Planning September Itinerary - can use some help
 

I am planning to go to Spain in September. I thought I could spend my time as follows

Day 1 Fly to Madrid
Day 2 Spend day in Madrid - I was there a few years ago so only plan on spending one
day there
Day 3 Day trip to Toledo
Day 4 Day trip to Segovia
Day 5 Train to Seville in morning
Day 6 Seville
Day 7 Day trip to Cordoba
Day 8 Seville
Day 9 Train to Granada in morning
Day 10 Granada
Day 11 Fly home

This seemed good to me until I checked airfare. I originally intented to use Iberia Airline and fly home from Granada. However the fare is much higher than flying in and out of Madrid using Continental. How do you think I should change around my itinerary to fly home from Madrid? One idea we had was to immediately take the train to Granada after arriving in Madrid. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

According to your schedule, you arrive one day in Madrid and then spend the second in Madrid. Why not eliminate that Madrid day at the beginning, do a day trip on day two, and add the extra day at the end as a travel day between Granada and Madrid?

Is day 1 a flying day so you really only have 9 nights in Spain?

Did you consider flying home via Malaga? Malaga generally has better rates (and connections) than Granada and Sevilla. If you can get a late morning/early afternoon flight then you can get to Malaga from Granada in 1.5 to 2 hours by bus and probably spend your final night in Granada.

Similarly could you fly home from Sevilla for a better rate?

Michael and CathyM - day one is a flying day. We would take a night flight and land in Madrid in the morning of day 2. We would spend the balance of day 2 in Madrid doing a few things we skipped on our trip a few years ago.

We are considering British Airways, flyning into Madrid and out of Granada. I don't really like having to stop in London on the way to Madrid but this might be a good option.

I haven't looked into rates from Sevilla yet but this too might work.

If you aren't able to get the flights home out of Granada or Sevilla then I'd probably head to Sevilla on day 2 (first day in Spain) as soon as you arrive. You'd probably get there by mid afternoon. Then on your final night you'd need to get back to Madrid from Granada (train, bus or even fly if you could find a good price). You could do this in reverse and head directly to Granada but the train to Sevilla is 1/2 the time of Granada and I figure you may need to rest more after the flight.

The greatest and most prestigious flamenco festival - the Bienal de Flamenco - takes place in Sevilla between September 7 and October 6. I highly recommend to see a performance, a wonderful art form (song, guitar, dance) light years away from what is usually presented for tourists. Could be a highlight of your trip and an experience to remember.
http://www.flamencotickets.com/festi...o-sevilla.html

kimhe- I read about the flamenco festival in doing some research and am quite excited about it. Thank you for the link. We are definately attending a performance. While in Madrid a few years ago I saw a flamenco performance that I enjoyed very much.

These are the major Spanish flamenco sites (also in English) with all kinds of info, videos etc. The Bienal program would be posted here as soon as it is set.
http://www.flamenco-world.com/flamenco.htm
http://www.deflamenco.com/indexi.jsp

When the program is clear, I can make some recommendations for your dates depending on your interests (song, guitar, dance). Most performances will contain elements of all, but with one major protagonist. The current flamenco scene is both strong on tradition and cutting edge innovative.

Some names, out of many, to especially look out for are

dance/baile:
Rocío Molina, Israel Galván, Joaquín Grilo, Pastora Galván, Sara Baras (back on stage in 2012)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYaY4zZgTas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt04RaPW-TI

song/cante:
Miguel Poveda, Marina Heredia, José Mercé, Estrella Morente, La Tremendita, David Palomar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzX2T-HUFig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDij4NyNaHM

guitar/toque:
Paco de Lucía, Vicente Amigo, Tomatito, Cañizares, Dani de Morón
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oyhlad64-s

piano:
Dorantes, Diego Amador
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOjtXiPl8Rk

Yes get on the high speed train or fly from Madrid directly to Seville for 4 nights, Granada for two and head back to spend the last nights in Madrid. I have always wanted to be in Seville for the Bienial. Maybe in two years...

kimhe - thank you again so much for all the information. My son and I are really looking forward to seeing flamenco again. The Bienial is one reason why we are going in September and not October. I will happily take you up on your kind offer to advise me after the program is set.

Egbert - thanks for your input. I am considering my options and we might do as you suggest.

You could skip Segovia and spend more time in Madrid. After our visit, I'm thinking there's much more there than the usual traveler sees and Segovia is only barely worth the trip. If you're going to Toledo anyway (far better day trip than Segovia), then spend the other day wandering around Madrid and getting a feel for it, especially the areas near Opera, the Palace and south of Plaza Mayor or else all the way back by Recoletos instead of jamming yourself up against the crowds in the Gran Via or Sol.

BigRuss - We aren't really spending time in Madrid since we were there for several days a few years ago, although I loved it there. Also my son is anxious to go to Segovia.

Personally I love Segovia. I've actually stayed overnight there on 2 separate occasions. It was definately worth both trips and I had plenty to keep me busy.

Can't wait for the Bienal program myself :-)