Southern Spain: Flights Booked, Need to Get Serious Now.....

[milgreen2]

After hemming and hawing, we finally moved ahead with booking our flights for an October trip to Southern Spain. It's been tempting to wait and see if prices go down, but I don't think it's a strong possibility, and I figured the longer we wait, the more chance of places we really want to stay/visit will be booked.
We'll have 17 nights on the ground in Spain, arriving in Jerez de Frontera on Monday October 16th, and departing from Malaga on Thursday, November 2nd. I know we'll want at least 4 nights each in Seville and Granada, 2 nights in Cordoba, 2 nights in the countryside between Cordoba and Granada, and need to figure out the first few nights in Jerez and/or Cadiz and the last couple of nights in Malaga.
Any and all suggestions for sightseeing and accommodations are welcome! We'd like to do a combination of hotels and apartments, and are hoping to splurge on an overnight at the Alhambra Parador for one of our nights in Granada.

 

[devarae]

We visited Cordoba (3 nights), Seville (5 nights) and Granada (5 nights) in 2019 and loved it! We were also there in October though closer to the beginning of the month. I hope you have a wonderful time!

Our favorites in Cordoba were the Mosque-Cathedral (especially first thing if you can enter before the crowds) , the Palacio de Viana, and just wandering the picturesque streets.

In Seville we enjoyed the Alcazar (definitely get skip-the-line tix and be prepared for lots of crowds!), the Plaza del Espana (especially at night when the fountains were lit), Las Setas (we went up to the viewing platform just before sunset and it was wonderful!), and the Flamenco performance we attended. We took a half-day tour to Italica and the Monastery of San Isidoro del Campo that we really enjoyed! Oh, and I visited the Palacio de Lebrija and loved that too.

In Granada we did both a day and night visit to the Alhambra and were glad that we had done both (I liked doing day first, so that I was more familiar with the site at night). We enjoyed walking around the city, visiting tea shops, and taking in the view of the alhambra from the various scenic vistas by day and by night!

 

[Tina]

Wonderful wonderful places and the ideal time of the year to visit. We were in the area in autumn 2018 and the weather was ideal, warm and sunny but not too hot. Apart from the places already mentioned we loved Antequera and the Torcal National Park. If you're renting a car it's on the way between Cordoba and Malaga. You can also reach Antequera by bus from Malaga (Torcal isn't served by public transport) but there's a lot to see in Malaga itself if you're only spending a couple of nights there.
This is the link to our Blog for October 2018.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2018/10/
Things to do in Malaga

Malaga what to see and do FREE 31 ideas

Malaga what to see and do FREE : 31 ideas Malaga is often unjustly considered just an arrival point for the lively resorts of the Cos...

slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com

1st November is a Bank Holiday (Día de todos los Santos) so accommodation can be harder to find but this year it's a Wednesday so doesn't lend itself to 'long weekends'.

 

[milgreen2]

thanks so much for your reply and links! reading about Jerez/Cadiz/Sanlucar has me wondering whether to go straight to Cadiz and spend three nights there, with a day trip to Jerez, or vice versa. truthfully, one of the draws of Jerez is a lovely hotel we saw, where we can relax and settle in to shake the jet lag, and take the sightseeing easy for a few days, concentrating on some sherry tastings and flamenco.
right now our plan is to travel by train from Jerez/Cadiz to Seville, and then to Cordoba where we will rent a car for several days, then drop it off in Granada and take the train to Malaga. however, I know it can sometimes actually be a bit cheaper to rent a car for a longer period of time, and if we can find accommodations in Granada and Malaga with parking, perhaps we'll simply hold onto it. everyone says it makes no sense to have a car in Seville and Cordoba.

 

[Tina]

I preferred Cadiz, because I always favour anywhere by the sea (I live in the mountains), but we liked Jerez too. I would be swayed by the accommodation. Staying somewhere special you really like can make an enjoyable holiday even better. Cordoba is easy to get around on foot so you don't really need a car while you're there. The centre is compact.
If you take the long way to Granada you could visit Torcal and Antequera on the way (around the edge of the square looking at the map, Antequera is in the bottom left corner) and still take the train to Malaga from Granada. A car isn't necessary in Malaga, there's an excellent subway/railway service to the Costa del sol area too.

 

[Ashertelaviv]

Hi Milgreen2 , your itinerary sounds great!!!! I would probably shorten the stay in Granada. Two nights instead of 4. In my opinion 2 nights in Granada is enough.

In addition to the emblematic places such as the Mosque of Cordoba, the Alcazar, or the Jewish Quarter, in Cordoba I recommend that you include a morning to visit Medina Azahara, an ancient city where the Caliph resided in the Muslim era and which is located on the outskirts of Cordoba.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[milgreen2]

Hi Asher!
We've refined our itinerary somewhat, and are now planning Jerez for 3 nts, then train to Seville for 4 nts, train to Cordoba (2 nts), train to Granada (3 nts), after which we'll rent a car and spend a couple of nights in the countryside north of Malaga, at Fountainhead Retreat, and then our final 3 nts will be in Malaga. Still undecided as to whether we'll keep the car in Malaga so we can visit the caves in Nerja, or simply drop it off upon arrival and just chill for the last few days of vacation.
Already booked with tours in Seville (through Jewish Sevilla), Cordoba and Granada -- the Alhambra during the day, then on our our the following evening -- and for a flamenco performance. The rest we'll figure out when we arrive, based on our energy levels and local recommendations from hotels and apartment owners.

 

[wco81]

I went in April, about 10 years since my last visit to Andalusia. Flew into Malaga, flew out of Madrid.

Spent a couple of nights in Malaga, 3 or 4 nights in Granada, 3 nights in Ronda, 2 nights in Seville, 3 nights in Toledo, 2 nights in Madrid.

Probably not a good slow traveler.

Really enjoyed Malaga, first time staying there. Walking up to the castles and around the Alcazaar, great weather, sunny, not too hot.

Granada I've been before and I went to the Alhambra again, this time on a guided tour because you have to book slots at least a week out. So a guided tour allowed me a last minute booking so paid like $50-60 instead of the ticket which is about $20-22 but I really enjoyed going with the guide.

Just spectacular. Also, the best views of the Alhambra itself is from Albaicin, where I stayed. There are some miradors, the most famous being San Nicholas. It's a tough hill to climb, always took the bus up. The buses got packed pretty well in April.

Then I picked up a car and did about a 2-3 hour drive to Ronda. I stayed near the iconic bridge over the gorge and the place I stayed in had terraces overlooking the valley below. Again, spectacular.

I did one day trip, wish I'd done more. Setenil de las Bodegas is the nearest white village or pueblos blancos. I only went because it was sunny.

Then about 90 minutes drive to Seville, the cathedral and Alcazar looked beautiful as ever, if kind of pricey to visit.

I stayed a couple of nights at the Parador in Toledo, which is out of town, south of it, so that you have these stunning views across the river.

But staying out there, without a car (returned my car in Seville), didn't get to explore the city as much, so didn't go inside the cathedral there.

Madrid looked great but there was a lot of construction at Sol. I believe also the subway lines from the center of Madrid to the airport are going to be in construction for much of this year.


So my recommendation would be to visit Ronda from Seville or Malaga. However without a car, it may be long bus rides.

 

[Ashertelaviv]

Hi Asher!
We've refined our itinerary somewhat, and are now planning Jerez for 3 nts, then train to Seville for 4 nts, train to Cordoba (2 nts), train to Granada (3 nts), after which we'll rent a car and spend a couple of nights in the countryside north of Malaga, at Fountainhead Retreat, and then our final 3 nts will be in Malaga. Still undecided as to whether we'll keep the car in Malaga so we can visit the caves in Nerja, or simply drop it off upon arrival and just chill for the last few days of vacation.
Already booked with tours in Seville (through Jewish Sevilla), Cordoba and Granada -- the Alhambra during the day, then on our our the following evening -- and for a flamenco performance. The rest we'll figure out when we arrive, based on our energy levels and local recommendations from hotels and apartment owners.

Oh Nerja is wonderful!!! The caves of Nerja are like Mother Nature's art gallery )