Tomas63

Landing in Madrid but not going to Madrid, this is my plan. Driving (rental car) a loop to return to Madrid Airport. Interests are history and would like to experience old quaint Spain. Anything to add or subtract or definite not to miss.
Thanks

Aduchamp1

I am not sure what you mean by old quaint Spain. The places you have mentioned are among the busiest tourist areas in the country.

And what is quaint to one is a brutal and harsh life for another.

illnative

We were there 8 years ago. We flew into Madrid and did a day trip to Toledo (bus)from there. We took the AVE to Cordoba - spent one night there and then picked up a rental car and drove from there to Granada - one night there, then drove to Nerja (2 nights), Ronda (one night) and then dropped the car in Seville - and stayed there for 4 nights. Then we took the AVE back to Madrid and went directly to Segovia via bus or train (I forget)for two nights. We loved every stop and the circuit worked well for us. Make sure and do your research to understand how much time you personally think you need in each place. Spain is a magical country!

Tomas63

That's why I asked the question

kja

All great destinations! If you are looking for additional options, Avila and Ronda might be worth considering.

Also, public transportation is an option for all these locations, so you don't need to rent a car unless you want to. If you do, be sure to identify parking options before driving into places like Toledo!

You might want to check which days you will be in which locations. I believe there are a number of places where things are closed on Monday and also places where most things close early on Sunday.

Hope that helps!

danon

I agree with Adu, Toledo was so jammed with tourists and touristy shops when we visited, it hardly seemed quaint.
Granada's population is 250.000 .
In spite of not being small and cute.. wonderful places to see!

Egbert

It's almost universally agreed that daytrips to Segovia and Toledo are the best ways to see them while staying in Madrid. I would definitely spend 3-4 nights in Seville with a day trip to Cordoba. I guess you could also spend a night in Cordoba. I would spend at least 2 nights in Granada. I would also consider a night in Malaga or Ronda or Cadiz if you have extra time. Seville and Granada are quite special. All of them reflect the culture of "old Spain" that most of us hope for on a first trip to Spain.

Egbert

Oh and I would not rent a car for anything. If I had to, maybe the drive between Seville, Ronda and Granada only.

alexislovesspain

Tomas63

Just a couple basic questions ..

1. What time of year are you going to travel?
2. How long to you plan on staying in Spain?
3. How many in your party? Age ranges?

The reason I ask is, we, my husband and mother did a similar trip in 2001 and loved it. We rented a car and drove from city to city. It was fantasic ... we made a "figure 8" through Spain on that trip strating in Madrid, through Jaen, down to Seville, up to Pampolona, over to the Picos and back to Madrid .. all in 17 days and it was fantastic.

The next trip in 2004, we added a 13 month old to the 12 day trip and moved around just as moch, discovering more of Spain.

Our 3rd trip is this fall, with the addition of a 4 year old to the mix .. so 5 total. We are spending 14 days and traveling just as much ..... So .. it can be done and can be relaxing.

I'd be happy to comment on your iterary, if you could provide some details.

bardo1

As you can see there are a number of ways to organize this particular trip.

A few thoughts:

I like the idea of getting a car in Cordorba instead of Seville. It's a much smaller city and would be easier to find your way out of.

I would consider the following lengths for your various stops:

Toledo - ? (havn't been)

Seville - 4 nights (add a night if using as a base for day trip to Cordoba)

Cordoba - 1 night (none if already done as a day trip from elsewhere)

Ronda - 1 night - two is better

Granada - 3 nights 1 day for Alhambra, 2 for Granada itself (possible day trip to Alpujarras or Nerja?)

Tomas63

I will be Spain at the end of October and staying for 9 nights.Time is short but we(2 adults) have no choice.I know the towns I've chosen are touristy but there usually is a reason for that.I will be driving because I like the freedom and the ability to go off the beaten path as I choose. I think Ronda might be a nice option. Thanks

amsdon

In that case I would look for ekscrunchy's trip report she did something similar..I will try to help find it.

amsdon

OK I topped it but here it is again just n case.

I would stick to an area similar to this.
We also went to SEgovia & Pedraza de La Sierra as a result of this report & Maribel's recs and would hiighly recommened it.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nd-segovia.cfm

WillTravel

I was just in Toledo on Sept. 17-18, and it wasn't jammed with tourists. I could easily have spent several days in Toledo, as there are numerous sights to see, and the city is itself one great sight. I really liked the town. I stayed at Hotel Eurico. I had a bargain rate, so I can't say what price point is worth it, but it's extremely convenient, and it's a bit plain but perfectly fine.

isabel

I did all those areas you mention but did it in two separate trips. We over-nighted in each town and am glad I did as they are best in the evenings and I also think each deserves more than a day trip. Here are the trip reports I wrote for these areas, I thought it was all quaint and historical:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...p-report-1.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...tral-spain.cfm

Tx_lv2trvl

Bookmark

danon

we stayed 3 night in Granada( without taking a day trip) and found it a bit long.

Phillydog

I am doing a car trip with my wife in Feb. We are going to land in Madrid and take off south and spend 3 or 4 days in Madrid at the end before we come home. Do we need hotel reservervations at each stop or can we find hotels on the fly? I would get reservations in Madrid only if that would work.
Thanks.

WillTravel

Here is my non-expert opinion. If there are no major fiestas or trade fairs at the cities you visit, you will undoubtedly be able to find hotels. However, if you want the best deals, like the excellent SolMelia or NH Hoteles offers that occur now and then, you are probably advised to book ahead.

lyb

bookmarking