Andalusia Itinerary 7 Days: Seville, Córdoba and Granada by Train

An hour and a quarter, free. From Madrid, the AVE train reaches Santa Justa station in about 2.5 hours. After check-in, head to the square built for the 1929 Exposition: the canal has ceramic bridges and each Spanish province has its own tiled bench. Leave through María Luisa Park, right next to it.

An hour and a half, free, a 2 km walk along the river. The 1852 iron bridge leads to Triana, the neighborhood of potters and flamenco. On the other side, Calle Betis has sidewalk bars facing the river: this is where Seville watches the sunset.

Two and a half hours, about 15 euros, with a timed slot booked on the official website. Enter at 9:30 am, when it opens, before the groups. The palace is still a residence of the royal family when they are in Seville. The Palacio de Pedro I, from 1364, has the carved plaster courtyards and tiles that inspired half of Andalusia, and the gardens take the other half of the visit.

An hour and a half, with lunch. Leave the Alcázar through the Patio de Banderas and enter the alleys of the old Jewish quarter: Callejón del Agua runs along the palace wall, and the small squares of Santa Cruz and Doña Elvira have orange trees and tiled benches. The quarter ends at the square facing the Cathedral.

Two hours, 13 euros online, 14 at the ticket office. The largest Gothic cathedral in the world holds the tomb of Christopher Columbus, carried by four kings. The Giralda, minaret of the old mosque, is climbed by 35 wide ramps, built so a rider could go up on horseback. Leave through the Patio de los Naranjos.

An hour and a quarter, at 10 am, ticket paid at the door; the ground floor alone costs less than the visit with the upper floor. The 16th century palace blends Mudéjar, Gothic and Renaissance, and has the largest set of tiles in Seville. It is far less crowded than the Alcázar.

Use the afternoon to rest through the heat, like the locals, or for the Museo de Bellas Artes, with Murillo and Zurbarán.

One hour, 15 euros, 1 km northwest of Casa de Pilatos. The 2011 wooden structure has a walkway on top with a view of all of Seville, and underground the Antiquarium shows Roman and Moorish houses found during construction. Go up in the late afternoon for the sunset and the Cathedral lights.

In the evening, see a flamenco tablao in Santa Cruz or Triana; booking the same day works.

Half an hour, token fee, closed on Mondays. The AVE train from Seville takes about 45 minutes; drop your bag at the hotel and walk into the Jewish quarter. The 1315 synagogue is one of only three medieval synagogues left in Spain, with walls covered in carved plaster and Hebrew inscriptions.

Two hours, 15 euros, 10 am to 7 pm Monday to Saturday. The mosque begun in 785 has hundreds of columns and red brick and white stone arches, and in the middle of it the Christians built a cathedral in the 16th century. Do not miss the mihrab with golden mosaics on the far wall.

Monday to Saturday, between 8:30 and 9:30 am, entry is free and the Mezquita is almost empty. If you sleep in Córdoba, come back early tomorrow.

Forty-five minutes, free, leaving through the south gate of the Mezquita. The bridge of Roman origin crosses the Guadalquivir to the Calahorra Tower. From its middle, at sunset, the old town and the Mezquita bell tower turn golden.

An hour and a half, about 12 euros for courtyards and palace, at 10 am; closed on Mondays. Córdoba's flowered courtyards only open all together during the May festival, and this palace is the way to see them the rest of the year: twelve of them, each with a fountain, orange trees or bougainvillea. Then take the train to Granada, about 1.5 hours.

Half an hour, with the Monumentos Andalusíes pass of about 7 euros, free on Sundays. On Carrera del Darro, the river street below the Alhambra, the baths have horseshoe arches and star-shaped skylights. From there, climb the slopes of the Albaicín.

One hour, free, a 15-minute climb from the Bañuelo. This is the classic view of the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada behind, and at sunset it fills with people and musicians. For less of a crowd, Mirador de San Cristóbal, higher up, has a similar view.

Have dinner in the Albaicín and walk down the lit Carrera del Darro.

Four hours, 21 euros on the official Patronato website, three to four weeks ahead. The Nasrid Palaces have a fixed entry time and do not forgive lateness: arrive 30 minutes early. Inside are the Court of the Myrtles and the Court of the Lions. Add the Alcazaba fortress, with its city view, and the Generalife gardens, the sultans' summer house.

The Renaissance Palace of Charles V sits in the middle of the complex and is free to enter.

An hour and a quarter, 5 euros, 10 am to 8 pm. Walk down from the Alhambra by Cuesta de los Chinos to Paseo de los Tristes and up Camino del Sacromonte, about 2 km. The museum fills houses dug into the hillside, where Roma families lived until the 20th century, and shows what life was like there.

At night, the neighborhood zambras stage flamenco inside the caves; book one with dinner or just the show.

Forty-five minutes, a ticket of a few euros, at 10 am. The Gothic chapel next to the Cathedral holds the marble tombs of Isabella and Ferdinand, who took Granada in 1492. The sacristy keeps the queen's crown and scepter and her collection of Flemish paintings.

Half an hour, right next to the Royal Chapel. The old Nasrid silk market, rebuilt after a fire in 1843, is now a maze of shops selling lamps, tea and ceramics. Then head to the station: the direct train to Madrid takes about 3 hours 20 minutes.