Anniversary Adventures in Andalucía

{A Whitewashed Village in Andalucía, Spain}

This July 1st, Fabian and I will be celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary and we are planning a trip to Spain to commemorate the occasion. My readers were so helpful in giving us tips for our London trip last year, that I just knew I would have to ask you for advice on Spain this year! Although Fabian has not been to Spain, I spent two weeks there in June of 2008. I spent time in Madrid, Salamanca, Segovia, and Avila. All of those cities are gorgeous and have so much to offer, but this time, we want to head south to Andalucía, the birthplace of everything we think of as Spanish.

{The Gorgeous Alhambra in Granada}

As usual, I am in charge of planning the vacation and though our trips are usually filled to the brim with sightseeing and museum visits, this time we’d like to adopt the “slow travel” style. While we plan to visit the major sights in Granada and Seville like the Alhambra and Alcázar, we mostly want to revel in the beauty of the surroundings, have some tapas, and enjoy the culture and a week away from the usual hustle and bustle of our lives. Fabian’s only request is to keep the plane travel to a minimum once we are in Spain. So, this is where I need your advice. We will have about a week to travel and definitely want to spend time in Granada and Seville, but I am unsure about the order in which to see things.

{Madrid’s Gran Vía}

1. Should we include Madrid in the trip at all? I’ve been there and really enjoyed it. Would it be worthwhile to fly into Madrid and then take a train down to Seville?

{A Charming Street lined with Orange Trees in Seville}

2. Would it be best to split our time evenly between Granada and Seville or should we base ourselves out of one city and do an overnight stay in the other?

{Arcos de la Frontera}

3. Are there any other places in the region of Andalucía that we should not miss?

{Corral del Rey Hotel, Granada}

4. Do you have any specific recommendations for hotels, restaurants, or sites that you wouldn’t mind sharing?

{Seville’s Beautiful Cathedral and Giralda Tower}

5. If we were to visit Madrid, Granada, and Seville, do you think it would be worth it to have to pick up and switch hotels every two or three days? I don’t think I would mind so much, especially if we were able to experience more places, but Fabian would prefer to keep the travel to a minimum once we are in Spain. I think he just wants to relax!

I would appreciate any tips or advice you are willing to share! It is always so nice to hear about other people’s travel experiences. ¡Mil gracias!