Help planning a trip to Seville/Granada Spain

Parent Cafe
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<p>We are planning a family trip end of Mar. We have never been to those two places before. Anyone here with any good suggestions as far as how best to get there (from NYC), where to stay, restaurants and must sees. We’ll be there for 8 days, Sat to Sun.</p>

<p>We are seeing some great apartments in Seville online. Would you stay at one place and do day trips, or stay for few days at each place. We love good food and good wine. H and the girls also like sightseeing. We did a private tour guide in Rom and loved it.</p>

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<p>I like to stay different places. While we never made it to Seville, we stayed here in Granada, with a view overlooking the city:</p>

<p>[Hotel</a> Alhambra Palace (Granada, Spain) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor](<a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187441-d191079-Reviews-Hotel_Alhambra_Palace-Granada_Province_of_Granada_Andalucia.html]Hotel”>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187441-d191079-Reviews-Hotel_Alhambra_Palace-Granada_Province_of_Granada_Andalucia.html)</p>

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<p>Yes, it is a hotel under consideration. Any suggestion on what to see or do?</p>

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<p>Well, you must see the Alhambra itself!</p>

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<p>[The</a> Alhambra - Granada - Reviews of The Alhambra - TripAdvisor](<a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187441-d191078-Reviews-The_Alhambra-Granada_Province_of_Granada_Andalucia.html]The”>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187441-d191078-Reviews-The_Alhambra-Granada_Province_of_Granada_Andalucia.html)</p>

<p>and the grounds, called Generalife, are beautiful.</p>

<p>If you’re adventuresome, then:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187441-d243685-Reviews-Albayzin-Granada_Province_of_Granada_Andalucia.html[/url]”>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187441-d243685-Reviews-Albayzin-Granada_Province_of_Granada_Andalucia.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>and</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187441-d254297-Reviews-Sacromonte-Granada_Province_of_Granada_Andalucia.html[/url]”>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187441-d254297-Reviews-Sacromonte-Granada_Province_of_Granada_Andalucia.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>DD spent 4 weeks @ Seville are the last summer as a HS student. From those pictures she took, it is very beautiful there. Enjoy the trip.</p>

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<p>We stayed in Seville and took day trips to Granada and Marbella. You can easily spend two days at the Alhambra. It’s amazing. Favorite sites in Seville were: Alcazar, especially the gardens, Barrio Santa Cruz, Giralda Tower, and the Seville Cathedral. Don’t miss the Flamenco dancing shows. We stayed at Hotel Alfonso XIII. We had a guide for Seville–hotel arranged it for us. Concierge also recommended the Flamenco show–there are several. We rented a car and went to Alhambra on our own. Be prepared to eat very late–we usually eat at 8 pm, but in Spain dinners are usually around 10 pm. Can’t remember any great restaurants–all were good.</p>

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<p>Flamenco show, hmmm…Didn’t think of that. I am excited. I was suggesting Amsterdam, but kids thought it would be too cold.</p>

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<p>Sevilla- Maria Luisa Park, Plaza de las Americas. Horse and buggy ride, Torre de Oro for a late night coffee.</p>

<p>In the Triana district there used to be a Michelin restaurant called El Poncio, but my son thinks it went under during the recession. </p>

<p>See if you can visit the Archives of the Indies, if that’s your thing. These are in addition to what’s already been recommended.</p>

<p>Be sure to get tickets ahead of time for the Alhambra. Granada is at a high altitude, and the city is quite hilly.</p>

<p>I would see a Flamenco show in Granada rather than Sevilla.</p>

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<p>Anyone with restaurant recommendations? D2 speaks fluent Spanish, so it’s going to be helpful.</p>

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<p>Is there some sort of scholarship that pays for “dirt poor” people to send a kid to Spain for a month?</p>

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<p>We just got back from 2 weeks in Spain and the Andalucia region where you are heading is our new favorite destination. We stayed 2 nights in Granada and could easily stay another night or two there. Stay at least one night so you can have a full day seeing Alhambra. Half the fun exploring is getting lost in the Albayzin neighborhood. Wish we had more time in the Sacromonte area. Lots of hills and stairs so wear good comfortable shoes.</p>

<p>Check out Rick Steves book about getting a car and visit the white hills town. We travelled by train to Ronda and spent one night there. Friendly people, picture postcard town. Next time, we will rent a car and drive to other small towns nearby. By the time we get to Sevilla we were contented to stop touring and simply whiled our days away with pitchers of sangria and people watched! Go see the brilliant tile work in Alcazar and catch a flamenco dance. And by all means, do a day trip to Cordoba, only 45 minutes by train, to see the famous Mezquita. Words alone cannot describe seeing a cathedral built inside a mosque!</p>

<p>If you love seafood you are in for a treat. We just walk into any crowded restaurant/tapas bar that looks interesting. And yes, the Spaniards eat very late. Things don’t go into full swing until 10 or so! Take a long siesta during the afternoon then join the locals for a paseo once the sun sets.</p>

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<p>Google for Maribel’s guides to Spain for good suggestions of hotels and restaurants. We use Rick Steves guide also but his guidebook is so popular that the places can be crowded by his fan base holding the same blue book!</p>

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<p>ccreader - thank-you for your posts. We love seafood, so this is going to be a real treat. We also like to just wander by ourselves. We are also used to driving in Europe, so it sounds like the thing to do. Did you encounter any safety issues? We heard the Spanish economy is not great, so there maybe more crimes.</p>

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<p>My family spent 8 days in the same area of Spain two summers ago. My DH will tell you that his favorite was the medieval city of Toledo. I wish we had spent more time in Cordoba - you must see the Mesquita there. It is amazing. The Alhambra in Granada was magnificent. (Tip: go early in the morning ~8am to beat the crowds & the heat.)</p>

<p>You asked about hotels. In Seville, we splurged & stayed at [Puerta</a> Catedral Apartments](<a href=“http://puertacatedral.com/apartments.php]Puerta”>http://puertacatedral.com/apartments.php) . The 2-BR apartment was perfect: it was clean, well-managed, & it was more cost effective than 2 separate hotel rooms for us & our 2 college-aged sons. It is literally across the street from the Cathedral, so close that you feel as if you could reach out and touch the roof of the cathedral. The only downside was when the church bells were ringing, calling the faithful to Sunday Mass, and one of our sons had too much sangria on Saturday night …</p>

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<p>The apartment looks great. I like the duplex. When I first looked at, the price they quoted I thought was per night, and it was kind of steep, but for 4 nights is very reasonable.</p>

<p>We have a lot of well traveled people on CC.</p>

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<p>Oldfort -</p>

<p>Driving in Spain has its pros and cons. Medieval towns like Toledo, the historic parts of
Granada and Sevilla are not conducive to driving unless you are a native. Those alleys are so tight that you will have to fold in your side mirrors just to go through. They will also limit your choice of lodgings to certain parts of town with parking, all expensive by the way. On the other hand, a lot of hill towns cannot be easily accessed by bus or train. The rural roads are very good and the drivers look sane! Not in Madrid or Barcelona though.</p>

<p>I suggest compromise by getting the car once you leave Seville or Granada, travel to the small hilltowns then ditch the car once you get to the next big town. The trains and buses in Spain are very convenient and fast. My cousin who used to live there said lots of Euro money was poured into Spain’s infrastructure over the past few years. Unfortunately this may also have contributed to the real estate overbuilding and the economy collapse.</p>

<p>We personally don’t see any sign of the recession in the tourist areas. Madrid is so bustling, restaurants so full that it looks like Times Square on steroid! But I am sure it’s there in subtle signs and in the outlying areas. The quaint small hotel in Toledo is 1/2 the price of room rate in Barcelona. The Granada hotel (great view of Alhambra) throws in free buffet breakfast which usually costs 10E per person. </p>

<p>I feel very safe walking around Spain, even late into the night. There is always crowd wherever you go and we usually turn in way before the Spaniards! The Albayzin neighborhood in Granada is perfectly fine during the day despite its reputation. You encounter more danger from doggie little “gifts” than anything else. If you stay late for a show or restaurant, just hail a taxi for a few Euros. The town is very compact and walkable. Of course, take the usual caution, be aware of your environment, just as if you travel to NYC or any big US urban center.</p>

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<p>I’ll second ccreader’s recommendation to check out Maribel’s Guide. It’s all online:</p>

<p>[City</a> and Regional Guides - Spain & France](<a href=“http://maribelsguides.com/mg_guides.html]City”>http://maribelsguides.com/mg_guides.html)</p>

<p>We visited Granada, Cordoba, Toledo, Pamplona, and Madrid. The only problems we witnessed were in Madrid. There were protesters in some of the parks/town squares. We saw the police arresting a few men, who apparently had been pick-pocketing people in line for the Sophia Reina Museum. We took the subway once in Madrid, with our Spanish friends, and saw a woman chasing a man into our car. She claimed he had just stolen her wallet. Everyone kind of backed away from the man, but no one said or did anything.</p>

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<p>Short of San Sebastian, some of the best spot for seafood in Spain is very close to Sevilla. Google this to get an idea of some of the amazing local specialties in the South of Spain.</p>

<p>**San Lucar de Barrameda prawns **</p>

<p>Please note that it will NOT be cheap, as seafood is surprisingly expensive in Spain, even in small restaurants on the beach. Of course, it all depends on your own market, and it might appear cheap versus New York. </p>

<p>From Sevilla, in addition to usual suspect “tour” of Cordoba, Granada, and the inner parts of the Malaga-Marbella landscape, you might want to add driving to the South of Sevilla to hit the Jerez area with the above named San Lucar de Barrameda, Chipiona, and the modern Puerto Sherry that was built to compete with the ultra-commercial Marbella. </p>

<p>All the uber-touristic cities (Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada) are well-covered in every tourist guide. For what is worth, driving to the Alhambra is painless and is not through small roads. Large busses loaded with tourists make it all the way to the top with ease. It is not Mijas after all. Driving between Sevilla and the other cities, be it inland (Cordoba and Granade) or on the coast (Puerto Sherry, Gibraltar, Estepona, Marbella, Malaga) is really easy, and there will be hardly any traffic in March. And hotels should be plentiful in this low season. </p>

<p>From Sevilla and Malaga, you have access to a high speed train to Madrid – in case you are inclined to add that to the trip or fly into Barajas. The train, however, is not directly connected to the airport as it arrives in Central Madrid.</p>

<p>As far as crime, do not be lulled in thinking that pickpockets are only active in the ill-famed Barcelona. They are everywhere where tourists converge … and for good reasons. And, you should be aware that the economic crisis has been brutal and still is in Spain. Look at the unemployment rates in the 18 to 30 age group, and you will get the idea. Madrid has been reeling for years!</p>

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<p>I’ll second ccreader’s observation about driving in small medieval towns. We literally DID fold our side mirrors in & barely got through the narrow streets of Toledo. It was some of the most challenging driving my DH has ever done. The interstates & highways in Spain were very good, but you do need to watch out for speed traps. </p>

<p>Another tip: if you have a GPS unit, bring your own to Spain. It will help you navigate the many one-way streets in those old towns. I bought a Garmin micro-SD chip with European maps on eBay for $35, which was significantly less than what the Garmin website was charging. Bringing our own also cost less than renting a GPS from the rental car company, plus we were familiar with our own unit rather than fighting with some strange GPS barking commands in German like we once had to do in Germany. (Incidentally, ‘Helga’ sent us the wrong way down a street car track & we narrowly avoided a head-on collision. I think ‘Helga’ was actually trying to kill us.)</p>