Hi,

We are getting very excited about our upcoming trip which includes Andalusia in Spain... and I'm hoping all you seasoned travellers out there can help us out! After a 13 day med cruise which starts in Athens and ends in Istanbul, my husband and I are flying to Madrid on May 5th. We will be picking up a rental car in Madrid for the duration of our stay. As we have a condo booked at Club Bena Vista which is between Estepona and Marbella from May 10 - 17 we have 5 nights to take in various sights before checking into our condo on the Costa del Sol.

Tentatively our plan is:

MAY 5 - 4 hr flight from Istanbul to Madrid arrive 1:25pm, overnight Madrid
May 6 - visit Prado in am then drive 4 hrs to Cordoba, overnight Cordoba
May 7 - visit Mezquita in am then drive 2 hrs to Granada, visit Alhambra to see it at night(seems this is highly recommended by many), overnight Granada
May 8 - again visit Alhambra
May 9 - stay overnight in Granada? or drive 2 1/2 hours to Seville and stay overnight? or other stop???
May 10 - check into our condo
May 10 - 17 - day trips from our condo - Marbella, Malaga, Ronda, Jerez, Gibraltar, Cadiz and possibly Seville if we haven't done it already!

We are usually slow travellers who like to wander through smaller towns and villages rather than spending time in big cities,but realize that we don't want to miss some of Spain's highlights.Prado in Madrid, the Mezquita in Cordoba, the Alhambra in Granada.
My question is whether we should be staying in any of these cities more than 1 night. My research indicates that it is not very far to drive from one city to the next. Also are we missing some special towns/villages along the way? Should we also consider adding 1 night in Seville after Granada before we head to our condo rather than trying to do a day trip from our condo?

We would appreciate any input regarding our itinerary, hotels and sights... on our drive from Madrid to Costa del Sol as well as ideas for our day trips when there.

Gracias!

Hello:
You certainly have outlined an ambitious itinerary. Any of the cities you mention deserve, at a minimum, 3 days. Unless you are making this THE trip of a lifetime, you may want to consider "less is more" and save some places for another trip.

I believe Granada and Seville deserve more than a day and I would save them for another trip altogether. Unless you have reserved tickets for the Alhambra already, if you are set on seeing it, I would make reservations now. The decision whether or not to visit Granada may aleady be made for you.

You mention you enjoy smaller towns. You may wish to explore Chinchon, Aranjuez with a night and following morning in Toledo. They are just outside Madrid. In May, the Aranjuez gardens will be delightful.

On the way south, for a view of Quixote scenery, the castle and windmills around Consuegra will satisfy. Almagro is worth a visit.

If you visit the Mesquita before 10:30 you will avoid the crowds - and an entry fee. We found the town of Ecija a pleasant place to stop and visit their fine city museum.

Once at your condo, there are many choices for day trips. If you enjoy walking and great scenery a day trip to El Torcal and Antequera to the East and Grazalema to the West of your place are in order. A circle tour taking in Ronda, Olvera, Arcos de la Frontera and Medina Sidonia will give a flavor of pueblos blancos.

In my opinion Cadiz is best eased into to uncover its secrets rather than visited quickly. Much more accessible for a day visit is Jerez and sherry country surrounding it.

I suggest you consult the local paper or turismo to see which villages and towns are having celebrations while you are there.

You will find your own special places to sit in the sun and enjoy a glass of wine and tapas. Have a great time.
Dennis

Following Dennis's quite complete reply, a word about the Alhambra visit: the night visit is indeed something unforgettable, but this should not be taken instead of the day tour but rather as a magical atmosphere completion to the day one. The night visit provides access only to specific parts of the Alhambra, not to the entire site.

If you can, do first the day visit, then a night visit.

If you have time constraints, then -of course- you do whatever fits best your schedule.

And reserve tickets in advance. May can be a busy month.

Re Mesquita: we were there at 8 a.m. There were maybe another 5 people, all of them representing themselves with insistence as qualified guides. We declined because we had no idea what would they know and we were well prepared from prior reading and with guidebook in hand.

Hi all.

I can't really help with the city stuff but I would agree that there seems to be a bit too much driving involved from city to city. Yes, on the map it doesn't seem too far but in reality it can take a lot longer than you think to get from A to B. I would certainly look at spending more time (If not all the time) in just one city and that would be Granada because you want to see the Alhambra. There are also a lot of places to see towards the Alpujarras and in the general Sierra Nevada area.

Once you are down on the Costa del Sol you will be able to sample the incredible difference between the cosmopolitan built up people full beach areas and the seemingly empty Andalucian interior.

Definitely on the list would be to drive to the top of Los Reales from Estepona which is around 4.500 feet and gets you incredible views of Western Spain and the Moroccan coast. There are many endemic plants to this area and the whole mountain will be if full flower at the time of your visit.

From there you can tour the little known white villages of Casares, Algotocin and Igualeja. Continuing on to Ronda you can then drop south to San Pedro making a nice day long round trip...

The Sierra de Grazalema should also be on your list and You will probably want to stay there for the rest of your holiday after seeing the Scenery... (I am biased because I live here )

Above and behind Marbella is the mountain called "La Concha" (It's in all the pictures in the glossy magazines but very few people have climbed it)...Take the road from Marbella towards Coin and a few miles after Monda you will see a turn on the left sign posted to the Refugio de Juanar. Park the car at this place and you can walk to the end of the lower mountain and view Marbella from a new perspective. If you are feeling brave then a straight up climb to the peak known as "Cruz de Juanar" will afford excellent views... Afterwards a well earned beer in the refugio.....

Hope that helps a bit...

Clive