We will be traveling from Salamanca to Sevilla on Oct. 4. We are going from Salamanca to Madrid via bus then we will take the AVE to Sevilla.

If we started out early in the morning from Salamanca would it be too much to sqeeze in a day trip to Cordoba along the way?

We have 3 nights in Sevilla and had definately planned a day trip to Cordoba (via train). If we did the Cordoba day trip en route to Sevilla, although we may arrive a little late into Sevilla for our first day we would not have to go back later and would have more full days in Sevilla.

Any thoughts from all the experienced travelers out there

I think you could do it, especially if you didn't want to backtrack. You won't be able to see much more than the Mezquita but hey, it's worth it. Leave your luggage in the train station and you'll be able to catch lunch, a stroll around the Jewish Quarters and the Mezquita. Check ahead for the closing time of the Mezquita so you don't waste your time. Be sure and let your hotel in Sevilla know you'll be arriving late so they don't give your room away.

[ 09-08-2001: Message edited by: nevado ]

Very good advice, Nevado!
There are several nice restaurants in Judería (the Jewish Quarters) on your way back from the Mosque to the railway station.
Enjoy!

Youthful exuberance!
I couldn't handle something like that. Let's say you catch an 08:00 bus, arriving Madrid around 11:00 - go to Puerta de Atocha where you have a reservation for the 12:00 AVE and arrive Cordoba at dinner time (13:30). Some of the things you want to see (& many shops) may be closed until 16:30 or 17:00. I prefer a more leisurely approach. Have you considered an overnight stop in Cordoba and a morning of sightseeing/shopping followed by a 1-hour AVE ride to Sevilla? That's how I would do it.

If you did it that way, you might continue by bus all the way to Cordoba and save yourself the expense of riding the AVE which is considerable.

But then again, I'm a 'senior citizen.'
P.D.
In mid-July this 'senior citizen' caught the 06:20 (regional) train el Puerto de Santa Maria-Sevilla, the 09:00 AVE Sevilla-Madrid, the 13:00 Continental-Auto Motorcoach Madrid-Santander, arriving Santander around 19:00. 5-days later: Santander-Barcelona (bus) and 2-days later Barcelona-Sevilla (hotel tren) followed by bus Sevilla-Huelva and another Huelva-Mazagon. So I am no stranger to the modes of travel in Spain.

[ 09-08-2001: Message edited by: Eddie ]

Eddie, do you want to borrow my walking stick?
Auntie

Got several of my own, Tia!

It's too bad you can't see a foto of cousins Paloma and Carlos and myself taken at the Puerto Deportivo (Marina) near la Rabida (Huelva): Paloma with her muleta (broken ankle) and me with a walking stick.

Having read negative things about Madrid and the violent crime, I bought an Irish (blackthorn) walking stick in Dublin just before a visit to Spain in early June (prior trip). It serves several goals, just as the Irish say.

Thanks for the suggestions one and all.

I'm meeting with my friend tomorrow evening to go over some last minute planning and will discuss with her. She's one of those who doesn't like planning and has let me do it all but I can't make up my mind here. :o

We'll probably take nevado's suggestion and visit Cordoba on the way to Sevilla. It will make a long day but I'd like to spend 2 full days/3 nights in Sevilla and if we later as a day trip will have to give up a day in Sevilla.

In the worst case, I can return next year and visit Cordoba for an overnight trip. This is my first trip to Spain but I've already decided that I'm returning in Sept. 2002 to visit Barcelona and Northern Spain to Santiago along with any other sights I miss in October!

Eddie - even though I'm not a senior can I borrow one of you walking sticks to defend myself against any of those agressive spanish men I've read about? On second thought......

[ 09-10-2001: Message edited by: CathyM ]

Perhaps you can get a walking stick with a hook on the end to reel them in with.

Hi Cathy,
Personally I'm in the walking stick camp on this one. If you really have only one chance in a lifetime to travel to that area of Spain-do go for it. But, I think Salamanca-Sevilla is pretty big without Cordoba and with it-ah ah ah! Power to you if you do it. Have fun!

Just a quick update:

We left Salamanca at 6 a.m. to drive to Madrid (one of my friends only had a week vacation so she was heading home) and was able to get the 10 a.m. AVE to Sevilla. I stopped off in Cordoba for about 5 hours along the way and was still in Sevilla by 7:30 pm. It was a tiring day but well worth it for me.

However, it's all personal. My other friend I was traveling with stayed on the train to Sevilla and took in a well needed nap!