Optimize a 7-day road trip in Andalusia – Itinerary, visits, map

Are you planning your next trip to Andalusia and looking for a good itinerary for a 7-day road trip around the most beautiful sites in Andalusia? Here is the circuit of the trip that I made in May 2018 which allowed me to visit the South of Spain by car following a loop route starting from Granada.

In this article, I explain to you how I organized this road trip and provide you with my detailed itinerary as well as the Google map that you can follow in GPS mode.

I would have liked to schedule my road trip to Andalusia for Holy Week (generally in April according to the Catholic calendar) and thus be able to attend the processions and other festivities which take place exclusively during the Easter period. I think that for those who don't mind crowds, this is probably the best time to immerse yourself in the culture and religious identity of Andalusia.

For my part, it was in May that I was able to combine bridges and RTTs to do this 1-week road trip in Andalusia. And, I must say that the month of May was perfect for sightseeing without the crowds and for enjoying the sun without being stifled by the heat! The temperatures have always been very pleasant.

How long to visit Andalusia?

If you want to discover the must-see attractions of Andalusia, the most beautiful tourist sites and small white villages, a 7-day road trip is entirely feasible. That's what I did but it's a minimum.

Indeed, if you are lucky enough to have a few more days, this tour will be even more pleasant because you will have more time on site to enjoy the sites and why not add a little seaside stay!

This itinerary is therefore a basis that you can adapt to the number of days you have available. It's a 7-day circuit but completely customizable for a 10-day, 12-day or 15-day road trip for the lucky ones.

Where to rent your car in Andalusia?

As with hotels, I prefer to book my car in advance on the Internet and in general, I go through booking. And, so far, I've never had a problem. For this road trip, I booked a Ford Fiesta at Europcar via the Booking platform. I picked up the car at Granada airport and returned it to the same airport 7 days later.

The cost amounted to 127 Euros + €71,60 insurance for the week. I paid the entire amount directly to Booking (so no worries on site about supplements or other well-known scams).

Which itinerary for a 7-day road trip in Andalusia?

To define the itinerary for my tour in Andalusia, I first looked for the essential stops in the South of Spain and then I had to organize them to make a loop tour departing from Granada that was feasible (and pleasant) in 1 week.

Here are the must-see sites in Andalusia and the program of my one-week itinerary:

• 1 Day:
  • Grenade
  • Jaén
  • Cordoba
• Day 2: Seville
• Day 3: Morning in Seville and afternoon in Cádiz
• Day 4: The white villages of Andalusia:
  • Medina Sidonia
  • Arcos de la Frontera
  • ubrique
  • Grazalema
• Day 5: Ronda
• Day 6: Granada
• Day 7: Return to airport or return by car

Self-guided tour to visit Andalusia by car

For this itinerary, here is the map to use in GPS mode to follow my one-week self-guided tour in Andalusia:

Story of my trip to Andalusia

I would have liked to schedule my road trip to Andalusia for Holy Week (generally in April according to the Catholic calendar) and thus be able to attend the processions and other festivities which take place exclusively during the Easter period. I think that for those who don't mind crowds, this is probably the best time to immerse yourself in the culture and religious identity of Andalusia.

For my part, it was in May that I was able to combine bridges and RTTs to do this 1-week road trip in Andalusia. And, I must say that the month of May was perfect for sightseeing without the crowds and for enjoying the sun without being stifled by the heat.

Arrival in Granada on Tuesday 1^er May at 17 p.m., I first picked up the car from Europcar then headed to a hotel for the first night in Granada.

I had chosen a cheap hotel (Hotel Marinetto) very close to the airport (500 m) because the next day, I had planned to start my tour without visiting Granada on the first day. So there was no point wasting time going to the city center and paying more for a hotel.

In fact, I wanted to "save the best for last" and therefore Granada and its Alhambra for the last day of my tour.

Here is how the 7 days of my road trip in Andalusia were organized.

Jaén - Cordoba - Day 1

It is therefore very early in the morning that we take the road to Cordoba. We quickly stop at Alcala la Real (Fortress of La Mota) and Jaén (Cathedral) to arrive in Córdoba at the end of the morning.

Visit to the Jewish quarter of Cordoba (Juderia), the historic center, the famous Mezquita de Cordoba, the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, the royal stables and the Roman bridge.

Night in Cordoba at the hotel Palace of the Corregidor.

Cordoba - Seville - Day 2

Early departure from Cordoba for the journey to Seville (almost 2 hours drive).

We had a wonderful day which was not enough for us to visit all of the city's must-sees. However, we were still able to appreciate:

• Its Cathedral and the Giralda
• The Alcazar and its magnificent gardens
• The casa of Pilatos
• The Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija
• The Palacio de las Dueñas

What luck, without knowing it, we came across the Feria de Sevilla which they also call the Feria de Abril. Very strange because it was May 3!

It's a colorful party with flamboyant costumes, parades, music… The Sevillians sing, drink, eat, dance… It was a real pleasure to discover this traditional festival by chance.

Overnight in Seville at thehotels Don Pedro Palace House.

Seville - Cadiz - Day 3

Today we devote the morning following the visits to Seville (El Arenal, the Archiepiscopal Palace) and take the road to Cadiz, 1 hours away.

Quick tour of the city of Cadiz (Cathedral, Falla Theater, Spanish Steps, Apodaca promenade) to enjoy a bit of Caleta beach accessible from the historic center.

Overnight in Cadiz at theSouth Patagonia Hotel.

The white villages of Andalusia - Day 4

From Cadiz, we leave very early for the most beautiful villages in the South of Spain.

But it is difficult to choose which white villages to visit in the province of Cadiz. Indeed, they are numerous and all more beautiful than the others.

It was after having been on travel forums, blogs and according to my timing that I selected 5 white villages among the most beautiful in Spain that we will visit in 2 days:

• Medina-Sidonia (today)
• Arcos de la Frontera (today)
• Ubrique (tomorrow)
• Grazalema (tomorrow)
• Ronda (tomorrow)

Overnight in Arcos de la Frontera Hotel Posada de las Cuevas.

Ronda – Day 5

Continuation of our circuit around the white villages with the best for the end: Ronda and its exceptional panoramas.

Night in RondaHotel Andalucia.

Ronda - Granada - Day 6

It's not easy to leave this beautiful region, these superb “pueblos blancos” and these lovely people, but our tour takes us this morning to Granada (almost 2h30 drive).

I had booked my tickets for the Alhambra (1 month in advance) for a visit on May 8 at 10:30 am so for the last day of the road trip.

So, as soon as we arrived, we organized our day around visiting the city:

• Carmen de los Martires
• The Albaicin (most old quarter of Granada) 
• Cathedral
• La Capilla Real (Royal Chapel)
• Cartuja monastery

Overnight in Granada at the hotel Carlos V

Granada - Day 7

Today, the last day of our road trip in Andalusia, we are going to visit the Alhambra (tickets for 10:30 a.m. to the Nasrids) and the Generalife. We knew that the visiting rules are strict (no backpacks, no more than half an hour at the Nasrid Palaces) so we went there at 9:30 a.m.

The complete visit takes a good 4 hours and is simply magnificent if you can tolerate the crowds of tourists who are there like us to admire a grandiose work.

Hotels on my tour

I have no difficulty in finding and booking inexpensive hotels in advance for the stages of my road trip in May. I do know, however, that during Holy Week, it's more complicated ...

That said, whatever period you choose for your Andalusia tour, I advise you to book your hotels as soon as you have fixed the dates and itinerary for your road trip.

This is how you access the biggest offer and the best plans. In fact, if you do it at the last minute, the risk is that the good, best located and cheapest hotels are already full. You will be left with a smaller supply.

To select my hotels, I favored certain criteria such as a very good location, cleanliness, the presence of parking and wifi. It was my basic criteria, but for the majority, I could see that they had even more advantages like the swimming pool,…

• Grenade : Hotel Marinetto - 43 € per night with breakfasts
• Cordoba:  Hotel Palacio del Corregidor  - 36 € per night without breakfast
• Seville: Hotel Don Pedro Palace House - 80 € per night + 20 € parking outside the hotel
• Cadiz :  South Patagonia Hotel - 83 € per night with breakfasts
• Arcos de la Frontera :  Hotel Posada de las Cuevas - 62 € with breakfasts
• Ronda :  Hotel Andalucia - 47 € per night with breakfasts
• Grenade : Carlos V Hotel - 98 € for 2 nights without breakfasts

The total hotel budget for my tour in Andalusia came to €459 for 8 nights, which brings the cost of accommodation to 229 Euros per person because I am traveling as a couple.

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