We are working on an itinerary following a week in the Costa de Sol area with side trips to Grenada, Ronda, Etc. Any suggestions or hints re. a day trip to Morocco? Then heading to Sevilla by train for 2 nts; to Merida for Roman ruins, 1 nt.; to Toledo, 1 nt. Will we regret missing Cordoba or Caceres? Would you recommend staying in Avila or Segovia? We're ending with 3 nts. in Madrid, but that leaves us an extra day/night undecided. Any recommendations that would be good not to miss? Paradors in Plasencia and Jarandilla de La Vera look very nice...any sights nearby? Thanks!

I hate to tell you this, but you would not want to miss either Cáceres or Córdoba.

We stayed in the Parador in Cáceres...beyond wonderful. And Córdoba is an intersting city too.
Really, as far as the Moors go, one of the best places in Spain.

You won't be far from Cáceres when you are in Mérida. And near Cáceres, and not to be over-looked is Trujillo. It was the home of Pizarro and other conquistadores, and the castle is spectacular.

Oh, by the way...Segovia is great!

Buena suerte

Lee

I second the opinion on Caceres and Trujillo. Both are incredible. There are many hostales in Trujillo but we chose Hostal Rural La Viña out in the country. Oh, and don't forget to visit the monastery at Guadalupe!!

I would skip Morocco and focus solely on Spain. And, yes, time in Segovia is time very well spent. It is a gorgeous place with so much to see.

Will you be traveling by car? If so, I have a great little recommendation for lodging in Turegano (maybe ten easy miles from Segovia). Charming hostal/great restaurant/nice hosts with views of the "as yet unreconstructed" castle. The town itself is what I call "the smallest pueblo with the largest plaza" in the country!! (Just my opinion.) But there are lots of accommodations in Segovia so you'll definitely have a roof over your head.

Avila is worth a quick look, mostly for its walls. Otherwise your time is better spent in Segovia and seeing the surrounding castles. Also, the town of Pedraza de la Sierra is just on the verge of discovery...a little like Santillana del Mar 25 years ago!! --CC

Thank you so much for your input! So here's the revised itinerary: Sevilla - 2nts.; Trujillo/Caceres or Merida - 2 nts; Toledo - 1 night; Segovia - 2nts; Madrid - 2 nts. Don't want to spend too much time changing hotels, but want to see it all!!! Any suggestions in terms of time, lodging, or anything else?

I recommend one night in Segovia and three nights in Madrid. Or the other alternative is stay in Madrid for five nights and take day trips by train to Segovia and Toledo. The trip to Toledo only takes an hour and leaves from the Atocha train station. Another wonderful day trip is El Escorial..again about an hour by train.

Buena suerte

Lee

We found much more to do in Toledo than Segovia. I don't think you can really see everything in Toledo in 1 day. In addition to its historical wonders, it has wonderful small shops to explore. We watched craftsmen making swords and the gorgeous damascene plates. Toledo and Segovia are easy to do as day trips, but a day trip will not do Toledo justice. If you have the time, spend it in Toledo!!