christym907

Hi All. I'm planning a trip with my husband to southern Spain in late November. Reason that we're going then is that we will already be in New York for a wedding and thought since we are already as far as New York we might as well keep on going! I've penciled out the following itinerary. I know Fodorites won't be shy about feedback on what to add or subtract! I love that about this forum. I've read some trip reports, etc. so just want to know if this is too much. We all want to see more than we have time for and I have experience in biting the bullet and just cutting some places out.

Arrive Madrid and take train to Seville.

Seville--5 nights
Granada- 2 nights
Malaga- 2 nights
then drive from Malaga and on the way go through a couple of white towns --Is this a good idea or should we break it up? I don't want to just stay one night somewhere. we would have to rent a car. Is is worth it to drive through the countryside to see white villages.?
Jerez- 2 nights
take the train to Madrid
Madrid- 4 nights

this is flexible enough that I can add a night or two really anywhere along this route

Thanks so much for any input and suggestions.

bilboburgler

makes sense to me, you could do a day trip to Cordoba, but looks good.

KarenWoo

Your itinerary looks good to me except that I would add 2 nights in Cordoba. You could visit Cordoba as a daytrip from Seville; however, I prefer to stay overnight. There are lots of important sites in Cordoba in addition to the Mezquite. And it's a lovely town with white-washed walls, narrow lanes and patios.

November should be a comfortable time to travel in Andalucia. Check some weather sites; it will probably be cooler in Granada since it's in the mountains. You will probably need a light-weight jacket and a sweater or two.

Rubicund

Bear in mind that in late November the days are quite short, so it cuts down on your sightseeing time and more driving in the dark. We've been out there at all times of the year and had all weathers from snow in Madrid to 80 degrees in Malaga and along the Costa del Sol, (same trip) so pack layers clothingwise.

cdnyul

We drove from Cordoba to Almeria late November 2019; heavy rain and temperatures of 1Celsius at higher elevations.
The major roads were OK, I don't think we would have enjoyed winding our way through the backroads.

Personally, you could not pay me to stay 5 night in Seville.

christym907

yes- I hadn't thought about the amount of light at that time of year. Will look that up. Thanks for everyone's input. I've also read that Cadiz is a better option than Jerez. I appreciate the time it took you to respond!

KarenWoo

Who knows, because of climate change, November might be warmer than we expect. I just read a post on Rick Steves travel forum from a person who is currently in Spain and heading to Andalucia. Temps are predicted to be 105 degrees. Apparently, Spain has been getting hotter and hotter each year. This person is thinking of changing her travel plans to go to northern Spain which she hopes will be cooler than Andalucia. So, you might be the lucky one traveling in November. Bring a variety of clothing so you will be prepared for cool/cold or warm temperatures.

FWIW, everyone has different perspectives, interests, etc. We LOVED Seville; we had 4 nights in Seville and I wish we had an extra night there.

plambers

we were in andalucia over christmas and nye last year and had 15 days of sunny 70 degree weather. perfect! i'd also add 2 nights cordoba. we really enjoyed our time there. you could take one night from sevile if needed. however, this was our second visit to seville and were there 5 nights and we never ran out of things to do!

twk

Regarding your drive from Malaga to Cadiz (now that you've substituted that for Jerez), Google says that you can make that trip passing through Ronda, then passing byZahara, and Arcos in 3 hours. It will probably take longer, but with all day to do it, I think that's a sound plan. I personally feel that the white towns are worth seeing more for their situation in the mountains, than spending any time inside the towns. You'll see similar architecture in Seville, on a larger scale. So, maybe you spend a little time in Ronda (perhaps stop there, see a bit, and have lunch), then pass by Zahara and Arcos on your way without spending significant time in those two towns.

ekscrunchy

"Cadiz is a better option than Jerez??"

Why?

I spent three nights in Jerez last March and adored the city. I also like Cadiz, where I spent about 6 nights a few years ago. It's easy to do both of them..they are not far apart.

I would give as much time to Sevilla as possible, as I think it one of the best cities in Europe in many ways. I spend at least a week there each time I go..

I'd give up Malaga to see Cordoba, and I would forget the car rental just to see the "white villages." They are undoubtedly charming, but since this is your first trip to the region, you can get an idea of them by walking around in the older areas of Jerez, for example, or Cordoba. If you stay longer in Sevilla, you could take a day trip to Arcos, maybe, or take another day trip from a different one of your destinations......

One of the most beautiful white villages is Vejer, which you could see from Cadiz by bus or with a driver. I'm not an expert on day trips, not on public transport, so just throwing out some possibilities that I thought of. Again, I LOVED Jerez, and I did not even see the horses (except when they were going back "home" by walking along the street from the arena. And I only went to one bodega, Lustau, and that was just to buy their wonderful vinegar and an olive oil that they make. It's a lovely, walkable city with excellent restaurants, and charming people but then, the Andaluz are famous for their friendliness.

christym907

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. I've been reading lots of trip reports and suggestions for other travelers going to the Andalusia region and wherever we finally decide to go, I think we can't go wrong! I'm going to tweak this itinerary again to include Cordoba because so many of you have said, GO THERE. I"m so grateful for this forum where we can all learn from each other to make our trips as enjoyable as possible! I'm going to have to cut something out, but it will be a fabulous trip no matter where we go. Thanks again.

Faedus

I haven't seen Cadiz, so I'm not qualified to make a comparison, but I have visited Jerez de la Frontera --Dec. 2019, four nights -- and like a respondent above ("ekscrunchy"), I adored it. And I did not go there for horse shows, but rather for sherry and flamenco (both abundantly on offer at the time of my visit), and for the ambience of its great historic center.