Recommendations on two port excursions decisions please

[Vineyard View]

We have back to back port days in Cadiz and Malaga. Clearly the star choices are Seville or Alhambra excursions. Each involve long bus rides, which I am not good at, particularly of it is a winding route (we also do not like ship excursions).  We have the option of free time at each location, mostly using the transportation to and from. We have been to Cadiz years ago and enjoyed it - but never to Seville or Alhambra. I recognize that both locations deserve a longer stay. 
I’ve thought about this for a couple months. I honestly do not think I want to, nor would enjoy, two back to back days in a bus for that length of time. For those who may have experienced  SB excursions to both,  that offered transportation only (tours are sold out), and you were to choose one, which might you choose? 
I thought about posting this in ports, but I am wondering specifically about the SB offering, and not a MSC or Primcess, etc.  offering. 
Thank you 

[AJCM]

Malaga has an extensive Alcazar.Its entrance is a short walk from the dock and if you do that first, there’ll be few others around. Then central Malaga is very appealing with winding shopping, pedestrians only, marble paved streets and lanes and several excellent art museums - Thyssen and Picasso.

 

There’s also an excellent automobile and fashion museum a 20 min bus trip away; with a large number of fastidiously maintained cars, accompanied by female fashions of the cars’ eras. Very enjoyable visit, with few others there.

 

By comparison, I dread to think how many people you’ll be rubbing shoulders with at Alhambra; after your long bus trip. It appears IMHO to be one of the highlights which now suffers from excessive tourist numbers.

 

As you’ve previously been to Cadiz (which we very much enjoyed by following the coloured lines on the ground), then Seville seems obvious. It is a visually stunning city.  Again, however, you’ll find significant crowds at the tourist attractions there. 

 

We were lucky enough to do a cruise (Azamara) which took us right into Seville and so had a great opportunity to see the sights. So, if you think you may visit again in the future, this is a good way to see it and avoid the long bus trip.

 

 

[MJN1]

Have you considered leaving the ship for one night, getting a rental car in Cadiz, driving to Sevilla, staying overnight there and then dropping the car off in Malaga?

Total driving time would be <4h and you could have a relaxing day incl dinner in Sevilla.

Yes, there are downsides like driving yourself, extra cost, risk missing the ship (plan for more than ample time to Malaga), but it beats 8hrs bus rides...

Just a thought!

[Vineyard View]

9 hours ago, AJCM said:

Malaga has an extensive Alcazar.Its entrance is a short walk from the dock and if you do that first, there’ll be few others around. Then central Malaga is very appealing with winding shopping, pedestrians only, marble paved streets and lanes and several excellent art museums - Thyssen and Picasso.

 

There’s also an excellent automobile and fashion museum a 20 min bus trip away; with a large number of fastidiously maintained cars, accompanied by female fashions of the cars’ eras. Very enjoyable visit, with few others there.

 

By comparison, I dread to think how many people you’ll be rubbing shoulders with at Alhambra; after your long bus trip. It appears IMHO to be one of the highlights which now suffers from excessive tourist numbers.

 

As you’ve previously been to Cadiz (which we very much enjoyed by following the coloured lines on the ground), then Seville seems obvious. It is a visually stunning city.  Again, however, you’ll find significant crowds at the tourist attractions there. 

 

We were lucky enough to do a cruise (Azamara) which took us right into Seville and so had a great opportunity to see the sights. So, if you think you may visit again in the future, this is a good way to see it and avoid the long bus trip.

 

 

We also enjoyed walking the colored lines in Cadiz. It was an enjoyable day. We have looked at Azamara for that specific port. Seabourn Pursuit is also doing the overnight. It would be much preferable over a bus. 
 

Thank you for the information on Malaga. I was not aware of these attractive ideas. We booked an excursion that takes us to Granada with 5 hours of free time. The city of Granada looks appealing if Alhambra is just too much, too many to enjoy. Hopefully late March will help mitigate crowds. 

[Vineyard View]

5 hours ago, MJN1 said:

Have you considered leaving the ship for one night, getting a rental car in Cadiz, driving to Sevilla, staying overnight there and then dropping the car off in Malaga?

Total driving time would be <4h and you could have a relaxing day incl dinner in Sevilla.

Yes, there are downsides like driving yourself, extra cost, risk missing the ship (plan for more than ample time to Malaga), but it beats 8hrs bus rides...

Just a thought!

Well, that is a thought I truly had not considered. Thank you for the idea. 

[marazul]

@Vineyard View-

@MJN1 has a great suggetion.  It is only a little over two hours to drive from Seville to Malaga.  There are some really pretty towns along the way.  If you get on the road early, you could add Cordoba to the trip. Or plan to stay the night in Cordoba instead, it is only about 1.5 hours from Seville and about the same distance to Malaga.  Cordoba is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain and the historic district is fairly compact. You can easily visit the Mosque-Cathedral and the patios area in one morning. 

https://www.turismodecordoba.org/

 

However, if you go for the "on your own" day, pick Seville.  The logistics are a lot easier than in Granada.  You would be dropped off near all the attractions and it is very easy to walk around.  Get tickets ahead of time.

 

PS- I have not done the SB excursions, but I have visited and driven in the area a number of times.

Edited Thursday at 02:42 PM by marazul

[Vineyard View]

2 minutes ago, marazul said:

@Vineyard View-

@MJN1 has a great suggetion.  It is only a little over two hours to drive from Seville to Malaga.  There are some really pretty towns along the way.  If you get on the road early, you could add Cordoba to the trip. Or plan to stay the night in Cordoba instead, it is only about 1.5 hours from Seville and about the same distance to Malaga.  Cordoba is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain and the historic district is fairly compact. You can easily visit the Mosque-Cathedral and the patios area in one morning. 

https://www.turismodecordoba.org/

 

However, if you go for the "on your own" day, pick Seville.  The logistics are a lot easier than in Granada.  You would be dropped off near all the attractions and it is very easy to walk around.  Get tickets ahead of time.

Thank you Marazul. Always a wealth of information. I will give the car rental some thought, but will also likely cancel Granada if we choose not to do that.