Andalucia from Barcelona intinerary

Hello-
We have two children, 5 and 7, and are flying into Barcelona next week. We have a place to stay outside of Barcelona on the coast for the first part of our 20 day trip and then want to head to Andalucia. We would like to visit Granada, Cordoba and Sevilla and also see the countryside, smaller villages and parks. One option is drive down from Barcelona, end in Sevilla (leave the car upon arriving) and then fly back to Barcelona to catch our flight out...

Given about 10 days for the trip south, would this be too rushed? Would we be better off flying in and out of the region?

Are we into high season yet and need to book our accomodations? In general we will arrive into towns by early afternoon and would like to be somewhat spontaneous and adventurous but with kids we should be sensible. Obviously we are not planning too far in advance.

Does anyone know how late into May the patios/gardens of Cordoba are open for touring? I've read the competition is in the beginning of May and they stay open for part of the month but we won't be down there until after the 15th.

Thanks for your help!

You might look at cheap flights from Barcelona to and from Sevilla. This would definitely be the best time-wise. You can also look at the train. With a family of 4 traveling together the Trainhotel might be the most economical and time-saving way to go. Check RENFE. Why is renting a car your first choice?

Where are you staying "outside of Barcelona."

I was orginally thinking of flying in and out of the region but thought it might be interesting to drive down. We would like to drive when we're in Andalucia so that we can explore smaller towns and the countryside and have some flexibility. I also thought once we pay for 4 tickets on a train it might cost as much. I'll check RENFE.

We're staying in Sitges.

Ten days is really very little for exploring Andalucia. It's a large region and consequently you'll spend quite a bit of time just travelling from one place to another unless you plan carefully.

Dates for the Cordoba patios festival; May 2 - May 13, 2007.

Thanks for your comments/ideas. We will likely cut our stay in Sitges shorter and take the train or plane to the region in order to get few more days. I will also work on a smaller route/loop, not the whole region. Do you think we will need to pre-book accomodations? I'm pretty confident we can find lodging in Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada (we can call in a day or two before once we're on the road) but I am not sure if the tourist season has already begun.