I will be in Madrid in February and want to travel outside the capital for about 5 days. I'm thinking of Sevilla & Cadiz for a chance at warmer weather for walking, site seeing and people watching. Any thoughts or alternative suggestions? Thanks!

February is cold, best walking is in Tenerife but need another flight ::)
Sevilla is very nice, Cadiz is too, hard choices but still I am sure better weather then NYC. You can try Almeria other extreme of the coast going east.

Not only cold but often wet as well. Head south!

I personally love Cadiz and Sevilla is fabulous. If you want to be warm - avoid Granada sad to say as it is in the mountains and will be brrrrrr cold. Ronda is not that far from Cadiz - a day trip if you are so inclined. I love the many small towns and villages between Sevilla and Cadiz and the Portugal border though I don't suppose you will be driving with only five days. You might also want to consider heading east along the coast.

Enjoy!

hadn't thought about the mountains around Granada .. good point. The Sevilla- Cadiz route may be the winner. I now think I should rent a car and see the small towns while in the area. It's been many years since my last visit to Cadiz and Jerez - should be like seeing them for the first time. Thanks Puna and Pedmar!

You are welcome,Yes excellent idea to rent a car, the best way to travel in my opinion.cheers

ahh from abroad for the car try
www.autoeurope.com
www.kemwel.com
i had dealt with them for many many years and never a problem. Then you can compare with the locals like pepecar.com and carjet.com
Hope it helps

Quevedo, check back in and let us know what you did, where you went and share what I'm sure will be wonderful stories! I envy you - wishing I were there!!!!!!

Will do, Puma. Thanks!

I have read that the streets of Cadiz are very tight for cars. I think I need to find a place to park outside the center of town. Day trips to Jerez and some of the other towns in the area should be fun. Full report to come!

Pedmar - Thank you! I will look into the car rental sites. Much appreciated.

Right you are about narrow streets esp. in the older section of Cadiz; I know some of the hostals and or sister (to hostals) hotels have parking underneath - but can't remember which ones. Unless you are planning to stay in the old Jewish section - which I strongly recommend you do - parking isn't too bad. And figure, once you do park all the time you are in Cadiz will be walking so it is a one time shot.

When it was just me and the wife, we always hired a mini, its the perfect car for the Spanish medieval streets

Thanks for the advice, Puma. I looked at a map of the city and can see 5 or 6 parking garages noted. I am thinking about staying in the old section and parking outside the area in one of those garages - but also taking day trips with the car as well.

Day trip question: I plan to go to on the road from Cadiz to some of the nearby towns for a few hours each day. Is Jerez a day-trip type of town or is it worth a complete day and overnight stay? Any experiences or opinions?

... keep writing "Puma" .. mean "Puna" ... sorry!

it depends how use you are of driving in cities, to me its the best travel. I always use parking garages underground. you should know Cadiz is tight so spaces are limited, my best have been a while back by the plaza de la Hispanidad area. You can always contact the tourist office and ask them where is best to park a car today.
http://www.cadiz.es/Category/turismo/oficinas-de-turismo/547
hope it helps

Quevedo .. I would suggest that Jerez de la frontera is an easy day trip as it´s only 37km from Cádiz . But I have read that Jerez is a nightmare to park in and that you should definitely use the underground parking for which you´ll have to pay . Apparently the police in Jerez are very happy to tow cars away that are parked illegaly , so be careful !
Also if you don´t mind a longer drive you could go over the border into Portugal . Very near the border is a beautiful medium sized town called Tavira . Very Portuguese ! My cousin lives there and i´m planning on going there for summer .( I´ve been 3 times already )
If you decided on going to Tavira then that would be a full day and you´d probably have to stay overnight .

Thanks, Steve! I am going to be very careful about parking. I have been in too many tight spots in Spanish cities to take risks. Underground parking is the way to go. Let me look at Tavira on the map - thanks for the idea!

Quevedo,
if you've never been to Seville or Córdoba, I'd definitely suggest those cities, simply wonderful, perfect to relax and enjoy all senses.

Thanks! I have been to both and love them. I plan to spend a couple of days in Sevilla before heading to Cadiz this time. I appreciate your suggestion!!

By the way , the iconic Spanish singer Rocío Jurado who was married to a famous bullfighter ( Ortega Cano ) and died of cancer some years ago will have a museum opened in Cádiz in March of this year . I´m not sure exactly when . Rocío Jurado did a concert , her last, when she was diagnosed with cancer and was joined by very famous Spanish and Latino singers . You can buy it on DVD . She´s very Spanish , vey dramatic and it was an emotional concert . The museum is called , simply , El Museo Rocío Jurado .

but of course Rocio Jurado is a grand dame of Spain. She is from Chipiona near Cadiz, so with a museum going to Cadiz will be a lot more worth it.

Pedmar , I absolutely love watching that DVD ... and though I prefer bands like Oasis, Queen , Dire Straits etc ... I think Rocío Jurado had true style , true flamenco style too .

Well I like many music style too, but folks like Rocio Jurado is what brings me home ::)

Cadiz and it's province has a lot to do and to visit.
The Sherry wineries, the "ruta de los pueblos blancos" (white villages and towns), nature, mountains and beaches.
They have great food there, as "pescaito frito", tortitas de camarones and much more.
Nature 1
Nature 2

In Cadiz was shot part of a "007" movie, "Die another day". They pretended it was La Habana. You may remember Halle Berry emerging from the Caribean waters, wearing a bikini, so it really was Cadiz beaches.
007

Ahha ... you share my love for Cadiz and that entire area!