Thanks, kja! I think this works well! Now I just have to wait till next year! At least the shape of the trip feels done.

Paule

I'm now inclined to include the patio festival, but would like to minimize huge crowds. My current itinerary and ideal flight schedule lands us in Cordoba on the weekend (Fri to Sun).

I like the flow of my current itinerary but would rearrange it if it would make a big difference to our experience.

18 nights in Spain:
Arrive in Madrid from US
(train t:
-Toledo - 2 nights
-Madrid - 2 nights
-Train to:
-Cordoba - 3 nights
-Seville - 4 nights
-Bus to
-Cadiz - 1 night
(Pick up car for drive thru White towns)
-Ronda (stop in Arcos, Grazalema)- 1 night
(Drive, stop in Antequera, drop off car in:
-Granada - 3 nights
-Bus to:
-Malaga - 2 nights
Fly home

Should we:
1) Change the itinerary and switch Seville and Cordoba, visiting Seville-Cordoba-Granada? This would mean I'd rearrange the entire itinerary.
2) Arrange the flight so that we arrive earlier or after the weekend?
3) Just go when we can, and not worry about the weekend. The crowds aren't so bad, anyway.

I haven't bought the tickets yet, but have been looking at the sites for a while to get an idea of pricing and routing, so I have a good idea of when I'd like to go to maximize my time and keep the price lower (but "low" is a thing of the past!).

Thanks for your help and feedback!
Paule

Anyone? Would love some feedback here!
Thanks in advance!

Looks good to me!
The only comment I have about timing is that you might want to check where your Mondays fall, because as I recall, a number of places in Spain are closed on that day.

Hi, kja,

Overall, I do like my itinerary, but am somewhat concerned about crowds at the patio festival. I'm wondering if I should adjust my trip to avoid the weekends, either by flying out on a less-preferred date (which might affect my ticket rates or the # of vacation days I'll need to take from work) or revise the itinerary. Right now, I'm hoping I can adjust the flight to avoid the weekend in Cordoba, while still enjoying the patio festival.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll look into when and where we are on Mondays to see how that affects us.

I wasn't fortunate enough to be in Cordoba for the patio festival, so I don't know how crowded it gets.

Thanks kja, I do appreciate your input. I think I'll try to keep the itinerary and adjust my flight to get me into Cordoba after the weekend. I've read a few comments that the weekends are much more crowded (no surprise) and I'll see if I can get there during the week instead.

Paule

Hi Paule

Itinerary looks good, although I would take a night from Toledo and give it to Madrid, maybe you have been to Madrid before ????

We were in Cordoba for the patio festival in May of 2006, I don't recall any problems with crowds, but I also am not sure what days of the week we were there.

Enjoy the planning !

Hi Caroline,
Thanks for your suggestion. Since we will be starting there, I think Toledo will be a good place for us to adjust from the jet lag. The emphasis for this trip is really on Andalucia and my "sacrifice" is Madrid. I may yet reconsider that, but from everything I've read, Toledo is has enough to keep us going for the 2 nights. Madrid is worth more, I know, but it's the place I will most likely end up returning to at some point in the future (after all the other trips I've planned!). I figure we'll get to Madrid early in the day and have at least most of 2 full days to explore.

Paule

3 nights in Córdoba is a long time! We have just been there for 2 nights (2 half days and 1 full day) which proved to be more than enough. Don't miss the flamenco show at Arte y Sabores!

If you fly out of Málaga, it would be more logical to do Cádiz-Sevilla-Córdoba-Granada-Ronda. Although you can do Ronda as a daytrip from Málaga, or include it in a few days of the Pueblos Blancos.

Is there a reason why you would drop off the car after the Pueblos Blancos? It's so easy to have a car and the routes in southern Spain are so scenic. We have very much enjoyed our drive from Málaga to Granada, from Granada to Córdoba and from Córdoba to Cádiz - all along the smaller roads. The only time we will take the fast autovía is to get our return flight in Málaga at the end of next week (we're in Conil de la Frontera right now).

Hi, Myriam,
I decided to add 3 nights to Cordoba because several of the regular "Spain Fodorites" have said that Cordoba is much less touristy than other cities in Andalucia and worth spending the time getting to know it. Getting a sense of a place appeals to me, and I also think that going during the Patio Festival next spring will add to the experience. I realize that others here have not felt this way about the city but there are many here on Fodors as well as other boards who love Cordoba. I'm intrigued and think 3 nights will be fine.

I'm a little confused by the itinerary you suggest -- we will be coming from Madrid by train, so I will start in Cordoba. I'm not flying into Malaga -- perhaps that's what you were thinking?

I appreciate the convenience of a car, but want to keep a car minimally this trip because we are spending much of the time in cities, where a car is simply an expensive encumbrance. Someone suggested picking up the car in Seville, which makes sense, then driving to Cadiz, so that might be a chance for additional exploration by car. I'm thinking that we'll explore the White Towns and whatever else is between Seville-Cadiz-Ronda-Granada. Once in Granada, however, I don't think it makes sense to keep the car as we won't be using it for those days. Hence, the bus or train to Malaga.

I'm definitely planning on Arte y Sabores! The show sounded fabulous!

Many thanks for taking the time to write and make suggestions! It is so difficult to make choices, especially with limited time.

Paule

You're right about not needing a car in the cities. Ours also stayed in the parking garage in Córdoba and in Granada. But we love the freedom of having a car to travel on our own pace. But then, we have three full weeks here and are doing just Andalucía. We're from Belgium, so we can come back as often as we like.

By the way, Córdoba is - after Sevilla - my favourite city in Andalucía. We have visited all the cities before, maybe that's why I felt that 2 days were enough.

Myriam,
I know what you mean about the freedom of a car - many of our trips have been exploring smaller/back roads of a region, and I do love doing that. Given that so much of the trip will be spent in cities, however, I think that 2-3 days of a car will give us a taste of the region.

Glad to hear that Cordoba is high up on your list - I'm sure we will find enough to keep us busy for 2 full days.

How lovely to be able to visit whenever you want!

Well, I thought I had it all worked out, but after reading some awful reviews of Iberian (part of the One World Alliance with American), I've decided to fly R/T to Madrid, rather than flying home from Malaga. It's less expensive, and now I can add the extra cash to those extra days we'll be staying, as I'm adding a day or 2 to the trip.

I've tweaked the trip a bit, and overall, it works, but I did like the flow of my last plan (see a few posts above). I'm not sure if I can make it work, however.

I'm thinking of flying out on Sunday, May 3 and returning 3 weeks later on Sunday May 24th. I'm planning to visit Cordoba for the Patio Festival. Dates are not set yet for the festival, of course, but it looks like it always takes place by the 2nd week in May. With the current itinerary, we arrive on a Sunday, and will be there for a total of 3 nights, thus minimizing the crowds in Cordoba by having most of the visit on the weekdays.

Current Plan:
Arrive Madrid, go directly to:
-Toledo - 2 nights.
(train to)
-Seville - 4 nights
(train or bus to)
-Cordoba - 3 nights.
(train or bus to)
-Granada - 3 nights
(Pick up car)
-Ronda - 1-2 nights, stopping in Antequera.
-Cadiz - 1 night
(drop car in Malaga)
-Malaga - 2 nights
(train to Madrid)
-Madrid - 3 nights

I now have added an extra day to Madrid, which I'm pleased with.

My only real question is whether to keep Cadiz in the itinerary. I'd like to - both DH and I are intrigued by the idea of seeing the city and the drive between Ronda and Cadiz looks like a good one.

I'm more unsure about the drive from Cadiz to Malaga. It feels like we're backtracking, although when I look at the map, I realize we can travel a completely different route. Can we travel along a scenic route between these 2 cities? I want to avoid the typical coastal/crowded drive. Is that possible?

Any other suggestions?

Many thanks for all your help!

Paule

I think you'll enjoy that extra day in Madrid! :-)

Pay some attention to what things are closed in Toledo on Sunday afternoons and Mondays, so you can maximize your chances of seeing the things you want to see while you are there.

I skipped Cadiz and Malaga, so can't help with that part of your trip.

Enjoy!

Thanks, kja, I'm sure that we'll be glad to have that extra day in Madrid.

A few of the sites in Toledo are open on Monday and all are open on Tuesday; as it is right now, we arrive on Monday and will stay Tuesday as well, so we'll have no problem seeing the major sites.

Thanks for the suggestions,

Paule

Cádiz was okay, but I'd rather spend an extra night in Málaga. A very interesting city, IMO.

Yes, you are backtracking. That's why I suggested Cádiz-Sevilla-Córdoba-Granada-Ronda because at that time you were supposed to fly back home from Málaga.

The route Cádiz-Málaga: you don't have to take the coastal road for the whole part of the route. It isn's particularly interesting. Take the A381 from Cádiz upto Algeciras through the Sierra Blanquilla. Then continue on the highway. Count at least three and a half hours!

Skipping Cádiz would make much more sense since then you can drive from Ronda straight to Málaga. If you do so, take the scenic A397 Ronda-Marbella, then the A355 to Málaga and make sure to stop at Ojén, a very charming pueblo blanco.

Thanks, Myriam,
I knew I could count on helpful feedback from you!

I may drop Cadiz as it feels too out of the way and it sounds like there's plenty to do in Malaga. I also prefer staying in places more than 1 night these days.

Now I just have to break it gently to DH....

Looks like you have all the advice you need, but if you would like a bit of laid back observation you could peruse my blog. I travelled around the south west in June:

http://andrewchum.blogspot.co.uk/

@Andrew
How come we have missed each other? We have been in the same places, at around the same time!