Spain/Morroco
 

My husband and I are flying to Spain Dec 18 and returning Jan 1. Our plan is to rent a car, spend five or six days in Spain and then take the ferry to Morroco. My problem - is it possible to stay in one hotel someplace in central/southern Spain and do day trips? The thought of packing and unpacking every day doesn't appeal to me. I'm not crazy about cities, but I'd like to see the Prado, Cordoba, the Alhambra.

Have you looked at a map of Spain? It's a lot larger than you think. You could stay in or around Malaga, but the day trips would consume a lot of time.

How long are you planning on staying in Morocco?

What? The Prado is in Madrid. Then you want to go to Cordoba. Then Granada. What's the issue? How much of that time do you want to spend in Morocco?

No, you realistically can't stay in one place in Spain and visit all those places. You'll need to move from Madrid to Cordoba to Granada.

I suggest you get a map and a guide book to Spain to understand the possibilities and limitations of what you wnat to do.

It's unlikely you'd be able to take a hire car to Morocco.

BUT why do you need a car? Spanish public transport is generally good

Your total time is 2-weeks. I don't think that's enough for an in-depth visit to Spain and Morocco. It's barely enough to hit some highlights of Spain. What's your motivation for Morocco??
You'll see enough Mozarabe architecture in Toledo, Cordoba, Sevilla, Granada, and Cadiz (if you get that far South).

Unless you have family there, I would 'scrub' Morocco and concentrate on Spain: the Madrid area, and Andalucia. You could take AVE Madrid-Sevilla and pick up a rental car at Estación Santa Justa; use Sevilla as your base for touring Andalucia.

Maybe you should visit Morocco over Christmas as things to tend to close down in Spain for the celebrations and it would make life easier. I also doubt it you can take your hire car on the ferry.

agree with ribeirasacra...do morocco over christmas; i have friends who had a blast doing that. you can hire cars easily enough in tangiers but as with spain, public transport (trains) are good between main cities in morocco. if you want to go up into the mtns that's another matter; you could hire a grand taxi for a day and do tetouan or chaouen...lots of possibilities and you do need to read up on both destinations. don't give up on the idea of doing both countries though - it's a wonrful compare/contrast idea

Yes,I've looked at maps and travel books. Hence, my question. However, you've given me another idea. I'll pack a small bag and we'll put toiletries and a change of clothes in it. That way we won't be dragging suitcases in and out of hotels. You're correct about a rental car and the ferry; we'll have to leave it on the Spanish side. I'm also aware that many people think two weeks is a very short time allotment. We travel with the time we have available. Living on a farm with horses limits the time I can be away from them. While I'm fortunate to have reliable help, my barn help is not as knowledgeable about their nuances/habits/problems as I am. Thank you for your opinions and advice.

It's not about the amount of time--it's how you spend it. One should never pack/unpack every day--every three days is a good rule of thumb.
The details of the ferry route mean you lose time in both places, and as a result don't make the most of either.
If you love rural settings, I can think of nothing better than wandering through southern Spain.

I agree to skip Morocco unless you have time to visit Marrakesh/ Atlas/ Essouira, but you don't. I would focus on Madrid for 4 nights, visiting Toledo or Segovia one day, then Seville for 3 nights with a daytrip to Cordoba, then Granada for 2 nights and finish with a night in Malaga. The border towns of Morocco will add stress to what will otherwise be a wonderful, relaxing trip.