# Help planning trip around Marbella



## optimist (Oct 29, 2013)

We are staying at the Marriott in Marbella from Jan 5 to 12 but our flight (in and out of Malaga) is Jan 1 to Jan 14.  So that leaves 3 nights before and 2 nights after for stays elsewhere.
While trying to minimize moving in and out of hotels, where do you think we should stay to maximize sightseeing and cut down on driving?

I have been looking at old threads and have made a long list of places to see. Most can be done from Marbella as day trips (Alhambra, Ronda etc).  But Seville and Cordoba are far.  Do you think three nights at the beginning of the trip in Seville is too much?  What about the last two nights? Where is the best place to to stay to see a different area?

Thank you all for your insights and ideas!


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## andrea t (Oct 29, 2013)

Barcelona, followed closely by Seville are my two favorite cities...maybe in all of Europe (that I've been to)!  I think you can easily do 3 nights in either!

We will be in Marbella in June and will spend 3 nights pre timeshare in Madrid.  I just love Spain!


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## PStreet1 (Oct 29, 2013)

Are you renting a car?  We drove and were happy with the experience.  The roads are excellent, some of the best we've ever driven,  and you can make good time.  I'm not suggesting you'd like to drive/go where we did, but perhaps our schedule would give you an idea of driving times.  Anyway, on that possibility, here it is.

a.  picked up the car at the airport and drove to Granada, where we spent the night and saw The Alhambra the next day.  Spent that night in Granada also.
b.  drove from Granada to Jerez by way of the hill towns.  Arrived in Jerez about 2:00 p.m.  For us, having seen hill towns in Italy already, we didn't have a lot of desire to get out and explore in several of them.  We explored in Rhonda--nice gorge and bridge there--had lunch, and drove on to Jerez.  For you, of course, starting in Marbela, it would be even faster.  We spent the night in Jerez, had drinks in the plaza, wandered.  Saw the horse show the next day, ate on the plaza, then had an hour's drive to Sevilla.

c.  We stayed at the Silken Palace in Sevilla----a good spot.  Easy bus transportation into the city on a direct bus which drops you off right at tourist central (and you don't have to drive in Sevilla itself).  The bus took about 15 minutes to get to the stop for the restaurants/cathedral/palace that is still in use and is open to the public.  We stayed that night and two more in Sevilla.  I was reluctant to see the palace (after the Alhambra), but it was well-worth seeing.

d.  We drove to Cordoba.  I don't remember how far it was, but practically nothing.  We checked into the hotel.  Then we went to the gigantic mosque--3rd largest in the world--and were absolutely amazed.http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=mezquita+de+cordoba&qpvt=mezquita+de+cordoba&FORM=IGRE  There is a cathedral in the middle of it that you don't even notice because of the size of the mosque all around it.  It's no longer a functioning mosque, of course.  There are also ruins of the old Arab baths there; they were interesting, but took only about 30 minutes to "do."  The Mosque takes longer, but after gapping at the size and the beauty and wandering a bit, it doesn't take over a couple of hours to "do."

4.  We left the next morning to drive to Segovia, which is north of Madrid.  Again, not a problem.  Wonderful roads.  We had plenty of time to stop at The Valley of the Fallen--Franco's huge monument to the civil war, and he's buried there.  That doesn't take long to see either, but it's impressive.  It's slightly bigger than St. Peter's in Rome.  We arrived in Segovia long before dinner.  Checked in.  Walked to dinner at a little local restaurant by way of a pathway along the river--had a great time.  The next morning, we drove up to see the aquaduct.  That doesn't take long.

5.  Drove to Madrid--not far.  We were there for lunch.  Checked into the apartment we had rented and returned the rental car because we had no desire to drive in Madrid.  We stayed in Madrid 6 nights and had no problem filling all our days.  Took a taxi to the airport.

We rented from SIXT; it was, literally, less than half the price of similar cars from other agencies.  The car was practically new, a Renault and was large enough that we could have the luggage covered in the back--important in Spain because of a high theft rate.  We bought the map chip, about $50.00, for our GPS and took our own GPS with us. That proved to be smart.


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## optimist (Oct 30, 2013)

Thank you both for your ideas.
Yes, we will rent a car.  I think we will end up staying in Seville in the beginning and I don't know where else at the end.  We decided against driving to/from Madrid, even though I have never been there and would love to see it, because it is January and who knows what the weather will be like further North.


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## Passepartout (Oct 30, 2013)

optimist said:


> Thank you both for your ideas.
> Yes, we will rent a car.  I think we will end up staying in Seville in the beginning and I don't know where else at the end.  We decided against driving to/from Madrid, even though I have never been there and would love to see it, because it is January and who knows what the weather will be like further North.



Unless you are a whole lot more ho-hum jaded than I am, you'll find no end of wonderful ways to experience the Spanish culture. 

Also (here's a sure trivia winner....) Madrid is the highest elevation capitol in Europe. It gets COLD there if you are used to the Mediterranean coast.

Jim


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## PStreet1 (Oct 31, 2013)

We had no problem filling our time in Sevilla, and of course, you could easily do Cordoba from Sevilla.  The sidewalk cafes are charming; the cathedral is impressive, the Palace (still lived in) is wonderful; riding the streetcars is fun; the food is good (we liked the pizza stand right across from the side door of the cathedral); there's a fantastic park for walking and exploring.....and the list goes on.  We found that www.booking.com had fairly significant bargains for a number of hotels.  www.venere.com is worth checking also.


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## n777lt (Nov 1, 2013)

One strong vote here for Cordoba, and Baeza and Uribe, tiny picturesque little mountain towns, as well.  We spent a 1 1/2 days in Cordoba and easily filled it, and wished we had at least another 1 1/2 days to explore the villages in the area. Note that the Marriott's AC Cordoba Palacio Hotel (or something like that) is ideally suited to walk right into Cordoba's old quarter. (One day in Seville was enough for me)

What I love about this part of Spain is that three civilizations have flourished there - Moorish, Jewish and Christian.  If you are a history buff, the sites to see are endless.  If you attempt to speak Spanish, people are very friendly, and there's good simple food to be had.  I think there's a Blue Guide for the area if you are really into the Middle Ages and earlier.


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