ekscrunchy

You will not need a car within those cities. A car will be a hindrance. From the train station you can take a taxi or bus to your hotel and then the same to reach far-flung sights. Within the two cities you mentioned, we walked almost everywhere.

Make sure to get a plane ticket that brings you into one place and home from another; for example, fly into Madrid and home from Seville or Granada.

kimhe

Both Granada and Sevilla are very walkable, even if there are steep hills in Granada up to the Alhambra and the beautiful Albaycín district right in the centre.

You will absolutely not miss a car to get around in these cities: difficult driving, much one way, narrow and labyrinthic streets (especially Sevilla) and hard to find parking that don't cost a fortune. Taxis are cheap, for some 4-5€ you usually get wherever you want in the central parts.

The Santa Justa train station in Sevilla is almost in the city center and 10 mins walking from the Old town/Santa Cruz district. The two bus stations are also very central. In Granada, you'll better get a taxi to go to central Plaza Nueva, Albayzín etc from both the train and the bus stations. Some 30 mins walking.

Sevilla is only 2h 30 mins from Madrid on the high speed AVE train. Granada is not yet connected to the AVE system and would be some 4 1/2-5 hours by train/bus from Madrid. Low cost airlines fly to both destinations. Check on momondo.com

If you go to Sevilla, I can give you recommendations on tapas bars, restaurants, districts with vibrant local atmosphere, great sights (besides the most famous) and cultural excperiences, especially when it comes to flamenco. Been here several times over the past few years.

cbr

Has anyone booked on europeandestinations.com they seem to offer good itineraries with train, hotel etc. Both my husband and I agree we would rather not drive in Europe.

txtree

As others note, you definitely don't need to drive if you want to visit Granada and/or Sevilla - you can easily get to/from these cities by train. The only reason we rented a car to travel between Granada and Madrid was so that we could squeeze Toledo into our trip.

Also, since it is very easy to book the hotels and trains yourself (schedules are all online and tickets can easily be purchased either online or at the station), I wouldn't think you'd need a travel agent to organize your itinerary. But then I'm in the camp of people who think planning those details myself is a big part of the joy of travel.

cbr

I did book the airlines so now on to the fun stuff. We are flying into Barcelona the day after Christmas and leave on January 8, 2012. So we have plenty of time to explore. Our plan is to spend 3-4 days in Barcelona go to Seville (fly/train) explore that area and go to Madrid for 3-4 days we fly home from there. We will most likely be in Seville for the New Year so kimhe I will need your suggestions for two adults and two teenagers. We are not touristy types and prefer something more authentic if possible. I should also say that 2 of us are vegetarians and 2 will eat some fish, I am well aware this may be a challenge. I looked into staying at a inn called Casa Olea Cordoba. Has anyone stayed there? It is between Cordoba and Granada so we may need a car. We want to visit Toledo as well. All your suggestions are great so keep them coming

WingWing

My family traveled to Spain lat December during Christmas, we land in Barcelona, stayed for a few days, drove to Bilbao, stopped at couple city along the way. From Bilbao, we drove south to Madrid. We hd a wonderful time, it only rain once while in Barcelona, otherwise the weather is very acceptable for winter time. We are going back to Spain again, but will visit the south, Seville and Granada. Driving is good in Spain but you definite don't want to drive the car in the city. Thanks

SandraSparklz

hi CBR,
how was your trip to Spain in December?
My husband and I are planning to spend Christmas/New Year this year in Spain also.
Would you recommend it?

thanks