Castles without crowds, long beach promenades, and acres of fragrant orange groves. These were among the delights we found on our road trip along the Mediterranean coast of Spain.
Our leisurely route between Barcelona and Marbella included stops at seaside towns with surprisingly accessible castles and promenades. It included an inland detour to Granada to see the famed Alhambra, an enormous palace and complex featuring Islamic architecture from 1238.
The start of our road trip was not inspiring but improved as the trip progressed. Instead of unobstructed water views, we experienced the reality of drab fields and boxy warehouses at first. Thoroughly exploited seaside villages with marching rows of villas and looming residential towers made us see that the southern coast of Spain has been discovered. However, we still found coastal charm on our overnight stops. The terrain became more appealing the further west we went, as flat fields gave way to rolling hills and jagged peaks.
Read about our previous Two Week Road Rrip Through Spain and Portugal.
Although our primary destination was Granada, we chose a route that took us closer to the coast, though not as close as we had hoped. If efficiency had been the goal, we could have driven from Barcelona to Granada in around eight or nine hours. Trains are also an option, but we wanted a slower pace to allow time for spontaneous exploration. This was a one-week segment within a longer month-long trip where we otherwise depended on public transportation or private drivers through other parts of Spain and Morocco. Renting a car sedan from Sixt Rent-A-Car was the best option for us.
Staying one or two nights at each of three stops enabled us to break up the driving. It was long enough to get a feel for each place, though admittedly not enough time for deep dives. For our group of three, we sought two-bedroom suites with charm, character, or seaside locations, reserving through Booking.com. See Itinerary at a Glance below for hotel links.
We met up with our friend Cindy in Barcelona after other travels. The three of us explored Barcelona for a couple of days before taking off on our road trip.
We explored a different Gaudi site every day, loving every bit of his cartoonish, gravity-defying style of architecture. These included Casa Batllo, Sagrada Familia (will it ever be finished?) and Park Guell. All the Gaudi sites were very crowded and timed entry was the rule. It’s best to obtain tickets several days in advance.
The Picasso Museum offered a fascinating, unexpected glimpse into the start of the famous artist’s career. In his early days, he painted much more conventional landscapes and portraits with all the body parts in the expected places.
We also gorged on delicious seafood and an outstanding lunch at the Michelin-starred Compartir Barcelona that left us in a food coma for the rest of the day.
I considered staying overnight in Sitges, but the 45-minute drive wouldn’t have satisfied our desire to get on the road and see something of the coast. We decided to have lunch there and keep moving.
Sitges, a fishing village turned Barcelona-city-escape, charmed us. Built around a tiny bay with the Church of San Bartolomé and Santa Tecla and other buildings clinging to the very edge of dry land, it invited an immediate stroll. A search for parking, which was in short supply delayed this impulse.
Before the trip, I swooned over the stunning photos of the Deering House. However, I could not figure out the confusing website when I tried to research how to see it. Finally, we took our chances by dropping in. Unfortunately, we were turned away at the door with no explanation of how to achieve a visit. If you figure it out and can visit, please leave a comment and let us know how you liked it. Regardless, we enjoyed walking around the historic area, and the water views were enticing.
After the tiny-town charm of Sitges and driving through aromatic orange groves, the big city of Valencia took us by surprise. A Miami Beach-like party vibe with non-stop concerts, nightclubs with pulsing music, and fireworks kept the waterfront vibrating until the wee hours. Thankfully, the noise faded when we closed the windows of the beachfront Hotel Miramar.
It’s impressive how Valancia can absorb visitors from giant cruise ships without as much of an impact as other European cities. Next to the beach and promenade are the cruise ship terminals on the edge of a working port, and somehow, there’s room for everyone.
Our rooms at the Hotel Miramar were interesting in that Cindy had a cozy private room with twin beds, but the “master” bedroom shared space with the open kitchen. The ocean view made up for any inconvenience.
Wanting to stretch our legs the day after a long day in the car, we walked the two miles to the striking City of Arts and Sciences with its plethora of dramatic buildings. There’s the planetarium in a glass building resembling an eye, the science museum that looks like the skeleton of a whale, an aquarium built in the shape of a water lily, and a Walk of Sculptures, among other destinations.
Alicante immediately impressed us and became our favorite place on this segment of the trip. Everything was easy, and we had a spacious, modern two-bedroom apartment at the Holihome Rambla 24 on the main street of town near the water. A lively promenade bordered the water between a small boat harbor and the main part of town. A sandy beach invited frolicking in the waves.
The wonderful Santa Barbara Castle, high on a hill, beckoned us. After visiting so many busy places in Mallorca and Barcelona before our road trip, it was refreshing to amble up the hill with no need for timed reservations or even tickets. We simply parked at the base of the hill near the hospital and walked up. Interpretive signs brought the history to life, and several eateries in the castle provided fantastic views of the sea and surrounding area.
We loved the beautiful drive to Granada, with all the hills and valleys providing visual interest. Our major destination—the Alhambra—had been nagging at me since our previous visit to Spain. During that visit, where we avoided planning and let the trip unfold as it would, I became enchanted with the Royal Alcazar in Seville. After seeing that palace, it seemed like a requirement to see the Alhambra as well. Try as I might, I could not fit in an impromptu add-on destination to Granada because of time constraints.
This time, after planning weeks in advance, I had reserved tickets to the Alhambra for an ideal timed entrance. Our visit to the expansive gardens and stunning buildings with their excellent examples of Islamic architecture lived up to the hype.
A flamenco performance with exceptional dancers thrilled us with athletic power and grace. Best of all, the location of the Tablao Flamenco Theater was within a short walk from our apartment, so the rental car slumbered on in its hideaway.
Our lodging at the Tourist Apartments Mauror was ideal, being the very last building on a street that led directly into the grounds of the Alhambra. With two enclosed bedrooms, each with its own bath, and a spacious common area, we had plenty of privacy and room to move around the modern apartment cloaked in an ancient building. Parking in the historic district challenged our sanity, so we gave thanks for the parking space provided and vowed not to move the car until we left town.
After a few days in Granada, we headed south through a vast amount of acreage devoted to olive trees. Hours and hours passed by as we wound through some beautiful hilly terrain.
Ronda is known for the incredible Puente Nuevo Bridge, engineered in the 1700s to span a 390-foot chasm carved by the Guadalevín River. This void cleaves the town in two. Hours slipped by as we gazed at this engineering marvel from as many angles as we could, purchasing tickets to walk into one of the supports and hiking a long way to the bottom of the gorge to look back up at the structure.
We observed many buses crammed with day tourists, leaving us to revel in the calm, quiet late afternoon and evening hours after they departed. Spending two nights here allowed us to fully appreciate the rhythm of the town.
A temporary Picasso exhibit at the small museum at Palacio de Congresos de Ronda, filled with his sketches of bullfighting, made the local bullfighting ring, Plaza de Toros de Ronda, come to life.
A spur-of-the-moment musical performance by accomplished flamenco guitarist Carlos Perez was a highlight of our stay. We discovered this gem at the beautiful mansion-turned-museum, Casa Museo Don Bosco, as we strolled down the street from our hotel, Casa Palacio Villa Zambra. It took some motivation to leave our pampered, royal-like surroundings with views of the Puente Nuevo Bridge, but it was worth it.
This ends the recommended part of the drive. For others planning a road trip, I advise travelers to head west to Seville, south to Gibraltar, or north to Madrid or other locations. You’ll see why in the Marbella description.
Continuing our southern route to Marbella, we were enthralled by the tiny white villages (all the houses were white), nestled into the pine and fir forests of the mountainous Sierra Nieve National Park.
We snuck in the back door to Marbella, first threading our way through enormous estates and gated communities on the outskirts of town. Then we saw rows and rows of villas, with an army of cranes putting up still more villas, tucking them into every fold of the hills facing the sea.
The pleasant Hotel Lima was crammed into the dense built-up environment of the old town. There’s a nice beach promenade, but everything felt crowded by all the development, and the old town looked rather tired and shabby. I didn’t find the scene too inviting after all the wonderful places we had stayed in before.
We turned in our rental car at the Sixt rental car agency and hired a private driver to take us to Tarifa, where we caught a fast ferry to Tangier. A few hours gliding across the Mediterranean Sea allowed time for reflection and appreciation for the glimpses of Spanish life we had observed. We felt refreshed by our leisurely drive down the coast of Spain, and eagerly anticipated the next segment of our journey, where I was happy to leave the driving to a Moroccan driver.
See article on Traveling from Southern Spain to Morocco by Ferry at Inga’s Adventures.
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