YNPgirl

Maribel Thank you so much !! I am saving all your responses in my detailed itinerary planning sheets. While trying to book the flights, I noticed for some reason flying in to Barcelona first seems to work better schedule wise ( shorter transit, better arrival times) and I am considering reversing the itinerary to fly in to Barcelona and fly out of Madrid. I made some revisions to maximize the days spent in the cities- this leaves one day short in Madrid but hubby and I are still negotiating about adding that last day . This is how the itinerary looks now.

Maribel

Hope the negotiations with your husband lead to adding a day in Madrid, but I know how those negotiations often go!

Revulgo

Full agree, one more day in Madrid!

Maribel

About a day trip from Sevilla to Córdoba,
As I mentioned to Lrice on her planning thread, it´s much less expensive to take an AVANT train to Córdoba rather than the AVE. The AVANT trains run at the same speed but don’t go on to Madrid. They run between Sevilla-Córdoba-Málaga, the fares remain static, never increasing as your departure date approaches, and there is just one class of service. (The MD trains are slower but yet an option for the return.)

The only handicap is that Renfe doesn’t load the AVANT months in advance, as they do for the routes with which they now compete with the Italian IRYO and the French OUIGO.
Instead they usually appear just a month in advance, sometimes less.
But ime, they don’t usually sell out except during the Christmas season or Holy Week, or bank holidays, so no reason to book a round-trip ticket far, far ahead.
That said…I would book at least a week or a bit more before departure just to be safe.

On previous day trips I’ve learned to avoid a Monday, when some monuments are closed (Alcázar-Synagogue-Archaeological Museum-Palacio de Viana-Casa de Sefarad).

What I’ve done in Córdoba that’s possible in a day trip:

• Obviously a visit the Mezquita/Cathedral with the audio guide (you can purchase online tickets here ). It opens for tourist visits at 10.
• A stroll through the Judería, the Jewish Quarter, with a peek into the tiny synagogue, maybe a walk through the Zoco Municipal artisan market (Córdoba is known for its hand tooled leather crafts and filigree jewelry), the Casa de Sefarad, a visit to the Alcázar gardens (purchase a ticket at the booth across the street on the Campo de los Mártires, or if you can commit to a particular time slot, purchase online here).
• Walk over the Roman bridge for lovely views and along the river walk, the Ronda de Isasa.
• To sample some very traditional Cordoban dishes (salmorejo, flamenquines, berenjenas con miel, ajoblanco, habitas con jamón, pastel cordobés), on a day trip simply as a time saver, I’d stay in the Judería and have them at Las Tapas de Casa Pepe or El Caballo Rojo in the patio (now taken over by the founder’s granddaughter), or Bodegas Campos (Montila-Moriles wines) in the tavern. Or… for more contemporary fare, Regadera on the Ronda de Isasa. They all open for lunch at 1. For vegetarians/vegans, Amaltea on the Ronda de Isasa (with a Repsol solete).
• With enough time, you can also taxi up to the patio-house museum Palacio de Viana, which ime, is more worthy than visiting the 4-5 patios open in the San Basilio quarter outside of the Patio Festival.
• If you are a portrait painting lover, the Julio Romero de Torres Museum (local son) is well worth your time and doesn’t take long to see. His muse, María Teresa López, is my avatar. It sits just a short 8-10 min. walk from the Cathedral.

shelemm

I think your original itinerary works well. If it turns out you don't get to Girona, you'll be fine. Of course you can always spend more time everywhere. I personally adore Cordoba, and my three nights there were not enough. However, I think you will get a fine idea of all those places and it could very well be that is the best for you at this time.

I do wonder what folks mean when they say how many 'days' they will spend somewhere, when it is more helpful to know how many nights you will spend at each place.

YNPgirl

Thank you all so much for your suggestions.
Negotiations went very well indeed . I added a day for Madrid and booked the flight tickets yesterday. Woohoo. !!
Now on to booking hotels and then planning detailed itinerary.
Maribel I have added all your suggestions for Toledo, Girona and Cordoba. Thanks again !

Maribel

So glad the negotiations went well.

ekscrunchy

Look, this is a few years old but I think all or most of the restaurants I ate in in Seville are still there and still good. So for the foodie of the pair, see if you find this food-dish trip report of any interest. I adore Spain and for me, Sevilla its the most magical of cities, not just in Spain but in all of Europe.

SEVILLA AND CADIZ PROVINCE Carabiñeros, cuttlefish eggs and the temple of red tuna

YNPgirl

ekscrunchy Thank you so much for sharing your trip report. Such good information. I will incorporate as part of my planning.

I researched all the hotels and made reservations. Here are my final hotel bookings if anyone is interested in seeing what I booked.

Barcelona - Olivia Plaza Hotel in Placa de Catalunya.
Seville - Hotel Casa 1800 Sevilla
Granada - Hotel Casa 1800 Granda
Madrid - Catalonia Las Cortes Hotel
I also booked a small group tour for Alhambra & Nasrid Palaces with Tickets.
I am also going to book a bundled Guided Gaudi Tour to Sagrada, Casas, & Park Guell. It's a bit pricey but seems to include transporation and guided tour with tickets for 5.5 hrs.
Few other tours I am considering are Walking tours at Gothic quarter, Girona (Game of thrones), Cordoba, Sunset walking tour in Granda/Albaicin, Hop on Hop off buses in Barcelona & Madrid.

Maribel Do you recommend going for a Flamenco show in Seville, Granada or Madrid ? Anywhere else I should get advance tickets or tour reservations soon ?

Maribel

YNPgirl,
I would see flamenco in Sevilla at Casa de la Memoria and would book online because it's a small venue and sometimes sells out, even in early March. As I've mentioned before, there is no longer a "low season" in Sevilla.

I would certainly secure advance reservations for Sevilla's Alcázar to avoid the long lines these days (or be there at the door at 9:15. I'd also book a day or two head for the Cathedral-Giralda.

If you want to visit the Royal Quarters of the Alcázar where the King and Queen reside during their stays (Cuarto Real Alto) in addition to the downstairs and gardens, you will want to book these timed tickets 2 weeks in advance, at least, because they do sell out. They're only given from 10 am until 3:30 pm (it used to be just until 1:30), and in groups of 10-12 only via a 50-minute escorted tour with palace guard directing the movement of the group from room to room and an English audio guide. No photography is allowed, cameras, purses & backpacks need to be left in a locker (take a euro for this, which will be returned). And you must be at the.upstairs entrance 15 minutes ahead of time. Ticket holders enter the Alcázar through the Puerta de León entrance.

I see now that the only available date in January for the Alcázar + Cuarto Real is on Jan. 13, but when I tried to buy a dummy ticket, the few slots available were already sold out.

The Cathedral lines can be ridiculously long.

If you do want to play the Cathedral visit by ear, you can also visit first the Iglesia Colegial del Divino Salvador, which is a true Baroque masterpiece, dripping with gold, when it opens at 10:15 am (but not on Sunday) and purchase a combo ticket there for it, the Cathedral and the Giralda (visita conjunta), which can be used for the next 3 days (so don't have to visit the Iglesia del Salvador and Cathedral on the same day).

About the HOHOs,
I really, truly don't think you'll need the HOHO in Madrid. Since you're staying at everyone's favorite, Catalonia las Cortes, in the heart of the Barrio de las Letras (aka Huertas), you'll find you can easily walk to most sightseeing--the Art Triangle, the Puerta del Sol, the Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace, etc.

If you want to experience the "modern route #2" of the HOHO just take the city EMT bus 27 from the Paseo del Prado, which will give you a very inexpensive (1.50) "tour" of Northern Madrid. But the buses don't take anything larger than a 5 euro note. You can also pay by contactless cc. (which I haven't done because I have a pass)

The HOHO buses in Barcelona can get very, very crowded. I haven't taken one in years. If you book that Gaudí tour than includes Parc Güell, you will have eliminated most of the need for the HOHO, as the remaining sights that the HOHO passes on its Blue Route, you can see by walking, with the exception of the Miró Museum on Monjuïc and the Camp Nou (temporarily closed) and on the Red Route, the Poble Espanyol, a collection of ersatz Spanish villages. The Green Route isn't available except from April to November.

Maribel

About advance tickets for Barcelona, if you and your husband would enjoy an evening performance at the magnificent Palau de la Música Catalana, the work of Moderniste architect Domènech I Montaner, I can enthusiastically recommend that you do so. The acoustics are great, sight lines from most seats just fine, and it´s a visual and auditory treat that I think you would really enjoy. You might want to do this on Day 4 or 5, after you shake off jet lag if there is a performance of interest. I´ve seen flamenco here, string quartets and international artists.

YNPgirl

Maribel Muchas Gracias !!
I just booked the Flamenco show you recommended few minutes ago. Looking forward for that. Will book the Alcazar/Royal quarters tickets next.
I will drop the HOHO plans for Madrid and will only book if we truly need it for Barcelona.

Checking out the shows at Palau de la Musica. Looks like there is a festival of Choral Music and Flamenco show during the time we are there. But I hear what you are saying about doing this after we shake off the jet lag. I once attended a classical music concert at St.Peter's Church in Vienna on our second day of landing there. Musicians were great but I could hardly keep my eyes open

Thanks again !

Maribel

I've attended the flamenco show at the Palau; all the performances there are first rate. I'm sure you'll enjoy any that you attend. It's a magnificent structure.

danon

“About the HOHOs,
I really, truly don't think you'll need the HOHO in Madrid. Since you're staying at everyone's favorite, Catalonia las Cortes, in the heart of the Barrio de las Letras (aka Huertas), you'll find you can easily walk to most sightseeing--the Art Triangle, the Puerta del Sol, the Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace, etc.”

Just a note to Maribel’s excellent advice..Taxis in Madrid are inexpensive, reliable , and easy to hail.

Maribel

Thanks, danon!

And the recently inaugurated Royal Collection Galleries adjacent to the Royal Palace is just stunning, both from an architectural standpoint and an artistic standpoint. It's just filled with treasures from Spain's Royal Palaces & Monasteries---paintings, sculpture, carriages, tapestries, furniture---all beautifully presented and with excellent signage in both English and Spanish, including very interesting explanatory videos about the Hapsburg and Bourbon dynasties. This is now one of my very favorite Madrid museums, just exceptional!

Johndeo

Your Spain itinerary looks good but it seems kind of rushed. You can plan to stay in popular tourist spots like Madrid & for a few more days to make the best use of your “Spain Visa”. This will ensure that you explore as many places as possible to have a comprehensive experience of that particular location.