Nancy

Am planning trip to Madrid, Toledo and Andalusia for June 2001. However, I am unsure what cities to visit in Andalusia. Are the Alpujarras essential? Is Cazorla essential? What about Antequera? It seems the more I plan, the more confused I become. Any assistance on what you feel are essential cities would be welcome. We are planning to spend about 16 days traveling. Thanks for your help.

Deena

I'd include Sevilla and Cordoba on your itinerary. Both cities are wonderfully historical and are close to each other.

Roger Johnson

I visited Spain in April, and spent about a week in Andalucia. I stayed in Sevilla, Ronda and Granada. I highly recommend Sevilla and Ronda (though just an afternoon in Ronda --- it's quite small and can be seen in a few hours). If you don't have a place to stay in Sevilla, I highly recommend Puerta de Triana, a hotel on Reyes Catolicos. You will love Andalucia! I rented a car in Sevilla and drove to Ronda (about 1 1/2 hours) and then on to Granada (about 3 hours from Sevilla). The roads are perfect and afford you a beautiful view of the countryside. Enjoy!

gail

Nancy: We spent 2 weeks in a small village south of Granada in March and did day trips in all directions, plus one overnight trip to Ronda. I disagree that a few hours is enough to see Ronda but everyone has his own idea of what's interesting. We bought a small tour book of Ronda and walked to some of the historic sights the afternoon we arrived, stayed at the San Miguel for an unbelievably low rate of about $65, and walked around more the next day. I thought the scenery was fantastic, thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful Mondragon Palace and courtyards, fountains, gardens; Moorish baths; a bullring which Hemingway frequented; a really neat and very extensive, pedestrian only, shopping area, whole streets lined on both sides with real shops, not a lot of tee-shirt and tourist junk;There are caves nearby (Benaojan) that have prehistoric paintings that we really wanted to see but couldnt' work out the logistics of seeing the caves and checking out of the hotel room on time. Someone on this Forum said these cave paintings made her trip worthwhile. We also spent an afternoon in Antequera (after a failed attempt to view flamingoes which had just migrated back from Africa, were in a lagoon but too far from shore to see even with binoculars!). There's a great cathedral from the 1600s in Antequera and Moorish castle with Arch of the Giants from the 1500s -absolutely fabulous views and lovely garden. It was a large town and appeared to have a lot to see although we only spent a few hours. <BR>As to Alpujarras, we drove to Lanjaron and Orgiva and had intended to continue on into the Alpujarras. To quote someone else on this Forum: the driving is not for the faint of heart: no shoulder, narrow roads, hairpin turns, sheer drops. We actually had to turn back because I couldn't even stand sitting in the outside seat of the car as my brother-in-law drove. (I freely admit, I'm a wimp.) <BR>BTW, I would recommend highly your trying to get maps of the cities you want to drive to/into before you go, unless someone can tell you how to get them there. We had a lot of trouble finding tourist/information booths that were open, so would flounder around trying to find our way, occasionally giving up (like trying to find the Roman-era walls outside Almunecar). The Michelin map of Southern Spain was great for overall navigation but not inside the cities. <BR>Finally, what's "essential" depends on what you like to do --

kevin

Hey, there's a seville miniguide on this site now. it's got part of andalusia, too. from the homepage, just click on miniguides and follow the selection process. <BR> <BR>kevin

Monica Richards

Hey, that was me with the cave paintings! I did think they were really worth traveling for, and considering they're one of the last open to the public and not likely to be for very long, worth seeing. You can look at my itinerary at http://www.markandmonica.com/Travel/iberia.htm.

Barry

We just got back this week. The Essential Andalusia for us was Cordoba, Grandada, Ronda and Sevilla. One day in Gibraltar was a nice change of pace and culture. One of the most spectacular views we have ever seen in our travels was the view from the old Arab quarter of the Alhambra with the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas in the background.

Heywood

We are considering a Christmas trip to the region. Any seasonal considerations involved? Obviously, it will be cooler--what else changes with the seasons?

Paige

We're planning on going around the 1st of November. Does anyone know what the weather will be like then? Do the buses and trains run on the same schedules as the summer? Thanks!

Maira

Nancy (and Heywood)--- are you guys driving, or train, or a combination? My STRONG recomendation for Spain is to rent a car. Where are you departing from? <BR> <BR>Nancy-- Spend at least three days on Madrid, a day trip to Toledo, a day trip to El Escorial-Avila. From Madrid train to Seville, rent a car. Stay at least two days in Seville, day trips to Italica (about 8 miles NW of Seville; Roman ruins of a magnificent Amphitheatre and Roman city), for a day at the beach head out to Huelva (Punta Umbria; La Bota Beach), for a beautiful Andalucian town get to Arcos de la Frontera and/or Ronda. Head out to Cordova, stay overnight, on to Granada, stay overnight, head out to Antequera's prehistoric caves (about 60 miles west of Granada), you could overnight in Malaga or Marbella (much more expensive in June), and from where you could also fly out. <BR> <BR>Heywood---- winter in Coastal Andalucia is mild (40's-50's), but rainy. In the mountain towns, the winds can get bitterly cold. If you enjoy skiing, Sierra Nevada near Granada is superb. Southern Spain is quite festive during Christmas with special holiday food, music, and celebrations. Museums remain open with shorter hours. <BR> <BR>Enjoy the planning!!!