Barcelona vs. Seville/Malaga (or elsewhere) in winter

[Anonymous]

OP here- if it were just me and DH I think Granada and Seville would be perfect. For some reason I'm hesitant with the kids, because it would mean extra travel (train from Malaga-Granada then Granada-Seville) and not sure whether younger DC (6yo) would have the stamina/interest in the Alhambra visit.

[Anonymous]

Granada is super fun for kids- but ot is chilly, colder than seville. we did this last winter. We also did barcelona in 2021, gaudi's work is super fun for kids and it wasnt all that much colder. They also liked the picasso museum and tolerated the Miro museum. malaga is still cold, its not beach weather!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- if it were just me and DH I think Granada and Seville would be perfect. For some reason I'm hesitant with the kids, because it would mean extra travel (train from Malaga-Granada then Granada-Seville) and not sure whether younger DC (6yo) would have the stamina/interest in the Alhambra visit.

I agree that adding in Granada is really squeezing too much in. The Real Alcazar in Seville and the Plaza de España gives you the Alhambra vibes without having to travel all the way to Granada. Plus there are so many palaces you can tour in Seville like the Duquesa de Alba's old palace and the Casa de Pilatos. (Some would argue that in Sevilla, you don't have those beautiful Sierra Nevada views, which is true, but what is there really to do in Granada after the Alhambra, wandering the Albaycin and going to a tetería, and viewing the views from the San Nicolas Mirador? Maybe the novelty of getting "free" tapas with your drinks, but I personally prefer to order the tapa I want versus getting whatever the restaurant gives me.)

I agree with you that I am not sure a six year old would really be interested in the Alhambra tour. The Alhambra tour is self-paced, you just walk thorough the different rooms until you pop out of the palace in the Generalife gardens. You just kind of have to move along with the herd (because there are always so many people) and honestly, it's...not very interesting. Just room after room of reproduction tiles and stonework (yes, it's all "restored" aka it's not the real, authentic tiles and stonework from the medieval period). The Cave House Museum in Sacromonte neighborhood would be more interesting for kids, I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- if it were just me and DH I think Granada and Seville would be perfect. For some reason I'm hesitant with the kids, because it would mean extra travel (train from Malaga-Granada then Granada-Seville) and not sure whether younger DC (6yo) would have the stamina/interest in the Alhambra visit.

I’m the December poster. We took trains between all 3 cities and it was very easy. Don’t let that hold you back. My 13 yo who has ADHD struggles with all the “touring” but the Alhambra was the least difficult with her of all of them. And we did 2 museums, the palace in Madrid, Cathedral of Seville and several other highlights. What has worked best for us is having a personal tour guide who can address all ages. I have used Walks of Italy in Italy and Spain. There are fewer
options in Spain but they were all great. We did a tapas and flamenco tour in Seville that we all enjoyed . You can do it all on your own but the guide for that one explained the history and the dance which made it so much more interesting and entertaining.