Plan for seven days in Southern Spain
 

Hello Fellow Travelers,
I am still working on plans for a trip to Morocco then Southern Spain. Here are my new ideas for the Southern Spain part (we fly in and out of Madrid from the US).

New Plan for Southern Spain
1. Travel from Tangier to Tarifa, Rent Car, Drive to Ronda overnight
2. Drive to Granada, stay three nights
3. Drive to Seville, stay three nights
4. Train to Madrid, Stay three nights, return to US
We like the idea of really absorbing a city and use it as a base for day trips. We recognize that in this short time we won’t see everything including the beach cities (which we don’t really enjoy). We also don’t want to have to spend every day driving to a new place. This plan would miss Cordoba. Should we fit it in?
Given our quirks, what do you think about this trip?

Best,
KSC

Don't think you're quirky at all, but, yes, go to Cordoba perhaps as a daytrip from Seville.

Granada is one of my favorite places in Spain but two nights is really just right. 4 in Seville would allow for a long daytrip to Cordoba and/or Ronda and still have almost 3 days to get lost walking around Seville.

We enjoyed our three nights in Granada, but that extra day in Sevilla would give you the opportunity for a day trip to Cordoba to see the Mesquita (truly remarkable).

((H))

"Mesquita"

The Mezquita is great, too. (:

3 days in Granada are fine:

1st day Alhambra, Generalife and Palacio Carlos V
2nd day Cathedral and Catholic kings tombs
3rd day Albayzin, Sacromonte and Realejos

And 3 days in Sevilla also fine

1st day Cathedral and Parque Maria Luisa
2nd day Alcázar and El Salvador
3rd day Triana and Museo de Bellas Artes

Don´t go to Flamenco show in Santa Cruz in Seville, tourist trap, low quality and overpriced.

From Seville I would take a train to Cordoba in the evenig and sleep in Cordoba and the moring after from 8:30 until 9:15 the Mezquita-Catedral is for free. Enjoy the silence and tranquility of the mosque, IMHO the mosque is the monument of Andalucia less valued compared to its quality and Cordoba is the less valued in southern Spain. Full of day trippers but big enough to stay at least one night.

Apart from the mosque do not miss the synagogue and the Reales Alcazares.

Madrid is a big big city and I don´t know if you will really enjoy after staying in Andalucia, so if I had to choose , I would be a night in Cordoba and two in Madrid.

For the Alhambra book your tickets as son as possible.

I agree that there's more than enough to see in Granada to justify your plan, but there is no circumstance under which I would visit this part of Spain and skip the Mezquita in Cordoba -- none. It is one of the gems of the world, IMO. I was glad to spend 2 full days in Cordoba, but don't think you have time for that. If you are willing to do a one-night-stay, consider stopping overnight there. If not, consider visiting en route from Sevilla to Madrid.

And remember that you don't really have 3 full days in any place in which you stay 3 nights -- plan accordingly!

I trust you realize that 3 nights in Madrid is really very little time there? Given that, you might actually consider shifting some time from Madrid to one or more of your other destinations, with the idea that you can likely fly into Madrid to start your next trip to Spain from there. Given that you are planning to short-change several places, you might as well short-change the one that is easiest to which to return. Just a thought!

These are great suggestions. We start our trip with three days in Madrid than go to Morocco than back to Spain...so that's why we are only finishing our trip in Madrid with a short visit...but I think we'll stop in Cordoba

Thanks to all...KSC

p.s. will write trip report when I return