Spain Andalusia trip helo
 

Many many thanks for all of your replies. We are going to Spain for Andalusia but do want to go to the Prado museum in Madrid when we arrive. So our plan is to arrive from USA at 9 AM on 2/18 and go to Madrid city to rest and do the Prado museum the following day, and then train to Sevilla first thing in AM on 2/20. There is a Doubletree Hotel across the street from the Prado. Is that a good area to stay in? Do you have other hotel suggestions? We don't care about luxury but like comfortable and clean room conveniently located. Would it be convenient to the train station for Sevilla train following morning?

So we arrive in Sevilla the morning of Tuesday 2/20 and have until the afternoon of Tuesday 2/27 to spend in Andalusia. Can you suggest the best way to use those 8 days to see as much of Andalusia as possible?

We are also thinking of maybe doing Madrid and Barcelona etc on a future trip and spending all these days 2/18-2/28 in Andalusia. Your thoughts?
Thanks!
Joe

Can you suggest the best way to use those 8 days to see as much of Andalusia as possible?>

Seville - 4 nights
Cordoba -2 nights
Granada - 2 nights

Cordoba could be a half-day stop between Seville and Granada and then you could end in Malaga.

If you can fly home from say Seville re-organize routing.

Book trains far in advance at www.renfe.com - Spanish railways site for possible discounted fares - for general info on where to go by trains and trains themselves- www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

Are you saying you might not stay in Madrid on this trip? If so, it looks like you will have 10 nights in Andalusia, which is a good amount. Did you see my response on your other thread? This was our itinerary this past September:

After we spent 4 nights in Madrid, and one night in Toledo, we travelled to Andalusia:

Córdoba - 2 nights
Granada - 2 nights
Malaga - 2 nights
Seville - 4 nights

We flew home from Seville. If you aren't interested in Malaga (an under-rated city, IMO) you could add a 3rd night to Granada and Cordoba, or spend a night or two in the white towns. We did not visit the white towns so my suggestion is not based on my experience.

If I were you, I'd skip Madrid (and the Prado) this time around so you can see a bit more of Andalusia. As noted on your other thread, including that day or two in Madrid will seriously limit your options in Andalusia. Because Madrid has a major international airport, it is much easier to include an any subsequent itinerary than anywhere in Andalusia.

The area around the Prado is a fine area to stay in.

It sound like you have 7 nights to play with. A possible itinerary would be:

Sevilla: 3 nights
Cordoba or Toledo: 1 or 2 nights
Granada: 2 or 3 nights

Thank you for the replies. So if we skip Madrid and save it for another trip, is there enough to hold our interest in Andalusia for 10 days? 2/18-2/28. We would be flying in and out of Madrid so we would have to spend 2/27 afternoon/evening returning to Madrid airport area to fly out 2/28 AM. We arrive Madrid on 2/18 AM and train down south so that day is shot. So if we were on the ground in Andalusia the afternoon of 2/18 and had until the afternoon of 2/27 before we needed to return to Madrid, how would you lay that time out? Should we train between all the cities down there or rent a car? Thanks!!!

Of course it depends on your interests, but I don't remember seeing anyone say that 10 days is too much for Andalusia -- quite in contrast, most people wish they had more time. On your other thread, I gave you a rough plan for the core of Andalusia in 9 nights (4 in Sevilla, 3 in Granada, 2 in Cordoba). Some people swap in a night or two in the White Towns or a few nights in Malaga. No need to rent a car unless you have a specific interest in some of the White Towns that can't be reached by public transportation. (Ronda, for example, CAN be reached by public transportation.) For your transportation options, consult rome2rio.com -- just be sure to follow the links you find there, as the main web site does not reflect seasonal variation in schedules.

Sounds like you could use a good guidebook or two! Or you might read one or more of the MANY trip reports or planning threads here on Fodors.

From Madrid , you can take a train to Córdoba , Seville and Malaga.
The line to Granada is still a mix of train and bus.
From Seville to Granda - bus or you could drive and stop in Ronda on the way .

How much time to spend in Andalusia depends of what you wish to see.
Some travelers take a week, other two weeks.

Do you have any guidebooks on Andalucia? If not, I agree with kja that will help you plan your trip. You can also click on my name to read my report from this past September.

If I am understanding you correctly, you really only have 9 nights in Andalucia because you need to spend the night of February 27 in Madrid or near the airport. If you haven't done so already, you should plot your itinerary on a calendar, as kja often suggests, so that you know exactly how many days and nights you have in Andalucia. It looks to me like you really only have 8 to 8.5 days for sightseeing in Andalucia because you will arrive at your first destination late in the day, and you need to be near the Madrid airport on the 27th.

We took trains or buses everywhere. You don't need a car unless you decide to go to some of the white towns, with the exception of Ronda, as kja suggests. We took the bus from Cordoba to Granada, and then from Granada to Malaga because the train tracks to Granada weren't finished. Cars will be a nuisance in most of the cities, except for possibly the white towns.

You should also check the train schedules to see which city has the most trains and convenient times (for you) to travel from that city back to Madrid on the 27th.

A possible itinerary could be:

Train from Madrid to Cordoba - stay in Cordoba for 1 or 2 nights
Train or bus from Cordoba to Granada - stay in Granada for 2 or 3 nights
Train or bus from Granada to Seville - stay in Seville 4 nights
Train from Seville to Madrid on February 27.

Or you could do the reverse: Seville, Granada, then Cordoba. I think the order of your itinerary might depend on train schedules.

So it looks like you have made your airline reservations, right? In the future, if you can, I recommend deciding where you want to go and plotting out your itinerary before you make your airline reservations. Because in your situation, you would have been better off flying open-jaw (also called multi-city). For example, you could have flown into Madrid and out of Seville. Or fly in and out of Seville or Malaga since you have decided not to spend any time in Madrid on this trip.

I hope this helps.

One more thing: Do you want to visit the Alhambra at night in addition to the day time tour? We did, and loved it! As many people say, the evening tour is magical. However, in February the Alhambra is only open a few nights a week; I think only on weekends. If that is important to you, make sure you are in Granada when the Alhambra is open at night.

Yes, get some good guidebooks (or spend some time with a few in your local library), identify the things you most want to see in each location, check their opening/closing times on the internet, and mark them on a calendar. Then pencil in your transportation, add some time on either side (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting lost/oriented, etc.). Then see how things fit together. As you plan, note that many things in Spain are closed on Monday, and often for all or part of Sundays too; and many things in Spain will also be closed daily for a very long mid-day break. Reservations for the Alhambra are needed in advance, day or night, and many of us recommend both.

There is a Doubletree Hotel across the street from the Prado. Is that a good area to stay in?>

Yes IMO and fairly close to Atocha train station for trains to Seville.

Thanks for replying to my post for help on Andalusia.
We have decided to skip Madrid and spend our entire trip in Andalusia.

We arrive Madrid on Sunday morning 2/18 at 9 AM and can take a train south that morning.

We fly home on 2/28 in the morning so we would need to leave the south the afternoon of 2/27 to a Madrid airport hotel.

So really we have 9 full days in Andalusia. How would you lay that out. We are fine with trains and buses and don't mind driving our own car either. The cities we have on our list are as follows but I am sure there are many others...Seville, Cordoba, Malaga, Grenada, Ronda, Huelva, white villages.

Many many thanks for your help.

Joe Hill
Louisville, KY.

Seville, Cordoba, Malaga, Grenada, Ronda, Huelva, white villages.>

Why Huleva - been there OK town but way out of way from a loop involving others.

9 days

1d- to Seville
2-4 Seville
5- Cordoba
6-7 Granada
8 Back to Madrid
9- Fly out.

Trains would be great for all those and book early as said above.

Madrid airport is only 25-30 min. by taxi ( fixed rate , 30 euros) from the center.
You could leave the south in the morning, maybe see Prado and have a nice dinner in Madrid.

Great idea from danon - leave the next morning and score discounted tickets for Madrid-Seville which as they are non-changeable from a specific train and non refundable I believe flying and taking train right away means you have to either leave lots of fudge factor time for plane to be late, etc. but may end up jet-lagged at Atocha station waiting a few hours for your train.

Leave the next day refreshed and certain to make the train your discounted ticket is booked on.

PQ
I was referring to the staying at the airport hotel in Madrid at the end of the trip.
Personally , I don't like staying near airports.

Also, one can considered flying from Madrid airport south upon arrival if there is a good connection...
avoids going to the train station...one is already at the airport.

I would encourage staying the arrival day too by Atocha Station where trains to Seville embark from and seeing nearby Prado, El Retiro Park, etc. Or best yes a flight from Madrid Airport to Seville but schlepping to train station with bags - even via taxi and waiting for train when jet-lagged is tough and the problem with discounted tickets and full-fare is so so expensive - good idea about flying straight away from airport.

"So really we have 9 full days in Andalusia. How would you lay that out. "

Several of us have already laid out some options, and we have given you the kinds of information you need to plan the itinerary that works for you. Seriously, NONE of us can tell you how to lay it out. You need to do some of your own work to figure out what YOU want to see and do and to make it work in the time you have.

Good luck!

white villages.>

With such short time I'd skip or take the Seville-Ronda bus that goes thru several of them - otherwise need car but for rest of trip trains are best.