Greekgazoo

Hello all,

My brothers and I (all 3 of us are mid 20s to lower 30s) are planning a trip to Spain this September. We have allotted 10 days to Andalusia region in Spain. We are still in the planning stages of our trip, so we don't necessarily have anything set in stone as far as what cities to use as our bases and what we HAVE to see. What we have come up with so far is 5 nights in Sevilla (day trips possibly to Cordoba, Cadiz and Jerez), 2 nights in Ronda, 2 nights in Cordoba and 1 night in Malaga (our flight returns to US from Malaga airport).

(again this bases could be changed if need be. these are just preliminary ideas)

I have been doing alot of reading on this region, but wanted to personal accounts from those who have been there. My question is, since so many of you have traveled to this region, what are some "can't miss" things to do in this region, or things you have really enjoyed and would recommend to others. (besides the major sites of course like the Alhambra, the Mezquita).

We plan on doing 1) at least one sherry winery 2) probably a flamenco dance 3) picking up a car when leaving Sevilla drive through pueblo blancos for a couple of days while staying in ronda and drop it off soon as we get to Granada 4) ALOT of tapas bars.

If you could provide us some more ideas, it would be so greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance.....

yorkshire

You know, you kind of have it covered (I know you meant 2 nights Granada and not Cordoba).
In Sevilla, I particularly enjoyed Casa de Pilatos. While in Ronda, make sure you do some hiking in the surrounding region.
Get to Malaga in time to walk around (old town is very small but delightful).

Viajero2

I think you young guys ought to consider a couple of days in Madrid, where young people like yourselves can party like nowhere else in Europe.... I recently read an interview with George Clooney where he mentioned Chocolateria Gines in Madrid as some of the best memories of his young (wild) days....a mouth-full coming from Clooney!

Also, I think your inquiry would yield more useful responses if you let us know likes/dislikes. The things I enjoyed in Spain while traveling with my 65 year old mother are certainly not like the things I enjoyed when young traveling with my Sister....Just a thought.

Greekgazoo

Yorkshire - good catch, you are right, i did mean Granada. are there any other towns that we should try to make sure to see near ronda since we have two nights here?

Viajero2 - i am sorry, i guess i left the first part of our trip out. we will be flying into madrid where we will be staying for 6 nights. i am sure at least one or two day trips from madrid (toledo and segovia? more than likely)....then we will spend 10 days in southern spain. i wanted to make sure i didnt miss anything in southern spain. we are flying into madrid and out of malaga. total trip 16 days in spain.

as far as our likes, we love smaller cities, where you can really get off the beaten path and see the culture of a country, sample the "real" food and drink of a country. possibly mingle with the locals. mostly sightseeing, some relaxing if we have time to go to the beaches near cadiz. good wine and tapas are a must!!!!

yorkshire

In Ronda area: Since you will have a car, the choices are innumerable, but time isn't always available to do it all, and you have a good balance right now. For your drive from Sevilla to Ronda, check out Grazalema and Zahara. From Ronda, I took the bus to nearby Benaojan where you can walk along the railroad to Jimera de Libar and catch the train back.
http://www.turismoderonda.es/indexeng.htm is helpful.
You may really love Cordoba--as I did more than Sevilla. Ronda is my absolute favorite.

Egbert

The itinerary is great. Ronda is beautiful but too sleepy for me to spend more than a night there when I could be in Seville, Granada or Malaga for some nightlife. In my opinion the women in Andalucia are the nicest to look at in the whole world if you get my drift (you did say you were 3 guys). 5 nights in Seville is really great, most people spend 3 there but it's a fantastic place. Adding 2-3 nights in Madrid is also a good idea although Madrid is more like NYC. If you like small towns you really don't have enough time but you should read bennyMalaga's post on trip advisor called "Hidden gems of Andalusia" that he just posted. Places he talks about are Jaen, Ubeda, Baeza, etc. Also read Maribelsguides for the scoop on tapas bars and restaurants, it's really great.

Greekgazoo

Egbert - bennyMalaga's "Malaga: Hidden Gems of Andalusia" is perfect !!!!

thank you sooooo much

we were thinking of possibly staying only one night in Ronda, and taking another day away from Madrid (5 nights instead of 6) and staying in Cadiz or the coast on that side of spain. is this worth it? while we are staying in this region, it appears that Jerez de la Frontera is having its Grape Harvest Festival. has anyone ever attended this festival and is it worth seeing and going to Jerez???