The majority of this trip uses travel by train, with journeys of no more
than 4 hours. It takes in Jerez, Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Ronda, Cadiz
and Algeciras if you are planning to take the hydrofoil across to Morocco,
if you have time and then back to Jerez. Because there are some good flight
deals from the UK, you could start the journey in Jerez, or Seville, Granada
or even Malaga, which is only about 1½ hours away from Granada.
Buzz http://www.buzzaway.com
has cheap flights to Jerez, Easy Jet http://www.easyjet.co.uk flies to both Madrid and
Malaga but Ryan Air does not fly to Spain. Otherwise, try Lastminute.com
for good airline deals to Southern Spain.) If you intend to continue your
stay, you may find it worthwhile to buy a Spain train pass, otherwise,
the train fares are reasonable, and Spain's trains are on the whole,
very efficient and clean. It's also possible to start this journey
from Madrid, if that is where you happen to be: Seville is only 2 ¼
hours from Madrid by the super fast AVE train.
The Beetle has chosen to start in Jerez (pronounced Her-eth). So, what
is there to see and do in Jerez? Well, the most obvious thing is to go
and taste some sherry – this is, after all, the place where sherry comes
from! There are lots of bodegas where you can see how sherry is made and
of course sample a drop or too! There's the Alcazar, the palace and
the Camera Obscura, and if you like horses, then the Jerez Riding School
is for you. There is certainly enough to keep you happy and occupied for
a couple of days.
From here, you can take the train from Jerez to Seville, around 1 1/2
hours, if you take an express train, second class adult single: £
7.50 ($12) or return £15 ($23). This trip can be taken as a day trip
or as part of a circuit, taking in Jerez, Seville, Cordoba and Granada.
Seville is a beautiful city, and the capital of Andalucia, with lovely
old streets, lots of tapas bars and of course, the famous cathedral, which
contains the tomb of Christopher Colombus, well, it may contain the remains
of Christopher Colombus, his remains were brought over from Cuba in 1899,
and may have got mislaid en route. There are churches, plazas, museums
– many places to go and visit to keep a tourist amused, again for a couple
of days.
From Seville, it is possible to take the train to Cordoba. The journey
takes about 45 minutes and costs around £12 one way or $19. Cordoba
is probably most famous for the Mezquita, the Great Mosque, which influenced
Arabian-Hispanic architecture for the centuries to come. You will find
much evidence of Roman and Moorish history in Cordoba and great food too!
From Cordoba, take the train to Granada, which is the longest journey
of this circuit, takes about 4 hours and costs around £ 7.50 ($12)
or return £15 ($23) – the bus is quicker and takes 3 hours. No need
to say much about Granada, except that you must see the Alhambra, discussed
by Matt in this e-newsletter.
The Alhambra Palace is open throughout the year except 1st January and
25th December. Visiting times are 8.30 to 20.00h (1st March to 31st Oct.
Last admissions at 19.00) and 9.00 to 18.00h (1st November to end of February).
Last admissions are at 17.00. Night visits in the winter season are on
Fridays and Saturdays from 20.00 to 22.00h (ticket sales from 19.45 to
21.00h). In the summer on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 22.00 to
24.00 (ticket sales from 20.45 to 23.00). However, given the large numbers
of visitors, visiting times are assigned in a system of slots, which makes
it extremely advisable to book in advance, especially at peak times such
as May to October.
If you don't want to risk being disappointed when you turn up, you
can make a personal booking through BBV by calling the advance bookings
telephone service in Spain, Tel: number 0034 91346 5936/0034 902 224460
or visit www.alhambratickets.com (Spanish only).
When you have had your fill of the Alhambra, head for the Allaying, Granada's
old hilly Islamic quarter and the Camilla Real or Royal Chapel.
From Granada, take the train to Ronda, a pretty and old historic town
that straddles a huge gorge. Apart from the stunning scenery and views,
there are plazas to wander around, old palaces and churches. Be warned,
though, if you want to make this trip by train, there is only one train
a day leaving Granada, otherwise, take the bus. The train takes around
2 1/4 hours and costs about £12 one way or $19. It is also possible
to travel by train to Ronda from Malaga (2 hours), Cordoba (2 14/ hours),
Madrid (4 ½ hours during the day), and Seville – although from Seville,
you have to change trains.
If you are running out of time, then take a bus back from Ronda to Jerez,
it takes less than two hours. If you have some more time, then you have
two options. Option 1 is to take a bus from Ronda to Cadiz. Cadiz is a
charming city, some say possibly the oldest in Europe, (I know, they all
say that!), but it is full of history: the Phoenicians arrived in Cadiz
in 1100 BC, and do you remember Sir Francis Drake “singeing”
the beard of the King of Spain? Things to see and do include the Torre
Tavira and its camera Obscura, visiting plazas, the cathedral, and you
should take a coastal walk to the Castle of Santa Catalina. The train
from Cadiz to Jerez takes about 40 minutes and costs only a few pounds/dollars.
Option 2 is for those who would like to go to Gibraltar or Morocco. The
train from Ronda down to Algeciras takes 1 1/2 hours, and costs around
£7 or US $10. Algeciras is a port town, on the tip of Spain, overlooking
the Straits of Gibraltar. From here, you can make a day excursion to Gibraltar,
or use it as a jumping off point to Tangier in Morocco. The hydrofoil
to Tangiers takes about 2 ½ hours, is very simple and costs around
£17 or $24 one way. From Tangier, it is easy to travel through Morocco
by bus and train, to Fez, Meknes, Marrakech and Cassablanca (if you really
must – Marrakech is far nicer!) To get back to Jerez from Algeciras, take
a bus, which will take around 2 hours.
Cadiz, Seville and Cordoba are all possible contenders for day trips
out of Jerez, if you are short on time.