Minnie1976

Hello, We have a trip planned to visit Spain this coming December 2023 and we are looking for feedback on our itinerary. We are so excited to experience the holidays in Spain. We are a family of 3: husband, 16yr son and me. This is not our first time in Spain so we are trying to make the best of our limited time. We arrive in Madrid December 25 and depart January 1st out of Madrid also. Our plan is to stay in Madrid until December 25. We would like to take a train to Seville first thing December 26. We plan to stay in Seville from Dec 26-December 30(and make it our base for those days to avoid switching hotels). Our plan is that we take an early train on December 30 back to Madrid and stay there until January 1st when we depart back home. Our flight back hom leaves around 4PM Jan 1st 2024.

Itinerary summary:

• Dec. 25 - arrive to Madrid
• Dec. 26-early train to Seville, explore Seville
• Dec. 27- Explore Seville
• Dec. 28-Side trip in car to Pueblos Blancos route
• Dec. 29-Side trip to Granada or Cordoba
• Dec. 30-Jan 1-Early train to Madrid and spend the rest of the time in Madrid.

Questions:
1-Can you provide input about this itinerary? Our goal is to experience the holidays more than anything in Spain.
2-Do we need to rent a car in Seville or is it best to use trains? I understand Seville parking is complicated. As you can see from above we would like to use 2 of the 4 days exploring Seville, then maybe try to rent a car and see the route of "Pueblos Blancos" and then one day go to Granada.
3-The main goal of the trip is to experience the Spanish Holiday Vibe. Can you recommend must see Christmas markets, towns, christmas lights in these areas or near.

Fyi. We have already visited Barcelona and Toledo. We are not visiting again.

Any feedback about the itinerary or ideas you can provide would be so appreciated. Thank you in advance.
#Spain, #Holidays in Europe, #Christmas, #New Years Eve, #Seville, #Madrid

Elizabeth_S

Spain is lovely at Christmas!

A few comments re your itinerary

- it's a really long day trip to Granada from Seville - if Granada is a priority I'd suggest taking the early train December 26th and touring Alhambra that day. Then depart December 27th for Seville via train. You could stop over in Cordoba on the way (checking bags at train station) which is an efficient way to see Cordoba. Or you could rent a car in Granada and drive to Seville via the White Villages (although not ideal with your luggage in the car).

- if you do visit Cordoba from Seville I'd suggest bus or train - way easier than attempting to park a rental car.

- As an alternative to Seville (not that you asked for one!) Malaga is a terrific Christmas destination. The streets are full of decorations (as many Spanish cities are) and they have an evening light show in the historic district - here's a video


- we love both Seville and Malaga so there aren't any bad choices!

Minnie1976

Elizabeth_S - Thank you so much for the input. Definitively provide alternatives to Seville. We just saw in the information we have been compiling that Granada is supposed to be beautiful. Also we saw pictures of the white villages and thought they must be beautiful during the winter. Yes, I am a bit nervous about driving a car in the mountains with luggage and I am not sure if there will be snow. Any ideas you can provide as alternatives we would consider. We can change the reservations in the hotels if there are other towns you suggest that are worth it and that would make our trip memorable. This is our first time in Europe for the Christmas Season so we would like to get a real taste of how it is done in Spain. I am going to take a look at Malaga.

michaelpianko

As of now it looks like you have 1 night in Madrid at the beginning of your trip and another 3 nights in Madrid at the end. Would it be possible to take the train to Seville on the same day your plane arrives in Madrid and then spend your first night in Seville instead of in Madrid, putting all your nights in Madrid at the end of your trip? I spent 4 nights in Seville, 2 nights in Granada, 2 nights in Cordoba (maybe that could have been squeezed down to just one night), and 5 nights in Madrid. It looks like you have 7 nights total and 6 full days. Are there any museums or major sites you hope to see? Seville requires 4 full days to see properly unless you skip some museums, Madrid requires 5 full days unless you skip certain museums and places. As of now your trip can work logistically, but only if you skip a lot. Or do you want to focus on just Seville and another city in Andalucia, or Madrid and Seville?

Minnie1976

@michaelpianko This is not our first time in Madrid and we also arrive on Christmas Day. We think trains will be difficult to catch Christmas Day as it is a major holiday. This is why we are staying the first night in Madrid and then head to Seville the next day. The main focus would be to explore the towns near Andalucia and experience the Christmas season events.

Traveler_Nick

The 26th is also a holiday. I'd suggest thinking about things like food. Will you need to book a restaurant in advance ? 25th,26th,evening of the 31th and the 1st of January.

There are hotels in Seville with parking. Maybe not right in the core of the city but it's not a huge metropolitan area.

lrice

Traveler Nick is right about 12/26.

It is St. Stephen’s Day but I’m not sure what that means to restaurants being open. I would think everything opens back up in a big city like Madrid. Does anyone know?

Same goes for trains and buses. I would check to see if schedules are reduced or shut down on 12/26.

lrice

Hi Minnie,

I was reading some other threads here on Fodors about Christmas in Spain. Last year, Maribel said "Dec. 26 is not an official holiday in Seville or Madrid or Granada" and she is an expert! She also said that trains run on all days, but will likely have a reduced schedule.

This thread may be helpful: spain next christmas PLEASE HELP! FLIGHTS ON HOLD