plambers

Hello all. Unfortunately we just canceled our Christmas Spain trip but I just booked May 19-June 2 with miles so will try again. Flying in and out of Madrid. Me and husband. I am conversational in Spanish and studied in Madrid many moons ago. Husband and i visited Madrid and Sevilla 8 years ago and loved it. Figured this would be a lovely time to visit but where do we go?

So far I have:

May 2O-22 Cordoba
May 22-25 Granada (sidetrip to Rhonda?)
now where?

Here's where I get stuck and we depart June 2. I know we want 3 nights Sevilla. Where else? When we were there last time every local we spoke to raved about Cadiz. I was in Nerja many years ago and also liked it. Any other gems? Or do we spend a few days in Madrid with a side trip to Toledo? We don't plan to sit on beach. Appreciate any input you have.

KarenWoo

I recommend Malaga, and you do not have to sit on the beach to enjoy and appreciate Malaga. We spent 2 nights there in September 2017 and loved it! It surpassed our expectations. There is so much to do. The vibrant city center is lovely with gorgeous architecture, nice stores and lots of cafes and restaurants. We enjoyed the cathedral and the seaside promenade and having drinks on the harbor while watching the sun set. We spent almost a day walking to the top of the Alcazaba (Moorish fortress) and then to Castillo de Gibralfaro. On the way to the Alcazaba we walked past towers, gateways, Roman columns, arches and patios with lush greenery and exotic flowers. And stunning views of the Mediterranean and the port. Malaga boasts numerous small art museums; we really enjoyed the Picasso Museum. We wished we had an extra night in Malaga.

Maribel

plambers,
I'm sorry that you needed to cancel your long anticipated Christmas trip, but I certainly understand, in these very uncertain times.

It's too bad that you'll miss Córdoba's Festival de Patios, held next year in May from the 2nd to the 15th.

I agree that Málaga, for all the reasons stated above, would be a very nice place to land after Granada. In addition to the Picasso Museum, we also enjoy the Carmen Thyssen, the Colección del Museo Ruso, and an unexpected treat, just across the way from it, the wonderful Museo Automovilístico y de la Moda, the Automobile and Fashion Museum, which has visual treasures for both men (antique cars) and women (the fashion that accompanied that era of each car). Many visitors miss these 2 museums, as they're not located in the tourist zone, but an easy and short bus ride away in the former Tabacalera building.
And opened a few years ago, there's the wonderful Museo de Málaga, with archaeological treasures and fine art in the huge former Customs House. It's a gem of a museum.
https://www.museoautomovilmalaga.com
https://www.coleccionmuseoruso.es/plan-your-visit/
http://www.museosdeandalucia.es/web/museodemalaga




And it will be warm in Málaga and sunny, as it boasts 320 days of sunshine a year. And it now has excellent dining. It's an easy day trip via train or bus from Málaga up to Ronda in the Serranía. I assume you'll want a few days in Madrid as well.

Sassafrass

A guide in Granada once told me that the gardens in The Alhambra are at their peak in May, so you are very lucky to be there then.
Rather than make it a day trip, stay in Toledo for a night or two.

plambers

Thanks all. Have been to Madrid a few times so many not spend time there this trip. May try for Toledo for a night but not sure. We won't have a car (or at least we weren't planning on it) so are we ok without car? And if we visited Malaga, what would be the best order? Cordoba, Granada, Malaga and then Sevilla? 2 or 3 nights Malaga? So no Cadiz? I am excited to see the Generalife in all its splendor!

Maribel, this was our third attempt at Spain over Christmas as you know. I am very disappointed, especially as our kids won't be on this May trip and they have never been to Spain. I hope your Spain/Portugal trip is still happening.

Many thanks all.

Maribel

Hi plambers,
I remember painfully well that this is your third attempt at Christmas in Spain with your kids and am so sorry that it won't work this year. But I hope that it will be possible for you and your family some day for Christmas! (sigh!)

By staying in cities on a train line, you won't need a car.

Since you'll be flying in and out of Madrid, a good order would be to go directly to Córdoba on the AVE from Madrid's Atocha station on arrival day (train ride takes 1 hr. 42 min. to 1 hr. 59 minutes with frequent daily departures).
Or....If you decide to fit in a night in Toledo, you could go directly from Atocha to Toledo on the AVANT (short 30 minute ride), then ride back on the AVANT to Atocha the next afternoon to catch the AVE down to Córdoba for the beginning of your Andalusian loop.

Then the remaining cities could be done by train in several ways.

To return to Madrid the night before your US bound flight, I would return from Sevilla (14 daily AVEs) or Málaga (10 AVEs) rather than Granada because from Sevilla or Málaga with more daily departure options, the ride is also shorter and requires no train change. Three Granada-Madrid runs currently require a chain of trains.
Hope this helps!

KarenWoo

This was the order of our trip in 2017:

Madrid, Toledo, Cordoba, Granada, Malaga and Seville. We did not rent a car on this trip. We traveled exclusively by train and the Alsa bus, and everything worked out well. Smooth sailing!

Maribel

I like Karen Woo's order (if you decide to fit in one night in Toledo), as for me, it saves the very best, SEVILLA, until last!

plambers

curious why nobody is suggesting cadiz? you all prefer malaga more? so 2 nights codoba, 3 granada, 3 malaga, 4 sevilla and final night madrid?

KarenWoo

we did not go to Cadiz so that is why I am not recommending it.

Maribel

I do enjoy Cádiz, have been to the city and the province many times, and I enjoy the entire Costa de la Luz (Vejer de la Frontera, Conil de la Frontera, etc.) and the sherry triangle (Jerez, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, El Puerto de Santa María, but I feel that Málaga really offers even more to enjoy as a city than Cádiz. And Cádiz is a bit of an outlier for easy train transportation. There is a direct train from Sevilla to Cádiz, but moving east to Málaga and Granada from Cádiz is more problematic.

neckervd

You may visit Cadiz in a daytrip from Sevilla
or
go to Cadiz and proceed from there by bus to Ronda (Transportes Comes, 3 1/2 hrs), visit Ronda and the Cueva de Pileta and continue by train to either Malaga or Granada. If you visit Granada first, you can proceed from there to Malaga by bus (very frequent) and reach Madrid by direct high speed train from there.

Maribel

plambers,
As neckervd says, if you really want to visit Cádiz (oldest city in Europe founded by the Phoenicians, often used in movies as a stand in for Havana), you can reach it on a day trip from Sevilla via the inexpensive MD train. The ride takes about 1 hr. 40 min.

For anyone contemplating a visit to the fascinating La Pileta prehistoric cave (Upper Palaeolithic) in Benaoján, now advanced reservations are required, and a car (or taxi) is necessary to reach it from Ronda. It's a bit under a 30-minute drive. We visited by car, but a couple on our tour (limited to 25 visitors per tour) had hired a taxi from the Ronda tourist office. There is a steep up hill to climb from the parking area to reach the check-in booth and cave entrance. Our tour, conducted by a member of the Bullón family (descendants of the discoverer), lasted almost 90 minutes, was done in English as the members of our group was predominately English speaking. We were given lanterns and told to wear very sturdy shoes. Our guide moved fast, very fast, and it was quite slippery inside, so not for anyone with serious mobility issues.

https://cuevadelapileta.es

Susan_McCarthy1977

So sorry you had to cancel your Christmas holidays in Spain

Personally I would add few days in Malaga. You can spend one day in the city, and the rest you can visit lovely villages such as Mijas, Ronda or Frigiliana.

Happy Christmas!
Susan

plambers

Hi. We wont have a car so how would we get to those beaches please?

Christina

I"m confused, you said in your first post that you didn't want to go to beaches. Which beach do you now want to go to, one in Malaga? There are beaches all along the coast but there are two that are pretty much right in Malaga. The closest is Playa Malagueta which is only about a 10 minute walk along the promenade from town. Just a little further east is La Caleta beach.

You should be able to see them on a map. here is some info
https://www.visitcostadelsol.com/mal...a-beach-p20471

Playa Malagueta is only 1 km from the Malaga Museum, for example.

plambers

Hi. We didn't plan to just sit on beach but seeing a beach would be nice. Maybe a boat ride? I just getting confused about logistics as we won't have a car. Nerja and Frigiliana look interesting. La Herradura beach was also suggested. Are these worth it without a car?

plambers

so even though we are flying in and out of madrid, how's this for an itnerary?

train to cordoba-2 nights cordoba
3 nights granada
2 nights malaga
3 nights seville
3 nights madrid with day trip to toledo or do i do an overnight in toledo?. or do i do 2 nights madrid with day trip to toledo and add a night to malaga?

Many thanks

KarenWoo

As much as I liked Granada (stayed 2 nights) and wished we had an extra night, I would take one night from Granada and either add it to Seville or Toledo. Seville is larger than Granada and has more historical/cultural sites, so I really think you need 4 nights in Seville. Or you could spend one night in Toledo. When we visited Toledo, it was extremely crowded during the day with tour buses. We spent one night there and really enjoyed the evening. It was beautiful lit up at night, and it was much less crowded. We saw many young families in the main square out for dinner, ice cream, and young children riding their bikes.

plambers

Karen, we have been to SEville before so doubt we would tour both the Alcazar and CAthedral, which can easily take a day. Or do I just not visit Malaga and add a day to Seville for 4 nights. Am really thinking of a night in Toledo at the end so 3 nights Madrid and 1 in Toledo? Or keep 2 nights Malaga and maybe drop Madrid to 1 night and Toledo 1 night and add an extra night to Sevlle?
And if I delete Malaga, does order still stay Cordoba, Granada and then Seville and on to Toledo and Madrid?
Many thanks