One hotel or several stops?

It is a request I often receive: "I would rather have just one hotel, and excursions every day." On paper, it makes sense. No repacking, one base, simplicity. In reality, it all depends on the distances. Here is how I decide, with a real example.

Camille's case: 7 days in Andalusia

Camille wanted to discover Andalusia in a week. Her initial request: a hotel in Seville, and three excursions to Cordoba, Granada and Ronda. I looked up the real travel times from Seville:

• Cordoba: about 1 h 35 to 1 h 50 by car, 45 minutes to 1 hour by high-speed train.
• Granada: about 2 h 35 to 2 h 50 by car.
• Ronda: about 1 h 35 to 1 h 45 by car, with no direct train.

Granada alone meant more than five hours of driving in a day. And the Alhambra is visited at a set time: the Nasrid Palaces only admit visitors at the time slot printed on the ticket. Arriving late after a morning on the road means risking losing your visit.

What I suggested instead

A loop itinerary, with no back-and-forth:

• Seville, two nights.
• Cordoba, one night.
• Granada, two nights, with the Alhambra on the morning of the second day.
• Ronda, one night, before returning to Seville.

Each journey takes about two hours, just once. The evenings are spent in the cities, not on the road. The single hotel had to go, the constraint that seemed the most comfortable. It was also the one that would have done the most damage to the trip.

When a single hotel is the right idea

I am not against a single base. It works very well when:

• the excursions are less than an hour's journey away;
• the stay is short, a weekend or four days;
• you are travelling with young children, for whom every change of hotel counts;
• the destination itself is the point, and the excursions remain a bonus.

My rule for deciding

I add up the driving time for all the planned excursions. If the total is more than the time it would take to change base once or twice, I suggest an itinerary with several stops. And I look at the visits with set entry times, such as the Alhambra or the Alcazar of Seville, which call for being there without any stress.

Tailor-made travel is not a luxury. It is what stops a trip from turning into a series of journeys. I explain my full method in how I organise trips.

Sources

• Mappy, driving routes in Andalusia (times without traffic)
• Trainline, Seville – Cordoba timetables
• Moncloa.com, speed restrictions on the Madrid – Seville line (October 2026)
• Granada tourist office, Alhambra tickets
• Official Alhambra ticket office
• Official Alcazar of Seville ticket office