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You are here: Experts > Food/Drink > Spanish Cuisine > Travel to Spain > traveling around spain
Expert: Víctor Díaz - 10/9/2008
Question
Hi, hope this e-mil finds you well. I am a women traveling with my 16 year old daughter to madrid, we'll be there for 10 days. We live very close to new york and love the culture, food and shopping in the city. Last year we traveled to Italy, and visited quite a few towns, just she and I.
Id like to ask a few questions: We plan to stay in Madrid for 3 nites and then plan to travel. Is it the best idea to visit Cordoba(2 nights),Sevilla(2 nights), and finish in Granada(1 nite) and back to madrid for the last night? Is it worth going to Valencia, beings that it will be the first week in November? Should I see any other towns along the way? Do you think its better to take a train or better to drive? Please keep in mind we are city people so while i can appreciate hiking and whatnot my daughter couldn't be the least bit interested.
Answer
Hello Yvonne
Your plan look reasonable and yoou have also choose the most important places to visit in Andalucia.
I would do just a few changes, but as it is now is ok.
You could stay in Cordoba just 1 night and give that night (and day) to either Granada or Madrid for a daytrip.
Even you could do Cordoba as a daytrip from Sevilla easily in case you don't want to move to other hotel for just one night, that's what i would do, but seeing your interest may be you want to stay more time in Cordoba.
I would do as follows:
1-arrive madrid. Night in Madrid.
2-visit madrid. Night in Madrid.
3-visit Madrid. Night in Madrid.
4-travel to Sevilla. Visit Sevilla. Night in Sevilla.
5-daytrip to Cordoba. Night in Sevilla.
6-Visit Sevilla. Night in Sevilla
7-Move to Granada. Visit Alhambra in the afternoon. Night in Granada.
8-Visit Granada and move to Madrid in the afternoon. Night in Madrid.
9-daytrip to Toledo. Night in Madrid.
10-return home.
3 nights in Madrid plus the borrowed night from Cordoba, as you love strolling cities, shopping, culture Madrid has a lot to offer in all those aspects as it's the bigger city of Spain. Just for the threee main museums Reina Sofia, Prado and Thyssen would take you a full day if you are interested in art. I would split in two days or else would be too much art for a single day (just focusing in the main collections).
For culture you could also add a Flamenco show in Madrid, or any city in Andalucia, i don't know if your daughter would like this type of events. Also as a part of 'culture' you could visit a bullring inside, not going to a bullfight but visting a bullring, there are tours at the Madrid Las Ventas and probably also at famous Sevilla Maestranza.
Toledo is a daytrip you will enjoy, very cultural and historic city. Very easy to do from Madrid, it's just 30 minutes by high speed train.
Valencia: you don't have time for Valencia, it's not in your way to Andalucia, but a detour to the east of 350km. Have good connections from Madrid but i think you'll be rushing a lot. Also if you plan this visit just for being by the sea, yes november is not a good season for that. Have you think about Malaga instead, is much closer to SEvilla or Granada, the weather is normally a bit sunnier and warmer than in VAlencia, but November is a complicated month in Spain about weather.
Towns along the way. It's better to move directly to the important destinations. Days begin to be shorter and with 10 days it's very difficult to add towns here and there. May be Ronda as a daytrip from Sevilla or El Escorial as a daytrip from Madrid.
In your case, as you are travelling between big cities, public transport is ok, i would rely just on trains, a car in Sevilla or Granada is useless and it's effective only for countryside visits.
There are towns and places to visit in Andalcuia and between Madrid and Andalucia that you could visit with a car, but with your limited it's almost impossible. These places and towns are not as important as Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada and Toledo.
I hope this helps a bit.
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