JoeTro

Hello,

Arriving to Madrid March 1, departing March 10th. Have trains/busses booked so the itinerary is fixed. Would love thoughts on the order of various activities, and some restaurants, and a few gaps here and there. I have booked the Alhambra in Granada and Alcazar and apartments in Seville and a couple of restaurants with times noted, but not much else. Any other reservations for sites or restaurants needed? Thank you all so much.Friday, March 1st.

Land Barajas 9:30 am; train to Malaga at about 3 pm. Will schlep to the lounge at OnlyYou Hotel in Atocha (am taking the first class Iryo) and perhaps store my bags for a couple of hours to walk around Retiro.

Arrive Malaga at 5:54 pm, go to hotel Icon Malabar

Museo de malaga - closes at 8

dinner at Pizza Vittoria

Saturday:

Alcazaba – opens at 9 am

Picasso Museum

Brunchit - lunch

Cathedral and Palacio Episcopal outside

Teatro Romano

Center Pompidou

Anyway wine bar

Sunday:

Next level specialty coffee

Carmen Thyssen and luxalad for lunch

Museum of Vidrio and cristal

Playa Malagueta and/or Gibralfaro

Dynamite – 9 pm reservation

Monday:

Either group tour to Ronda (booked but can cancel) or Marbella? Or, something else?

Ultramarinas benjamin - dinner



Tuesday

Depart 8:30, arrive in Granada at 10:15 by bus

Walk to hotel palacio de santa ines

Cathedral

Sur coffee corner for lunch

Royal chapel square and capilla royal

Plaza Isabel

Plaza nueva

Great mosque: till 6:30 pm

San Nicholas viewpoint

Albicin - dinner somewhere? (Am meeting a friend and her family who lives here, either Tuesday or Wednesday night)



Wednesday:

Alhambra - ticket for Nasrid Palaces at 10:30 am; Charles V Palace, Garden, etc.
[in what order should I do things? What time do I need to arrive .. and where?]
[lunch somewhere?]
[What else for the day?]

Thursday:

Taxi to train station; train leaves around 6:45 am, arrives Cordoba at 8:33 am. Staying at AC Cordoba, short walk from train station

Puerta de amodovar

Jewish synagogue (opens at 9) and and chapel of san Bartolome (opens 10:30) and mosque-cathedral (opens at 10) and patio de los naranjos and callela de las flores

[in what order should I do some of this?]

[lunch - recommendations]?

City walls and puerta del Puente

Roman bridge

Alcazar of Christian monarchs?

Belles artes museum?

Dinner at bodegas mesquita riberian - reservations needed or can I just walk in?

Friday:

Train to Seville; leave around 8:45 am, Arrive Seville 9:50 am – walk to hotel ibis styles

Walk into town

Palacio de condesa

Sede for lunch – starts at noon - reservation needed?

Cathedral

3pm Alcazar plus bedrooms – booked – when to arrive?

belles artes museum

Alimentari e diversi - dinner

Saturday:

Church of college divine savior - opens at 10

Palacio de las Duenas

Fatouch lunch – 1:30 open. reservations?

Bascilla macarena

[this day feels too rushed, especially as I'd like to be back at hotel around 3 to get to train station around 3:20-3:30]. Anything I can move to Friday? The obvious choice is the church, but then I worried Friday was too rushed or skip lunch?]

Train departs 4:07 – arrive 6:45 to Madrid

AC hotel Carlton near Atocha

La Canibal wine bar at 8 pm - reservation booked (unless it's bad and I should go elsewhere nearby - was part of recent NYT wine bars profile)

Sunday:

Thyssen-Bornemisza - should I buy tickets in advance?

Plane departs at 3:50 pm to US - thinking if I leave the museum around noon, walk to hotel, and maybe taxi to airport arriving around 1-1:15 I should be fine? Will be carrying on, but is with Iberia (I'm AA Gold which probably means nothing for them)

Maribel

I'm not familiar with most of your restaurant selections, except for two: Anyway Wine Bar in Málaga, which I like a lot (it's tiny so I hope you make reservations) and La Caníbal in Madrid. We go to La Caníbal often, as it's an easy walk from the Centro Reina Sofía. We were there on Saturday to have wine and and Galician fare. They have a dozen or so wines on tap plus that many craft beers on tap--a very lively place. It was packed to the rafters at lunch, so it's good that you have reservations there.

The ticket lines at the Thyssen-Bornemisza go quickly/efficiently, so we usually don't buy tickets in advance.

For Sevilla: The Iglesia Colegial del Divino Salvador opens at 10:15.
For the Real Alcázar and its Cuatro Real (the Royal residence rooms, where the King & Queen stay when in residence, not just the bedrooms), you must be there at least 15 minutes in advance, and take a euro for the lockers where you must store your camera, coat, bag. It's a visit accompanied by a palace guard in groups of 10-12. You'll be given headsets and you follow the guard from room to room.

More later..

bilboburgler

I take my hat off to a very detailed trip, wow.

Maribel

More---
Arrival day:
Whew! The Museo de Málaga is vast. If you want to visit its very best collection, go straight up to the Archaeological wing, which is superbly done. I would be exhausted though by the time I reached my Málaga hotel and just want a shower and power nap before dinner, but that´s me. Is yours an international flight through several time zones?
Not sure I understand your dinner selection.

Saturday:
I really can't tell you if you can fit in 5 monuments, as I don't know how fast paced you are going through monuments/museums. At the Picasso museum there is a special "Echo of Picasso" exhibit.
Dinner at Anyway Wine Bar, with reservations, is fine.

Sunday:
The Carmen Thyssen Museum is lovely. and easy to see. Don't know about your coffee, lunch and dinner choices, as they're not on my Málaga dining radar, not the "usual suspects" on the Málaga dining scene.

Monday:
Skip Marbella, please. Remember that the group tour to Ronda and the White Towns will take about 10 hours total.

Tuesday:
You'll have a hike up to the Palacio de Santa Inés, just so you'll know. The hills of the Albaicín are steep. I stayed there once but a taxi took me to the door with my luggage.
Don't know your lunch spot.
Somewhere for dinner in the Albaicín near the Mirador de San Nicolás? My suggestion: Carmen de Aben Humeya (reserve). See it in maitaitom's Granada TR posted below.

Wednesday:
I would do the Nasrid Palace first, simply because you won't have to worry later about missing your entry time. The guards are very strict about this. If you want to pick up the audio guide, you can pick it up outside the Charles V Palace (or inside).
Once inside the Nasrid Palace, you can stay as long as you like; then I would head up to the Generalife (your ticket will be scanned), after that, the Alcazaba (ticket scanned) and finally, head to the Charles V Palace where your ticket is not scanned. It has an excellent Museo de la Alhambra (Hispano-muslim), an easy see and entrance is free.
The second museum inside, the Museo de Bellas Artes is skippable. You most likely won't recognize many of the local or Andalusian artists exhibited there. (I've been to both).
The Museo de la Alhambra is open on Wed. until 6 pm.

Lunch somewhere? In the restaurant of the Parador San Francisco at the top of Calle Real, inside the Alhambra grounds.
Reserve here or drop in and see if you have luck with a table. It opens at 1. If no luck, the Hotel América on the way up to the Parador, left side, has an inviting indoor terrace that may be open. See menu here.
What else for the day? For other monuments downtown, read maitaitom's delightful report of his Granada stay here.

Thursday:
My oh my, you're an energizer bunny, early riser The Puerta de Almodóvar is simply the entrance gate to the historic quarter. The patio de naranjos is connected to the Mosque, you will pass right through it on your way in.
The tiny calleja de las Flores takes 1 minute to see. People flock in there to take the obligatory photo of the Mosque/Cathedral in the foreground.
I think you can skip the Fine Arts Museum unless you're very well versed in Spanish painting. I love the Julio Romero de Torres Museum but I'm a big fan and his muse is my avatar.
The Alcázar gardens are lovely, but you´ll need to purchase your ticket at the kiosk across the street or at the ticket booth.
If you want to see the traditional handicrafts of Córdoba (tooled leather, filigree jewelry), you might peek into Zoco Municipal.
Dinner at Bodegas Mezquita Ribera--just walk in (I did), but frankly there are much better places to dine. Regadera, for example, on the same Ronda de Isasa, the river promenade.

Friday:
Since you're coming into Santa Justa rail station, you don't want to walk into town!! I had to do part of this last year because of a marathon that closed the roads, taxi left me very far from hotel and walking with my suitcase was not fun. Most people take a taxi, or there is a city bus from the station. Again, I don't know your lunch or dinner choices.
Have you looked at the recommendations at azahar-sevilla, the local restaurant critic and gastro guide? Lots of wonderful, special dining in Sevilla that she recommends.

Note about the Cuarto Real of the Alcázar. ''Es IMPRESCINDIBLE presentarse en la puerta del Cuarto Real Alto (Segunda Planta) con 15 minutos de antelación a la hora fijada en su entrada". (It's imperative to be at the door of the Cuarto Real Alto, second floor, 15 minutes before the time of your ticket). They've added European Masters paintings to the rooms and a new audio guide that includes music and images.

Saturday:
I spoke to your monument plan in my first post. Your time in Sevilla seems very short but your itinerary is set.

Sunday:
I addressed the Thyssen tickets in my earlier post. AA tells you to be at T4 Barajas 3 hours in advance.
The walk + underground train ride from T4 to T4 S takes quite some time.
Taxi fare to Barajas is now 33 euros, flat fee.
With Gold status, you can use the priority check in lanes.

Now, I'm exhausted!
(just kidding)

Maribel

Major correction to your first Monday!!! (I've recovered my energy .)

About Ronda, I was thinking you were doing a day trip from Sevilla (didn't read correctly), but from Málaga it´s a far shorter trip, quite easy, actually and very, very popular. But it will be filled with bus groups, unfortunately. Like Toledo Ronda is best seen with an overnight, but that doesn't fit into your schedule.
There are more nice museums to see in Malaga, such as the very interesting Museo Automovilístico y del Traje and the Museo Ruso, side by side, with works from the Hermitage, if you´re an avid museum goer. Take bus 7 from the Alameda.

I recently took a day trip to Marbella by bus from Málaga and regretted the time spent. I just hadn't been to Marbella in quite a while and realized that I hadn't missed a thing.

ekscrunchy

Do you mind telling us where you found the restaurants that you plan to try?

If you want some eating ideas for Cordoba, there are many here:

CORDOBA..hotels, eating, to and from?

Maribel

And many really fine dining ideas for Sevilla on lrice's trip report, "Our December in Andalucía". She chose really great places to dine in Sevilla.

Maribel

It appears that your selected restaurants in each city may have come from TripAdvisor.

For what it's worth (and it may not be worth anything), when I visit the cities in your itinerary, I check the recommendations of Guia Repsol, Michelin and Macarfi (Malaga is now included in the Macarfi guide), and azahar-sevilla for only Sevilla, for a broader picture of the dining scene.

I checked the small group van tour excursions from Málaga to Ronda and theymake for an 8-hour day.

JoeTro

Thanks all! Yes, TripAdvisor and eater Seville. Few comments and follow-up

Arrival day/ Malaga I messed up in planning and thought museums closed at 9 pm though seems Malaga museum does close at 9! So could get maybe 2.5 hours in?

some on my monuments on Sat are really just stops to outside.

is Ruseo museum part of Hermitage? Any Impressionism? Seemed a bit far from center. Auto museum not quite my speed ha ha.

Thanks for recommending to book at anyway. Doing this 730 pm.

granada - Typo. Will take taxi to and from hotel. Itinerary seems doable

Cordoba - thanks re recs and what to skip

seville - agree is a little too tight. How early do i need to arrive for 4 pm train? Will walk 15 min to hotel then another 20 to town so can break up a little. How essential are those lunch places as really cuts into sightseeing time? Any one or two sites I can cut?

Should I see flamenco somewhere?

Maribel

The Eater Sevilla list is actually a good one, with 2 exceptions: The Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo closed last year (chef plans to occupy the former space of Enrique Becerra), and there are many better tapas bars in the city than Castizo. Otherwise, the list is strong, but I don't see any of those in your dining plans.

Yes the Museo de Málaga closes at 9. I would head straight up to the Archaeological Wing as it's the gem in the crown. The painting section is heavy on canvases of local artists that you most likely won't recognize, although it's enjoyable, it's not the museum's claim to fame.

In the Museo Ruso there are works that came from the Hermitage, yes, If you check the link that I left, you'll see that the museum doesn't have Impressionist works that I can recall.

For the 4:07 pm train, I would arrive 20 minutes before departure. The Santa Justa station isn't nearly as large or confusing as Madrid's Puerta de Atocha station, so finding your way to your track, once your train appears on the monitor is quite straightforward.

Your lunch places aren't essential at all if you need more sightseeing time. You can always go to one of the tapas bars on the Eater Seville list or on Azahar's that I linked and just have a tapa at the bar.

If you can, on Friday I would attend a flamenco performance at Casa de la Memoria before dinner.

michaelpianko

Much of what you put probably will work ok. Here are bits of what you put in quotes, and A few observations after each piece:
"Friday, March 1st. Arrive Malaga at 5:54 pm, go to hotel Icon Malabar Museo de malaga - closes at 8" How big is the museum? I wouldn't enter most museums less than an hour before closing.

"Wednesday: Alhambra - ticket for Nasrid Palaces at 10:30 am; Charles V Palace, Garden, etc. [in what order should I do things? What time do I need to arrive .. and where?]" -- don't walk too far away from the Nasrid palaces before you arrive. See the Nasrid Palaces and then the other areas.
"[What else for the day?]" -- I walked along some nice paths in the hills around the Alhambra after the Alhambra.

"Thursday: Taxi to train station; train leaves around 6:45 am, arrives Cordoba at 8:33 am. Staying at AC Cordoba, short walk from train station, Puerta de amodovar,
Jewish synagogue (opens at 9) and chapel of san Bartolome (opens 10:30) and mosque-cathedral (opens at 10) and patio de los naranjos and callela de las flores, [in what order should I do some of this?]"

The 2 buildings that used to be synagogues probably won't be crowded. they take 20 minutes max if you look carefully and completely. One of t=is next to a non-Jewish museum about old moorish AL-Andalus which had a worthwhile exhibit about how paper used to be made. I am a librarian; I always look for anything tha thas to do with paper-making, books, printing, and so on.


"Alcazar of Christian monarchs?" I thought it was worthwhile. The building is not too huge, the gardens are marvelously landscaped.

"Belles artes museum?" The museo de Julio Romero de Torres was worthwhile. Another adjacent place had paintings I glanced at but didn't look too closely at because I wasn't raised catholic and they didn't have any spiritual meaning to me.

"Friday: Train to Seville"

"Walk into town"
"Palacio de condesa" if this is what I am thinking I remember, it requires a guided tour. I don't know that there is a way to reserve. I showed up and had to wait about a half hour; I walked away from the place and came back and got on a tour. I might have arrived just after 3pm.

"Cathedral" There was a long line; I had an advance ticked and arrived when it opened.

"3pm Alcazar plus bedrooms – booked – when to arrive?" -- I would go here when they open.

"belles artes museum" looks appealing. I missed it.



"Sunday: "Thyssen-Bornemisza - should I buy tickets in advance?" -- I didn't buy tickets in advance. The line wasn't as long as the Prado. Actually I liked this place more than the Prado, maybe because the Thyssen-Bornemisza had more old landscape paintings.

"Plane departs at 3:50 pm to US - thinking if I leave the museum around noon, walk to hotel, and maybe taxi to airport arriving around 1-1:15 I should be fine? Will be carrying on, but is with Iberia (I'm AA Gold which probably means nothing for them)" -- Actually, this sounds too rushed. I wouldn't arrive at the airport less than 3 hours in advance. You never know how long the lines will be.

JoeTro

Thanks. I booked 3 pm in Alcazar in Seville. Guess I need to turn up 15-20 min before. I am oneworld ruby and flying out in afternoon so hopefully will help with lines? I’d really like to spend from 10-12 in Thyssen?

HappyTrvlr

I urge you to look at Maribel’s posts and consider her restaurant recommendations. She knows Spain and Portugal and their dining options very well as she has/had a tour company. Also read posts by ekscrunchy on dining in Spain, lots of good recommendations. If they haven’t heard of the ones you listed, I would not eat at them!

Maribel

michaelpianko,
In post #9 Joe discovered that the MUSEO DE MÁLAGA stays open until 9 pm.

Also Sevilla's Alcázar Real opens daily at 9:30 am, but Joe is referring to the specific timed ticket he has purchased for the Cuarto Real ("Royal Chamber"), the upper rooms on the 2nd floor where the King/Queen stay when in residence, that can only be visited via a guided tour with timed ticket, accompanied by a palace guard.
For the timed visit to the Cuarto Real, one must be inside the monument at the door of that special security entrance on the 2nd floor where this special 30-minute tour begins, 15 minutes in advance, to check in and to place backpacks, bags, cell phone, cameras in a locker, for which one needs a 1-euro coin.

Joe can visit the downstairs rooms of the Alcázar 60 minutes before (says the ticket) or after his visit to the Cuarto Real upstairs. Because Joe's visit is in March, the monument closes in winter at 7 pm with the last entrance to the monument allowed at 6 pm.

For the Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija (full name) one must purchase timed tickets here. The guided tour lasts for 30 minutes.

Maribel

JoeTro,
With AA gold status, which is Oneworld Ruby status, you have access to the business class priority check in lines at Barajas.
https://www.oneworld.com/travel-benefits#benefits

From your Córdoba AC hotel, you´ll have a 25-minute walk south east to the Jewish Quarter and on this walk you will pass by the lovely Jardines de la Victoria gardens, which BTW has a gastronomic market (gourmet food court), the Mercado de la Victoria, if you find you want to have a bite on site or pick up a bite to eat in your room on your way back to the AC near the train station: a glass of salmorejo, the thick Cordoban style gazpacho topped with slivers of ham, or a plate of fine Iberian ham from the Los Pedroches D.O., artisan cheeses, etc. it's open continuously from noon until 12:30 am. It doesn't see that many tourists because most tourists stay and dine within the Judería.

JoeTro

Thanks all! Casapuerta in Seville? Is right by fine arts museum.

Maribel

I really enjoyed my lunch at Casapuerta after my visit to the Museo de Bellas Artes. Very nice service, specialties from the Costa de la Luz, such as blue fin tuna and Retinto beef, pretty dining room. I recommend it. It's bookable on The Fork.

JoeTro

Just a quick note that I am back and so appreciated everyone’s feedback. A few comments:

I did nearly everything on my list and never felt rushed. Friday in Seville was the busiest day. Cathedral was massive! Casapuerta was a lovely restaurant. The art museum was lovely too.

skipped ultramarines Benjamin and ate … leftover trail mix instead. I’d had a lot of tapas in Ronda and Sentila to kill time. I’m glad I took the group tour but was a little underwhelmed.

sede in Seville also was lovely.

had lunch most places in a quick coffee shop or salad or sandwich place. Worked well.

cordoba took about 6 hours, including a lunch and separate drink break to get out of the pouring rain. I did lunch in regadara rather than dinner.

both cannibal and especially anyway were lovely. So many great wines and bites.

in Granada did tapas at Buena Vida and dinner at Mirador de Morayma. The latter was amazing. It was fun to get lost in the Albacin.

a lowlight was the mosque in Granada saying they were open in afternoons, but only the outdoor garden was. Boo! Missed seeing that.

Please let me know of any other questions.

Maribel

Thanks so much for reporting back. Glad you liked your wine-centric meals at Madrid's La Caníbal and Málaga's Any Way Wine, where we'll be heading soon for Holy Week.

Glad you got to the Museo de Bellas Artes in Sevilla, a real gem and that you enjoyed your lunch afterwards at Casapuerta.