March Itinerary Help
Dec 20, 2016, 7:38 pm
#1
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March Itinerary Help
Looking at a potential mid march holiday to Spain (7 days), and would love some help on the itinerary. First time traveler to Spain/Portugal.
From what I gather reading other threads:
Option 1) Madrid, Toledo and Barcelona.
Option 2) Madrid and head south to Andalucia to visit Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada.
Option 3) Add in side trips to Lisbon and/or Morocco and maybe Valencia?
Option 4) Lisbon & Porto & wine country
Question: Would a potential side trip or entry destination to Lisbon be possible? What about a potential side trip to Morocco? Trying to do to much with such a short amount of time? Is mid-march to cold for Spain? I was planning on going mid march, but would it be worthwhile to try and plan the trip around the Las Fallas festival and go to Valencia? Could a stop in Majorca be worked in somewhere?
Appreciate any advice/suggestions.
From what I gather reading other threads:
Option 1) Madrid, Toledo and Barcelona.
Option 2) Madrid and head south to Andalucia to visit Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada.
Option 3) Add in side trips to Lisbon and/or Morocco and maybe Valencia?
Option 4) Lisbon & Porto & wine country
Question: Would a potential side trip or entry destination to Lisbon be possible? What about a potential side trip to Morocco? Trying to do to much with such a short amount of time? Is mid-march to cold for Spain? I was planning on going mid march, but would it be worthwhile to try and plan the trip around the Las Fallas festival and go to Valencia? Could a stop in Majorca be worked in somewhere?
Appreciate any advice/suggestions.
Last edited by 100% Green; Dec 21, 2016 at 3:41 pm
Dec 22, 2016, 4:21 am
#2
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You only have 7 days.
Don't expect warm weather (nothing above 20°C-22°C) in Spain (or Portugal) though it can happen. Nights are still chilly. Barcelona and Lisbon should be warmer than Madrid.
For a side trip to Lisbon, you'd need to fly in and out from either MAD or BCN.
How soon do you plan to be back to this part of the world? If you are thinking of coming back, you can do Spain on this trip and Portugal on another trip.
Options 1, 2, and 4 are reasonable given your time frame. I would not bother with adding side trips to Morocco or Lisbon if you only have 7 days.
Don't expect warm weather (nothing above 20°C-22°C) in Spain (or Portugal) though it can happen. Nights are still chilly. Barcelona and Lisbon should be warmer than Madrid.
For a side trip to Lisbon, you'd need to fly in and out from either MAD or BCN.
How soon do you plan to be back to this part of the world? If you are thinking of coming back, you can do Spain on this trip and Portugal on another trip.
Options 1, 2, and 4 are reasonable given your time frame. I would not bother with adding side trips to Morocco or Lisbon if you only have 7 days.
Dec 23, 2016, 6:30 pm
#4
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How did you choose Malaga? I've also been looking at Marbella at the suggestion of Flyertalker Spainlover. But maybe there are logistical reasons not to base out of Marbella (there does seem to be some good hotels there though).
Dec 27, 2016, 7:15 am
#5
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There are trains to Sevilla and Cordoba from Malaga but not Marbella. If planning to day trip from this place, I'd say Malaga is better than Marbella as a base, at least for Cordoba and Granada. I actually wouldn't use Marbella as a base for those cities, though, as it would add a lot of travel time. I would potentially use it as a base to explore smaller towns and beaches around Andalucia, depending on my preferences as a traveler, but I think that the "encanto" (charm although that doesn't fully explain the word) and appeal of Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada would make me want to stay there overnight. I would enjoy more being able to wander through the streets of those cities at sunset and after, getting some dinner, finding good spots for drinks and potentially to explore local nightlife or if I wanted to catch a flamenco show on my 1st trip to Spain.
If anything, I would do the reverse and go to Malaga or Marbella for a day trip to the beach if the weather warranted.
If anything, I would do the reverse and go to Malaga or Marbella for a day trip to the beach if the weather warranted.
Dec 28, 2016, 9:36 am
#7
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Q: What do you think about starting the trip in Malaga (simply because it's a large international airport/entry point in the south), and working up towards Madrid (rather than starting in Madrid and working down)?
Q: What do you think of traveling in Andulicia during Carnival? Good idea? Bad Idea? Ways to enjoy it or should it be avoided?
Q: What do you think of traveling in Andulicia during Carnival? Good idea? Bad Idea? Ways to enjoy it or should it be avoided?
Jan 1, 2017, 4:16 pm
#8
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Revised Itinerary after doing more research. What do you think?
Arrive Madrid, 2 nights in Madrid.
Head to Córdoba en route to Seville via AVE train in morning - Potentially overnight in Cordoba
3 nights in Seville as home base with day trips (1 full day in seville)
Using seville as base - 1 day Cadiz day trip, 1 day Andalusia Winery (any suggestions?)
1 day Ronda day trip en route to Granada or potentially overnight
1 night or 2 in Granada
1 day Madrid before leaving Spain
Head to Córdoba en route to Seville via AVE train in morning - Potentially overnight in Cordoba
3 nights in Seville as home base with day trips (1 full day in seville)
Using seville as base - 1 day Cadiz day trip, 1 day Andalusia Winery (any suggestions?)
1 day Ronda day trip en route to Granada or potentially overnight
1 night or 2 in Granada
1 day Madrid before leaving Spain
Jan 2, 2017, 1:50 am
#9
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I would say you're almost there, I would just say to go all the way to Cádiz from Córdoba, stay there and do your day trip to a winery Jerez (which is very near Cádiz) if that's what interests you. Anadusia is definitely not wine country except for fortified wines with the most notable being the Sherry wines from Jerez. The word sherry is just a mangled translation of "Jerez".
Jan 6, 2017, 7:53 pm
#10
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Thanks. Would love more info about your itinerary if you can share. How many days in each city, how did you get around, etc.?
How did you choose Malaga? I've also been looking at Marbella at the suggestion of Flyertalker Spainlover. But maybe there are logistical reasons not to base out of Marbella (there does seem to be some good hotels there though).
How did you choose Malaga? I've also been looking at Marbella at the suggestion of Flyertalker Spainlover. But maybe there are logistical reasons not to base out of Marbella (there does seem to be some good hotels there though).
We did day trips to all but Sevilla, which we did an overnight. Wish we had more time in Sevilla and Grenada. We had a good time in Cordoba.