Should I skip Granada?
 

I was originally planning on going to Madrid > Toledo > Cordoba > Sevilla > Granada > La Linea (Gibraltar) > Algeciras > Tangier

However, after reading some of the posts here and researching further I'm thinking it's probably better to skip Granada and visit Italica, Ronda and Cadiz because I really love ancient ruins and cities.

Are there buses that go to Cadiz from Ronda? Is 1 day enough for Cadiz or should I skip Ronda? Can anyone tell me the name of some bus companies in this region so I can lookup timetables?

This is what I've planned thus far:

Madrid + day trip Toledo (4 days)
Cordoba (2 days)
Sevilla + day trip to Italica(4 days)
Ronda (1 day)
Cadiz (1 day)
Cadiz > Tarifa > Tangier

If I have time I will try to see Gibraltar on the way back but I've heard it's nothing much to see there, it's more just to say I've been there...hehe

ttt

If you skip Granada you miss seeing the Alhambra. Think about it.

Shall you skip Machu Picchu when you’re in Peru? No, and neither should you skip Granada while you’re in Spain.

I would give Cadiz and Gibraltar a pass, and, if necessary, spend one less night in Cordoba and/or Seville to add Granada to this itinerary.

There are busses between all these destinations; unfortunately, it is difficult to get UP-TO-DATE AND ACCURATE information about schedules except at bus stations. (Even local tourist offices often have no information or old and inaccurate information--except for Malaga.)

We drove from Malaga to Granada for a day trip to see alhambra. personally, i was not impressed....but there are many other travellers who love the place. we'd been in seville and toured alcazar which I liked a bit more. the gardens at alhambra were very nice - i just didn't care for the atmosphere and 1000's of inscriptions carved into every nook, cranny, wall etc.

So which one would you skip out of: Cordoba, Granada, Cadiz and Ronda? How much time would I need at each place to see it properly? Should I make Seville my base and take day trips? I eventually need to end in Tarifa or Algeciras.

Ok, I will take out a day from either Cordoba or Sevilla to fit it in.

So I'm thinking the best route be Cordoba > Seville > Granada > Ronda > Cadiz

I would certainly not skip Granada. Cadiz would probably be my choice to drop, but you could also consider only one day in Cordoba.

Personally, I liked Granada more than Ronda, and not just for the Alhambra. Ronda's pretty, beautiful really, but felt a little too well preserved (if one could see that being possible) and tourist weary for my tastes. To be fair, I was just coming out of Morocco and may have been feeling some culture of shock of returning to the more reserveded western culture. Still, Granada felt more like a lively city while Ronda actually seemed to close up like a museum an hour or two after dark.

Some travelers regret visiting Venice, New York City, Las Vegas, etc. Strikes me as odd.

I didn't like the Taj Mahal--all that marble! Or the Eiffel Tower--too much steel. Statue of Liberty--big armpit.

No, I would not skip Granada. Seeing the Alhambra and Ferdinand and Isabella was a highlight of my first trip to Spain.

I'd definitely skip Tangier, though. Blech!

I agree with happytrails and definitely would give up a day in Sevilla - especially as you've planned four days there - to visit Granada.

Granada is one of the great sights of Europe, let alone Spain. Be sure to tour it at night. It's pure magic.

You guys convinced me! It was my intention to go there but I read several posts saying to forget it!

1 of the days in Seville is for Italica.

So can someone tell me how much time I need in each place please - I know, the more the better but most of us have timelines.

I have also have 3 days budgeted for Madrid and 1 day for Toledo. I don't care for big cities, so should I make it 2 days?

It would really help if you could all tell me roughly how much time to allocate in each place...thanks so much!

You are not going to miss much if you if you skip Cadiz. Gibraltar is one of those places that polarizes opinion. I happen to like it but if was between Granada and Gibraltar I would choose Granada. I agree somewhat with StCirq about Tangier. The city is pretty crummy but its Casbah is interesting and fun. If you go there, be prepared for a half dozen kids to latch onto you and follow you the whole time trying to sell trinkets and the like.

Totally agree that you should not skip Granada. And not just for the Alhambra, the city itself is quite interesting. You could consider doing Cordoba as a stopover on your way from Madrid to Seville. It's on the way, the train stops there anyway, and they do have a sizeable luggage storage area. If you took an early train to Cordoba, and a late one to Seville you'd have most of a day which is more than enough for the Mezquita and a bit of the city.

I haven't been to Cadiz or Ronda but I think 4 days in Madrid with a day trip to Toledo, and 4 days in Seville with one day trip and stopping at Cordoba are minimums. I would want 3 in Granada considering it will take you half a day to get there from Seville.

I have photos on line of Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada (www.pbase.com/annforcier) and will have them of Madrid and Toledo pretty soon (just got back from that trip).

I love Madrid but it is urban to its core, so if you are not a fan of big cities, limit your time (but do try to see the Prado if you care at all about painting).

Do not miss Toledo.

I would spend the night in Granada so that I could tour the monuments at night and the gardens in the morning.

hi, oceania,

I wholeheartedly agree with the OPs who urge you to go to Granada. I've travelled quite a lot in europe [after all, I live here!] and it was one of the most impressive sights I've ever visited.

ideally see it at night and during the day, because the night-time experience is completely different to the one you have during a day-time visit. Even in november, it was quite magical walking through the dimly lit gardens and seeing the palaces all lit up.

you must book in advance - on the official alhambra web-site - for both visits.

you might like to read Robert Irwin's book "the alhambra" for a very accessible history of the palace and the moors in europe.

regards, ann

I should skip Tangier.

Skipping Grenada and the Alhambra is like visiting Madrid and not El Prado. And if you go to Ronda (and you must), and if you can get in and can afford it, book a room at the Parador de Ronda (Google it for views). Absolutely spectacular.

oceania,

I know I just commented on your Morocco thread on the Africa board, but I swear I'm not followin' you around :D

Just thought you hadn't mentioned hotels and such yet, but since you're going to Granada now, you might want a nice little, fairly inexpensive place to stay. About a 100 Euro and right between the main square and the Alhambra. Not flashy rooms, but clean, very convenient location and best, about the sweetest English speaking staff I've encountered in a hotel. Very helpful, always smiling, they pulled out a map for us and started with all there was to see and where the buses ran, etc before we'd even asked. Bags still at our feet. Free computers with internet on the first level up.

http://www.hotel-puertadelasgranadas.com/

Just in case you or anyone else are interested. Thought they'd earned their good word from me.

Ok I rearranged my itinerary (once again) and I'm able to fit everything in but allowed myself flexibility.

Madrid - 3.5 days
Toledo - 1 day
Cordoba - 1 - 1.5 days
Seville - 2 - 2.5 days
Italica - 1 day
Granada - 1 - 1.5 days (spending 2 nights)
Ronda - 1 - 1.5 days
Cadiz - 1 day

Just as a fyi - I'm not spending anytime in Tangier, just a point of entry, I'll be taking the next available train/bus to Fes for the next leg of my trip.

Thanks Clifton and everyone else! Really appreciate it.

100 euros, inexpensive? Hehehe...my version of budget is 20 euros :-P

I stay at hostels and do the backpacking thing - my trip style is more in line with Lonely Planet or Let's Go but I don't like their travel boards. Fodor's travel style is high end for me but they've got the best board and the most helpful people :-)

Yeah... ok, that's a different budget. ;) We do that sometimes. Well, not hostels since it's my wife and I traveling together, but some pretty low end rooms. Paid $5 a few nights on the trip before last, but that was a different part of the world. I'm getting too old for real backpacking now and was too poor to fly when I was young enough for it!

Have a fun trip and hope you meet some interesting folks along the way.

Ohh - has anyone warned you to buy your Alhambra tickets in advance?

We got 'em online and when we went up in the morning, there were lines already as far as the eye could see. But the "will call" or whatever they call it line had 5 people ahead of us. The evil looks from the other line were kinda fun as we walked off for the gates and they hadn't started even helping that line yet.

That should have been $20 CAD, not euro ...well actually it's more like $25-30 but you know what I mean.

I just read about that this morning. I'll definitely book online in advance to skip that line...but I hear there's a 2nd line.

There is. The ticket gets you into the Alhambra complex, but in reality, the time on the ticket is for entrance into an area down inside called the Nasrid Palace. People start lining up down there near the time on their ticket to get in where the main throne room and more famous features are located. Once you're in that area, there's no real limit on the time you can stay, but if you have an afternoon ticket, you can't go in until that time.

Oceania, It is also very important to know what times and days the monuments and museums you want to visit are open and to plan your itinerary accordingly. In Spain many of them are closed on unexpected days and at unpredictable times. HTTY

I believe that if you want to visit the Alhambra at night you must purchase a separate ticket for that. It is worth it.

When I was there in March this is how the Alhambra worked - if you booked your ticket on-line when you got to the main gate you stood on one line - the "pick up tickets" line. There was a seperate one to purchase tickets for that day. I had heard that they sometimes sold out for the same day, and that that line was very long. At 8:30 in the morning there were no lines at either window. However, even though there were no lines at the "purchase tickets" window, didn't mean you could necessarily get in for the time you wanted, as they may have sold out. We had 10:00 tickets, entered at 8:30 and walked around for a while and went to the entrace to the palace itself just before 10:00, at 10:00 they let us all in, it wasn't so much a line as waiting till the time on your ticket. Clifton is correct that even though your entrance to the palace is timed, once inside you can stay as long as you want. In some cases though, you were not allowed to backtrack. In certain places there were guards and once you went through the door to the next area you couldn't go back.

I also went at night, and contrary to just about everyone else, I didn't enjoy it nearly as much. Most people feel the lighting is atmospheric, I just felt it was overly dark, you just couldn't see the detail, etc. And given that they charge the same price for a day ticket - which gives you access to the grounds, gardens, fort, Charles Palace, etc - and an evening ticket which only gives you access to the Palace - I really feel if you do only a night visit you are missing out on ALOT. But that's just me, most people love going at night. I guess I'm glad I saw it at night, but were I to go again I'd just do a day visit.

I purchased tickets to Alhambra online - the time given is 10:30am. What time should I be arriving to pickup the tickets? I hear there's a long queue at that window as well. I rather explore the rest of the grounds after visiting the Nasrid Palace.

Can we take photos? No flash? Thanks!

Since you don't like big cities,
I would stay 2 1/2 days in Madrid.
It was plenty for us.
Watch your wallet there.

Hi, oceania -
Its been a while since I visited the Alhambra, but I would recommend getting there about an hour ahead of the time you want to enter. It might not take that long to get your tickets, but if you miss your time for the Nasrid Palaces, they won't necessarily let you in. When I was there, photography was allowed. Hope that helps!

Hi. oceania,

as you have tickets for 10am, you can enter when it opens. then you can tour the other sites waiting for your time to enter the Nasrid palaces - you have a 30 minute slot to do this, after the time printed, then they can deny you access.

after that, you can spend the rest of the day touring the other bits, having lunch, resting, etc. The gardens are just lovely to sit in and contemplate, and there's lots else to see in the Generalife too.

This is where a "morning" ticket scores over an afternoon one, because you could stay all day if you liked.

if you want to visit in the evening, you'll have to buy another ticket, though - I strongly recommend doing this, but obviously others didn't like it as much as we did.

regards, ann

one day in cordoba is fine -- don't skip granada -- it was amazing.

Also, when I did Cordoba/sevilla/granada I used http://www.charming-spain-hotels.com/en/ which was a great resource and then for seville, i stayed twice here: http://www.patiosdesevilla.com/ and in madrid i stayed here and loved it: http://www.suiteprado.com/

Be sure to take a printed confirmation of your ticket order to alhambra. when we arrived, a woman was frantically trying to reach her hotel who had supposedly booked tickets for her but the office had no such record. If she'd had a confirmation number, she would have been fine - a photo ID and credit card weren't working.