See spain in 2 weeks
Feb 9th, 2001, 05:59 AM
#1
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See spain in 2 weeks
We soon will be spending two weeks in Spain (our 1st trip) We fly into Madrid (with elderly mother) spend two nights there, have rented car & head to Costa del Sol. That will be our home base for 1.5 weeks, need info on day trips. The trip from Madrid to Marbella to long to make in 1 day? Also leaving Marbella to spend 1 night in Valencia and then on to Barcelona for two days before heading back to Madrid. Can the trip from Barcelona to Madrid be made in one (long) day? Also Mother would love to visit Fatima, is that a reasonable consideration to drive? Thanks for info.
Feb 10th, 2001, 03:13 AM
#2
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Are you reading my mind, we will be in Madrid in June with my wifes 75 year old mother, will be trying to see spain in 17 days, still planning, will be very interested in your responses. We will be all over, were looking at a day trip to Lourdes in france. Best of luck
Feb 10th, 2001, 04:39 AM
#3
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Sharon, everybody hits "the big three" in Andalusia (Seville, Cordova and Granada. We really liked Seville--the walled old city is beautiful--but that was a few years ago and I have heard that crime has increased. Make sure you stop in the mountain town of Rhonda--unbelievable vistas. The Alhambra is terrific. But most of this you will get in the tour guides. In Barcelona, just take long walks down the Ramblas (wide main avenue)...people watch and enjoy street vendors and performers. Most of all, enjoy the food, the wine and the hospitality of Spain. Have a wonderful trip!
Feb 10th, 2001, 08:12 AM
#4
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Sharon,
I'd strongly suggest you pair down your 2 wk itinerary somewhat, as the driving distances are vast and would be very tiring, even exhausting, for your elderly mother. (And certainly save Fatima for another trip).
The distance from Madrid to Marbella is 400 miles (8 hrs.), from Marbella to Valencia 500 m. (definitely need an overnight), and it's 415 m from Barcelona to Madrid.
Your itinerary is doable in 15 days, I think, only by flying part of the route.
You could fly from Madrid to Malaga and pick up your rental car for your coast excursions there (the Talgo 200 train Madrid- Fuengirola takes over 5 hrs.). Then fly from Malaga to Barcelona (the trip thru Valencia requires an overnight on the Marbella-Valencia stretch), then fly from Barcelona back to Madrid (it's such a tedious, boring 8 hr. drive, and the train takes 7 hrs.) Otherwise you'd need at least 17 days, I think, to drive your full itinerary
You can see distances and get route planning help from www.mappy.com
or www.mapquest.com or www.euroshell.com
For day excursions during your 1.5 week stay in Marbella, I'd include Ronda , Cadiz (much longer drive), a shorter drive to Conil (pretty white beach on the Atlantic side) with a stop at the Moorish white town of Vejer de la Frontera, the 3 hill towns of Ojen/Monda/Coin just north of Marbella, the next door yacht club of Puerto Banus (great people watching), a short hop up to little Benahavís north of San Pedro de Alcántara, and certainly a trip to Nerja/Frigiliana to the east. For your mother's comfort, I'd take an organized tour to Granada to visit the Alhambra; crowds can be overwhelming, and it makes for a long, tiring day.
Hope this helps in your planning.
I'd strongly suggest you pair down your 2 wk itinerary somewhat, as the driving distances are vast and would be very tiring, even exhausting, for your elderly mother. (And certainly save Fatima for another trip).
The distance from Madrid to Marbella is 400 miles (8 hrs.), from Marbella to Valencia 500 m. (definitely need an overnight), and it's 415 m from Barcelona to Madrid.
Your itinerary is doable in 15 days, I think, only by flying part of the route.
You could fly from Madrid to Malaga and pick up your rental car for your coast excursions there (the Talgo 200 train Madrid- Fuengirola takes over 5 hrs.). Then fly from Malaga to Barcelona (the trip thru Valencia requires an overnight on the Marbella-Valencia stretch), then fly from Barcelona back to Madrid (it's such a tedious, boring 8 hr. drive, and the train takes 7 hrs.) Otherwise you'd need at least 17 days, I think, to drive your full itinerary
You can see distances and get route planning help from www.mappy.com
or www.mapquest.com or www.euroshell.com
For day excursions during your 1.5 week stay in Marbella, I'd include Ronda , Cadiz (much longer drive), a shorter drive to Conil (pretty white beach on the Atlantic side) with a stop at the Moorish white town of Vejer de la Frontera, the 3 hill towns of Ojen/Monda/Coin just north of Marbella, the next door yacht club of Puerto Banus (great people watching), a short hop up to little Benahavís north of San Pedro de Alcántara, and certainly a trip to Nerja/Frigiliana to the east. For your mother's comfort, I'd take an organized tour to Granada to visit the Alhambra; crowds can be overwhelming, and it makes for a long, tiring day.
Hope this helps in your planning.
Feb 10th, 2001, 08:15 AM
#5
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Sharon-I'm not sure who advised you on your itinerary, but you will be spending alot of time in your car if you plan on having Marbella as your home base. First of all, you can fly to Marbella from Madrid and then pick a car up there. Its 2+ hour drive from Marbella to Granada, 3 hours to Cordoba (which I don't recommend wasting your time to see except for the Mesquite-sp?), 3 hours to Seville. In our last trip to Spain just this past Jan., we flew into Madrid, then flew to Seville, stayed there 3 days (perfect), then rented a car there and drove to Granada (loved it-Alhambra is amazing and the town itself was quaint) where we stayed 2 days (perfect), then drove to Marbella for our last 5 days. I understand you are taking your elderly mother with you, but you would enjoy your trip so much more if you didn't try to squeeze so much into it. Your destinations are NOT as close as you think, especially Barcelona. Plan on spending a day atleast in the car. If I were you, I would spend your LAST days in Madrid (no more travelling!!!) and give it 2-3 days itself. Madrid is full of beautiful plazas, buildings and more awesome museums than you can ever imagine. We stayed there 5 days and felt it was perfect. I hope this has helped. Remember, its quality, not quantity.
