Originally Posted by
David-A
Ok assuming you stay in city centre Malaga (for ease of transport access for your trips, bus and train).
If you were hiring a car, then you would do this differently, but public transport is improving a lot in Spain.
So you would have the evening to wander around Malaga when you arrive.
Lets say you loose a day on your two trips, then you got to Madrid at some point after your third night. Three full days in Madrid before the day you fly out.
It is NOT a bonkers plan. Also, I would certainly not take away any more nights from Madrid. I would work out how practical your trips are as day trips from Malaga, and let that guide you. Compared with options of basing yourself elsewhere.
I will be hiring a car for my stay in the Costa del Sol, as I technically plan to reside just outside Malaga.
Also, I changed my itinerary a little and would like to spend 4 nights in Malaga, 1 night in Cordoba, and 3 nights in Madrid. That is, planning to arrive at 1 pm in Malaga, at 10 am in Cordoba, and at 1 pm in Madrid. That means I will have 3.5 days in Malaga to do city sightseeing and day trips (Granada, Ronda, etc.), 1 full day in Cordoba, and 2.5 days in Madrid.
In principle, I could arrive earlier in Madrid by taking an earlier train out of Cordoba, but I am not sure if I can find a nice hotel that allows me to check-in early.
Another option would be to spend 4 nights in Malaga and 4 nights in Madrid with a lunch stopover in Cordoba. However, I cannot find any luggage storage facility for large bags near the train station in Cordoba.