My wife and I are planning a trip to Spain in early May. We both speak Spanish but have never been to Spain before and probably won't make it back very soon.

I have read a lot of travel sites and posts here and it is a little overwhelming. We are really into architecture, gardens, antiquities and local culture but we are not really into the night life. I really get into detail and usually research the history of a place before visiting it. We want to see the major sites but have an unrushed trip. Please give us your suggestions on the following itinerary:

5 nights in Madrid - El Prado, National Palace? What other historical or architectural sites are not to be missed? I think Toledo would be a great day trip. What other day trips and sites should we try to see El Escorial, Segovia, Salamanca or Avila? Does anyone recommend an antique shops or market?

2 nights at El Parador de Alarcón (just because it looks awesome)

5 nights at Marbella Marriott Resort (through Marriott Rewards) with day trips to Granada and the Alhambra, Seville to see the cathedral and Alcazar, and maybe Córdoba for the Mezquita. What sites are not to be missed?

Return to Madrid for one night and then back to the States.

Would a bus, train or rental car be best on the leg from Madrid to Alarcón and then Alarcón to Marbella and side trips? I tend to stress out a bit when driving but I have heard about a Rail n' Drive Pass. It seems from previous posts that it would be best to fly from Southern Spain back to Madrid to return home.

For Madrid, you might include a trip to the Temple Debold, just for something a little different, away from the tourist crowds, and in a lovely residential section of Madrid.

Toledo would be a great day trip. (I've not been to your other options, but only suggest you not load up on too many.)

If you like gardens and antiquities, I suggest that you switch your parador experience from Alarcón to the Alahambra, which is surely one of the top 10 travel experiences one can have in Europe. Staying at the Alhambra itself (the parador is in the Alhambra) and touring the gounds at night is an extraordinary experience. For garden lovers, strolling through a complete, unhurried tour of the extensive gardens -- among the very greatest in history -- is worth a full day.

The Mezquite at Cordoba is astonishing. It far exceeded my expectations.

Is the Marriott resort well-located for public transportation to Sevilla and Cordoba? If not, bite the bullet and rent a car.

You can take a high-speed train to Madrid from Sevilla for your last night there.

I would recommend for an itinerary:

5 nights Madrid

Fly to Granada

2 nights at the Parador in the Alhambra

Rent car

5 nights Marriott with day trips to Cordoba and Sevilla.

Take train to Madrid.

1 night Madrid.


If you still want to stay at the Parador in Alarcon, I would steal the night from the Marriott. But do try to spend the night in the Alhambra.

If

Okay, I'll bite....ummmm...yum....maybe needs more salt....

I'll leave it to others to comment on your Madrid portion.

First, despite the desire to see the parador in Alarcon, reconsider this idea. Consider instead splurging on a nice hotel in one of the other places in Andalucia that you'll be visiting. I understand your desire to use up some points at the Marriott Marbella, but what you are planning will involve a lot of driving on your day trips. (At least 4 hours round trip Marbella - Granada, and you CANNOT be late for your timed Alhambra appointment; more like 6 hours round trip Marbella-Seville.)

So, given that you have lots of time to plan your next year's trip, consider:

Zip down on the AVE from Madrid to Seville, stay there for 2 nights.

Train or bus from there to Granada for 2 nights.

Either pick up rental car in Granada and drive to Marbella from there, or bus it to Malaga and pick up car at the airport to avoid city traffic. 3 nights at your Marriott hotel. Either just soak up the sun and relax, or do short excursions into the countryside.

Fly home via Madrid.

If you want to stay in the Granada Parador on the Alhambra grounds, book it <b>now</b> at

www.parador.es

If you can't get a reservation, the Alhambra Palace Hotel is a &quot;grand&quot; hotel very close to the Alhambra, from which you can easily go to the Alhambra during the day or the evening.

Incidentally, visits to the Alhambra also have to be reserved in advance (though not yet) at

http://www.alhambra.org/eng/index.as...io&amp;popup=1

You do not have to book a guided visit or a private tour; you can just reserve for admission.

But make sure to book a night ticket as well as a day ticket. The night tours are mystical, magical, romantic and breathtaking. May is a perfect time to go to the Alhambra. The roses will be spectacular.

I would do the trip completely differently.

From what your interests seem to be you are much more likely to enjoy Seville, Granada and Cordoba - which IMHO are the really fascinating parts of Spain.

Madrid is just a basic modern city filled with highrises, hot, dirty and loud - with little to see and do. Famous for nightlife and shopping - but apart from a couple of museums little to spend time on.

I would spend much more time in Adalusia - and not as day trips from the coast - since much of the charm is the late night dining and after dinner strolls through quaint neighborhoods.

Good grief!

Madrid has what I'll argue is the best museum in Europe, the Prado, and some of the very best restaurants in Europe. And hands down it has the best subway system!

For many years now, the economy of Spain has been expanding, not contracting, and nowhere in Spain is it more evident than in Madrid, which is a sophisticated, elegant grand capital, and more gracious by the minute.

Which doesn't mean you have to squeeze it into your trip if you'd rather do wall-to-wall tiles. But if you love a great urban scene, Madrid is exceptional, and a trip to Toledo is unforgettable.

Thanks, everyone! With your help, we are rethinking our itinerary. We may spend only four nights in Madrid. Could you recommend hotels or bed and breakfasts in Toledo, Cordoba, and Sevilla? We are hoping to stay at the Parador in Granada. However, in my opinion the paradores in Toledo and Cordob&aacute; don't seem all that interesting and for Seville I don't to stay way out in Carmona, do I?

Thanks again and ¡viva Espa&ntilde;a!

I regretted not seeing the Palace in Madrid. Prado Museum is wonderful, as is the big park (forget the name) right behind it. We enjoyed eating at &quot;the oldest restaurant in Europe&quot;, Botin, even though we subsequently ate at anothe &quot;oldest restaurant in Europe&quot; in Salzburg.
Second going on both the evening and the day tour of Alhambra. And you can get reservations when you get there at a bank (I'm sure the name is on a message here somewhere if you search for Alhambra).

We stopped in Cordoba on the way from Granada to Seville. Other than the mosque, I'm not sure how much there is to see in Cordoba.

In Seville, if I'm ever lucky enough to go back I'll definitely stay at the Casas Juderia in the old section. I could not get a room there, but went and toured it. The most charming place I've ever seen.

Vera

Vera,

You are thinking of Retiro. For what it's worth, I found the Royal Palace something of a slog.

mdtranslation,

Stay in the historic center of Sevilla. You don't really need to overnight in Cordoba unless you want to. You can do it as a day trip from Sevilla.

I'm so excited you are looking to stay at the parador in the Alhambra. If that doesn't pan out, try booking at Hotel America, which is right next door to it.

And do book a night visit to the Alhambra as well as a day visit (to see the gardens). It is extraordinary.

Thanks again for all the feedback! We use TripAdvisor a lot and these are the hotels we are considering if anyone has any input:

Toledo - Hotel Santa Isabel

Seville - Hoster&iacute;a del Laurel

C&oacute;rdoba - Hotel Las Omeyas

If we can stay in an historic place, that is great. If not, a clean quite place to drop after a day of walking.

What is the best way to get from Madrid to Toledo, Granada to Seville, and Seville to Cordoba, and Cordoba to Marbella? A bus, a train, a rental car? It sounds like in these historic cities, parking is a premium anyway.

In Cordoba, we stayed at the Hotel Las Omeyas. I'd stay there again.

Here's a picture of the street from my Cordoba photo album that shows the hotel sign:

http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=Mar...p;IID=60135210

Our room was a bit tired, but the interior courtyard is terrific, and you couldn't be better located for a short stroll to the Mezquita. Parking is some distance from the hotel.

I think it's a fine place to stay in Cordoba, and the rate was certainly a bargain for us.

I just reread your thread and saw you mention that you wanted a quiet place. I did notice an unusual amount of flushing and plumbing noises at night. We always sleep wearing soft foam earplugs when we travel, so those sounds didn't interrupt our sleep, but I mention it in case those kinds of sounds would be a problem for you.

Just to add a few comments.

Of the places you mention for day trips from Madrid, I'd go with Segovia, though I loved Salamanca and Avila as well, but Segovia is truly a gem.

We've stayed at the Marriott Marbella and loved it, but wouldn't suggest trying a daytrip to Seville from it--too far for a day trip.

We went to Alhabra from Marbella and it was only about 1 1/2 hours each way.

I would suggest an open-jaw ticket--fly into Madrid and out of Malaga--no reason to backtrack all that distance.

Besides the Prado, which is spectacular, make sure to go to the Sofia--Picasso's Guenica is there (among other great works).

Lucky for you that you speak Spanish--that will help make your trip all the more wonderful (Estudio mucho pero aprender muy despacio!

I just returned from Toledo; you can read my trip report, which is quite long but Toledo is at the beginning. The parador there is very handsome and although it is out of the city, the views are spectacular and it is very easy to drive to town and to park outside the Bisagra Gate. It is not a historic structure, however. Hostal Cardenal, where we stayed, is a historic building and has a parador-ish air about it; again, you can read my report. I actually liked Segovia more than Toledo, if you have to choose only one. We stayed at the Parador there and again, found it very easy to drive to, and park outside, the city. I agree about skipping the Marriot and doing the three main cities of Andalucia as overnights. In Seville we liked the Casa de los Mercaderes but that is but one of quite a few good choices.

In the Toledo vs. Segovia stakes, I come down firmly on the side of Toledo. It has a much richer and more varied architectural heritage than Segovia. Segovia has the Roman aqueduct, but its Disneyesque &quot;medieval&quot; Alcazar is basically a 15th-century construction that was also heavily restored in the 19th century. (Admittedly, Toledo's Alcazar was heavily restored after the Spanish Civil War, but it is probably the least interesting building in Toledo.) Segovia's late Gothic cathedral doesn't compare with Toledo's cathedral, also Gothic, but started in 1226 and overlaid with many styles, culminating in the High Baroque &quot;Transparente&quot;. Toledo also has two medieval synagogues and a Mudejar church that houses a museum of Visigothic art.

Here's anothr vote for Segovia over Toledo. The views of the acqueduct, alcazar, cathedral, and skyline are simply stunning.

El Greco did a rather nice and quite famous painting of the skyline of Toledo:

http://www.deskpicture.com/DPs/Art/EGtoledo.jpg

It hasn't changed a great deal since then.

Well - I would argue that the Prado can;t hold a candle to the British, the V&amp;A, the Louvre or the Hermitage.

And you're right - Madrid is a rapdly growing modern city.

But the OP said they're intrested n architecture, antiquities and local culture - and not intrested in nightlife (for which Madrid is famous).

Sounds like a much better match to Andalusia to me.

If someone said I want to shop, party all night, focus on fine dining and and like big modern cities - then I would send them to Madrid.

Artlover..what you learn too quickly..you forget it also too quickly. If you go a bit slow, maybe you learn a few thing less but..the ones you learn will be there forever