Seville, Jerez and Cadiz for a week - help with itinerary

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DH and I have flights booked to Seville for a week towards the end of April. We'd like to see Seville and Jerez and Cadiz. We'll be reliant on trains and public transport.

Has anyone done such a trip for a week and have a good itinerary? We'd happily stay overnight in 3 different places, but is it better to stay in two or one place as a base and take day trips?

My initial thought is to split our time staying in Seville and Jerez and take a day trip to Cadiz from Jerez.

We did something similar a few years ago and it was lovely. We planned to get the ferry from Cadiz to Jerez for the day, but it wasn't running because of bad weather. Trains between Seville and Cadiz were very easy.

We stayed in a hotel and regretted it because there was a lovely fish market in Cadiz, and if we had booked an apartment instead would have been able to buy and cook some of it.

Seville is beautiful. The Jewish quarter is just full of wonderful restaurants and bars. Don't I explain what to do. There is a lot to discover just by wandering

Cadiz is great, and since Seville is inland it is good to get by the sea. One night is enough I'd say, but two at most. Jerez is ok, taste the sherry and wander around one night is enough, then back to Seville. I think staying overnight is worth it, since you can get the night time atmosphere and try the restaurants. That's three nights. The remaining time I'd spend in Seville. Absolutely fabulous spot. Big, buzzy, great food, lots to see and easy to get to and from by train to elsewhere.

However, have you considered Cordoba in your travel thoughts? In Feb I did Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Malaga. All those places were great, but honestly Cordoba took my breath away. It has a unique atmosphere, windy streets, great little restaurants, not too crowded and the Meseta (mosque), well honestly that was more impressive to me than the Alhambra in Granada which I found far too big and took hours to get around, but each to their own.

I hope you enjoy your trip whatever you decide. Andalucia is not just all Costa del full English breakfast!

Thank you all.

Yes, I have considered Cordba. I didn;t know if that would be too much to fit in a week, but essentially, it is a sight-seeing holiday so happy to consider it.

That's good to hear about Jerez as I had maybe planned to stay longer. We do like sherry, so would wish to do a sherry tour. Is there anything else in particular to see? We'd like to see some flamenco somewhere but other than that have no agenda as we just like wandering around old cities and eating good food and soaking up the atmosphere.

It's a trip we have long wanted to do but I felt it warranted a week and now our children are not children any more we finally have the chance to do it without them. But brain fog has set in and I don't seem to relish the planning stage of a holiday like I used to, hence leaving it so late and seeking out others' ideas.

Try googling Flamenco in Triana for shows in Seville. Triana is a neighbourhood in Seville and while the shows are for tourists for sure, they are a little less full on than around the Cathedral/centre. Make sure to go to Plaza D'Espana in Seville. It is amazing and there are impromptu flamenco there (buskers) who are brilliant, and the dancers seem to be rehearsing for the night time shows in la di da land! FREE.

Jerez is a lovely city. Have a look at "what to see and do in Jerez" There are the usual Alcazars and Cathedrals, etc. There are sherry tours which I think are half day, I didn't bother as I don't drink ha ha! I found one night enough, maybe two would work better for you.

I have visited these areas, and I suggest 2/3 nights in Seville, 2/3 nights in Cordoba, and 2 nights in Jerez. Cadiz is close by, so easily visited from Jerez.

Of these places, we loved Cordoba the most. We stayed in a small hotel opposite the Mesquita. I think it was called Conquistadors. Absolutely fine for two nights.

We saw a great flamenco show in Seville, it was in a small theatre type location in the Jewish quarter (I think!) I can't remember the name but it was highly recommended.

Jerez is very different to Seville and Cordoba, it's not as touristy and bigger. For us, it didn't have the same initial wow factor as Seville and Cordoba, but we had a lovely time. We stayed in an air bnb in the centre. We did three nights but two would be plenty. On day one we went to the Spanish horse show at lunchtime (2 hours) and a sherry tour around Gonzalez Byass in the late afternoon (4.30 - 6.30ish) Both easy walking distance.
We went to Cadiz on our second day, had a walk around (it's not huge) and then ate lunch just outside the market. The market is wonderful, and we wanted to eat inside but it was rammed. Definitely recommend getting a seat there early if you want to eat.
The beach and seafront at Cadiz is nice, so we spent the afternoon there.
We hired a car, but we saw plenty of buses while we were travelling around.

We did a similar thing but 2 nights in Granada and 4 nights in Seville. We also had a night in an airbnb in the mountains just outside Malaga so we could do El Caminito del Rey. Apart from the mountains bit, it was all on trains, and this was very easy. We flew in and out of Malaga as we had more choice of flights there and also spent a day in Malaga.

We did a day trip to Cordoba from Seville by train and could have gone to Cadiz, but our holiday was focussed on seeing Seville so spent the most time there.

Therefore, based on our experience, what you're suggesting should be fine. I would split between two places to reduce the amount of packing/unpacking/hotel choosing you have to do and then just go for the day trip to Cadiz from Jerez.

Then, assuming you haven't been before and you like the concept, next time do similar but Malaga and Granada, adding in day trips to places like Mijas, Ronda and Nerja/Frigiliana (and El Caminito del Rey - it's spectacular).

Don’t miss out Cordoba! Depending on your exact dates, you may coincide with the Cruces de Mayo festival and the Patios festival. It’s a really lovely time to be there.

I agree you don’t need long in Jerez. We arrived around 10ish and it was totally dead and we were so disappointed. However, we went and did a sherry tasting and when we came out at lunchtime it was like the city had come to life! I’d probably just do a day trip to be honest. The trains are very good and everyone has an allocated seat so book in advance.

Thanks everyone I have taken all your points on board and you have been most helpful.

I think we are going to stay in Seville, then Jerez (2 nights) then Córdoba. When we stay in Jerez we'll get the train to Cadiz for the day. It's lots of moving about but it is the purpose of the trip and I've checked there are left luggage facilities if we arrive early to a new city and can't leave it in our accommodation. We'll travel light.

Would you say Seville 3 nights and Córdoba 2 nights or the other way round?

With regards seeing Flamenco in the Triana neighbourhood, are there loads of places and you just turn up or do you need to target a specific venue and book in advance?

What else might need to be booked in advance?

That itinerary sounds good.

I would prebook the Alcazar in Seville, and the mesquita in Cordoba.
We saw a flamenco show in Seville (La Casa Flamenco) which we booked online on the day, but we went in November so it wasn't too busy.
In Jerez, we enjoyed the Spanish riding school display and the sherry tour at Gonzalez Byass. Watched the horses in the middle of the day, had lunch, then did the sherry tour at 4.30. We booked both of these in advance. Have fun!