Southern Spain - Seville or Grenada?

[Pauline]

We are currently living in England and must find a few southern destinations to visit in Spring and Fall (to get much needed sunshine!). On my list are Israel, Greece, Sicily and southern Spain. If we wanted to spend a couple of weeks in an apartment, which would be the better choice - Seville or Grenada?

Grenada's population is 250,000 but Seville is a large city with population 700,000+ - perhaps too large for us.

Any advice for a nice place to stay in southern Spain?

 

[BJinNM]

I loved Seville in the Spring time. Orange blossoms falling everywhere. I would stay in the old area maybe the Jewish Quarter. I think you could take lots of day trips from there. Grenada was really interesting but liked Seville better. I didn't even realize it was so much larger.

 

[Pauline]

I was surprised at the population of Seville. I thought it was much smaller - even though I have not been there. I would like to stay in Seville and take a Seville Tapas tour (http://azahar-sevilla.com/tapas-tours/). I have been reading Shawn's websites for years. If we stayed in Seville maybe we could not have a car and take trains?

I just remembered that Doru from SlowTrav had some good Grenada info on his trip report: http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/tripreport.asp?tripid=87 . I am going to read through it again.

 

[Doru]

Pauline, it seems to me that unless you want to really take it slow, and I mean very slow, two weeks would be too much for me in either Seville or Granada. They are both sized for interest and attractions for about one week each, and with about three easy hours by train or by bus separating them, I would take the two weeks and split them between the two. Press me to make a choice and not dawdle, and it will be Granada as a base, but I would still spend two or, better, three days in Seville...

Granada will forever remain the most magical and romantic of any of the cities I have visited. It left something unique, somewhere deep in my soul, moments I can't forget. Sorry for getting a bit sentimental here...

 

[Shannon]

I'm with Doru. Split the time between the two cities. Sevilla is beautiful but Granada is in a pretty blessed natural setting and I am sure would have more opportunities for nature walks and hikes. (Assuming you want to do a little of that.)

Make sure to get to Cordoba at some point. There are some Roman ruins in the vicinity (not sure how far from Sevilla, Clive and Sue - remember them? - took me and my mom there.)

If I had to choose I would choose as Doru did, Granada. But others will say Sevilla. You can't go wrong, really.

 

[Doru]

I thought of Cordoba too. But then, I remembered that the trip will be for two people who travel very slowly...
With the base in Grenada, it is about two hours drive. With the base in Seville, about an hour and a half. Even so, Grenada wins as base.

 

[Pauline]

It sounds like Grenada will suit us best for a week. Smaller town, access to walking/hiking. Add on a few nights in Seville and that might be a good first trip for us! We almost did this March 2013, but decided on Arles and Nimes in France instead (which was great).

 

[Sally Watkins]

Cordoba and visit places by train. The Mezquita in Cordoba has the most amazing interior of any building I've ever seen! And the city is really charming.

 

[Parigi]

Two winters ago we spent 1 week in Seville, including a day trip to Cordoba, followed by 3 days in Grenada. It worked out just fine in terms of what we wanted to see and do. We were doing truly slow travel as I was recovering from kidney infection. We had a grand time. We want to go back to Seville nex Xmas-New Year.

 

[Terry]

I'm following this thread with interest. We have two weeks vacation in September, and this is definitely on my radar screen.

 

[Giulia da Urbino]

I'd stay in Sevilla for 2 weeks... well, I'd stay in Sevilla for two months!
There's a lot to see and a lot to experience... it doesn't feel big at all, but you can do a lot of walking around tiny roads, eating great food, enjoying the parks and the gardens. And I'm sure that you'd enjoy Sevilla Tapas tours!

 

[LizJ]

They are both wonderful and I have spent 2 weeks in each place, as well as other shorter trips. I loved Seville more until I got to know Granada better and although I would happily spend time in either, forced to choose, would go for Granada. But if you can stay in both, do so. I agree with others, Cordoba is lovely too and should not be missed. Antequera is another lovely town.

We are lucky enough to live about 45 mins from Granada and visit regularly - the dream (which doubtless will remain one) it to have a bolt hole there.

 

[Heidi]

Have enjoyed reading this thread. I polished off a small container of Marcona almonds as I clicked around the web to bring back the memories of our long ago travels through Portugal & Spain. I think you won't be sorry to have chosen Grenada as a base. As Doru so beautifully stated, Grenada is "magical" ~ the memories linger. We stayed near the Sacromonte ~ the gypsy quarter.

The Mezquita in Cordoba was remarkable ~ very evocative ~ and not to be missed. Toledo (think El Greco!) did not seem so huge to me, perhaps because we detailed the neighborhood where we stayed, near the cathedral, and decided not to roar around the city... We were pretty exhausted at this point in our travels...

 

[azahar]

Looks like I'm a bit late to the party but... SEVILLA of course! As a base it is much better connected than Granada (not Grenada) unless you have a car. And although Sevilla a "big city" it actually doesn't feel like one because the old centre, which is where you would stay and hang out, is all easily walkable. Aside from being the most beautiful city in Spain (not that I'm biased...) it has a great cultural scene, amazing architecture, and lots of wonderful tapas bars.

I would maybe stay half a week in Granada and from there do a day trip to Ronda by train. Then you could take the train to Sevilla. Great day trips by train from here include Córdoba, Cádiz and Jerez (sherry tasting). There's just something about getting on a train to visit a place for the day that makes the journey feel much more relaxed.

So happy you're finally coming to visit!

 

[Pauline]

I was hoping to go this spring but now we are going to Sicily in early April. Would love to go for a week in March, but may have to wait for later in the year. A trip with no car rental sounds good.

 

[Clive Muir]

Hi,

The Roman ruins that shannon mentioned earlier is Acinipo
http://www.rondatoday.com/6202/acinipo-ruined-roman-city

Ronda is a good place to base yourself as well. get an apartment and hire a car when you need it. You can take the train to Granada direct from Ronda and stay a day or so there... Maybe hire car to get to Seville and to explore the area around Grazalema and Ronda... The hiking and walking in this area is pretty amazing.

regards
Clive

 

[Rome Addict]

Interesting stuff here. Tom and I are renting a friend's apartment in Alba for March and April. Mostly to get out of the smoke in Chiang Mai (March and April are the burning season). We are not so much interested in touring as living. arts, culture, restaurants, access to beaches, etc.. With the Junta takeover in Thailand it brings into sharp focus the need for a plan B.

 

[Parigi]

"I would maybe stay half a week in Granada and from there do a day trip to Ronda by train. Then you could take the train to Sevilla. Great day trips by train from here include Córdoba, Cádiz and Jerez (sherry tasting). There's just something about getting on a train to visit a place for the day that makes the journey feel much more relaxed."

Azahar: this whole paragraph goes into my archive. And don't forget: this Christmas/New Year we are returning to stalk you.

 

[Pauline]

... Tom and I are renting a friend's apartment in Alba for March and April.

Mary, where is Alba? Spain is very popular with British expats, for the better weather and cheaper everything.

 

[Clive Muir]

Cool question Did you know the the duchess of Alba would be the legitimate queen of Scotland if they had voted "yes" to independence last week?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Alba

Alba is a cool and beautiful place in Salamanca province.....