We are a couple with an 8 year old son travelling to spain from Los angeles towards the end of December 06. We plan to spend maybe 3 days in Madrid and 4 days in Sevilla (side trip to Cordova) and then onto Morocco for about 8 days. Does this itineary seems doable? (anyone done this route??)

Is weather in Madrid and Seville bearably cold during December? Rain /Snow???

Please give your ideas on how to fit in Cordova (what is distance from Sevilla to Cordova - can we take train to Cordova from Sevilla and return at night?)

Any other little towns close to Sevilla that are a must see?

Finally, what would be your favorite paella serving restaurant in either madrid or sevilla?

Thanks for any help.

Arrive Madrid, spend 3 days.

AVE to Sevilla, spend 4 days (2nd day take train to Córdoba)

How are you getting to Morocco and where are you going there? If you are taking land and sea routes, then you should get down to Tarifa or Algeciras and head down to Tangier. Do not cross over at Ceuta! It is a huge pain to get anywhere from there.

Madrid and Seville will both be colder than LA (Madrid especially) but nothing a warm coat and some other vêtements can't cure (scarf, gloves, long pants, etc).

If you want to see villages near Sevilla, I recommend renting a car and doing Córdoba that way, and possibly hitting Ronda and the white villages.

As for paella, it is not at all typical of either Sevilla or Madrid, and is usually actually nasty. As in, send it back to the kitchen. That said, there must be some restaurant run by a Valencian that dishes up a good one. I just don't know it. As a rule, I do not eat paella outside of theh Valencian community.

You can have very good paella in several restaurants in Madrid
"La Albufera" inside hotel Melia Castilla in Calle Capitan Haya 45
"La Albufera" in La moraleja, just outside town.
"La barraca" in Calle Reina 29
"La buganvilla" in calle Almagro 12
" St James" in Calle Juan Bravo 26


Regarding your trip, I think the spanish part Madrid and sevilla with a side trip to Cordoba is easy with very good train, air connections.
In Dec you can leave to the last minute the final adjustments and side trips.
Regarding your 8 days in Marrocco, perfectly doable, I think should be prepared well in advance.
Marrocco, a beautiful country, but does not have good roads, trains or airport connections.

The Chef at Pato Mudo Restaurant in the Tryp Hotel Diana (near Barajas Airport) is from Valencia and makes a very good Paella.

I think there's plenty to do/see in Spain for 15-days. You can actually see as many Moorish castles, etc. in Spain as you will in Morocco. I wouldn't take my 8-year-old child to Morocco - I've seen too many Hitchcock movies like 'The Man Who Knew Too Much.' I would be much more likely to do a Spain/Portugal trip than one that included Morocco.

The Trip Seville-Cordoba is very fast and easy as they are linked by hi-speed train (AVE). See time tables at www.renfe.es.
Another daytrips by train : Utrera, I'd say 5 min from Seville, beautiful baroque architecture;
Osuna, incredible palaces. This town is bigger than Utrera, though doable in a day. I'd say less than 1 hr. away. You may have to walk from the station to the town center. Take San Pedro street.
I do not know Morocco, but I agree with Nedsireland, 8 days may be too much, and you can extend your Seville stay for more daytrips, as the weather will be better than around Madrid.
About the paella restaurants, the la moraleja one is outside Madrid. I'd fix on the others, especially La Albufera at Capitan Haya. If you post where you'll be staying in Madrid, we can see some near to you.

Well, it takes all kinds because I would definitely take my kids to Morocco if I had any and I am trying to get my cousins to do the same (5, 7, and 8). I was there in summer 2005 and though there are dangers there like there are in any developing country, I felt very safe and saw that children were treated really well by Moroccans. Very respectful.

I have taken my kids several times to Morrocco and have had no problems at all, while some locals could be tiring with adults, mainly because they are trying you to buy something or go into a particular shop or restaurant in my expirience they are particulary nice to children.
They are more natural with them.
To: Nedsireland, I do respect your opinion about any country but I do not think you are fare suggesting kids can get kidnapped in Morrocco.

monson99
As for paella in Madrid, there are several serving very authentic rice dishes just as there are fine Basque, Asturian, Galician, Andalusian restaurants. Madrid is a gastonomic melting pot.

If you're staying in a downtown hotel, I wouldn't make the long metro or taxi journey up to the Meliá Castilla in the northern business district for paella at La Albufera.

I would stay downtown instead and have it at the classic St. James on Juan Bravo 26 in the Salamanca quarter, whose new chef and reinvented menu recently received a nice review from El Mundo's restaurant critic and winemaker, "Fernando Point". They have 30+ paella dishes on the menu. It's closed Sun. night,
Open for lunch at 1, for dinner at 9.
Phone: 91 5 75 60 10
Count on 45-50 euros p.p.

Or another recommended for its rice dishes by El Mundo and those in the Madrid restaurant/food industry:
El Ventorrillo Murciano (the D.O. Calasparra La Bomb brand rice comes from Murcia), located at Calle de los Tres Peces 20 in Old Madrid not far from the Reina Sofía Art Museum. But I would only dine here for lunch, not at night. Closed Mon. They open for lunch at 1 p.m.
Phone: 91.528.83.09
Count on 25-35 euros p.p.

As for weather in Madrid in late Dec., we encountered only a bit of rain (but you never can predict this), no snow but enough cold to use gloves, scarf and hat and of course, a heavy wool coat. It certainly wasn't unbearable at all , as we were able to take long walks at night. In Seville it will be much milder.

Thank you everyone for your generous responses. In Madrid, we are staying at either the Westin Palace or the Intercontinental near Paseo Castellana. So I am assuming we are centrally located.

a couple of followup questions:

1. Any really great places to see a flamenco performance in Madrid? What about the same in Seville.

2. We are staying at Alfonso XIII in Seville, please give your recommendations about not to miss Tapas bars, restaurants and flamenco performances?

3. Am I correct in understanding that there are no bullfights this time of year in Spain?

Thanks again everyone.

No, there are no bullfighting in Winter. The season begins in March and ends in October.

In regards to your follow-up questions:

1. For flamenco in Madrid I would consult Maribel's Guide to Madrid (maribelsguides.com). You can download a free copy. For flamenco in Sevilla you should check out "Explore Seville (exploreseville.com/). It has a wealth of useful information.

2. Again, check out Explore Seville.

3. The bullfighting season in Spain ends in about one week. You will have to travel to South America or Mexico to see a fight between the end of this month and next March.

monsoon99,
If you decide to stay at the Intercontinental, you can walk to restaurant that car and I recomend for paella, St. James, on Calle Juan Bravo.

If you stay at the Westin Palace, you can walk to the Ventorrillo Muricano (but again, that area of Lavapiés I don't recommend for visitors wandering at night, so go for lunch).

For flamenco in Madrid, we enjoy Casa Patas, which is an easy walk from the Westin. You can dine there or just have tapas at the bar before the show. The early show is popular with families, particularly those who haven't adjusted to the late dining and entertainment hrs. in Madrid. If you reserve online, be sure to bring the print out of your confirmation, as their reservation procedure is a bit chaotic, and have the concierge call to reconfirm the day of the show.
www.casapatas.com

For flamenco in Seville, Los Gallos, on the pretiest square of the romantic Santa Cruz quarter, is very popular with Fodorites.
www.tablaolosgallos.com
For something less mainstream, more unusual, there are many fans here of the inexpensive show at Casa de la Memoria de al-Andalus, also in the Santa Cruz quarter.

For elegant gourmet dining in a lovely winter garden setting in Seville, I highly recommend the Basque Egaña Oriza, just across the avenue from the Alfonso XIII
www.restauranteoriza.com
Also the Taberna del Alabardero in the Arenal district, which is also a cooking school.
www.tabernadelalabardero.com

We had a wonderful lunch upstairs at Robles Placentines on Placentines 2 near the cathedral. Very stylish, very nice.

I've also heard good reports on Abantal, whose chef won the "Best Young Chef in Andalusia" award. Haven't tried. It's at
Alcalde José de la Bandera, 7 near Luis Montoto.

As for tapas, my favorite, Casablanca, has sadly closed, but the owner's son, Kiki, has opened his version, Bodeguita Casablanca near the catedral at Adolfo Rodríguez Jurado 12, across from the Archivo de Indias. Also in the cathedral area I like Bar Estrella on Estrella 3, with the same owners as the Bar Giralda on Mateos Gago at the entrance to the Santa Cruz quarter.

At the edge of the Santa Cruz quarter, near the Murillo Gardens, I love Modesto on Calle Cano y Cueto (their baby claims in garlic and wine sauce-coquinas-are fantastic).
For Iberian ham, we go to Casa Román in the Plaza de los Venerables, on the same square as the Hostería del Laurel of Don Juan Tenorio fame. Both bars have tables and chairs set up in the plaza if weather permits. Very, very atmospheric.

Near the bullring, we like the classy and elegant Bodeguita Antonio Romero, the branch on Calle Gamazo 16. On the same street you'll also find Enrique Becerra at #2.

And don't forget to go for ice cream and pastries to the pedestrian Calle Sierpes to the venerable pastry shops, Confitería Campana and Ochoa.

And peak in to the Agua de Sevilla shop in an 18th c. palace across the street from the Alfonso XIII on San Fernando 3. Their fragrances make great gifts. They've opened another branch on the Plaza Nueva and a shop in the Salamanca quarter of Madrid.

The www.exploreseville.com site is just excellent-very well done with tons of great info.

Hope this helps.

Maribel, what a wealth of information! Thank you so very much. Thank you to Robert too. I will check out the references including Maribel's site.

Maribel, one other question is we will be entering Spain from Tangiers through Tarifa. We have an 8 year old with us and wanted to hire a car to drive us to Seville. Can you recommend a company and how long is the trip. I checked renfe.com and could not see a train route from Tarifa to Seville. Thanks again.

I don't know in other places, but there is a bullfight here in Malaga every Jan 1st.

Thanks for the paella places, Maribel; my wife shall be grateful, it's her fovourite dish.

Oh, sorry, josele, I didn't know that of Malaga. Actually, it makes sense..weather is usually good enough there.

josele,
Thanks for the info about the Jan. 1 bullfight in Málaga. I had no idea!

Monsoon,
The drive from Tarifa up to Seville should take about 2 1/2 hrs. I don't personally know a car service, but I do know that the concierge of the Hotel Alfonso XIII should be able to set up a transfer for you. That's the advantage of staying at a 5 star with concierge desk.