Hi Rosalyn.
To get to Sevilla there are two ways.
From Torremolinos catch the bus to Malaga bus station, and from there you can get the ALSA bus to Sevilla, it takes between 2 and 3 hours, but it depends which bus you catch and the price is €28.49 return ticket per person.

You can go to Sevilla from the train station in Malaga and catch the AVANT train which takes 1 hour 55 mins, but the cost is a lot more and it depends on which type of ticket you buy, how far in advance you buy the tickets, and any offers, but there are slower trains which can take 2½ hours, and the price is a lot cheaper than the AVANT service.

The best way to get to Granada is by bus, AFAIK: there isn't a direct rail link to Granada, and this would mean a change of trains and will add more onto the journey (time wise)"¦..
The journey from Malaga is between 1½ to over 2 hours.(depending which bus you catch) the price is €19.54 PP return via ALSA bus.
Granada bus station is on the outskirts of the town, so, if you don't want to walk, a taxi may be best for a few euros or jump on the local bus.

We're also going to Torremolinos for 2 weeks in June and as we've just about seen everything there is to see in the surrounding area and we are going s/c, I was thinking about visiting Cordoba and Antequera which are nearer Torremolinos/Malaga with a direct train service from Malaga train station.
My hubby doesn't fancy over 4 hours travelling on a bus in one day, so we would stop overnight in Sevilla/Granada if we did it.

In the link below, In the two boxes next to city, type in the first letter M, and chose Malaga from the drop down menu, then in the box below do the same thing ‘G' and chose Granada, this will give you an idea of the frequency of the service to Granada, you can fine tune it by entering in your dates, but it won't go too far in advance to June at the moment"¦..you can do the same for Seville and you will see that the service is not as good.
I think it would be wise to say, use the bus for Granada and the train for Sevilla.
http://www.alsa.es/portal/site/Alsa/menuitem.fbc50f3625b7aa254b774b77421000e5/?vgnextoid=26e89f2b9a909110VgnVCM1000002401005eRCRD&searchType=schedules

If you click on the link below and click in the box which says "Buscador de Horarias" and from the drop down menus chose "Malaga Maria Zambrano" and "Sevilla".
This will give you an idea of the train service, you can fine tune it by entering the dates, but again it won't let you go too far in advance, or after entering the info in the destinations boxes, just click the top "buscar" tab under the 2010, for a general view of the train service to Sevilla.

If you want the prices and times of trains, use the box which says "Compra de Billetes" but once again note that it won't let you go too far in advance"¦
Ida means one way, Ida y Vuelta means return and Viajeros means passengers"¦.Buscar means search.
http://www.renfe.es/index.html
HTH's
Sanji

I visited both hiring a car, both are straightforward drives and you can stop off en route, found parking no problem in either city.

Thanks Sanji, great help as usual

Regarding hiring a car - have to admit to not even thought of that one Again, a real possibility and affords us even more flexibility. Only downer on the car is I've been reading about shortages of cars for hire, but as we could tailor our hire dates to availability hopefully this wouldn't (or shouldn't) be a problem.

Rosalyn

Just book your car before you go to ensure its there waiting for you, i tend to book it online using either holiday autos or carjet. There are the local hire companies too which you can access online.

We went to Granada November 2009 and did go with a guide instead of by car on our own. We decided to do this as we wanted to learn about the history of Granada. We had plenty of time to walk on our own but the tour guide taught us so much about this wonderful City . Enjoy

Janice, was it a trip organised through tour reps or one you found yourself?

Rosalyn where abouts are you staying in Torremolinos.?
I didn't mention the local tour operators because I thought you wanted to make your own way there.
I know a good operator, been in business 20 years, so, I guess they should know what they're doing by now.
The price for Granada is 54 euros or 59 euros to include the Alhambra, but if you want to visit the Alhambra they only go on Wednesdays... the other days for just Granada are Tuesday's, Thursday's and Friday's.....pick up time 7-15 am.

Sevilla there are 2 prices, 40 euros (Tuesday's & Friday's) or 49 euros for a Sevilla visita exclusive on Wednesday's only ...not sure what that entails....pick up time 6-30 am.
Fully insured coaches with air c0n and English speaking guide. (prices taken from leaflet and might be slightly more or less in June this year, but there won't be a massive change)
Crikey....I sound like a rep.
Sanji

Sanji, we are staying at the Pez Espada which is within walking distance of Benalmadena. Stayed there before and returning because we like the location. We're open to all possibilities of travel; its simply that we hate the regimentation you often get with tours organised by hotel reps, ie get off the bus, take a quick look at the nearest blade of grass and then get back on the bus - done it and would only do it again if it was the only choice available. That's why I've been exploring every other possible avenue. As I said in my original post, we don't go until the middle of June so we have plenty of time to decide what we want to do. It may well be that an organised trip run through Thomsons is the way to go, its just that sometimes you want to linger over something that you are enjoying and the rep is breathing down your neck to get on to the bus!!!

Rosalyn

Hi Rosalyn
Right, now you've told me where you're staying, your options are wide open.
I get fed up of the hotel regimentation by the second week and these days I hardly eat anything in the hotel, I certainly don't get my money's worth, so, we tried going back to S/C last year, otherwise I would be staying in the hotel Pez Espada, at the same time as you....we go on the 10th June.

When you come out of the front entrance of the Pez, walk left on that side of the road...you will pass a junction/crossroad with the farmacia on the corner, carry on walking and just before the next crossroad there is Betica Travel....I'm talking of 5 mins up the road at the most.
Go in there and the girl is called May, she speaks perfect English along a with a variety of other languages, and she will sit down with you in the shop and answer any questions that you ask about their excursions.

It's also an exchange place, so she might have to jump up and down from behind the desk/chair in the middle of the conversation, to go behind the security screen to serve customers who come in the shop to change money, and by the way, if you want to change any money, this is the place to go.
There's no particular time which is best, the shop can be empty for ages and then half a dozen people walk inside, but they close for siesta in the afternoons.

The only real time restriction on you, would be if you wanted to go to the Alhambra, you'd have to book the excursion as soon as you possibly can after arriving in the resort, due to only visiting on Wednesday's.
Depending on which trip you chose, you're left to your own devices in Granada and Sevilla, and it's your responsibilty to be back at the pick-up point for your return journey back to Torremolinos.

Sanji

Hi Rosalyn

If you intend to visit the Alhambra at Granada under your own steam you need to pre-book your tickets as they only allow 300 visitors every half hour. We are going in May and a lot of the tickets are already sold out. You can find out about it on http://www.alhambra-tickets.es.

Cheers, Jean

Dear Babs, This was an organised trip through Thomson. It was very interesting and educational. The guide walked us around Granada and then gave us time to explore on our own. Then we were taken by coach to Alhambra to meet a different guide. This was wonderful and we learnt so much of the history. Alhambra is beautiful. We woud like to visit Seville later in the year. Best wishes Janice