Southen Spain-Itinerary Suggestions?
Oct 14th, 2003, 12:34 PM
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Southen Spain-Itinerary Suggestions?
We are going to Madrid over Christmas and since it will be really cold there then, are planning to go South. What would be a good base for about 4 nights--Sevilla? Costa del Sol? And what would be some top suggestions for the limited time--Granada? Cordoba? etc? Also, would you recommend we take a train from Madrid to wherever our base is and then rent a car or is driving easier? Thanks for any advice!
Oct 14th, 2003, 12:48 PM
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Hi Mary,
I'm sure Maribel or others with expertise will answer, but as I am also planning a trip to Spain (for February), here are some tips I have learned from the experts so far:
Sevilla is supposed to be wonderful and is a good base for day trips to Cordoba and the pueblos blancos. There is an AVE train that takes about 3 hours from Madrid to Sevilla, or you can stop in Cordoba on your way south. The pueblos blancos are best seen by car. Granada is about 3-4 hours from Sevilla by car or bus, I think.
I was thinking of taking the train to Sevilla, stopping in Cordoba for most of a day, then renting a car for the pueblos blancos and then to Granada.
Now, since the later answers will probably shoot holes in my attempt at planning, your thread will help me as well as you!
Hope you have a great trip.
Karen
I'm sure Maribel or others with expertise will answer, but as I am also planning a trip to Spain (for February), here are some tips I have learned from the experts so far:
Sevilla is supposed to be wonderful and is a good base for day trips to Cordoba and the pueblos blancos. There is an AVE train that takes about 3 hours from Madrid to Sevilla, or you can stop in Cordoba on your way south. The pueblos blancos are best seen by car. Granada is about 3-4 hours from Sevilla by car or bus, I think.
I was thinking of taking the train to Sevilla, stopping in Cordoba for most of a day, then renting a car for the pueblos blancos and then to Granada.
Now, since the later answers will probably shoot holes in my attempt at planning, your thread will help me as well as you!
Hope you have a great trip.
Karen
Oct 14th, 2003, 01:39 PM
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mary80,
I see two possible scenarios for your 4 night southern Spain base without moving to another southern city:
1) Seville, my first choice-
a beautiful, romantic, exciting and art-filled city, which will allows you to stop in Córdoba on the way down from Madrid, then from Seville to take day trips to Ronda, the gorgeous, dramatically perched aristocratic "white" town (albeit a long day via public bus, better perhaps by tour bus), and to Jerez de la Frontera for either a sherry bodega tour or to attend the noon performance, the "horse ballet", of the Royal Equestrian School, (these Carthusian Hispano-Arab horses are the cousins to Vienna's Lipizzaners), or if it's Thurs., you can do both. Jerez is easy to access from Seville by train.
2) The area of the Costa del Sol between Estepona-Marbella (the least "over developed", most attractive, upscale section), which will allow you day trips both to the perched Moorish "white towns" around Ronda (40 min. away) and also allow for a full day trip to Granada to see the Alhambra and tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella in the Royal Chapel of the cathedral.
To reach either of those 2 bases, I would use the train (or plane), rather than rent a car.
From Madrid to Seville, you can take the easy and comfortable high speed, bullet train, the AVE, a short trip of only 2 1/2 hrs.
From Madrid to Málaga, the gateway to the Costa del Sol, one can fly Iberia or Spanair or take the Talgo 200 (a "bullet train" only as far as Córdoba), a trip of 4 hrs. 40 min. + Then you'd need to pick up a rental car and drive 1/2 hr. WEST on the tollroad, the Autopista del Sol, to the Marbella area.
From Seville to Granada by public transportation, train or bus, takes 3 1/2 hrs. but factor in at least 4, door to door, from Seville hotel to the Alhambra.
That's simply too long for a feasible and enjoyable Granada day trip, I think, from Seville.
And a 1 day r.t. car rental could be very expensive, plus negotiating your way to the Alhambra hill can be time consuming. (We were quoted 100 euros when we attempted to rent a car for the day in Seville in April).
Plus, you DON'T want to have a car on your hands in the downtown maze that is Seville. It would be a hindrance, a true albatross!.
Seville is a wonderfully walkable city where a car isn't wanted or needed for a 4 day stay.
So I suppose that if I had my heart set on seeing Granada and the Alhambra, I'd use the Costa del Sol as my 4 day base. (Another option on the coast would be Nerja, but I think it's too far from the "white towns", except for neighboring Frigiliana and Cómpeta)
If I wanted to focus on Córdoba, Ronda or Jerez de la Frontera, I'd choose Seville.
But for a magical Xmas trip, I'd definitely prefer to be based in a lively city, with its Xmas traditions and decorations on display, so Sevilla would be definitely be my choice!
I see two possible scenarios for your 4 night southern Spain base without moving to another southern city:
1) Seville, my first choice-
a beautiful, romantic, exciting and art-filled city, which will allows you to stop in Córdoba on the way down from Madrid, then from Seville to take day trips to Ronda, the gorgeous, dramatically perched aristocratic "white" town (albeit a long day via public bus, better perhaps by tour bus), and to Jerez de la Frontera for either a sherry bodega tour or to attend the noon performance, the "horse ballet", of the Royal Equestrian School, (these Carthusian Hispano-Arab horses are the cousins to Vienna's Lipizzaners), or if it's Thurs., you can do both. Jerez is easy to access from Seville by train.
2) The area of the Costa del Sol between Estepona-Marbella (the least "over developed", most attractive, upscale section), which will allow you day trips both to the perched Moorish "white towns" around Ronda (40 min. away) and also allow for a full day trip to Granada to see the Alhambra and tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella in the Royal Chapel of the cathedral.
To reach either of those 2 bases, I would use the train (or plane), rather than rent a car.
From Madrid to Seville, you can take the easy and comfortable high speed, bullet train, the AVE, a short trip of only 2 1/2 hrs.
From Madrid to Málaga, the gateway to the Costa del Sol, one can fly Iberia or Spanair or take the Talgo 200 (a "bullet train" only as far as Córdoba), a trip of 4 hrs. 40 min. + Then you'd need to pick up a rental car and drive 1/2 hr. WEST on the tollroad, the Autopista del Sol, to the Marbella area.
From Seville to Granada by public transportation, train or bus, takes 3 1/2 hrs. but factor in at least 4, door to door, from Seville hotel to the Alhambra.
That's simply too long for a feasible and enjoyable Granada day trip, I think, from Seville.
And a 1 day r.t. car rental could be very expensive, plus negotiating your way to the Alhambra hill can be time consuming. (We were quoted 100 euros when we attempted to rent a car for the day in Seville in April).
Plus, you DON'T want to have a car on your hands in the downtown maze that is Seville. It would be a hindrance, a true albatross!.
Seville is a wonderfully walkable city where a car isn't wanted or needed for a 4 day stay.
So I suppose that if I had my heart set on seeing Granada and the Alhambra, I'd use the Costa del Sol as my 4 day base. (Another option on the coast would be Nerja, but I think it's too far from the "white towns", except for neighboring Frigiliana and Cómpeta)
If I wanted to focus on Córdoba, Ronda or Jerez de la Frontera, I'd choose Seville.
But for a magical Xmas trip, I'd definitely prefer to be based in a lively city, with its Xmas traditions and decorations on display, so Sevilla would be definitely be my choice!
Oct 14th, 2003, 05:51 PM
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Thank you Kaudrey and Maribel for your helpful insights. This helps a great deal. Maribel, I liked the advantages you laid out for Sevilla. Makes a lot of sense. We might have 5 days actually now and that makes me wonder whether it is worth then doing 3 days in Seville and 2 in Costa del Sol so we get to do more that way. Any thoughts?
Oct 15th, 2003, 05:36 AM
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mary80,
I could happily stay in Seville for 5 days, but...
If you want to include a visit to Granada, which would be a must for me on a first time Southern Spain visit, you might just want to take an afternoon train or bus directly from Seville to Granada for your final 2 night stay. Again, Granada will be very festive and lively for the holidays, much more festive that the quiet Costa del Sol in off season. (But then, I prefer a large city for a European Xmas vacation). You can fly back to Madrid from Granada on Iberia, but you should check the airfares carefully, as
they've been fluctuating widely. And because of the school holiday, there will be lots of skiers headed to and from the Sol y Nieve complex of Sierra Nevada, which will inevitably cause the airfares to rise, I'd think.
I could happily stay in Seville for 5 days, but...
If you want to include a visit to Granada, which would be a must for me on a first time Southern Spain visit, you might just want to take an afternoon train or bus directly from Seville to Granada for your final 2 night stay. Again, Granada will be very festive and lively for the holidays, much more festive that the quiet Costa del Sol in off season. (But then, I prefer a large city for a European Xmas vacation). You can fly back to Madrid from Granada on Iberia, but you should check the airfares carefully, as
they've been fluctuating widely. And because of the school holiday, there will be lots of skiers headed to and from the Sol y Nieve complex of Sierra Nevada, which will inevitably cause the airfares to rise, I'd think.
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