For our honeymoon we are spending 12 days in Spain. Please offer any advice on this itinerary, are we doing too much, should we eliminate Cordoba altogether and spend more time in Seville? Is 4 days on the coast too much? Thanks....
june 19 arrive 9am into Madrid
june 20 Madrid
june 21 7:15am train to Malaga then rent car to get to hotel in Estepona
june 22 Estepona and Costa del Sol
june 23 Estepona and Costa del Sol
june 24 Day trip to Ronda
june 25 Estepona and Costa del Sol
june 26 Leave early morning for Granada, stopping in Malaga, Nerja, etc. Spend rest of day in Granada
june 27 Leave on 8am train to Seville spend day in Seville
june 28 Arrive in Cordoba by train early afternoon. Spend day in Cordoba leave at 2:22am on overnight train to Madrid
june 29 Leave out of Madrid at noon

IMHO your plan shortchanges the Madrid area & all it has to offer: Palacio Real, Toledo, Museo del Prado, Segovia, Parque del Retiro, El Escorial etc. Sevilla also deserves more than a day, even though it may be very warm in June.
I wouldn't specifically recommend excluding any of the places on your itinerary; but you might consider taking AVE Madrid-Sevilla and pick up/drop off your rental car at Santa Justa rail station. That would give you more flexibility for your Andalucia 'loop.' There's an Avis location there and other car rental companies.

[ 05-11-2001: Message edited by: Eddie ]

I think you may be a little ambitious cramming so much in. My suggestions would be to lose a day from the Costa and instead go to Granada a day earlier. I wouldn't bother with Malaga or Nerja on this trip, as it will take you two and a bit hours driving from where you are to Granada and any time lost detracts from seeing this beautiful city - even though I love "my" Malaga!.

Spend another night in either Granada or Sevilla (my choice) and then take the AVE to Madrid on the afternoon of the penultimate day and have another night on the town in Madrid.

I posted a reply about the couchette in the transport section and you may judge from it that you will almost certainly be knackered (translate: rather exhausted!) arriving in Madrid then flying out, so enjoy your last night in the city instead of a train.

Times have sure changed. When my wife and I got married, we went on a honeymoon. Five years later we went back on a vacation so we could see the sights

I think I'd cut back on the number of times you travel and spend more time enjoying each of the chosen spots a bit more. With your plan, you spend half your time "enroute" from one place to another... not very romantic being on a night train with a few hundred snoring people sitting nearby with their shoes off...

Wolf

I'm with you Wolf. After our wedding we left the next day and I was in tears I was so tired. The pressure of the wedding, and the guests and just everything!! The opportunity to go to Spain is a great one, and I can understand that you want to do it all, as it may never come again, but you will need some time to relax and enjoy.

Man this is so tough deciding!
OK I've read all the responses and here's my second thought...
since we arrive so early(9am)into Madrid and we'll probably be tired and it'll be too early too check into the hotel, maybe we should just hop on the train and head for Seville or Cordoba right away and do Madrid the last 2 days. We could spend one night in Cordoba, 2 in Seville. Eddie suggested picking up and dropping the car off in Seville but then we would have to drive from Granada to Seville. Isn't that a long ride. Or is the scenery beautiful and well worth it. Everyone seems to think 4 days is too long on the coast, but I'm probably going to want to chill out and relax on the beach and play some golf. You guys are right I feel like we are cramming too much in, but I'm not sure which city we should skip. Everyone raves about Granada. But its seems sorta out of the way for this trip. Would we be missing out if we didn't go there. What else is in Granada besides the Alhambra. Could we get the same culture in Cordoba?? Thanks guys for your help I really need it!!

You play golf? The Atalaya Park shuttle bus runs up and down to their two courses regularly. There are a dozen or more courses within a few miles. You want to chill out?The beaches where you are could be a little bit better. If you keep the car for your stay, it's worth taking a twenty minute trip to the other side of Marbella, (Las Chapas - lots of excellent beach bars or "chiringuitos") as those beaches are wonderful in comparison. That's what the locals do, anyway.

Don't do too much if you are looking to relax. Sightseeing is bloody hard work! Certainly give Granada a miss in that case. You can get a taste of what the Alhambra is like by visiting the newly restored Alcazaba in Malaga, which is less than an hour. I must post something about that in its own right, because I saw it before and now again just after the restoration work and it is really rather good now. I was very impressed and must tell others about it......sorry, started rambling!

cferlito,

I'm with the other comments - especially as this is your honeymoon and you want to relax and enjoy it. Concur on dropping Granada for this trip - you could always agree that a visit to Granada would be a first anniversary holiday ...
BTW - Congratulations and the two of you are heading to one of the most romantic countries in the world!

If you're on your honeymoon, cferlito, you should consider an overnight stay in Ronda. Its a wonderful town after dark when all the day-trippers leave. Even if you're not at the Parador, you and your sweetie can stroll the terrace and watch the sunset over the deep broad valley that Ronda sits high above. THAT would be romantic! Have dinner at Restaurante Pedro Romero, across from the oldest bullring in Spain. Its very nice. Salud!! to you and your new esposa! And, IMHO, Cordoba is a must. It was the grandest city of the Muslim world while Europe was shivering in the dark ages. The Mesquita is awesome.

[ 05-12-2001: Message edited by: Kurt ]

Whenever my friends worry about if they are trying to cram too much into a vacation, I always recommend this: Think of it as your FIRST time there, and not your last time!!! Then the pressure is off (somewhat) of cramming it all in!! If you love the place, you can always go back!!! TAke in each day, each sight, each city and truly enjoy every inch of it!!!!

p.s. I LOVE GRANADA!!!! Talk about romantic!!!

[ 05-12-2001: Message edited by: laduque ]