Andalusia: Seville-Cordoba-Malaga or is Granada a must too?

[AllGonePeteTong1]

Planning a trip at Easter for about 9 days. It will be me, DH and 2 DCs(12 and 10). Was thinking of flying into Seville, doing 3 days of sightseeing, then one or two in Cordoba, then 3 days in Malaga area for more of a relaxing chill-by-the pool type experience (hoping the weather will be warm enough!), with possible day trips to Nerja/Mijas/Marbella. Then flying from Malaga to home. Does this sound ok as an itinerary? Was hoping to do Granada for the Alhambra but just not sure if that would be a bit much and am a bit put off by tales of how busy it is (younger DC is SEN so gets overwhelmed easily). Any tips/experiences gratefully received!

Just wanted to provide an update having come back from our trip. Thank you all so much for your input, it was really helpful. We flew into Seville and stayed in a lovely Airbnb right in the centre. Loved Seville! The weather was warm, the Real Alcazar was great and loved wondering the streets and soaking up the atmosphere. We did an e-scooters tour, which was really fun.

We decided to sack off Cordoba as we thought it was one stop too many. It will be somewhere DH and I visit on our own another time I think. Instead we went from Seville straight to Granada by train. To the posters who said Granada for the Alhambra was a must see, THANK YOU! It really was the highlight of our trip and so worth it. Absolutely breath taking.

From there we got a bus to Malaga and picked up a hire car to get to our apartment on the Costa del Sol. This part of the holiday was all about splurging - we splashed out on a lovely apartment with big terrace, hot tub and pool. Unfortunately the weather was a bit rubbish which was such a shame! However, we did day trips to Caminito del Rey (really good), Benalmadena Pueblo (quite nice but unexceptional) and Marbella (surprisingly enjoyed this - the old town was lovely). I'd have liked to have seen Malaga too, but the kids were a bored of sight seeing by this point.

Anyway, a successful holiday and thank you all for helping!

Brilliant - love hearing back from people. Perfect way to do a holiday - lots of sightseeing and then a splurge at the end .... would you mind sharing or DMing the last accomodation? I also found this helpful as we would have hired a car for the duration but I am inspired with the use of public transport.

So glad you enjoyed your trip. I’ve just come back from visiting Seville and Granada for the second time and O enjoyed it just as much as last time. Personally I wasn’t so taken with Cordoba - it’s a pretty town but massively overcrowded and touristy, it just didn’t have the same vibe as Seville and Granada.
I also stayed in Hotel Fernando III in Seville and would highly recommend - very reasonable, clean and quiet with a lovely rooftop pool and bar. Perfect location for exploring the city as well.

@wonderingconcerned Have sent you a DM. @EllaPaella That hotel looks fab - maybe next time!