Cordoba-Seville-Ronda-Granada Itinerary Advice?

[devarae]

Hello folks! I had been originally planning a trip to Italy for this fall (during the first two weeks of October) but for various reasons we've decided that a visit to the Andalusia region of Spain will work better. I haven't bought tickets yet but am hoping to do so this weekend once we've confirmed a few timing details. In my ideal world I'd visit Cordoba, Seville, Ronda and Granada, and use public transport or possible a private transfer for everything.

We will probably have 13 nights. Right now it looks like the best airfare deal (we are coming from Boston) would be fly into Madrid, then out of Granada. So I was considering:

Arrive Madrid, immediately take train to Cordoba (2.25 hours). Cordoba 3 nights.
Train Cordoba to Seville (1 hour). Seville 5 nights.
Bus Seville to Ronda (2.5 hours). Ronda 2 nights.
Train Ronda to Granada (2.5 hours). Granada 3 nights.

I could skip Ronda and add more time to the other locations, but it does sound like the sort of place we would love! And if I am reading this right, the train from Seville to Granada would be around 4 hours so it we're not going too far out of our way?

Also, from what I can tell the Alhambra individual tix for October will not be available for purchase on the website until 3-4 months in advance. I am wondering if it's safe to wait until June or if I should get tix via a group or private tour instead, just to be safe (and to have a tour guide).

 

[Mark]

So here was my itinerary and got a number of responses
https://www.sloweurope.com/community/threads/andalucia-itinerary-what-do-you-think.3180/
We arrived in Madrid and trained to Cordoba, then to Sevilla. We then rented a car and drove to Jerez.
We then drove to Granada and stopped in Arcos de la Frontera and Ronda on the way to Granada.
We waited for the Alhambra tickets, just watch the site as it gets close to when they open up the date you want to visit. Enter though the Justice Gate.

 

[devarae]

So here was my itinerary and got a number of responses
https://www.sloweurope.com/community/threads/andalucia-itinerary-what-do-you-think.3180/
We arrived in Madrid and trained to Cordoba, then to Sevilla. We then rented a car and drove to Jerez.
We then drove to Granada and stopped in Arcos de la Frontera and Ronda on the way to Granada.
We waited for the Alhambra tickets, just watch the site as it gets close to when they open up the date you want to visit. Enter though the Justice Gate.

Thank you Mark! I hope you had a wonderful time on your trip! If you are willing, I'd love to hear what you thought of the amount of time you spent in Cordoba/Sevilla/Granada and Ronda and if you would have changed your itinerary if you could do it again.

I see some folks were suggesting just doing Cordoba as a daytrip from Sevilla, which I have considered too, but it looked like there was enough there I might want more than a single day for it.

Thank you for the reassurance on getting Alhambra tix later on when they are available. I will set myself a reminder to check back.

 

[Mark]

We enjoyed out time in Cordoba, we had an apartment on the opposite side of the river from the Mezquita with a roof top terrace with great views. 2 days was enough. I am glad we stayed over. Would have liked another day in Sevilla or two so your 5 nights should work. Our trip was a little tight because I am into wine so wanted to visit sherry bodegas in Jerez and Saluncar. Also wish we had another night in Granada, but the town was slammed with tourists when we went to the Alhambra on a Saturday in October. Training between towns is the way to go, driving is a pain especially when you get into the towns. The drive from Jerez through Arcos then Ronda to Granada was brutal but my wife insisted on seeing the white towns. All you see along the ways is nothing but olive trees. We did fly out of Madrid stopping in Toledo to see the cathedral. The last time we were there we did not do our homework and the cathedral was closed due to a beatification of a saint.

 

[devarae]

Thank you Mark! That is really helpful! Our current plan would have us going to the Alhambra on a Thursday so hopefully that will be okay. I would like to also do the nighttime visit if I can, but we'll see. We will also be there in October.

And very helpful to hear your experience with driving. That reconfirms my decision to use trains and buses!

I would have loved to have enough time to do Toledo too-- will have to do another trip for that some day!

 

[Tina]

Hi I think your plan sounds good, especially travelling by public transport and from a slow travel point of view there's no point trying to fit in too much. We liked Cordoba very much and stayed 4 nights and didn't get bored. In particular I was overwhelmed by the Mezquita but since it takes time to take it all in we went every morning for each of the three full days we were there from 8.30 until 9.20 when there's free access. This worked well because each time we saw and discovered new details. It's just too much to take in all at one go. Then there are lots of other interesting things to see in Cordoba. I have a blog about our trip in Andalucía last autumn, so there's a description of each day in Cordoba for example, and Ronda.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2018/10/day-41-cordoba.html?m=1
It doesn't include Seville because we stayed a week in 2012, while we are going to Granada in March. We bought the Alhambra tickets when we booked at the beginning of January and there was still good availability, although October could be busier. I also noticed that some unavailable dates in February later became available, I think they update availability periodically.....

 

[devarae]

Thank you for the link to your blog Tina! And for sharing your experiences in Cordoba!

 

[Parigi]

Hi Dev:
I also agree with making Cordoba a day trip out of Seville.
I would spend first night and last night in Madrid. It would be the safe thing to do. When you arrive, you don't have long train or drive to do, and just spend a non-stress day in Madrid and recover.
And on the last day, it is too stressful to try to drive or train back to Aadrid to catch a flight.
In between, I would spend
3 nights in Granada
7 or 8 nights in Seville.
In fact I have done this 3 times.

3 nights in Granada.
The Alhambra is overwhelming. In the summer months here is a night tour not to be missed. Yes, if you can, try to see the Alhambra twice, in the daytime and at night. The ajouré (openwork) architecture just … comes alive at night.
Anyway, the Alhambra easily takes up half a day.
I would also spend 2 half-day exporing 2 quarters inside Granada: theold Arab quarter Albayzin and Sacromonte. They are adjacent to each other. You can easily spenda whole day enjoying a stroll through them.
In fact we rented a house in Albayzin, smack in front of the Granada (with actually a very small river in between)

Cordoba is very easy to reach from Sevilla now, 45 minutes on the high speed train. It is very pleasant to get there shoirtly before noon, see the Mezquita at noon (the time when all the other tourists are lunching), then have late lunch and then stroll in the old Jewish quarter, and then take a train back to Seville in the late afternoon.
I would consider staying longer if I had a longer stay. You have a limited number of days. For your first visit, I would consider Sevilla and Granada not-to-be-missed, and Cordoba a user-friendly day-trip.

Sevilla is effervescent all year long and has lots to do. You have to take it slow or you get overwhelmed. Give it a week, in the very least.

Ronda is physically verbreathaking. It is mainly a place that one visits, with not much local life for locals. You ae right to make it an option.
It is hard to get to and get away from. You may want to rent a car for a day for your visit.

In indeed the rest of the time, a car is not necessary and can be a burden.
It is very hard to park in Sevilla and Granada.
In Albayzin in Alhambra where we were staying, the entire quarter is UNESCO listed, which also means no cars area allowed in. So our car was parked very far away in a parking lot for which we paid for not using. Smart, huh?
Same thing in Sevilla. Our car was in a parking lot for which we paid every day for not using.
So I would just use the great trains and buses. You can use the Capitainerain site to buy tickets. There is no surcharge (that I can detect), and the site is much clearer than the Spanish Renfe train website.
To have more uptodate public transport info, when you arrive in Granada or sevilla, go to the Tourist Information office and get all the info plus maps of the cities that interset you and ask for self-guided walking tours if any. We found a map of tours of old private palaces that have public visits in Sevilla and saw wonderful interios and gardens and insane mosaics.

 

[devarae]

Thank you Parigi! I am especially glad to hear your thoughts on Granada and the encouragement to go back for a night tour. I will make it a point to research Albayzin and Sacromonte! And the prospect of touring old private palaces in Sevilla is very appealing!

We will definitely not get a car based on feedback here. I think for us, the convenience would not outway the stress, and we are fine with spending a bit more time on buses.

I definitely appreciate the feedback on Cordoba and appreciate the well-founded concerns about going there directly after arriving from an overnight flight. I understand why some would choose to keep it a day trip on this itinerary. That said, I may still end up including it as an overnight stay, but at least I will do so understanding the drawbacks.

 

[Andrew]

the Capitainerain site

I think this is the former Capitaine Train site, which has merged into https://www.thetrainline.com/

 

[Parigi]

I think this is the former Capitaine Train site, which has merged into https://www.thetrainline.com/

Yes that's what I meant.

 

[Parigi]

That is the house that we rented in Albayzin in Granada.
Not only is it beautiful but it's also so well built that we were there in the middle of a heat wave and did not even use a fan. (There is no aircon and no need.)
You have an overwhelming view of the Alhambra from the 1st floor living room and from the 3rd floor terrace. It's a schlep to cook dinner on the ground floor and bring all the dishes up to the 3rd floor terrace but it was worth it. We had dinner every nignt in the shadow of the Big G.
https://www.vrbo.com/869508ha
But as I mentioned before, living in the enchanting Albayzin does mean you have to walk, and hilly streets at that. Granada has a very good bus system. And we walked everywhere, even to and from the Granada once.

 

[devarae]

Wow, that is a beautiful apartment! Thank you for the link! What a gorgeous terrace!

 

[Parigi]

Since you're not going in one of the peak summer months, if you reserve your tickets 6 weeks to 2 months ahead of your intended visit dates of the Alhambra, you're ok.

 

[Penn251]

We are halfway through a 5 week stay in Sevilla and having a great time. The city is beautiful and quite vibrant, even in the winter! We are based in Sevilla but doing short jaunts to other Andalusian points. Will do a more fulsome report on Sevilla when we get back in late February. Many things to do, places to eat, people to meet, etc.

We took a short trip to Granada principally to see the Alhambra (stunning and a lot to take in) stopping in Anterquera on the way (hiking in El Torcal - stunning rock formations and a Game of Thrones shoot site). If in Antequera, have dinner at Arte de Cozina. https://artedecozina.com/ In Granada we stayed at Hotel Posada Del Toro and liked it a lot -- small hotel with large, comfortable, clean rooms and suprisingly inexpensive on Calle Elvira near Plaza Nueva (taxi from Plaza Nueva to Alhambra main entrance is 5 Euro). If you are vegetarian or Vegan there is a really good dining option (lunch or dinner) called Al Laurel (do not confuse with El Laurel) at Calle Laurel de las Tablas 16. If you need a good guide at the Alhambra I can recommend one.

Took the train to Cordoba for a day. The Mezquita is quite the structure but it would have been nice to have seen it as a magnificent mosque before they shoehorned a church into it.

Will post a couple of pictures I snapped of the Alhambra and the Mezquita to whet your appetite. It is almost impossible to get pictures without people in therm...but patience and fast trigger finger are virtues.

 

[Penn251]

A few of pictures of the Alhambra from Thursday.

 

[Penn251]

A couple from the Mezquita yesterday.

 

[Penn251]

Oh..also your arrival plans. We flew into Madrid and spent one night there to acclimate to time change. Getting to Cordoba same day is doable ( and you can catch a couple of hours sleep on the train). The Airport express bus is 5 Euro and goes right to Atocha station. You could have a problem though if you are reserving a particular train time since your flight could be delayed or you book a train with enought time to feel safe and you have to spend time waiting at the station (not that comfortable). You can avoid all that by staying near the Atocha station and getting an early morning train to Cordoba. That first day is lost anyway. We stay at the Only You Atocha Hotel which is right across the street from the train station (2 minute walk). As you get closer, check train promotions. We were able to book a first class ticket cheaper than a second class ticket due to a Renfe promotion.

 

[Penn251]

We will definitely not get a car based on feedback here. I think for us, the convenience would not outway the stress, and we are fine with spending a bit more time on buses.

Agree that there is no need for a car in Sevilla. Walking around Sevilla is easy and the bus system is great. Just buy a "trajeta del bus" at any estanco (the Andalusian version of a tabac) and load it with as much money as you want. Each bus trip is .69 Euro with the card. If you pay cash on the bus it is 1.40 Euro. The Moovit App does a really good job in Sevilla showing you the best and fastest bus routes, how to walk to and from the stop and allows you to follow the bus route in real time so you know exactly wher you are at your stop.

We rented a car for three days for our Antequera/Granada trip at the Santa Justa train station. Easy drive out of town from there and back in to return the car. In Granada we just parked the car and left it (as Parigi mentioned). The hotel had a discount rate at the garage but it was still 17 euro for 24 hours. Having the car, however, allowed us to stop in Antequera one night to see and hike at El Torcal and visit the Dolmens and eat at Arte de Cozina).

 

[devarae]

Wow, thank you so much for all these tidbits of advice and the gorgeous inspirational photos, Penn251! It looks like you are having an amazing trip and I look forward to hearing more when you return, if you are able to share details. And thank you particularly for mentioning Al Laurel as we are more vegetarian inclined.

I already suspect we will want to return to this area again-- there are so many things we just can't fit into this trip, but hopefully we will get a sense of things and that will help inform any future visits. Antequera in particular looks amazing!

I do definitely recognize the dangers of taking a train out of Madrid the day our flight arrives, and we'll have to weight the pros and cons for our situation. I appreciate the info on the hotel!