Hi there,
I'm being sent off to a conference in Cordoba in southern Spain at the end of September. It looks like being a fun couple of days but the question is how to get there.

Apparently Cordoba doesn't have a big airport so direct flights are out unless I get the client to charter a plane

I'm coming from the south of England so I think my best bet is to fly LGW --> MAD and then get the train. (Alternatives seem to be Ryanair to Marbella or Seville. I think that BA/IB flights seems better...) A quick google search says that I can get the Metro from MAD into the main train station.
I did look at taking the trains London - Paris, Paris - Madrid & then Madrid - Cordoba but it takes a bit too long.


My questions are:
Does this seem like a sensible approach to get to/from Cordoba from the UK?
Is there a better option I haven't considered?
If I do this, how long should I allow from the scheduled landing at MAD to getting the train out of Madrid train station?

Cheers,
Jason