South Spain Road Trip

South Spain Grand Tour is a road trip encompassing a number of brilliant Spanish settlements that can be found scattered across Southern Spain. While driving along the impeccable Spanish highways and roads, you’ll have a unique opportunity to enjoy an array of highlights, ranging from the idyllic Spanish rural landscapes to historic landmarks, brilliant restaurants, and sophisticated cultural venues. The sights will please a variety of holidaymakers, whereas the excellent road infrastructure will be a guarantee of a convenient trip.

South Spain Grand Tour involves 7 exciting stages. It starts at the Seville Airport and takes you south to the seaside resort of Cádiz. From there, you’ll travel south-east to reach Gibraltar, valued for its architecture and cuisine, and then to Ronda. The consecutive stages of this road journey will allow you to venture inland to Granada and Cordoba. The ultimate destination is the Seville Airport, your departure point. After reaching the finishing line of this road adventure, there’s an additional possibility to discover the beauty of Seville.

Your journey starts at the Seville Airport. It is precisely the place where you can collect your rental vehicle.

The road trip starts at the Seville Airport where holidaymakers who choose to rent a suitable vehicle can collect their cars. Drive south to reach Jerez. Along the way, you can take a scenic stopover at the Doñana National Park. It will be a true highlight for those who enjoy some peace and quiet, especially that the nature reserve sprawls along the coastline.

Cádiz, the ultimate destination of this stage is situated at a stone’s throw away from Jerez. While entering the city, you’ll have the opportunity to admire the beautiful the Bahía de Cádiz Nature Park through your car window. Swept by the forceful waves, Cádiz can boast a number of interesting tourist highlights. Interestingly, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in Western Europe.

This road trip stage involves a journey covering almost 160 km. While still in Cádiz, try visiting such places as Plaza de San Antonio, Cádiz Cathedral, or San Francisco Church. After a short ramble among the most notable attractions, hop in the car to travel to Vejer de la Frontera. While travelling to Gibraltar, you can also take a break from your road trip and take a stroll around Algeciras.

Gibraltar, known as the Gate to the Mediterranean, will welcome you with pleasant climate and stunning landmarks. Among the many interesting places to visit here, you’ll find Qeensway Quay Marina, along with Ocean Village, Gibraltar Cathedral, and the Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque. In good weather, you’ll have the opportunity to admire Morocco.

Gibraltar is a treasure trove of attractions so you’ll probably spend some time in the city centre. After a tour around its most notable landmarks, it’s time to hit the road to travel to the next destination, namely San Roque. It can be found at a stone’s throw away from the Bay of Gibraltar. It will be a pleasant retreat for those who seek some small-town ambience. It can be found at a distance of 10 km from your departure point.

From San Roque, you’ll travel north to Ronda. Along the way, you’ll have the opportunity to admire the Los Alcornocales Natural Park through your car window. You can also take an additional stopover at the Sierra de las Nives Natural Park enjoying a great diversity in terms of flora and fauna. To reach Ronda, you’ll travel along A-369 road.

This stage covers almost 220 km. From Ronda, you’ll depart by taking A-366 road north. In comparison to other stages of your road trip, this one entails extra stopovers at such destinations as Antequera and Loja. Ronda is located at a distance of 90 km from Antequera and 130 km from Loja. During this lap of your journey, you can take an extra break at Torcal, where you can marvel at the beauty of natural landscapes.

Both Antequera and Loja are characterized by idyllic atmosphere and top-notch dining opportunities. From Loja, you’ll have only around 60 km to reach your ultimate destination – Granada. You’ll enter the city by driving along A-92G road, which will take you straight to the city centre. There, you’ll have an opportunity to take a short tour around Granada’s most popular highlights.

Granada is located at the foot of the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains, which lure thousands of tourists on an annual basis. While approaching the city, the landscape will be constantly changing. Through your car window, you’ll see verdant hills and stunning summits that will give way to the urban housing of Granada. The next stage of your journey is Jaén.

Jaén can be found at a distance of 90 km away from Granada. In order to reach it, take A-44 road. Then, proceed to Cordoba. While in this beautiful city, it’s worth taking some time to explore the Old Town. The most notable landmarks include the Roman Mausoleum, the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, and the Tower of Calahorra. Take some time to soak up the exceptional ambience of Cordoba before heading for the next stage of your road trip.

Leave Cordoba behind to start a new lap taking you to Lucena, located around 75 km away. After around a one-hour drive, you’ll reach your destination and have an additional opportunity to see the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park. From Lucena, your journey will continue further south to Estepa, a small Spanish settlement that can boast interesting architecture and quaint atmosphere.

From Estepa, depart to Carmona which can be found at a stone’s throw away from Seville. The finishing line of this lap is the Seville Airport. Those who opted for a rental vehicle can leave their cars there. There exists an additional possibility to use public transport to travel to Seville's centre and explore some of its most popular and exciting highlights.

Seville is a true tourist gem combining excellent Spanish architecture, local cuisine, and marvellous landmarks that will provide you with an insight into the history and culture of this region. It is one of the most popular Andalusian cities to visit. Take a stroll along one of the winding streets to immerse yourself in the city’s ambience or try Spanish sangria at one of the lively bars that you can find at every street corner.

The city offers a number of interesting tourist sites. In Barrio de Santa Cruz, you’ll find plenty of charming patios and shaded plazas that will allow you to soak up the atmosphere of Seville. The lovers of art should consider a visit at Museo de Bellas Artes, whereas those holidaymakers who are into tranquil places can direct their steps to the scenic Parque de María Luisa. After a long and eventful day in Seville, it’s time to head back to the airport.

We have no doubt that our trip will become an ideal inspiration for your future travels.
Our itinerary can be used as a template that you can recreate in its entirety or only partially and that can be enriched with original stopovers.
If car travel is a travel mode that you prefer, there are a number of vital road rules to follow and a bunch of elements to keep in mind to ensure safety. These tips will surely become useful for travellers who are interested in renting a car or renting a camper.
It is vital to follow the local road rules when travelling around Spain. When moving around Spain in a car, try to avoid alcohol. Holidaymakers should remember that the legal alcohol limit is extremely low and equals only 0.5‰. Exceeding the maximum allowed speed limit, which is 50km/h, when driving around the the city streets may lead to speeding offence. If you are aiming for undeveloped areas, you should be mindful of the fact that the maximum car speed is 100km/h. Avoid exceeding the allowed speed of 120km/h when travelling on highways. We recommend driving with your headlights on at daytime and equipping your car with a fire extinguisher and first aid kit to ensure proper safety.
How about the costs of the trip? Well, the travel expenses can be easily adjusted to your expectations by choosing the appropriate budget option. A wide range of budget options is presented below.
The cost of gasoline for the cheapest option to cover the planned 7 stages while travelling around Spain can cost approximately 125 EUR. Economy accommodation options may cost travellers approximately 308 EUR. The travel expenses connected with food and restaurants within this option will cost up to around 252 EUR. Travellers will have to pay about 336 EUR if they opt for the budget rental car option as well. Thus, you can expect the travel expenses to be around 685 EUR without vehicle hire and 1,021 EUR with car hire.
When it comes to the standard offer, you have to spend the maximum of 125 EUR to cover the planned stages of the trip. If you are into standard accommodation options, you should remember that the expenses can amount up to about 539 EUR. The slightly increased standard in comparison to the budget option entails costs amounting to more or less 336 EUR. Travellers who want to cover the tour in a standard rental car can expect a cost of around 420 EUR. Summing up the standard offer, the estimated cost of the road trip will total roughly 1,458 EUR for drivers who would like to try car hire and 1,038 EUR for those who are not interested in renting.
Tourists who would like to benefit from the highest level of comfort will be pleased with the premium offer. When it comes to this offer, the estimated cost of the road trip will total more or less 2,682 EUR for travellers who are considering vehicle hire and 1,038 EUR for those who do not need a rental car. Travellers who want to cover the trip in a premium rental vehicle should expect a cost of approximately 998 EUR. In the top standard configuration of the tour, you will pay about 213 EUR for fuel. You should expect to pay about 504 EUR for restaurants and food and around 968 EUR for hotels if you are searching for the highest standard of services during your tour.
Our itinerary will also be excellent for all camper fans, as it can be easily adjusted to their requirements. When it comes to this means of transport, you will pay up to roughly 1,575 EUR. You will spend roughly 250 EUR on fuel allowing to cover all stages of the trip. Travellers who opt for camper hire should expect to pay about 198 EUR for accommodation and about 252 EUR for expenses connected with food.
The section Road Trip Costs presents all the above costs in detail.
The period between March and November is superb to visit the part of Spain mentioned in our adventure idea. There are numerous beautiful adventures that are available on our website if South Spain Road Trip has inspired you. Hopefully, the wide spectrum of ideas will surely measure up to the expectations of the most demanding drivers.