embrad

I'm going to Spain for the first time and have narrowed down the itinerary mostly. I want to go to Madrid, Granada, Ronda, and Seville. There are only 2 of us so we want to use the train mostly (or else bus if it makes more sense).

What's the best order and mode of transportation to get to each location? This is the order I have right now with trains between each location:

Flight to Madrid
Madrid-3 nights
Granada - 3 nights
Ronda - 1 night
Seville - 4 nights
Flight from Seville to Madrid to home

Is there a better order that's more time efficient for us?
Thanks!!

iris1745

I think the order works. You could consider one more night in Madrid as there are some really good day trips.

Toledo, Segovia and perhaps Avilla.

For info maribelsguides.com

pempem

We did almost the exact same itinerary a few months ago! We did Madrid-Granada-Seville-Cordoba-Madrid. We were going to do a day trip to Ronda from Seville, but opted out because we were too tired.

All of these are easy by train, with the exception of Ronda. From Granada to Ronda there is a train, but from Ronda to Seville is a bus http://samar.es/empresa/samar/losamarillos
I've read you don't need to buy bus tickets too far in advance.

I think you should add one night to Madrid and subtract one night from Granada, especially since you'll need some time to recover from jet-lag after landing in Madrid. In Granada, you really just need to see Alhambra in one day and the rest of the city on the second day. We thought two days was enough time to see the city. As iris1745 said, there are a lot of great day trips from Madrid. We did one to Toledo and it was just a marvelous little town. Madrid also has wonderful museums and palaces to see!

I should mention that you must absolutely see Mezquita in Cordoba. It's very easy as a day trip (or half-day trip) from Seville. I wasn't too excited to see it during our time there, but I was completely blown away by it.

In any case, I absolutely LOVED Andalusia. One of my favorite regions in Europe!

Sassafrass

Depends on how you planned to get from Madrid to Granada to Ronda to Seville.
Is the flight at the end from Seville to Madrid to home all on one ticket? If it is, great!

If not, I would not do that, but instead train from Madrid to Seville directly upon arrival, putting all days in Madrid at the end.
Arrive Madrid
Train to Seville,
Ronda (can't advise best way - we've had a car)
Granada
Madrid
Number of days/nights is good, unless you want more day trips from Madrid, and I highly recommend Toledo. You time in Seville does give you time for a day trip to Cordoba, if that interests you. I love Granada, but you could do two nights, depending on what you wish to see there.

kja

What time of year are you going? I would put my time in Sevilla as far from summer as possible, even if by only a week or so.

embrad

This is just the information I was looking for, thanks! We're planning on going at the beginning of May, as soon as we're off of school.
I hadn't thought of a day trip from Madrid which sounds like it could be fun. In Madrid itself, we aren't too excited about most of the sites and wanted more time in Andalusia. Toledo sounds fun though so I'll look into that more.
The bus from Ronda to Seville looks good - that was the leg of the trip that I was most worried about. The rest of the trains seem fairly straightforward.

kja

If you aren't that interested in Madrid, you might add time to Sevilla to be sure you have enough time for Cordoba. Many people visit Cordoba as a day trip; I thought it worth 2 full days (in addition to plenty of time in Sevilla).

I loved Madrid, but then I love art and so wanted to give Madrid plenty of time. Since Madrid has an international airport, it would be more easily reached on a future trip than Andalucia. SO you might consider limiting your time in Madrid on this trip, in favor of more time in Andalucia. Then, when you return to Madrid, you can add a couple of nights in Toledo, some time in Segovia and Avila, etc. Just a thought.

Sassafrass

Kja, I have read it before and your advice to people about spending more time in places they are less likely to be able to visit again is so good.

Embrad, the cathedral in Toledo is a jaw-dropping experience. Even friends who were not big on churches and cathedrals were rendered speechless there. Night is also wonderful in Toledo.

kja

@ Sassafrass -- thanks! I'd given some thought to entry points over the years, but to give credit where credit is due, it was actually another Fodorite -- greg -- who really drew my attention to the issue. So once again, thanks greg!

Sassafrass

Kja, It is just such a good point. I have been to London several times, but to Bath only once and have been happy that I went there for three days and feel I saw everything I wanted. I have also been to Madrid a couple of times, but only once to Granada, and glad I spend a couple of days there.