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Fantastic road trip in Spain

1. Fantastic road trip in Spain
   1. Itinerary
   2. Why and when to go to Spain
   3. Where to stay
   4. Is driving safe and easy
   5. Highlights
      1. Barcelona
      2. Costa Brava
   6. Costa del Azahar
   7. Costa Blanca
   8. Costa de Almeria
   9. Andalucia
   10. Costs
   11. Rent your house out
   12. Get a comprehensive Guide

Itinerary

Our trip started in Barcelona and finished in Barcelona. If you have time take in Portugal as well. Since we are retired time wasn’t a problem. We had 26 days in Spain and 20 days in Portugal.

On the below map is the route we took. We covered a lot of miles – all up around 6000 kms. It was absolutely epic. We followed the East Coast of Spain all the way to Portugal , drove North through Portugal then back into Spain via the Duoro Valley to Madrid, back to Barcelona.

Why and when to go to Spain

We arrived in Barcelona on October 1st 2024. As we weren’t interested in lounging around by the seaside in a tourist resort the time of year was absolutely perfect. Temperatures were very pleasant and the mid summer crowds had dispersed.

Our reason to go to Spain was to enjoy the magnificient architecture and history of many of the towns and cities, wander the small quaint villages, enjoy the natural beauty of the coastline and country plus absorb what we could of the local culture, wine and food.

Where to stay

We booked our accommodation through http://www.airbnb.com or http://www.booking.com. We look at ratings and reviews so choose carefully. We like boutique accommodation( definitely no chain hotels) that offers charm with an outdoor balcony and either a view to the sea or old part of town if possible. Pick some along the route that have a washing machine available as well!

Is driving safe and easy

In a word – yes. We are from NZ so our cars have the steering wheel on the different side of the car and we drive on the other side of the road. However I found driving easy in Spain.

With a car you have such great flexibility to get out and about and see so much more. We loved exploring the small villages and towns – sometimes the road was a narrow alley way which made it interesting!

We hired a Peugeot 2008 SUV Manual – 26 days in Spain . Cost to hire through booking.com was 700 euros. We got a great deal on Black Friday.

Google maps is your friend. We purchased an Airalo esim( electronic esim) for our 3 month trip – http://www.airalo.com. We paid $US100 for 90 days that gave us 50GBs of data. We mainly used it to navigate as when we got to our accommodation we always had free wifi.

Highlights

Barcelona

We spent a few days at the beginning of our trip and at the end in Barcelona. There had been a lot of publicity surrounding tourists in Barcelona – ie that the locals were unhappy about the volume of visitors and therefore were not friendly towards them. We didn’t sense that at all.

Barcelona is a great place to just wander and soak up the atmosphere. You will view some incredible buildings (not just the Gaudi designed Sagrada Familia!), dine on some delicious food, shop hard, enjoy the history, the harbour and the alleyways of the old town. 3 days is a good amount of time to get a great feel for Barcelona.

Costa Brava

This was one of our favourite areas in Spain. After picking up our rental we hit the road to go North to spend a couple of nights up in Cadaques. The drive and small villages on the way are charming. We like to get off the motorways and drive up the coastal route to explore. In google maps you can also choose a route without tolls.

Two wonderful seaside villages to visit enroute are Tossa de Mar and Callela de Palafrugel.

From Callela de Palafrugal take the coastal road up to Cadaques. It is simply stunning!

Cadaques is really the jewel in the crown in Costa Brava. The town has lovely whitewashed buildings and is easy to just take a stroll along the waterfront and enjoy the town vibe.

Begur is another lovely village, but quite different from Cadaques. It is not right on the coast but Sa Tuna is only a short drive , where there is a lovely seaside walkway.

Costa del Azahar

From Begur we drove around 200 kilometres to Peniscola on Costa del Azahar, south of Barcelona– a magical old medieval town with an old castle and town on the hill to explore.

We loved Peniscola. There was a great vibe in the town with entertainment in the narrow lanes.

We stayed in the old town – Parking is a nightmare unless you want to pay for a parking building. I dropped our luggage off at where we were staying and then went in pursuit of a free car park. I did find one in the newer part of town but it can take some time. But at 30 euros for a car park overnight I was prepared to spend a little time to get a free spot!

Parking can be problematic in Spain especially in the old towns which have narrow alleyways – it is almost impossible to park on the street. We discovered http://www.parkimeter.com  later in our trip. If you put your accommodation address into the app it will give you the closest parking buildings and what the cost will be. It is a great tool!

Costa Blanca

On the way down the coast, Valencia is worth a quick look to view some grand buildings, plazas and interesting churches. It also has a very large bull ring if that is your thing!

However more our style are the small quaint villages which just ooze charm. We stayed in a great place just on the fringe of the old town of Altea. The view from the balcony was fantastic.

Costa de Almeria

On the journey South be sure to head slightly inland first to a small historic village of El Castell de Guadalest. Spend a couple of hours here wandering through some very old alleyways and go into the museum and castle(4.00 euro entry fee). The landscape is dramatic.

We stayed in an apartment in Mojacar near the beach with lovely views to the sea. Mojacar has an old medieval village a few kilometres from the beach resort town high up on the hill.

Probably our favourite village we visited along the coast of Spain was Frigiliana. This is an absolute gem of a place. It is so hard to pick the best as each village seems to have its own personality and charm but Frigiliana is beautiful.

Andalucia

Andalucia is the region where you will find the stunning towns Seville, Ronda, and Granada. All 3 places are very different and worthy of spending a lot of time in. We had a week in the region and missed another great place Cordoba – as we just couldn’t do all four towns justice in 1 week. Our son Lars and his wife Deyra joined us from Bath – they flew into Malaga from Bristol.

What a wonderful week we had together. We drove from Malaga Airport to Seville via Ronda, across to Granada then back to Malaga via Alora to walk the Caminito del Ray. Friends had waxed lyrical about the region before we visited – it didn’t disappoint!

Ronda is a setting like no other town and walking through the streets will take you back in time.

The old city of Seville is just chocker block with magnificient buildings. It really is just a place to immerse yourself, walk and admire! Around every corner is another exceptional piece of architecture, with small plazas everywhere where you can sit and enjoy a meal, a drink and soak up the atmosphere.

Another gem near Seville is the historic town of Granada – approximately 3 hour drive. Make sure to book the main attraction well in advance – “The Alhambra”. We booked about 2 weeks in advance and only got to see the gardens – which was fantastic in itself. Yes there are hoards of tourists but not much that is worth seeing doesn’t have big crowds these days. The Alhambra dominates the skyline from the old town of Granada.

Granada is certainly a whole lot more than the Alhambra. It is a wonderful town to again wander about and absorb all that is going on. When in Spain book a Flamenco dance – we did it in Granada and it is a fun evening. We booked Palacio Flamenco below on line and it is in a very small theatre and intimate – 20 euros p/p.

Our last stay in the fantastic region of Andalucia was in Alora to walk the Caminito del Ray. You must book as they only take a certain number of people per day – suggest to book a few weeks in advance. We didn’t so we had to take a tour, which is okay but you take a lot longer, go in a group, get a lot of useful and useless information – and of course you pay more. General admission is 10 euros and then 2.50 euros for the bus at the end of the walk back to your car. The guided tour was 30 euros each.

Caminito del Ray walk is a must visit in the region. It is a walk around the cliffs of a canyon that was built back in the early 20th century for the workers who were building a hydro dam. It is an awesome walk but not for the faint hearted!

After dropping off Lars and Derya at Malaga airport we headed to the Algarve in Portugal. If you don’t have time to add in Portugal head North to Madrid.

We didn’t know much about Madrid – we thought its another big city and the capital so we had better visit! However we loved it. The grandness of the buildings were awesome – it was as though each building owner was trying to “out do” each other in terms of grandeur and design.

We walked about 30 kilometres in 2 days exploring. We were just in so much awe with the architecture, the plazas, parks, the palace – the whole old city really!

Visit the Royal Palace. Inside was unbelievable. Frescoes, tapestries, paintings and furniture adorned every room.

We visited a superb Saturday market in the upmarket Chueca area called “The festival by SALESAS”. If you are lucky enough to be in Madrid when it is on, head to Calle de Campoamor . There is a mix of fashion, art, jewellery, accessories and food. If it isn’t on while you visit, it is worth just hitting that area anyway and taking a wander.

Take a stroll through Retiro Park – we were there in autumn and it was absolutely beautiful.

Only 1 hour out of Madrid is the fortified town of Toledo, built centuries ago. It is definitely worth a visit to explore the small alleyways of the old town.

We tried finding a smaller town to stay between Toledo and Barcelona but struggled a bit so ended up in the city of Zaragoza.There isn’t much there( probably a bit unfair as we did enjoy strolling the main walking street) apart from a very impressive Cathedral.

On your way back to Barcelona visit Montserrat Monastery. You wind your way up the mountainous country and can park( paid parking depending upon time – we paid 7 euros) within the Monastery grounds. Book a tour of the monastery well in advance to ensure you get the day and time that is most convenient. It is worth a look inside although is is a relatively small area( 18 euros each). If you don’t want to visit the inside of the Monastery it is still worthwhile driving up and walking around the area to enjoy the landscape and views.

After 6 weeks and approx 6000kms we ended up back where we started, in Barcelona. We had a couple of days to see a few more sights and sounds of Barcelona before heading back home to NZ.

Costs

We were pleasantly surprised at the overall costs of our road trip.

We tended to have breakfast where we stayed, lunch on the run and then after a day travelling and exploring were more than happy to just prepare at our accommodation. We generally then chose apartments which had a small kitchen. We much prefer that style of accommodation as it is usually bigger and more homely than a hotel.

Wine and beer were always available at excellent prices. Usually for 4 – 5 euros you would get a very drinkable bottle of wine. Bakeries were good value for lunch and there are numerous supermarkets to get provisions for breakfast and dinner.

Our overall cost for the trip for the two of us for 26 days in Spain was 6020 Euros( 230 euros per day)

This included accommodation, food, drink, car hire, petrol, parking, travel insurance, mobile e sim, entry to all the sights we visited and sundry expenses along the way.

It excludes travel costs to and from Barcelona.

Rent your house out

Our Turkish trip was part of a 3 1/2 month trip in Europe. We rented our house out in Auckland NZ through Furnished Rentals. This paid for half our holiday! They organised everything for us so you can rent out and be totally worry free – just enjoy the extra income that goes into your bank account!

Get a comprehensive Guide

If the above sounds great then for a small fee of US$2.95 I can share all the details of our entire trip. It will give you all the information you need to organise your own fantastic trip to Spain.

Also included in the guide is our wonderful trip into Portugal as well.

Subscribe for just US$2.95 and unlock the epic “6 weeks road trip Spain and Portugal”. You will get our full itinerary, where we stayed, costs and sights and places you must see!