wanderingnomad123

Traveling to Sevilla in May with a group of 5 older adults. We will be staying in the Sevilla for a total of 4 nights prior to heading up to Madrid. We're hoping to take 1-2 day trips from Sevilla as well (not sure if we'll be depriving ourselves of exploring other parts of Sevilla). The following outline is not meant to be strict or rigid (we are a flexible group), but I like having somewhat of a plan for the day given we are traveling as a group which needs planning in advance. Would love any input on the tentative itinerary.

Day 1: Arrive in the early evening; check into the hotel (rest and freshen up); walk around the pedestrian shopping streets in the center; enjoy dinner late evening
Day 2: Morning - breakfast; walk & explore; head to Plaza de Espana; Lunch; Alcazar in the afternoon (anticipating 2-3 hours); walk around Catedral de Sevilla (group has no interest going inside probably); end evening/night with dinner
Day 3: Quick bite and take train to Cordoba for day trip (aiming to depart between 9-10am at latest); stroll and visit Patios Cordobese (we will have missed the festival); Lunch; visit Mezquita-Catedral de Cordoba; explore the local streets; train back to Sevilla (probably departing between 5-6pm); explore Triano area and dinner. Possible Flamenco show if time permits (not a big deal since we have already seen one already)
Day 4: Quick bite and take train to Malaga; activities TBD but thinking of Mercado Central de Atarazanas, walking around City Center, Roman Amphitheater (might skip Alcazaba since Moorish architecture probably best satisfied with Alcazar), seafood lunch; group won't have interest in Picasso museum; head back to Seville in early evening
Day 5: Morning completely open so will explore other areas of Sevilla; we will check out of hotel around noon and take the train to Madrid early afternoon-ish

KarenWoo

I would not do a daytrip from Seville to Malaga. The high speed train is 2 hours one-way. That is a total of 4 hours on the train. It’s not worth it. And then sightseeing when you are there. It will be exhausting. And you say these are older adults. And I don’t mean to be rude, but you are omitting some wonderful places in Malaga, such as the Alcazaba and Picasso Museum. So I don’t see the point in spending 4 hours on the train for a rushed trip to see a few things. And you are seriously shortchanging Seville with 2 day trips.

The only daytrip I would do from Seville is to Cordoba, which is about one hour one-way. However, I am not convinced your group of older adults will have the energy to explore Triana after spending all day in Cordoba, which is a lovely small city and deserves more than a daytrip. But seeing Cordoba as a daytrip is better than not seeing Cordoba at all.

So, stay in Seville on Day 4. Explore Triana then. Visit Casa di Pilatos. Have drinks at Maria Luisa Park. Take a carriage ride around Seville. It’s a beautiful city with gorgeous architecture, plazas, fountains, parks. And who knows, maybe your group will want to go inside the Seville Cathedral.

Keep in mind that the temps in May can be quite warm, and that will slow people down, too. Especially older folks.

danon

Agree..Malaga is a nice spot , but I would rather spend a day in Seville.
One aspect of the train travel is sometimes forgotten : the time it takes to get to and from train stations wherever you travel.

Maribel

A huge ditto to what karenwoo and danon have told you. You could have intense heat in May (been there, experienced that!). On Friday, March 22 the high was 28 C degrees (83F).

After a day trip to see the sights of Córdoba (44 min. train ride each way plus time to get to Santa Justa rail and return from there), you won't want to attempt to explore Triana.
Be sure to purchase your AVANT train tickets in advance, as they do sometimes sell out (been there, experienced that).

We were just in Triana and spent an entire morning exploring (again) and having lunch at charming, tiled filled Alfarería 21 Casa Montalbán, across the Isabel II bridge. Triana deserves a half day, ime.

Having been recently to both palaces, I would substitute, though, the lovely, aristocratic home of the late Duchess of Alba, the Palacio de las Dueñas for the Casa de Pilatos. The former is impeccably maintained and its interiors quite lavish and gives one a real insight into the life of this very colorful Duchess, one of the most titled women in Europe. The Casa de Pilatos is much busier, and I found it recently in need of a bit of tender loving care, while the Palacio de las Dueñas is exquisite in every aspect with beautiful interiors and lovely, shaded orange tree filled gardens and a haven of peace and tranquility. You can read about it here in lrice's TR. Her TR also has some lovely photos of Sevilla that really capture its essence.

Having also been recently to the Mezquita-Catedral, to avoid disappointment with the last minute available entry hours, I would advise to book these tickets in advance online. When we arrived at 10:30 (the Friday before Palm Sunday), there was quite a bit of a line at the ticket booth. Although there are ticket machines for c.c. purchases that speed up the process, the next available timed entry was for 1:30 pm. Having your tickets purchased ahead of time here will avoid disappointment.

wanderingnomad123

Awesome, thank you so much everyone for your helpful tips. We will drop the day trip to Malaga and just do 1 day trip to Cordoba. Per Maribel's suggestion, we will book the train tickets ASAP (looks like there are still tickets per Renfe). I am curious if our day trip itinerary to Cordoba is feasible and makes sense:

- Arrive to Cordoba around 9:30-10:30 am (looking a trains and prices, but aiming to arrive within this timeframe)
- Walk or take a taxi to Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs; stop by Roman Bridge
- Go to Patios Cordobeses (just a few minutes walk from Alcazar; open at 11 am)
- Lunch near the Mezquita
- Around 1:30pm-2pm: visit the Mezquita-Catedral de Cordoba (will buy tickets now) and spend a couple hours
- Afternoon: walk through Center of Cordoba and the winding streets for shopping and snack break
- Evening (5-6pm): train back to Seville

How does this look? Anything we should add or drop? Any thoughts on arrival and departure time for Cordoba?

Maribel

I'm glad that you will purchase your Mezquita-Catedral tickets before you depart for Córdoba (given my very recent experience).
Your itinerary looks fine to me. But expect some waits to enter the patios in the San Basilio quarter.

In my recent 12-night Andalusia adventure, pre Holy Week, during and after, tourism has come back in full force! And summer has already arrived in the south! It will be very warm.

So... do make sure you purchase your r.t.train tickets in advance as well, as these trains do sell out (have had that experience as well).

wanderingnomad123

Yes! I purchased our roundtrip train tickets from Sevilla to Cordoba as well as tickets for the Mezquita-Catedral.

I do have a side question, sort of unrelated to the original post. We will be finishing our Spain trip in Madrid with about 3 full days. Is doing a day trip to Toledo worth it or shall we just focus the 3 days on Madrid only?

Maribel

Whether a day trip to Toledo is worth it during your 3 (full??) touring days for Madrid depends on if you are an avid museum goer/art lover and if so, how much time you want to focus on the multitude of Madrid museums and monuments that the city offers----

the Art Triangle of the Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza, Caixa Forum, and Centro de Arte Reina Sofía,
the new and vast Royal Collections Gallery at the Royal Palace,
the Royal Palace itself,
or any of the less "famous" museums: Cerralbo, MAN, Sorolla, Decorative Arts, Lázaro Galdiano, the Goya exhibit at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (just saw it yesterday and it's fabulous if you appreciate the works of Goya) .
The major Chagall exhibit at the Sala Recoletos, Fundación Mapfre ends on May 5, unless they extend it.

And how much time you want to spend during your final days just relaxing and for example, enjoying walking in Retiro Park or if you need to do any last minute shopping, etc.

I try to avoid a day trip to Toledo on Sundays, when the cathedral visits don't begin until 2 pm and end at 6:30 and when several museum/monument hours are truncated.
I also try to avoid going on Mondays because the El Greco Museum, the Alcázar Military Museum and the Synagogue of the Transit and its Sephardic Museum are closed.

Toledo monuments remain open in spring/summer/fall until 6:00- 7:30 pm. depending on the site.

wanderingnomad123

I personally love museums, but some in our group have already visited Madrid and some of the art museums so museums are probably not a high interest for the group. However, I did secure tickets to the Royal Palace since no one has been before and is of particular interest.

Perhaps we'll play Toledo by ear and see how we're doing in Madrid. I have an open Saturday on the itinerary which could be used as needed for a Toledo trip, but I also like the idea of taking it easy in Madrid.

Maribel

It's a great idea to have secured advance tickets to the Royal Palace, as standing in a very, very long line in the hot sun is no fun at all!

It's also a great idea to just play Toledo by ear, with one caveat....If you do plan to go on your open Saturday, please purchase your AVANT train tickets a day in advance, as the most popular departure and return times can sometimes sell out (it's happened to me twice).

danon

As always, Maribel has the perfect advice.

A note…
On my last visit to Toledo the lineup for the Cathedral was huge.
The town is usually very crowded, the temperature in May - probably 30 C.

Maribel

Yep, expect heat!