Alhambra.

Good luck!

gocardsjoeh

kja,

Thanks for your reply. In regards to Sicily, which part would you recommend...east or west? And yes we would be willing to relocate at least once.

With regards to Greece, given 8 days or so which part would you recommend? Or would you say that is simply not enough time to consider it at all?

Re Andalusia, you state no car is necessary to get around. So trains would be the answer there?

Best,
Joe

kja

Eastern and western Sicily each have many merits; only you can decide which bests suits your interests at this time. Likewise, Greece has many regions that vary from one another, many of which could be nicely explored in the time you have (if, perhaps, with 2 bases) and only you can choose which appeals most.

Here's what I recommend: Go to your local library and consult some of the guidebooks that have lots of high-quality color photographs, perhaps the National Geographic, Eyewitness Guide, or Insight Guide. They should help you decide on some priorities. Once you make a decision, then invest in at least one guidebook that is more comprehensive and includes good logistical information, perhaps the Rough Guide, Lonely Planet, or Michelin Green Guide.

For Andalusia, yes, trains and perhaps an occasional bus would suit you well. Spanish trains and buses are all comfortable and convenient.

To get an idea of your public transportation options, consult rome2rio.com -- just be sure to follow the links it provides, as the main rome2rio site is not sensitive to seasonal variation in transportation schedules.

Hope that helps!

massimop

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2...ay-restaurants

MoBro

January in Greece? Not good timing. Their winter starts in early November, and the islands shut down. People move back to Athens, instead of wintering on an island.

We just returned from Andalusia, and absolutely loved Sevilla. We were there for five nights, and had this wonderful apartment from Spain Select:

https://sevilla.spain-select.com/en_...cio-san-jose-v

Highly recommend that apartment and that company.

jpie

Another vote here for Spain-we love Seville and winter would be nice there. We were there in October and it was perfect walking weather. However, we loved having a car since we ventured out to visit the white villages and even went down to Malaga and Nerja. So you might want to go to Seville with no car and pick one up when you leave to visit other places.

We were driving from France so we stayed at a hotel with a garage in Seville since we didn't have the option of ditching the car while we were staying in Seville itself. Here is where we stayed: Eurostars Regina

http://www.eurostarshotels.co.uk/eur...287.1510256678

It has the added advantage of being able to walk to our favorite tapas restaurant, La Eslava. They also rent apartment on top of their restaurant, but you have to park off site and they have a strict cancellation policy, so that is the only reason we didn't stay there:

http://www.espacioeslava.com/en/apartamentos_en_Sevilla

Here is the restaurant website:

http://www.espacioeslava.com/en/rest...e/bar-de-tapas

The white villages are really great-they will make you feel like you are in the Greece islands in some ways. Be forewarned that while you can drive there to the villages most of them require you park below and walk up to the villages themselves since they don't have good driving access.

Here are a couple of links about the villages:

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-rea...ite-hill-towns

And if you are really ambitious you could make the drive over to see the area with cave villages near Guadix:

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/2016...southern-spain

Have a great trip!

http://www.planetware.com/spain/top-...a-e-zzz-11.htm

We also have visited Sicily a number years back-although in late May. We spent a week driving from Palermo down to Taormina and Catania, Syracuse and then ended the trip at a Club Med Kamarina where we spent a week recovering from the first week I would agree that you need about a week for half of the island.

gocardsjoeh

Many many thanks for all of your replies. We are going to Spain for Andalusia but do want to go to the Prado museum in Madrid when we arrive. So our plan is to arrive from USA at 9 AM on 2/18 and go to Madrid city to rest and do the Prado museum the following day, and then train to Sevilla first thing in AM on 2/20. There is a Doubletree Hotel across the street from the Prado. Is that a good area to stay in? Do you have other hotel suggestions? We don't care about luxury but like comfortable and clean room conveniently located. Would it be convenient to the train station for Sevilla train following morning?

So we arrive in Sevilla the morning of Tuesday 2/20 and have until the afternoon of Tuesday 2/27 to spend in Andalusia. Can you suggest the best way to use those 8 days to see as much of Andalusia as possible?

Thanks!!

kja

You would do well to start a new thread so people know what information you are seeking.

That location should be fine for your purposes in Madrid. I stayed near there in what was then the Lope de Vega and is now the Mercure Madrid Centro; nothing special, but it met my needs.

You will have to be very selective to fit the highlights of Andalusia into your time frame. My usual recommendation is 4 nights in Sevilla, 2 nights in Cordoba, and 3 nights in Granada. You'll have to decide what you most want to see and do in the time you have.

Hope that helps!

danon

The area around Prado is very nice ( don't know the hotel)...

The train station Atocha is not far..check the map of Madrid . (.probably 6- 10 euros by taxi from the hotel).

KarenWoo

We stayed at the Mercure Madrid Centro, about a 5-minute walk from the Prado. And a quick and easy taxi ride to Atocha train station. You could probably walk to the train station but we chose the taxi instead, especially with our luggage. Anywhere near the Prado is a nice area to stay in. We probably walked past the Doubletree Hotel.

Have you purchased your train tickets yet? If not, I recommend stopping in Córdoba for a night or two before you continue on to Seville. The Mezquita is amazing! You could also stop off in Córdoba for the day to visit the Mezquita on your way to Seville. Or take the train from Seville to Córdoba for a day trip. You should plan on visiting the Alhambra in Granada. You could take the bus from Seville to Granada, or train and bus if the train tracks are not finished yet.

You should read guidebooks if you haven't already. You can also click on my name to read my trip report from this past September.

Where are you flying home from? That will dictate your schedule, too. For example, we spent 10 days in Andalusia: 2 nights each in Córdoba, Granada, and Malaga, and 4 nights in Seville. We flew into Madrid, where we spent 4 nights, and flew home from Seville (an open-jaw or multi-city ticket). Hope this helps.