Please help with Itinerary Draft for Madrid, Andalucia
 

Hello fellow travelers,

We are in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Spain for this summer (realizing we're a bit late, but still optimistic!) We visited Barcelona last summer and loved it, so this year we’d like to explore more of the country.

I’ve done some research online and in books, and I’m hoping for help from the experts here on Fodors to help me develop my itinerary.

My husband and I will be traveling from with our two teenage sons (19 and 17). We have visited Italy, France and Switzerland and have rented cars in Provence and Tuscany, so we’re comfortable driving, but DH wouldn’t mind public transportation to break things up a bit!

We have enough miles for at least one and possibly two free tickets on Delta, depending on the exact dates of travel. We’d like to minimize back-tracking, so I thought we could fly into Madrid from JFK and back home from Malaga. We love a variety of experiences when we travel: art museums and strolling in cities like Paris and Rome, driving through scenic countryside, immersing ourselves in the medieval history of Siena…all of it!

Here’s the rough draft of our itinerary so far:

Madrid: 4 nights

Toledo: either as a side trip or spend a night or two—looking for recommendations here

Train to Seville: spend about 5 nights, renting a car to do day trips to the Hill Towns

Drive (or train) to Granada, stopping to visit Cordoba on the way (or should we spend a night in Cordoba?)

Granada: 4 nights, with side trips to Costa del Sol

Morocco: not too sure we want to go here; I’ve read mixed reviews. Your thoughts?

Malaga: one night before we catch our flight home

While we know it will likely be very hot in the summer, that’s the only time we can travel due to school schedules. If anyone can recommend a nice spot by the sea to stay for a couple of nights before returning home, we’d certainly like that.

We’d be grateful for any suggestions or advice on hotels and transportation between these cities, or other places we should visit. Thanks in advance!

Hi cybertraveler, I can only help with Madrid as I went there in April 2014 for 4 days for an art museum visit. Click my name if you want to read my TR. I could have used one more day because of the opening hours of a couple of venues. A day trip to Toledo is very do-able also from Madrid. I found Madrid to be beautiful and welcoming.

Because of its location across from the Prado, I stayed in Paseo del Prado:

NH Paseo del Prado

Plaza Cánovas del Castillo,
4. 28014 Madrid (Spain)
Tel. +34 913302400 Fax. +34 914292887

I also bought a 2-day ticket for the HOHO bus which I don't normally do but it worked out fine. There is a regular bus stop almost right in front of the hotel.

Other than have a great time, my best advice is to check hours of operations of the places you wish to visit. Oh, I don't think you need a car in Madrid but others can give you better advice.

Enjoy!

Malaga is a lovely Andalusian town on the sea.
In the summer, I would prefer it as a base to Granada.

Thanks for the suggestions!

TDudette, the NH Paseo del Prado looks very nice, and they have a sale right now. Thanks for the tip!

danon, I will check into Malaga more. Do you know of a nice hotel on the water there?

Glad to help, cyber. I actually ate all my dinners at the resto next store by going down its list of tapas.

Some recent links on Malaga city:

"Malaga - Spain's best kept Secret": http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...pt-secret.html

"City of museums: Málaga bets on culture to draw tourists and talent": http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...-culture-spain

"Málaga, Spain’s Self-Appointed New Arts Hub": http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/25/ar...-hub.html?_r=0

Perhaps stay at Molina Lario, in the middle of everything and 200 meters to the sea: http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/molina-lario.en-gb.html

kimhe, thanks so much for the helpful links. Malaga looks like a lovely spot to stay for at least one night. I especially like the Molina Lario hotel; have you stayed there?

Do you know any other cities that you would recommend as a place to stay in that part of Spain?

It depends on your interests, but FWIW, I thought Toledo easily worth 2 full days. Likewise, I thought Cordoba merited 2 full days.

Book your tickets for the Alhambra as soon as you can! Plan on going during the day and then again in the evening.

In Malaga we stayed at. Vincci Selección Posada del Patio
( rooms at the back are preferable)
it is not by the beach.
Because it is so hot in the summer, many stores close in the afternoon ( the streets can be empty in Seville and Cordoba)
The dinner/ nightlife starts at 9:00- 10:00 PM.

Have you checked Fodor trip reports? DW and I were in Spain last October...beginning Madrid and then a tour south through Andalucia. If you want more on flamenco which you should prompt kimhe who will share more plus give other advice. No doubt you will appreciate the ancient beauty of cathedrals/mosques in this area for many years ruled by Moors.

A rich new book from the library: Granada by Steven Nightingale. Subtitle is "a pomegranate in the hand of God." I could recommend more. As for Granada two days enough. More time I think in Cordoba. Malaga, yes. Morocco, like you say mixed reports. We stayed a few days in Torremolinos.

The interesting part is traveling with two teens. I suggest involving them in plans for you all and also allow freedom to explore on their own. I don't need to tell you how grumpy we all get when tired from walking and touring. Hot? Yes, that will mean not trying too much. Might have some fun tasting the Spanish cuisine. It does sound like you are aware of including different things.

In our tour we stopped at a bullraising farm guided by a matador. Bull fighting pro and con has been discussed in Fodor postings. Our tour also sought out a horse breeding farm near a small Portuguese town.

Malaga is my favourite city in Andalucia after much travelling in the area the past 15 years. A fabulous city in itself, and surrounded by beautiful landscapes and excellent small towns and villages very close by. Go to Pedregaleo/El Palo just east of the city center for the Acacias beaches and around fifteen excllent and affordable waterfront restaurants. Both the beaches and the restaurants are very popular with locals. http://www.visitcostadelsol.com/thin...acacias-p20501

And you have of course the city beach Malagueta and La Caleta: http://www.andalucia.com/cities/malaga/beaches.htm
http://www.visitcostadelsol.com/thin...a-beach-p20471

Antequera, the so called heart of Andalucia, is 30-40 mins driving from Malaga: http://wild-about-travel.com/2011/07...ing-antequera/
http://www.andaluciacoastandcountry....era-spain.html

Beautiful "white village" Ardales is 50 mins drive from Malaga: http://www.andalucia.com/province/ma...dales/home.htm

Spectacular nature close to Malaga:
El Torcal de Antequera: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...Andalucia.html
The Caminito del Rey is recently reopened: http://www.caminitodelrey.info/es/#1

We're staying in Molina Lario in September. Have ued to stay in hotels in this area for many years, bt this year we're upgrading ;-)

And you should perhaps consider staying right on the beach in Hotel La Chancla in Pedregalejo, a couple of miles east of the city center: http://www.lachanclahotel.com/hotel-overview.html
http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/la-chancla.en-gb.html

We did not visit Cadiz but alot of locals that we met said it was a must see-just an idea.

Thank you everyone for all of the suggestions and links you have provided. It is so helpful to get advice from people who have been there.

kja, thanks for your input on Toledo and Cordoba. Since nothing is booked yet, we're free to add days anywhere. I'll definitely book the Alhambra as soon as we're confirmed.

danon, the Vincci Posada del Patio looks nice--thanks for the tip.

ozarksbill, I am going to read your trip report. I know what you mean about the heat. A couple of years ago while we were trekking through the streets of Rome in late July, my younger son moaned, "WHY did you bring us here?" So, we will definitely be trying to break things up a bit this time! The book recommendation is helpful, too, since I am not as familiar with this area as with other places we've visited.

kimhe, your links and recommendations are so helpful! I checked out the Molina Lario website, and it looks great. I'm thinking of requesting a room in the refurbished 19th century building with a balcony. Would you recommend the view over the cathedral or port? La Chancia also looks nice, and being on the beach would be lovely.

plambers, I'm adding Cadiz to my list to research--thanks!

I'm hunkering down with my guidebook and computer to research all of the options everyone has mentioned. I'll post back with more questions, and still appreciate any further suggestions.

Bookmarking for the Malaga recommendations.

cybertraveler, I will not add much to what has been said above , except maybe to suggest to do Cordoba as a daytrip from Sevilla. Ditto Toledo and Segovia from Madrid. Also, will only reiterate what I think you already know: summer in Andalucia is brutal. I've been several times to Madrid in July and August, but June in Sevilla was a much worse scorcher.

<Would you recommend the view over the cathedral or port?> Trying to figure this out myself ;-) Think I lean towards the port and the sea...

Looks like you have most bases covered. I have lived in Benalmadena for 16yrs and travelled to just about every city and a lot of towns in Spain during that time. Malaga is indeed a beautiful city. Toledo is stunning also, I can recommend the following hotel : Cigarral de Caravantes - it is situated just outside the city walls but overlooks the river and city, stunning views, lovely hotel. Cadiz, Cordoba, Granada, Jerez all very much worth a visit. If you are going to visit the Alahambra Palace in Granada book your tickets online prior as they have massive queues of trippers, we just waltzed through the "online bookings" gate (no queue). Finally as mentioned....it is very hot so take care and have a great time !!

Thanks for these recommendations Fodorites.

We have decided to spend 3 nights in Malaga at the end of our trip in the fall. The Molina Lario definitely looks nice, but any thoughts on the Castillo de Santa Catalina, if we can get a room?

My wife also thought staying in Benalmadena could be fun, and she found a nice looking hotel, but I'm leaning towards Malaga and doing a day trip there if we want. The Castillo Monumento Colomares looks pretty unique.

Thanks for everyone's helpful information. I spent a good deal of time researching yesterday, and while I feel like a child in a candy shop, I know I have to soon make some decisions on where to spend our nights. We try to stay a minimum of 3 nights in one spot; however deciding where and how long in a place is challenging. Sometimes the smaller towns are so much nicer at night when the crowds are gone. We love nights in quiet towns like San Gimignano or St Remy de Provence as well as the large cities, so I'm hoping to get a nice mix. If anyone can help with your favorite towns to stay in for a few days, that would be good to know.

cruiselov, Thanks for the suggestions on day trips. It looks as though Cordoba would be a good choice for just a day trip since there doesn't seem to be as much to see there. Would you do that by car or train from Madrid? We'd like to use public transportation as much as possible before we get to the south.

Kimhe, I'm leaning toward the port view as well!

Hincha1, we would like to spend some nights in Toledo. Thank you for the hotel recommendation. Cigarral de Caravantes Hotel looks exactly like the type of hotel we'd love! I will contact them as soon as we settle on our dates. How many nights would you recommend in Toledo? Would we be able to walk into town at night, or would we need a taxi?

Nelson, I just looked at the Castillo de Santa Catalina, and it looks amazing! Unfortunately, it doesn't look available for our trip, but I'd certainly choose it if I could! Good luck!

Ozarksbill, DH and I read your trip report, and now we're even more excited to go! Thanks!

cybertraveler, I was thinking to do it as day trip from Sevilla (thats how I did it), but I guess you could do it as a stop on the train from Madrid? Dont know about luggage storage in the Cordoba train station

There are lots of posts on stopping in Cordoba en route -- use this board's search function to find info about doing so and about luggage storage options. That said, I don't know what sources you are consulting that make you think there's so little to see in Cordoba. But maybe its their match to YOUR interests? Certainly, many people choose to only spend part of a day there.