I need opinions - if you had to choose 2 of these 3, which would you choose? Grenada, Seville and Cordoba. I'm hoping that the concensus is pretty mutual!! *L*

Granada and Sevilla without doubt ! Sevilla is a reasonably big city and should be VERY warm in September . They sometimes call Sevilla "The frying Pan " of Spain as it get´s so hot . Granada is an absolute gem ! The Alhambra is considered one of the wonders of the world and is truly beautiful . Bear in mind that the Alhambra is SO popular you need to book tickets to go inside , in advance .. Like a day or two before . The old quarter of Albaicín is a real treat and has some wonderful bars and restaurants .
Added to all this , Granada is famous in all of Spain for it´s Tapas . I went with an Australian girl and we spent our first evening drinking wine and eating huge amount of tapas but NEVER having to pay for the food .. It comes with the drink !! We were stuffed !
Sevilla´s Plaza de España is really beautiful as are all the little courtyards all over the city .
I hope someone has a good word for Cordoba as I´ve only stopped on the way to other places , though i´ve heard it´s nice . Steve

steve robinson is right. Andalucía is hot hot hot in summer and throughout most of September too, PARTICULARLY in Seville. Granada and Córdoba will be marketly cooler, however, particularly Granada as it's surrounded by mountains.

Since Seville is definitely a MUST-DO, that's the 1st one. The second choice among Granada and Córdoba would have to go to GRANADA. I'm so enamored/enchanted with Granada these days. The city is really large, that's true, but the Old Downtown really does make you feel like you're in a small town. Plus, OF COURSE, you have the beautiful Alhambra, the Albaicin/Albayzin, and Sacramonte. Not to mention the cool Realejo area and the famed Calle Navas for that long string of tapas bars - buy a drink and you get a free tapa, move on to the next place and buy another drink and get another free tapa. As steve robinson says, Granada is Spain's shining TAPAS star.

Saludos, MadridMan

Thanks for moving this! I hesitated when I put it where I did. So, it appears my 'city/town' or point questions go under "Favourite Places".

My follow up question has to do with travelling from Malaga to those points (I've decided to do a day trip with a tour company for the Gibraltar trip - there's no where to stay down there and it's off my 'path', so it makes sense to return to Malaga). I guess that will go under "Transportation".

Granada and Sevilla....wonderful, beautiful places....

I haven´t been to Gibraltar but passed by "The Rock" last summer .. Think about the towns of Marbella and also the immensely wealthy town of Puerto Banús with it´s multi million euro yachts , ferraris , lamborghinis etc .. I´m like you in that i´m not a naturally flash person . I like the simple things in life , but I stayed in a beach villa in Puerto Banús and it was great .. BUT it, and Marbella are expensive . We also took the trip a little further down the coast to the very popular town of Tarifa .. It´s well known amongst the younger generation for it´s laid back attitude and it´s water sports . We went on a boat trip into the Strait of Gibraltar to see the whales .. very cool .. and we were followed by all the tuna fishermen coming from nearby Morrocco . Just some other ideas to ponder !
Steve

I'm going to put my two cents in and agree with the other replies here. Sevilla is definitely a must-see! I was there this summer for a few days and absolutely loved it. I had visited Sevilla once before many years ago, but it was a quick trip and rather hurried. On this trip we had a very leisurely itinerary and I loved every minute of it.

As for Granada vs Cordoba, I would also vote for Granada. I have been to Cordoba, and the Mezquita is very beautiful. Also, the meandering small streets, whitewashed walls, abundant flowers and colorful ceramics were delightful. We were only there for one day/one night. However, overall I would choose Granada as the Alhambra is absolutely amazing and I really enjoyed the city, too. We were there during a feria which was an added bonus!

i might be late, but def Granada and Sevilla.

Sevilla and Granada, it is then. I think I may be adding in Ronda too (as a day trip from Malaga) vs. Gibraltar. But I'm still thinking...and what are YOUR opinions of Ronda, please?

Well, I'm extremely biased on this one! ...you see, I'm originally from Sevilla,,,thus my silly nick in this website,,, but unlike a mother blindly saying how beautiful her child is, I will tell you objectively that Sevilla's a must-see.

Going to "El centro" which is the city center, older part of town, is the closest thing to time traveling a few centuries.

You also have a very direct link to Madrid via train, 1 hr flight or a <2.5 hr bullet train ride.

Enjoy!

I haven´t been to Ronda yet but many friends ( Spanish) nearly punched me for NOT going when I stayed near Marbella .
Ronda is one of Spain´s most impressive places ! It´s what the Spanish call "Patrimonio de la humanidad " which means it´s been given very special status .. My friend , Davíd , went there recently ( he´s from Madrid ) , and the pics were awesome ..Apparently the village has some wonderful restaurants too . I hope you go there , and can report back to us . Steve

Yes, Yes, it's wonderful and the drive up to Ronda is amazing, be careful, it's narrow and steep...The views are amamzing also....Enjoy!

if you have time Ronda is a nice side trip. the birthplace of codified bullfighting by Pedro Romero, bullring from 1785,wonderful,and pretty white houses. Enjoy it.

Denise 2009, I went to Ronda last summer for the first time and I really enjoyed it. The views are gorgeous and it's a pretty little town. It's a bit touristy, but in September it probably won't be very crowded. I've heard that on the weekends in high season it's packed with visitors. There are some other small towns in the area that you could also visit if you were so inclined. However, make sure you give yourself enough time to see the bigger cities such as Sevilla and Granada (and Gibraltar, since your husband really wants to go there) before trying to squeeze in a lot of other things. The pace in Spain is really relaxed and you'll want to take advantage of it while you're there.

And where does one get tickets for the Alhambra IN ADVANCE (arriving on Sept 7, 8th will be in Ronda, and hopefully, the 9th in Granada)?

That's right, above. The ticket-getting website changed about a year ago. I'd reserve your entry tickets NOW if I were you, Denise 2009.

Saludos, GranadaMan

in www.granadainfo.com there´s a lot information
in one month i'm there

Thanks guys. I'm away to Florida today for the Father's Day weekend. I'll most likely reserve upon my return.
I see that you have to reserve a "time of entry" - how long should I plan for our visit (we are driving in that day from Malaga vicinity)- so I can determine what time to enter?

I've a zillion more questions to pose! Not just about Granada though. I really really must get busy! My July camping vacation is cramping my planning style! *LOL*

Malaga to Granada is about 120km, so it should only take you a couple of hours at the most, assuming they get their finger out and finish the roadworks on the only motorway out of the city. The traffic on this road can be terrible because it is a 25km (steep in places) uphill road from the moment you clear the city limits. As it is also the main (only) road to Madrid, you'll see plenty of lorries. Saying all that, as long as you don't go in peak rush hour, or on a holiday w/end you'll have no real problem :-)

Another option is to go along the coast road and then up and over the Sierra (via Motril if i remember right). the drive is lovely, but will take longer.

I think we will take the longer, scenic route. We may only get to see Spain once, so we better see the best of it!

Daniel-Madrid, would you be able to estimate the time we would need to visit?

the time to get there, or the time to spend in Granada?

I doubt it would take more than an hour extra. You can take the A7 all the way from Malaga to Motril, and then it is a fairly short trip over to Granada. If you take this route, there are some lovely places to stop off along the way (some less touristy that others).

I spent a w/end in Granada and it was lovely. The whole of Saturday was spent in Alhambra and the Sunday was just visiting the city.

Some American friends in Granada City were telling how hot and humid it already is there. I'm sure Seville is the same but Córdoba, maybe less so.

Saludos, MadridMan

Cordoba is hell in summer, possibly worse than Seville! Hotter and sweatier than the devils armpit!

Daniel Madrid -
I'll plan for the good part of the day at the Alhambra.

We are skipping Cordoba based on previous conversations. We'll drive to Seville from Granada.

MadridMan -
My hope is that the Sept. weather will be less hot and steamy. Today, in Ontario, it's a hot, humid 31C! In FL this past w/e it was running about 35C, but felt like 44 - Now that is HOT!
We are off to the southern part of Ohio, Indiana and Ill. next week tent camping. I expect it's going to be HOT and dry. By Sept. I'll be looking forward to some breezes off the Sea for a part of the Spain trip at least!

Thanks, guys. You'll have your fill of my questions by the end of Aug! I'm going to go quiet from July 1 - 18 while I camp out in the central USA. *L*

I would choose Sevilla and Cordoba.

I've been to Granada twice. While it was interesting to see the Alhambra (especially the time when I was one of only a dozen people there at night), the city didn't excite me. I stayed at a small hotel in the Albaicin, and there were some good restaurants. Much of the city seemed lackluster to me, and it's not a place I need to return to again and again.

I enjoy Cordoba more. It's like a little Seville. I return frequently. I would only advise timing your visit to be during the week. On the weekends during high season, it becomes overcrowded.

...y Sevilla!