Destinations & ItinerariesBy Clever Tourists · Published · Last updated
We spent 13 days in Andalusia in August 2022: 4 in Granada, 2 in Córdoba, 5 in Seville and 2 in Cádiz, in that order, which works neatly by rail: Granada to Córdoba about 1.5 hours direct, Córdoba to Seville about 45 minutes, Seville to Cádiz about 1.5 hours. If you have a week, the same order works as Granada 2, Córdoba 1, Seville 3, Cádiz 1. The one thing to do before anything else is book your Alhambra ticket, which comes with a fixed half-hour slot for the Nasrid Palaces and sells out well ahead.
• Granada, 4 days (10 to 14 August). We arrived from Almería at the end of a run down the southeast coast. The Alhambra and Generalife take most of a day; the rest is the Albaicín's lanes and the Mirador de San Nicolás at sunset, the cathedral and Royal Chapel, and the Sacromonte.
• Córdoba, 2 days. The Mezquita-Catedral, the Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir, the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos and the whitewashed lanes of the Judería. One full day covers the main sights; two lets you see the Mezquita early and the bridge at dusk.
• Seville, 5 days (16 to 21 August). The Real Alcázar, the cathedral and Giralda, Plaza de España in María Luisa Park, the Metropol Parasol and Triana across the river. Five days was our longest stay in the south and left room for slow afternoons, which August requires.
• Cádiz, 2 days. One of Europe's oldest continuously inhabited cities, on a narrow peninsula: the old town, the cathedral, the Torre Tavira and La Caleta beach.
From Cádiz we went on to La Línea de la Concepción at the Gibraltar border and then Tarifa, for the ferry to Morocco; see our Tarifa to Tangier ferry guide. The whole trip is in our 60-day Spain itinerary.
These are the usual rail options; times come from operator listings and booking sites, so check renfe.com for the day you travel.
• Granada to Córdoba: about 1 hour 30 to 35 minutes on direct high-speed trains via Antequera-Santa Ana; some services change at Antequera and take up to 45 minutes longer. Only a few direct trains run each day, so book this one first.
• Córdoba to Seville: about 45 minutes on AVE or Avant, roughly hourly, or about 1 hour 20 on a Media Distancia (MD) regional. Iryo and Ouigo also stop in Córdoba on their Madrid–Seville runs, so compare fares.
• Seville to Cádiz: about 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 45 minutes, with around a dozen trains a day.
• Getting in: Madrid to Seville or Córdoba is the busiest high-speed line in the country, with Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo all running it. Granada has direct trains from Madrid too.
• Onward to Tarifa: there is no railway. Comes buses run Cádiz to Tarifa in about 1.5 to 2 hours.
Buy from the official site (alhambra-patronato.es, which links to the official ticket shop). The general ticket is €21 (≈ $23) for adults, with a booking fee online, and covers the Nasrid Palaces, the Generalife, the Alcazaba and the Palace of Charles V. Third-party resellers charge more.
Your ticket carries a 30-minute entry slot for the Nasrid Palaces, and if you miss it you are not let in. Tickets are issued in the visitor's name, so bring the passport or ID you booked with in case it is checked at the gate.
Daily numbers are capped, and in spring and summer tickets can sell out weeks ahead, so book as soon as your Granada dates are fixed. Status note: after earthquakes near Granada on 18 August 2026, the Alhambra closed for a day and reopened on 19 August, but the Alcazaba stayed closed until further notice. Check the official site for current access before you go.
Seville's Real Alcázar and Córdoba's Mezquita also sell timed tickets online; booking both a few days ahead saves the queue in summer.
We were in Andalusia from 10 to 23 August, the hottest stretch of the year. AEMET normals put the average August high at Seville airport at 35.5°C, and the warmest-month average high in Córdoba at about 37°C, the hottest of Spain's big cities. Granada, higher up, is a little less extreme but still in the mid-30s.
In practice that means the Alhambra, the Alcázar and the Mezquita first thing, nothing on foot between about 2pm and 6pm, and dinner after 9pm like everyone else. Cádiz, on the Atlantic, is the relief at the end.
If you can choose, go in April, May, late September or October. Spring also brings Seville's Semana Santa and Feria and Córdoba's patio festival, with prices to match.
Keep: Seville as the longest stop. It has the most to see and the best base for day trips, and five days meant we never had to sightsee in the afternoon heat.
Keep: the order. Granada, Córdoba, Seville, Cádiz is a straight line west by rail with no backtracking, and it ends near Tarifa and Gibraltar if you are heading on to Morocco.
Change: four days in Granada is generous for most people; three covers the Alhambra, the Albaicín and the Sacromonte. One day in Córdoba is the minimum, two is better.
Shorter version, 7 days: Granada 2, Córdoba 1, Seville 3, Cádiz 1. It is the Andalusia half of our 2-week Spain itinerary. Entry rules are in do I need a visa for Spain.
About 1 hour 30 to 35 minutes on the direct high-speed trains via Antequera. Some services change at Antequera and take up to 45 minutes longer, and there are only a few direct trains a day.
About 45 minutes on AVE or Avant, or about 1 hour 20 minutes on a regional Media Distancia train. Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo all run the high-speed services.
Yes. The train takes about 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 45 minutes, with around a dozen departures a day.
As soon as your dates are fixed. Daily tickets are capped and can sell out weeks ahead in spring and summer, and your Nasrid Palaces slot is fixed to a 30-minute window. The general ticket is €21 (≈ $23) plus a booking fee on the official site.
It is very hot: Seville averages about 35.5°C in August and Córdoba about 37°C in its warmest month. It is doable if you sightsee early and rest in the afternoon, as we did, but spring and autumn are far more comfortable.
A week works: Granada 2, Córdoba 1, Seville 3, plus a night in Cádiz. We took 13 days for the same four cities.
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