Spain in Nov. - Where to go?
 

I'm thinking of taking a trip to Spain in November with 3 friends. We are all women in our 30's. We like musuems, historical sites, interesting architecture, and old world charm. We like to walk a lot, eat good food, and people watch while soaking up the culture. But, we are also not averse to some good nightlife.

We kinda just decided to go, so we haven't even nailed down the exact time frame, but we'll probably have something like 10 to 14 days actually in the country. We're thinking of flying into Madrid and out of Malaga.

We'd like to spend a couple of days in Madrid with a side tript to Toledo and then head down and do Seville and Granada before ending with a taste of Costa del Sol. Is this feasible? Does anyone have any suggestions on how many days to spend in each and how to get between the cities?

We are a little concerned with the weather (One of them gets cold very easily. The temp in Madrid especially worries us.) which is why we are more concentrating in southern Spain. We are also concerned that we don't have enough time to see what we would like. We would love to go to Barcelona, but kinda feel like we have to pick between that and Madrid(with Toledo) due to time constraints and distance. Even though Madrid will likely be colder, we think it also has more of the old world feel that we are looking for. Do you think that's true? Any help would be appreciated.

We've been in southern Spain in November and it can get rainy and even chilly, which we didn't really mind (we're from Seattle and used to rain), but if your friend has trouble with it, well, you might try checking out weatherunderground.com and do a history check for various regions that time of the year.

As far as "old world feel", I've been Madrid and Barcelona, and for me, Barcelona had more of that kind of feel--Madrid felt much more like a "big city" to me. I liked Madrid but LOVED Barcelona.

It will be interesting to see how others react to this.

Looking into same trip to Spain this November with friend (will be 2 women traveling together) for week. Interested in what you learn from others.

I would concentrate my November time in Spain in Andalusia exploring Seville, Granda, Cordoba, the white towns etc. Am not a fan of the Costa del Sol. Prefer Barcelona to Madrid especially if you are adverse to cold. Lots of different ways to plan your flights etc but it depends on where you are coming from, how much actual time you have etc to get more specific. Would recommend a car for at least some time in Andalusia.

I recomend you to visit Andalucia, in the south of Spain:
Visit Sevilla, Jerez, White Villages, Ronda, Cordoba and Granada. Lovely trip with nice people, good hotels and all the best of Spain.

Hey, thanks for the advice.

How about an itinerary something like this then (we probably will not have a car):

day 01 - flight
day 02 - arrive seville
day 03 - seville
day 04 - seville (day trip cordoba)
day 05 - seville
day 06 - bus to granada
day 07 - granada
day 08 - granada (day trip to Ronda on Andalucian Express train)
day 09 - granada/overnight train to bcn
day 10 - barcelona
day 11 - barcelona
day 12 - barcelona
day 13 - barcelona
day 14 - flight home

This sounds good to me. The only change I'd makeis to do one day less in Granada and one more in Barcelona and perhaps do a daytrip from Barcelona (or even spend the time there--but that's because I LOVE that city).

<< ... We're thinking of flying into Madrid and out of Malaga. >>

If you're coming from the U.S. you'll have to connect thru Madrid for your U.S.-bound flight. There's no direct service (other than Charters) between the U.S. and Malaga.

<< We'd like to spend a couple of days in Madrid with a side trip to Toledo and then head down and do Seville and Granada before ending with a taste of Costa del Sol. Is this feasible? Does anyone have any suggestions on how many days to spend in each and how to get between the cities? ... >>

In November, I would skip the Costa del Sol.

Don't worry about the weather! Don't base your plans on it. You are more likely to have hotel accomodations with the heat turned on in Madrid or Barcelona than in Sevilla, Granada or Malaga.

Everyone else tells you about Andalucia and how nice it is: I think you should seriously consider going back to 'Plan-A.' You should easily be able to do Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla / Granada in 14-days. Your Madrid daytrips should include Segovia. I think you should plan about 4-days in Madrid (incl. daytrips to Toledo and Segovia), 2-days in Barcelona & about 3-days in Sevilla. You figure out the sequence.

Between Madrid-Sevilla take AVE (2.5 hours, guaranteed!). If you come Barcelona-Sevilla (or v./v.) take the overnight all-preferente Talgo and sleep along the way. Iberia, SpanAir & Air Europa all have hourly flights between Madrid & Barcelona (also Vueling, a start-up econmoy carrier).

November is not the dead of winter and you won't see any Dr. Zhivago - type landscapes in Spain that early. Even the ski resorts in the mountains probably won't be open yet.