Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was there in March....nowhere to put even a towel on the beach!
Nowhere to walk on the beach...just too crowded...
Yikes...in December not many people were on the beach but, duh, it was winter. June will likely be crazy.
Also, OP: I just saw you mentioned you like drinking but not clubbing. Ronda has many wineries! I'd Google them if I were you. Obviously I'm pushing Ronda hard but I do think it's wonderful to see for a day and more off the beaten path than some of the others, if that's your thing.
Seville, definitely. And Granada, the Alhambra is my favorite of all Spanish architecture....
Consider Cordoba....capital of Moslem Spain.....the Mosque is exquisite. Art on every corner. Plaza del Potro.
white washed walls with flowers and vegetation.
Marbella IMO, too touristy, too expensive, too crowded...nothing unusual, just an overpriced beach town.
What a beautiful country...enjoy! Eat some freshly roasted almonds, olives, tapas, paella, Manchego cheese for me
Thanks so much! My pipe dream is to own a home/apartment in Barcelona; I have such fond memories and I am REALLY looking forward to this trip to see a different part of the country. I'm sure the food is amazing.
Thanks for the Cordoba recommendation. Do you think a half day or so would suffice? We might fly into Madrid since we can get there direct (can't fly anywhere in Andalucia direct from Newark) and that would be on the way to the rest of the destinations.
Do you have other alternatives to Marbella? I am really not set on going to the beach just to do a traditional honeymoon type thing. I would only go if there are other things to do and it's worthwhile.
I think passable Spanish will be fine for the area. In my experience, outside of Madrid and Barcelona, most Spaniards don't know a lot of English - but in Sevilla you will have a better chance of encountering ones who do
The tour we did in Gibraltar was one of those where we had plenty of time to explore the town itself after coming down from the rock, so we weren't "babysat" the whole time by tour operators. We took a bus from Málaga down the coast (pretty drive, a little long though) into Gibraltar itself, where the tour people handled the UK crossing, then did a tour of the rock. It's neat to be able to see Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar.
I spent a few minutes looking it up and it does seem doable, especially if you are going from Sevilla. You can get to Ronda by bus in about 2 hours from Prado de San Sebastian Station. Don't think Greyhound! Buses in Spain are quite nice. I took a bus by myself (college-aged woman, alone) from San Sebastian (in Basque Country) to Madrid, a 5-hour ride, and it was comfortable, not cramped, pretty cheap, had movies, etc. Most people are saying you don't need a ticket too far ahead of time and buses leave every two hours starting at 7 am. I'd link you the timetable but the site is down...it's by the bus company Los Amarillos if you want to Google.
So my recommendation might be to go from Sevilla to Ronda, stay overnight (Ronda doesn't need more than a day) and then take the train to Granada from there. It's not far from Marbella, either.
Re: bullfighting...not a fan either (neither is most of Spain, in fact). There's more to do in Ronda than just see the bullring, fortunately!
Talking about all this again makes me want to go back!!! I hope to do it in the next few years...
Thanks for doing more research than I did! I briefly looked at Google Maps and it did not recognize a bus route between Ronda and most other major cities. Good to know. It really looks lovely and worth a visit as long as all the timing works out well. My next step is to figure out the logistics - flying in and traveling to the first destination, how long to stay at each destination, from to fly back home, etc!
I certainly hope you are able to go back soon, I can tell you are passionate about it!
Yikes...in December not many people were on the beach but, duh, it was winter. June will likely be crazy.
Also, OP: I just saw you mentioned you like drinking but not clubbing. Ronda has many wineries! I'd Google them if I were you. Obviously I'm pushing Ronda hard but I do think it's wonderful to see for a day and more off the beaten path than some of the others, if that's your thing.
Lovely! I am actually not into wine (except I can drink my weight in sangria) or beer but my fiance likes both. He's easy to please. I'm more of a liquor drinker but can definitely enjoy the atmosphere of a winery or brewery or whatever might be available.
If you rent a car, you can visit more remote white-washed picturesque villages.
Wow, Cadiz looks very nice!! And has beaches. It will be hard picking and choosing from this ever expanding list. Whatever we can't get to this trip will definitely be saved for the next one
So far I have Sevilla, Granada, Ronda, Cordoba and Cadiz as "must dos." I don't think all are doable over a 10 or 11 day period.
Thanks for doing more research than I did! I briefly looked at Google Maps and it did not recognize a bus route between Ronda and most other major cities. Good to know. It really looks lovely and worth a visit as long as all the timing works out well. My next step is to figure out the logistics - flying in and traveling to the first destination, how long to stay at each destination, from to fly back home, etc!
I certainly hope you are able to go back soon, I can tell you are passionate about it!
Spanish bus companies don't do a very good job advertising online, so I understand why Google maps didn't pick it up. It's a bit more remote since it's in the mountains, so if it doesn't fit into your first trip then that makes sense to perhaps visit the big cities and then come back for some of the smaller ones. Regardless, you will have a great time whatever itinerary you end up choosing.
Thank you, I am indeed passionate about Spain and Basque Country, as it's my heritage and the place where I've spent most time outside the US. I hop into practically any thread with a serious discussion of Spain in it. I'd love to own an apartment in Barcelona too. I would have a hard time ever leaving!
Spanish bus companies don't do a very good job advertising online, so I understand why Google maps didn't pick it up. It's a bit more remote since it's in the mountains, so if it doesn't fit into your first trip then that makes sense to perhaps visit the big cities and then come back for some of the smaller ones. Regardless, you will have a great time whatever itinerary you end up choosing.
Thank you, I am indeed passionate about Spain and Basque Country, as it's my heritage and the place where I've spent most time outside the US. I hop into practically any thread with a serious discussion of Spain in it. I'd love to own an apartment in Barcelona too. I would have a hard time ever leaving!
I wanted to visit Northern Spain from Galicia to Barcelona via Basque of course.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find my driver license, so I changed my itinerary to Galicia - Madrid(and Segovia/Toledo) - Zaragoza - Barcelona.
I wasn't impressed with Madrid. Barcelona was okay but bit overrated.
Surpurinsgly, Galicia was delightful. I guess I'll try Basque next time if I ever have a second chance to vacation in Spain.
So far I have Sevilla, Granada, Ronda, Cordoba and Cadiz as "must dos." I don't think all are doable over a 10 or 11 day period.
I have travelled extensively in Southern Spain and would agree with this. The names of beach towns I have visited are forgettable, except for Malaga. The beach is lovely and the old town is nearby.
If you want a beach town, the most favorable options are to rent a house in one of the white cities on the Southern side of the hills/mountains and use the pool, or rent a small place up in the mountains (on the North side) and take day trips down to the beach. Weekends on the beach are chaos (except for Malaga): all of Spain descends on the beaches and people set up huge tents with boom boxes and 50 gal. drum barbecue devices. Leave the rest to your imagination. The "sand" on many coastal beaches is actually dirt.
Summer months are very very hot in the interior especially. The July-August heat in Seville is unbearable. Mid-winter can be dicey due to Mediterranian rains and fog.
The train ride between Malaga and Seville is enjoyable. I haven't tried other train trips. A nice route would be to fly to Malaga, take the train to Seville, rent a car for your eastern journey along the coast and return the car in Malaga. Look into trains as an alternative.
Congratulations and happy travels.
Oh, there are some nice lodgings in Granada up the hill from the University as I recall.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
