Neva

<BR>Please help this befuddled woman (that would be me). I'm planning to take my elderly mother to Madrid and Andalucia in late April-early May for two weeks (I might be able to arrange a little more time vacation time, though, if necesssary). We'll be flying into Madrid and renting a car when we leave the city to head south, so mama can look out the window while I navigate. Here's a rough draft (no hotel reservations yet, not sure how many days in each town) of our itinerary – any advice would be thankfully accepted: <BR> <BR>Madrid (two full days for the Palace and Prado?) <BR>Segovia (day trip from Madrid or overnight trip?) <BR>Toledo (overnight?) <BR>Cordoba <BR>Seville <BR>Arcos de la Frontera (parador) <BR>Ronda <BR>Nerja <BR>Granada <BR>Jaen (parador) for side trips to Ubeda and Baeza <BR>Alarcon <BR>Back to Madrid to fly home <BR> <BR>Here are my questions: <BR> <BR>1) Should we spend the night in Toledo to break up the long drive south? <BR>2) What's the driving time from Madrid-Cordoba, if we drive straight through (Mappy.com says 5.5 hours; does that sound right)? <BR>3) Which town would be a good base site for day trips to other towns in the area? <BR>4) Should I reverse the order of the trip, starting in Alarcon and ending in Seville, since Seville is mostly booked up for its Feria in late April-early May? <BR>5) I added Alarcon as an overnight rest stop on the drive between Madrid and Andalucia (open to other sugggestions). How long would the straight drive time be between Jaen-Madrid (Euroshell quotes an unlikely 2.5 hours; Mappy.com quotes 5 hours)? <BR>6) Are the temperatures in Andalucia already getting scorchy in early May? Mama is kinda frail. <BR> <BR>I know I’ve posed a lot of questions, I suspect many of them lame-brained, but any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks, Fodorites. <BR>

Magw

Too many stops. I don't know what you mean by 'elderly' for your Mom but I did three weeks in Spain in 2000 in May. Wonderful trip but we did not cover all that you are trying to do and were TIRED. This trip was three adults and we shared the driving. Try to do leisurely trips. Most of the towns that you speak about are not 'doable' in car. In other words you have to find a spot to park and the only way to move around is on foot. That is if you really want to 'see' Spain. Don't let me put you off though . This was one of the most wonderful trips and we have done quite a bit of travelling in Europe. I'm ready to go to Spain again!!! <BR>Good luck with planning.

Neva

Thanks for the tips. By the way, I meant "Andalusia" not "Andalucia." I'm having a spelling problems here. Any suggestions about which towns to cut? My elderly mama is 81, FYI.

Maira

Hi Neva--- a couple of comments. <BR> <BR> - Late April/early May is around the corner. Try to get this itinerary down ASAP to secure lodging. Andalucia that time of the year is already hitting the upper 70's-lower 80's and it starts getting busy. <BR> <BR> - Agree w/Magw; too many stops. In two weeks you should select at a max three home bases. I would select Madrid, Seville, and Jaen. <BR> <BR> - Spend more time in Madrid so you can add day trips to Segovia (full day; start early; make it easier on Mom, just Segovia) and Toledo. <BR> <BR> - Drive from Madrid to Jaen. On you way down, take N401 to 400 so you can make a stop in Consuegra. Windmills country; total Kodak moments. Get on E5 (NIV superhighway) to N323 on to Jaen. Direct drive should take about 4-5 hours (210 miles from S. Madrid); with stops it makes for a nice day. 4 DAYS <BR> <BR> - Stay in Jaen and do day trips from there; Granada (60 miles south), Cordova (60 miles west), Ubeda, Baeza. <BR>4 DAYS <BR> <BR> - On to Seville; day trips to Arcos, Ronda, Jerez, Merida (incredible Roman Ruins; seek out parking in front of the Roman theater!). 4 DAYS <BR> <BR>...and you still have a couple of days to drive back to Madrid at leisure. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps. Have a GREAT time!

Neva

Thanks for the help, Mag and Maira. I'll start nailing down reservations tomorrow.

jwagner

I think you could do a nice trip by spending nights in Toledo, Cordoba, and Madrid. I think Seville is a pretty long trip (we did it when we were in our 20s and were disappointed we tried to make such distance in a day.) I would definitely spend the night in Toledo. It's a wonderful little city.

Maribel

Neva, <BR>A couple of thoughts: <BR> <BR>I think you may mean Almagro rather than Alarcon for your overnight on route back to Madrid. Correct? Alarcon is to the east on the way to Valencia. Almagro makes a lovely, relaxing, peaceful stop on the Sevilla-Madrid route. <BR> <BR>The trip from Seville to Merida in Extremadura takes 3 hrs. one way. For your Mom's sake, you may want to visit the Roman ruins in Italica instead-only 8 km from Sevilla. <BR> <BR>For your Mom's benefit as well, you might even want to overnight in Toledo on your way down to Jaen. Toledo can be exhausting as a day trip from Madrid for a frail person-the walking is strenuous, steep ups and downs, always crowded, and the opening/closing times of the sites observe the siesta. If you could add an overnight, you could see the city at a more restful pace and have plenty of time the next day for that great stop in Consuegra and late lunch in Valdepeñas and slow navegating thru the mountain pass at Despeñaperros on the way to Jaen. Once in Jaen, there's a highway that circumvents most of this labrythine city (called the "circunvalación") and takes you up to the Parador high, high atop the plains. Magnificent views! But be prepared for lots of curves going up and down for your day excursions. <BR> <BR>Please, please take very detailed driving maps. Signage is poor, and you'll be needing to consult your maps constantly. Although we had traveled to Consuegra from Toledo several times, we got quite lost this yr getting on to the 400 out of Toledo, and our very detailed map rescued us from hrs. of frustration. The Michelin #446 for Andalucia and the #444 for Madrid-La Mancha are great. <BR> <BR>Good luck! <BR> <BR>

RBW

I printed out maps from the Michelin website for our upcoming trip and ordered map 446 to supplement it. On the site you can plan your drives and it maps out an itinerary for you. Also, point to point directions can be had at www.mapquest.com.

Neva

Much appreciation to Saint Maribel for all the advice -- I'd forgotten about Toledo's steep streets, and having dragged poor mama through several Tuscan hill towns, I've learned steep streets are a real challenge. RBW, I'll definitely visit the Michelin site for maps. I'm going to be able to figure this out. I am.

Neva

and thanks to jwagner, too! Didn't mean to leave you out.

Pedro

A couple of suggestions: <BR>-Salamanca is a city to fall in love with, specially at night and it is not too much far from Madrid. (overnight there) <BR> <BR>You could go south by Salamanca-Caceres-Merida and return back to Madrid by Granada-Jaen-Almagro-Consuegra ( fast highway ). <BR> <BR>Maybe it would add a bit more time to your plans but they are beautiful places. <BR> <BR>Segovia and La Granja are a good day trip from Madrid. But as Maribel said Toledo may be tiring. Baeza and Ubeda can be done in a easy day trip. <BR> <BR>I would prefer Ronda over Arcos for overnight. Both have nice paradors but Ronda offers you charming walks around old town ( Arcos is steep ) and lots of restaurants and viewpoints for marvellous sunsets. Don´t miss Grazalema, it is a lovely place ( Lots of bends, however, to get there ). <BR> <BR>If you like roman ruins as Maribel said you have Italica ruins (just 8 kms way from Sevilla, Merida road ) where you can find an imposing ampitheatre and some houses with mosaics. Adriano and Trajano emperors were born there. <BR> <BR>Respect of the maps I always trust Michelin maps. I find them quite reliable and updated. <BR> <BR>

Neva

Okay, I've been checking room availability and have a few more questions, if you don't mind -- <BR> <BR>If Seville is completely booked, should I stay at the parador in Ronda or Carmona and commute in? Carmona is closer, but Ronda is, well, Ronda. Both the buildings look beautiful. <BR> <BR>Also, do you think it's possible to fit in an overnight stay in Segovia between Madrid and Toledo? I know it's in the wrong direction, but it looks fantastic. Or is Salamanca even more fantastic? Thanks again!

Maribel

Hi Neva, <BR>In the time you've alloted, I'd concentrate on Madrid and points south, (think south, stay south!) rather then branching out north to Segovia & Salamanca before heading down to Andalucia. (Both are delightful but..still thinking about your Mom...Madrid + Andalucia makes a really nice, leisurely 2 wk trip) <BR>Both Paradors (Ronda & Carmona) are lovely, but I think you might want to be closer to Sevilla (Carmona) for your base of operations (using Maira's plan, which I think is a wise one) because there's just soooooo much to see in Sevilla. We've stayed out in Carmona; it was a 1/2 hr drive into Sevilla, but you will have Sevilla's traffic to cope with...and using Ronda as a base, you have the 1.5 lane, serpentine secondary roads...it's a toss up. <BR> <BR>For your other base (and I do think you need that second base), either the Parador in Jaen or in Ubeda. The Ubeda one is *supposed* to reopen after refurbishment early April (will be fresh and spiffy). The one in Jaen is baronial (read cold), and it might get a little forlorn way up there high on the hilltop for 3-4 days (Mom might get bored) with lots of ups and downs starting and ending your day trips. The city of Jaen itself is a maze (has trapped me several times), while Ubeda (also maze-like) is a Renaissance gem. <BR>It's up to you and your Mom. What would she like best? Keep us posted.