isabel

Thank you soooo much. These replys have been very helpful. OK you've convinced me. I need to spend at least one night (will probably do two each) in Segovia and Toledo and Madrid (I can do Avila as a day trip).

Of course something has to give, unless you have unlimited time and money, which I don't. My original thought was that I wanted to do Cordoba, Sevilla, Granda, and Ronda while in Andalusia. While Cordoba and Sevilla sound very easy due to the train, I'm wondering if I should skip (this trip, I'll go back eventually) Granda and Ronda. They both are at the top of my list in terms of sounding extremely interesting. But transportation without a car to them sounds like quite a hassel. Maybe I should save Ronda at least until a trip with a car. Any opinions on that?

Mary_Fran

How many days will you have in total? It pains me to think of omitting either Ronda or Granada ...

kaudrey

Hi Isabel,

I skimmed through the comments so I'm sorry if some of this is repetitive. It sounds like you might have 18 nights with 4 in Barcelona. That gives you 2 weeks for the Madrid area and Andalucia. I think that's a good amount of time to do everything. I did those areas in 2 weeks including 3 days in Barcelona.

Since it seems the Madrid area part is figured out, I'll talk about Andalucia.

I would hit Cordoba on the way to Sevilla. Leave Madrid in the morning (I don't think pub. trans. goes from Toledo, I think you have to go from Madrid). Stop in Cordoba for 4 or 5 hours, see the Mezquita, the Alcazar, and walk around the old part of town to grab lunch. Then take the train from Cordoba to Sevilla.

Spend 3 or 4 days in Sevilla. Take the bus to Ronda, spend a day or two there. Buses run to the other white towns also, so you can base in one and travel to the others if you want.

Then I'd go to Granada (although I'm not sure of the transportation options, I know that trains or buses go from Sevilla). Spend 2 days.

That's 10 days (assuming 2 nights in Madrid, one in Segovia, and one in Avila, then 3 in Sevilla, 1 in Ronda, and 2 in Granada). You have 14. So, you could expand time in some of these places, or visit somewhere else.

Fly from Granada to Barcelona. You can get cheap flights if you are flexible about times. And yes, you can get quick food in all of these places. BTW - I spent 2 nights in Ronda and loved it - the white towns are beautiful.

Hope this helps a little.

AGF324

Hi Isabel -

I spent a week in Andulucia 2 years ago and did the following:

Sevilla - 3 days
Cordoba - 1/2 day
Granada - 2 days
Marbella - 1/2 day
Ronda - 1 day

We drove from Sevilla to Granada in one day through Cordoba so that we could stop and see the town. It was a long day, but we arrived in Granada in plenty of time for a nice dinner and good night's sleep. If I had to do it again, I might choose to overnight in Granada, but that would have meant giving up a day in Sevilla, which I wouldn't have done!

We loved Ronda and Granada both. We were there in off-season (November) so Marbella was nice too. We drove through there on our way from Granada to Ronda, had lunch and wondering around town and on the beach for a while. Some of our best photos are from the drive up from Marbella towards Ronda. The scenary is spectacular!

I gots lots of great hotel rec's from fellow Fodorites - there's great info about Andulucia here. Have a wonderful trip!

isabel

Karen and MaryFran - both of your trip reports have been a major inspiration. Karen your trip was almost exactly what I had orinially planned but you are a bit braver than I and rented a car solo. I really think a car is the way to see Ronda and the other towns in that area. If I do it by public transportation it looks likes I'll spend a major part of two whole days just getting to and from places. I also really don't want any one nighters if I can avoid it. When I travel by car I frequently do one nighters (in Ireland a couple years ago my husband and did nine one nighters in a row - and loved it!). But not by public transportation, and not in cities.

So what I'm thinking of is Madrid 2 nights (day trip to Avila - MaryFran your pics of Avila made me decide I had to go there), Segovia 2 nights, Toledo 2 nights. That's 6 nights, I definitly want 4 nights in Barcelona. So that leaves me with 7 for Andalusia. So maybe 3 Granda, 3 Sevilla, 1 Cordoba. Or 3 Granda and 4 Sevilla with a stop over in Cordoba on the way?

Part of my problem with this trip is that I won't know till late spring if it's a solo trip or if my husband can come too. If he comes we could rent a car and change the number of nights at a few places so as to include Ronda. So I may book by tickets in March or so, and then add him on a few months later if he can come (very sick mother in law). The trip will be in July which I know is not the best time but it's when I have two months off (July and August).

mamc

If you have 7 days in Andalucia, I suggest the following: 2 days in Granada, 5 days in Seville with the option of a day trip to Cordoba and a day trip to Ronda. Seville is a city like Venice and Paris - to me it is something to be experienced rather than simply a stop to see the sights.

liana

Isabel,
Madrid is beautiful,the Gran Via buildings are more majestic tha the ones on the Champs Elysees,the fountain of Cibeles,the Prado museum ,the plaza Mayor and just about all the old part of town should not be missed.
We had been to Toledo 3 times,the last time with friends,we spent the night there and is not worth it,is dead at night after the tourists go and the hundred of stores close,same for Avila and Segovia,go very early,have a very good lunch there and catch the last train back to Madrid for a light meal or some churros and chocolate around the plaza Mayor.
I wont miss Sevilla and Granada and do a day trip to Cordoba and also Ronda,same thing go early and leave late,dead at night.
Malaga is a very pretty town and you can also add Jerez de la Frontera.