Please give me any comments on my itinerary to Andalucia
 

Hello,

My wife and I are traveling to Andalucia next April, and after reading all the blogs and recos, here is where we stand...any tips, recos, not to miss activities, would be highly appreciated!

Apr 4:
Arrival to Malaga - taking the bus to Granada - Night visit to the Alhambra
Any recos for a good restaurant?
Apr 5:
Alhambra in the morning - Granada city in the afternoon
Any recos for Granada in the afternoon and restaurant at night?
Apr 6:
Train to Sevilla
Apr 7:
Sevilla
Apr 8:
Renting a car for a day trip to Cordoba
Apr 9:
Sevilla
Apr 10:
Renting a car, drive to Pueblos Blancos?
Sleeping in Ronda
Apr 11:
Continue to drive and departure from Malaga at 5pm

Thanks a lot!
Mandel

APril should be a lovely time to visit Andalucia. Your itinerary looks good though a little rushed. I would not rent a car for the day trip to Cordoba - trains are a much better option. Wait until your trip to the Pueblos Blancos to rent the car.

I agree - slightly rushed but with only 7 nights 2 nights Granada, 4 nights Sevilla w/a daytrip to Cordoba and 1 night Ronda works. I agree about to renting a car until you leave Sevilla for the drive to Ronda. Train will be much easier for the daytrip to Cordoba and will just be a hassle in Sevilla for the night.

Personally I'd be tempted to skip Ronda and just spend another night in Sevilla doing a daytrip during the day and on Friday night there's a processional in Sevilla - a precursor to Semana Santa. But I am heavily biased towards Semana Santa and Sevillla. If you don't see returning to this area anytime soon then a night in Ronda and exploring the white villages also makes sense.

CathyM,
The dates that I've seen for Semana Santa for 2015 are 3/29 to 4/4; Palm Sunday will be 3/29 and Easter Sunday will be 4/5. I'm assuming that the processional your referring to will have occurred the week earlier.

I'm also planning a trip to Andalucia around April/May 2015, but want to avoid the crowds of the Semana Santa and Feria, so am paying attention to the dates.

I assumed the trip was 2014, not next year. The vispera on Friday night prior to Domingo de Ramos in 2014 will be on April 11 not April 10 so I got this date wrong too!

I also agree that you should use the train for Cordabo. And with such limited time, you might not want a car at all -- take a train from Granada to Ronda and then a bus from Ronda to Sevilla. You wouldn't see the rest of the Pueblos Blancos without a car, but you really don't have time for them anyways. Just a thought.

make that Cordoba.

CathyM,
Of course! There's nothing in the original post that says 2015; it was my assumption since the OP indicated he planned to visit "next" April. For the sake of getting reservations, I hope that is what was meant; I'd imagine it would be a challenge getting reservations now for next month.

I'm following the posts on Andalucia and will be frequenting this board in the months to come with my own plans for next year's trip!

Paule

Thank you all very much for the tips!
The trip is in 2 weeks, so we are very excited already!
I checked initially the trains for the day trip to Cordoba, but it turns out that it is 95 Euros for 2 people roundtrip, while the car is only 15 Euros for the day and gives us the flexibility to manage our own timing.
I checked Semana Santa and it is exactly when we leave...we also want to avoid the crowds.
Itinerary is a bit rushed, but we are usually fast and have good planning of the days...so it should be fine.

What do you recommend for the day in Cordoba, on top of course of La Mezquita?

Cheers everyone!

Why are you trying to see Cordoba as a round trip from Sevilla, rather than a stop (or overnight) en route to or from Sevilla?

In Córdoba, go some 300 meters north of the Mezquita into Roman Córdoba around Plaza de las Tendillas and Plaza de la Corredera for local atmosphere and great and affordable tabernas on every corner. Taberna Salinas from 1879 is one of them, and comes recommended in the Michelin guide. The two of us had a fine, tradional Córdoba meal here a couple of years ago with wine and brandy for some 35-40€. http://www.tabernasalinas.com/

Perhaps visit the 10th century palace city Madinat al-Zahra just outside town: http://www.andalucia.com/magazine/en...d4/madinat.htm

Updated info about Córdoba: http://english.turismodecordoba.org/index2.cfm

"Córdoba - The city that changed the world": http://www.theguardian.com/spanish-t...-changed-world

So your trip is this year and not 2015? If so then if you're interested in seeing a processional then you could stay in Sevilla on Friday night. This processional prior to the official start of Semana Santa will not draw mass crowds.

As for the train did you check for reduced fares? I think you are referencing the full fares. I'm traveling from Cordoba to Cadiz the following week and my preferante ticket didn't cost me anywhere near 47 euros. Also don't forget to add the cost of parking in Cordoba and Sevilla to the cost of the car in addition to the extra time it will take for travel by car vs train and the hassle of navigating in an unfamiliar town.