sgd

Hello,

We are flying into Sevilla on Sep 30th and flying out of Madrid on Oct 5th. 2 adults and 2 kids
We have planned following itinerary.

Oct 1, 2 - Sevilla
Evening of Oct 2nd, take train to Granada
Oct 3 - Granada
Evening of Oct 3, take train to Cordoba
Oct 4 - Cordoba
Evening of Oct 4, train to Madrid.

Oct 5th, we have a flight at 1:10 PM.

Have a couple of questions.
- We will have luggage with us. Is it going to be difficult to take trains ?
- We plan to leave Cordoba around 3 or 4 PM. Is the morning enough to visit Mezquita and couple other places close by or we can leave even earlier like around 1 PM ?
- If we stick with this, we should be in Madrid by 6 PM or earlier. I was thinking of going out at night and see some of the city. The next day how soon should we leave for the airport ? Can we go out for sightseeing at all the next day ?

I have read that trains from Atocha station leave for the airport and it should take 20 - 30 minutes.
We will have to go through immigration at the airport. I was thinking we should be at the airport by 11:00 AM to give us 2 hours.

Thanks

StCirq

If it's an international long-haul flight from Madrid you need to give yourself 3 hours. Your airline can confirm how much time you need.

Anytime you take a train pretty much anywhere in Europe, the less luggage you have the better. Yes, it's a pain getting on and off trains, doubly so if you have kids. You're going on a very short trip. You shouldn't need to be hauling around much of anything.

cdnyul

You are going for a week and you have luggage?

Mark

PalenQ

About trains in Spain which run mainly on the plain www.renfe.com is the official site of Spanish railways -have you booked your trains - if not do so ASAP - limited in number discounted tickets can save you a ton - train-specific however and non-changeable I do think- when taking a train after landing build in plenty of fudge factor time as those tickets are train-specific and non-changeable I again think.

Seville to Granada may be better and cheaper by bus as trains take a round-about routing - no need to book buses until you get there but trains yes.

Adequate luggage space on these modern trains unless carrying the kitchen sink - first class IME has more available space for luggage and discounted tickets come in first class to I believe and there are other benefits as always to first class if not on a tight budget. (Others may disagree.) For lots about Spanish trains check these IMO superb sources - www.seat61.com - great advice on discounted trains and alternatives to booking on the at times for novice users very fickle balking Renfe.com site; for general info like difference between classes: www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Though there is a Spain Railpass you are not nearly doing enough train travel to make it pay off.

Yes if you just want to see the Cordoba mosque-cathedral a few hours is enough IME though Cordoba has an ungodly number of other ancient and interesting churches, monasteries and abbeys, etc.

sgd

We are from US. From Spain we have to go to Morocco for a longer stay so we need to take some luggage. I know it will be a pain to take the luggage everywhere but there is no way around it.

Is the itinerary too aggressive ?
We do not plan on seeing each and everything in all the cities.
For instance in Granada, we will only visit Alhambra and the Royal Chapel.

Should we leave Cordoba around 1 PM to have more time in Madrid or not see Madrid at all but spend more time in Cordoba

sgd

PalenQ,
To me train seemed better than bus because we have kids and luggage.
I have not booked train tickets because I was not sure of what times to book.
The only thing booked is the flights in and out and Alhmabra tickets.

cdnyul

Rent a car.

Mark

PalenQ

You could never cover those itineraries in a car to go from Madrid to Seville and Cordoba to Madrid - those AVE trains go nearly 200 mph -car would take three times as long and they do not have time for that.

kja

While it depends on what you want to see and experience, I would note that this trip seems very rushed to me – so for me, that’s a definite "yes" to “too aggressive.”

If you haven’t already done so, I urge you to consult a good guidebook or two, paying attention to the opening hours of the things you most want to see and experience. Keep in mind 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.

One difference between buses and trains is that most intercity buses in Spain have an undercarriage luggage compartment, so no need to heft your suitcases up into the train or find a place to store it once on board. With your mad-dash trip, I’d go for any high-speed train that serves your purpose, but if there isn’t a high-speed one, a bus might not be a bad alternative. For your plan, either beats a car IMO.

Madrid is the easiest place on your itinerary to visit again (because it’s got the international airport). I, personally, wouldn’t plan on leaving Cordoba any earlier than necessary to be sure you are in Madrid the night before your flight. But then, I wanted 2 full and very busy days just in Cordoba itself….

Good luck!

nytraveler

Sorry - VERY rushed, esp with 2 kids. You don;t say how old, but I hope that they're old enough to deal with their own luggage or on and off trains can be a major PIA.

RonZ

Sevilla with a Cordoba day trip [50 minutes] and Madrid. If you plan on seeing the cathedral google beating the line.

sgd

Thanks for all the insight. We will skip going out in Madrid. I know the trip is kid of aggressive, it was not supposed to be but certain things changed and have to do with fewer days.

We will leave Cordoba later in the evening and spend the night in Madrid to leave early for airport the next day.

Kids are old enough that it should not be a problem.

We are in Granada on Monday and I was able to buy tickets to Alhambra for that day so I think we should be able to see at least that on a Monday.
I will keep the closing on Sunday and Monday and afternoons in mind.

Thanks

sgd

One more question. When I think of bus and train, train seems more spacious to me in terms of seats. Easy access to bathrooms. Able to walk in the aisle etc.
Are buses comfortable and spacious enough ?

kja

IME, trains are more comfortable than buses, but IIRC, the buses I took in Spain had bathrooms and were comfortable enough. That could have changed, and of course, YMMV. As mentioned, the big advantage IMO, if all else is reasonably similar, is with the luggage.

Give the Alhambra as much time as you and your children can manage.

PalenQ

Are buses comfortable and spacious enough ?>

No never ever IME as are trains - where you can get up and walk around - really stretch your legs but if the trip is half as short well buses may be the way to go - especially on a very tight schedule already -I do not know if Seville to Granada buses are quicker than trains just think they must be as trains, due to hilly terrain, take a round about routing between the two.

I would always take a train unless it is significantly longer or way more expensive.

You can also see a lot more out of train windows than buses IME - especially if stuck in a bus on the aisle seat.

Luggage on buses seems fine as they usually put it under the bus - it may take time to retrieve it though as opposed to trains and you can't get at it during the ride.

sgd

Thank you everyone for providing insight and replies.
Loved all the 3 cities. I am glad we visited all 3.
Would have loved to spend more time in Granada and Cordoba but what we managed to see was still worth all the effort.

We took bus from Seville to Granada and from Granada to Cordoba. Ticket was almost half the train ticket and the ride was just fine. High speed train from Cordoba to Madrid.

Thank you again.

PalenQ

Thanks for reporting back - especially on buses and trains!

kja

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your trip!