Where should we go in Southern Spain
 

Hello,

We are the same 4 women who were going to Turkey but are now not going for one reason or another are now planning a trip to Southern Spain Sept 11-19th. We have our plane tickets and are defifnte about this trip. However, we land in Malaga and we want to cover as much of Southern Spain as possible in 7 days. We want to go to Granada,
Seville and Gibraltar and all points in between that would be feasible for our time frame. We think driving is the way to go but we are not opposed to taking the train if it gets us around easier and quicker. How can we go about seeing as much as we can and which direction should we pursue. Anxious for some answers. Please respond. Thanks,
natjgc

In 7 days ? maybe you can add a day trip to Cordoba..but Seville and Granada (and a day trip to Gibraltar) are more than enough for a week :)

WE went to Granada [driving up from Malaga] last November, and were enchanted. Malaga itself was nice [good shops, and you should see the food market] but Granada was worth a trip itself. You should try to get tickets to see the alhambra both during the day and at night [tickets bookable on line via the official web-site] and spend another day in Granada itsef. Also you could drive up into the Sierra Nevada just south of Granada for a complete change. WE are saving up Ronda, Seville, etc. for next time, so can't help you with those.

I would bag Gibralter - nothing but a big rock and a lot of tatty shopping.

What is really important is Seville, Granada and Cordoba - and a couple of white towns would be nice - but doubt you would have time in only a week. Car is your best option to see as much as possible most conveniently.

I think we could fit in some small towns by the ocean for lunch and a glass of wine, but what towns in Southern Spain would be worth it?

nytraveller and others are right about sevilla, granada ,cordoba and white villages.

i have never beent to gibralter,(have lived here 35 years) so i shouldn't make an opinion.. but i can't imagine it is worth forfeiting a day from spain.

go by car to maximize your time.

also visit carmona, and take advantage of rest stops at parador castles when you can.

nice one at top of hill in malaga.
carmona, too, and granada.

enjoy the outskirts and small towns.
read up on rural spain.

lodging:
www.toprural.com is a good site for country lodgings which i like..
with a car you can stay in smaller towns and quainter surroundings when you want. enjoy!

www.bancotel.com and www.gtahotels.com are good websites, too.

Hi Nat, Well, since I'm going with you I have some ideas, but we still need help!
How about spending our 1st day in Malaga or Marbella. Next day drive to Granada with a stop in Nerja. Thurday in Granada all day and Friday drive to Sevilla stopping in Cordoba for a few hours. Spend Sat. in Sevilla and Sunday try to stop in Ronda or Jerez on our way back to the coast. Monday we spend in Gibraltor and Tuesday we fly home. We would need hotel rooms On the coast, Granada and Sevilla and then once more on the coast. I wish someone could critique this for us.

Linca
"also visit carmona, and take advantage of rest stops at parador castles when you can.

nice one at top of hill in malaga.
carmona, too, and granada."

Everything you wrote is correct. I just want to mention that there's a Parador in Cadiz too. It's the Hotel Atlantico. Although it's technically a parador, it's mostly a refurbished hotel. There's a very nice terrace inside, so it's worth passing. But, it's not worth deviating like the Carmona.

Blackduff

I don't think there is anything wrong with staying in more than 2 places in Southern Spain. I agree that we could travel to some small villages and stay in a quaint parador that is not too
expensive. And is it agreed that driving is the way to go? What are
the distances to some of these places and how would you go? Make a circle
like Zwho reccomended? Lincasanova- since you live in Spain what do you think about the direction we should
go for maximum benefit? Also- I'll look at those websites you have reccomended. Any one else have some ideas. What about luggage- can we use
a small car with 4 pieces of luggage and each with a small carryon. natjgc

Dear Natjgc,
your route looks great, though I share others' reservations about Gibraltar - it was a dump 30 years ago! [sorry gibraltarians, but that's what I thought]. The distances look good too; it took us 2 hours or so to drive from Malaga to Granada [ignoring the hour or so to pick up the car from the hire car office and the next hour to find the correct road out of Malaga! - has anyone else suffered this nightmare?] The roads are good, by and large, and if you can cope with the odd detour due to bad signage [or poor map reading!] you should be fine. THat time of year I would definitely go for air-con; it can still be pretty hot and it will mean you can drive during the day if you want to. The Michelin web site [via-michelin.com] should help you with driving times, distances, and routes. Good Luck!

I would start with Malaga to Granada. Then to Seville via Cordoba. You may be able to stop in Carmona on the way from Cordoba to Seville. If you feel you are short of time you can drive directly from Granada to Seville eliminating Cordoba. From Seville you can hesd back toward Malaga visiting Jerez, Arcos de la Frontera or Ronda en route. Of the three just mentioned Ronda may be the best choice. I would forget Gibraltar. I have not suggested how much time to spend in each place because that is up to you.
As for a small car..this may not do for four women with suitcases and purchases. Most small European cars have little trunk space.