Hi. Have read several posts about itineraries to southern Spain and while my question is a little repetitive, would appreciate some feedback. We are a couple of active 70 year olds who travel a lot. We will be in Brooklyn for a family wedding the weekend before Thanksgiving, so thought we would just keep going! We'll fly in and out of Madrid fro JFK. Flights arranged already. We like museums and I've read others' posts about highlights in each of the cities. Probably won't do any hiking/biking this trip. We do like a mixture of countryside and city. We have 15 full days to see the sights. Here's what I'm thinking:

Arrive Madrid in the am and take train to Cordoba

Cordoba -2 nights
Granada-2 nights
Malaga- 2 nights
Ronda- 2 nights---rent a car in Ronda for the day and go to a couple of white villages
Seville-4 nights
Madrid-3 nights

We usually don't like just spending 2 nights places, but seems we have done it recently and it's been ok. As always, some things have to be left off. My question is should we forgo the white villages and Ronda and add those nights some other city. and what's the weather like that time of year? If southern Spain is like anywhere else, weather can be a real crap shoot. and I did remember that it gets dark earlier, so there's that. Any tips on advance tickets to places like the Alhambra and other places that require tickets would be helpful too. And, if it doesn't cost too much, we would love a guide at the Prado, unless the audio guide will suffice. For big museums, when we have such limited time, we like to hit the high points. Thanks in advance. Fodorites are the best travel guides!!

I like the number of nights you have allocated for each location. Our itinerary was similar with a few differences. We did not visit Ronda or other white villages but we spent 4 nights in Madrid instead of your 3 and one night in Toledo. Our trip was for 15 nights. So based on our allocation of nights, I think you, too, have a good allocation of nights. I can't really say if you should omit Ronda because we didn't go there but if it interests you, you should do it. You might wish you had an extra night in each location! I do that all the time. But there is never enough time.

Regarding temps, you can check online the timeanddate.com site. We visited in September so can't really compare. But I've been hearing that Andalucia in October is warmer than usual because of climate change. So hopefully November won't be too cold. I think Granada will be the coldest because it's in the mountains. So check weather reports a few days before you leave, and pack accordingly. Layers is always the best.

You absolutely will have to order tickets in advance for the Alhambra. And recommend you do the same for the Alcazar in Seville.

When we visited the Prado, we used the audioguide and brochure. It worked well for us.

Andalucía is heating up! I was there for 5 weeks this past February/March and had surprisingly mild weather. At night I only needed a very light weight NF coat and never used gloves.
Because of this warming trend, I no longer check the historic weather patterns but only the weather from the past year.
I use www.timeanddate.com

You'll see that by checking Nov. 2022 for your cities, it was quite pleasant during the day and evening lows were fairly mild, cooler in the evening in Granada but still warm during the day. Málaga boasts 320 days of sun per year.
One would think it would be colder in the Serranía de Ronda due to the elevation, but check www.timeanddate.com, and you´ll be surprised. I was...At night the lows were in the 50s, a few nights later in Nov. in the 40s but the days were quite warm.

As for Ronda, the major car rental companies aren't there but there is a car rental company, Autos-Ronda. See their vehicles here.

Ditto to what Karen has told you regarding advanced tickets.
For the Prado, there is a well-established tour company that provides guided tours with an art historian, but the price for just 2 will be high (let me know if you need the name).
There will also be guides outside at the ticket booth who will offer their services.

The Prado does offer a daily 90-min. English guided tour of a selection of the Museum's masterpieces at 11 am and 1 pm, but it can't be booked online, One needs to show up and purchase the Prado entrance ticket plus €10 for the guided visit and allow plenty of time. to do so before the tour begins. I've never taken it.

Thanks Karen and Maribel. We decided to add a day each to Cordoba and Granada , then got to Antequera and rent a car to drive around that area for a few days. then, drop the car off in Seville. I checked the weather site and it is very helpful. so thanks for that! I'll look into some group tours for the Prado as I'm sure a private guide for just us is out of our budget. we're really excited to go to this part of Spain. So , thanks for everyone's help and I've enjoyed reading about other's trips as well.

If you're based in Antequera with a car I recommend visiting el Torcal. It's fantastic!
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspo...quera.html?m=1

Madrid is potentially the coldest as it is so high up, the rest are mainly coastal or within coastal influence distances. Climate change means that all bets are off, but November can be nice as long as it doesn't rain.....

As bilbo says, all bests are off regarding weather.
We had rather mild weather in December last year in Madrid even with the altitude. Today it will reach 33 degrees where we are in La Rioja.

Hi Maribel, We will have five of us in Madrid for a tour of the Prado. Will you please let me know who you recommend?

Thank you!

Hi Irice,
Look at these two, Across Madrid, that not only will do a tour for a family but will also do group tours if there are more than 2 sign ups.
https://www.acrossmadrid.com/en/abou...choose-us.html

And Madrid Museum Tours, that I've used many times in the past, that does private tours.
https://madridmuseumtours.com/en/

Thanks Maribel!

yes- I saw pictures of it. It's on my list! thanks

Thanks for the warning. We were in Mexico City some years ago in December and it was freezing! I'll be prepared this time! I live in a cold climate so the temps don't seem horrible, but with added humidity it can feel really cold. Layers!

If you want to use www.timeanddate.com for last November's Madrid weather, you'll see that the lowest nighttime temp that month was 4 degrees and the highest day time temp reached 21C, so it varied a great deal. Layers are indeed your key, and expect that you'll have some rain.

Rather than add a day to Cordoba, I would add to Madrid and visit Toledo for a night. I would not miss it under any circumstances. It has incredible history, a stunning cathedral and amazing art.

Sadly, we've made all our reservations for this trip. However, we do want to go back to Barcelona when the Sagrada Familia is finished ( along with millions of others!), so will keep Toledo in mind. Spain is a fascinating country. I could spend a lot of time there! thanks for the suggestion.

The itinerary looks great.We’ve enjoyed many trips to southern Spain and more central areas…agree, there is just so much that is top class.

I would definitely keep in Ronda - a beauty of a place.Very handsome and spectacular at the gorge. Have visited many times and most recently, we enjoyed a superb balcony room in the parador, overlooking the gorge.Well worth it. Some time to see some of the Pueblos Blancos and the attractive countryside nearby would be lovely too.Grazalema was delightful a we enjoyed Zahara too.Several to choose from of course.

Wasn’t impressed with Benaojan near Ronda.You do need to research the villages because many are promoted locally but don’t always live up to the hype…though many do of course!

Osuna has some wonderful architecture.

The Picasso Museum in Malaga is top notch…Malaga itself is a fine city to explore too.

Can’t recommend Antequera enough…handsome, less touristed…enjoyed it hugely.

I personally found El Torcal a bit over rated.

We also visited Zuheros village ..beautiful little place.

thanks for those insights. I think we may take a day trip to Malaga, but we'll see. So much to experience. It'll be great.