12 Day trip to southern Spain in March

How you (or AI) picked the places on the list as well as the route is very arbitrary. Even within the list the placement of places to visit is arbitrary. If you followed what’s written you’d spend more time backtracking to get to places than spending at places. Many place names are misspelled. You should rework the route and itinerary for everything between the Sevilla flamenco show and the drive to Madrid.

The itinerary doesn’t consider time to get to places or the time you’d spend at places. Essentially, it’s unrealistic.

No idea how you get to Malaga as it isn’t stated. The Alcazaba in Malaga isn’t a palace. Unless you kite or wind surf, that you probably wouldn’t be doing in March, there’s no reason to visit Punta Paloma. If you want to eat at Sobrino de Botín in Madrid, you’ll need reservations a couple months in advance.

I think you've got some incredibly short planned stops--too short to be worthwhile, I'd say. This is what it comes down to:

Toledo: A few hours on your arrival day (jetlagged? sleep-deprived?). I love Toledo, but I'd skip it here.
Cordoba: 1 full day. You're driving there late on your arrival day. Will you be a safe driver at that point?
Seville: 1-1/2 days (largest city south of Madrid; this is very short)
Jerez: A few hours
Arcos de la Frontera: A few hours (probably sufficient time)
Cadiz: A few hours (and overnight)
Vejer de la Frontera: A few hours (probably sufficient time)
Ronda: A few hours
Punta Paloma: A few hours
Marbella: A few hours
Grazalema: A few hours (sufficient time)
Zahara de la Sierra: A few hours (sufficient time)

The routing over the next few days is unclear, but you have 4 days for Malaga, Granada, Caminito del Rey, Nerja and a hike in the Sierra National Park. That isn't crazy-short, but the Alhambra is a large complex, not a single building. I spent well over half a day there, so I am doubtful about doing a rural hike the same day.

Madrid: half a day and overnight

Keep in mind that parking is challenging in most historic European cities. If you're staying in centrally located hotels, you may have to park some distance away, and you may be slowed by traffic congestion and narrow streets on your way into and out of town. Using the car will not be as easy as you are probably assuming.

As for traveling without lodging reservations: I can't say that it won't work, because it depends on your precise timing and itinerary, but Easter is April 5. The week before Easter is Holy Week, which is A Very Big Deal, at least in Seville and Cadiz. Andalucia is extremely popular that week. Your exact dates of travel matter a lot. In 2019 I had trouble finding a Holy Week room in Seville even booking 4+ months ahead of time. I had to settle for a 2-week minimum-cancelation period, and the hotel rate was at least double the usual.

ACraven,

Thanks for your helpful response.
I will adjust according to your suggestions.

Toledo: Skip.
Cordoba: Drive directly from Madrid
Seville: I'll add a day to make it 3 days/nights
Jerez: A few hours
Arcos de la Frontera: A few hours (probably sufficient time)
Cadiz: A few hours (and overnight)
Vejer de la Frontera: A few hours (probably sufficient time)
Ronda: A few hours
Punta Paloma: A few hours.
Marbella: A few hours
Grazalema: A few hours (sufficient time)
Zahara de la Sierra: A few hours (sufficient time)

As per your suggestion, I will add a day making it 5 days in Malaga, Granada, Caminito del Rey, Nerja and a hike in the Sierra National Park. And I would appreciate recommendations for the routing of the trip to make it more efficient. It looks like some doubling back is unavoidable.

Madrid: As per your suggestion, it is probably more realistic to just spend an overnight and catch the plane the next morning.

Our exact timing is March 20th - 31st. We will also book ahead as I become more comfortable with the exact timing of the trip.

Why are you driving? You've been to Madrid. Have you been to any of the other places? Have you driven in Spain? Are you arriving jetlagged and sleep-deprived? Driving like that is like driving under the influence. Trains are fast, comfortable and convenient. Parking is very limited and very expensive in city centers hotels in the center may not have parking. Also many of the streets are pedestrian-only or limited traffic zones. Do use a reliable app to check driving times on your route and make sure you know where you can park. IMHO you can more easily use trains from Madrid airport to Cadiz, if you delay Arcos until you pick up a car in Cadiz. How many days/nights are you allowing from Cadiz to Malaga? I tried to put them in reasonable order without backtracking: Cadiz, Vejer, Punta Paloma, Marbella, Ronda, Grazalema, Zahara, Malaga. Google maps says 7.5 hours driving time - not counting traffic and parking time.

Semana Santa starts on Sunday, March 29. This week is HUGE in Andalucia. They will start closing main streets in the centers and especially those accessing the cathedrals and erecting spectator stands beforehand.

I suspect that if you don't have hotel reservations, you'll end up paying top dollar at large impersonal hotels that have parking but aren't in the historic centers.

I think you are probably underestimating driving times and the hassles that you’ll face with parking in most locations. Usually you can find parking, but it’s not always easy which means you might spend a lot of time driving around looking for a space. At busy times (eg Semana Santa) some car parks will be full.

The drive from Madrid’s airport to Córboa is 4.5 hours minimum. Once south of Madrid the drive is all freeway, but not very scenic, and one could get lulled to sleep. There are very few rest stops along the route. As someone who always rents a car in Spain, being tired after a long flight and driving that distance isn’t recommended. You could drive to Toledo, a 1.5 hours drive from the airport, see the town and spend the night to get over jet lag. That’s very doable. Then, get an early start to Córdoba the following morning. The drive to Córdoba from Toledo is 3.5 hours taking the CM-42 to the E-5.

From Córdoba there’s no way to avoid going a little out of the way to see the places you list. I’ll suggest a route something like Córdoba to Ronda, Grazalema, Zahara de la Sierra to Sevilla. Then, Sevilla to Arcos de la Frontera, Jerez de la Frontera, and Cádiz. From Cádiz, head to Vejer de la Frontera, Punta Paloma, then over to Marbella and on to Malaga. The drive from Malaga to Granada is all highway and Nerja is between the two. You could make the Los Cohorros hike en route, or from Granada. The route to the hike trailhead is about a .5 hour drive from Granada. Granada back to Madrid’s airport will be closer to 4.5+ hours especially if you arrive in Madrid during rush hour.


if you’re set on Caminito Del Rey then it should be done between Córdoba and Ronda (if going by my route). One can get a good feel for Zahara de la Sierra, Grazalema, Vejer, and Arcos in an hour each if you run short on time. Unless things have changed, there’s little at Punta Paloma other than the beach, but it is a pretty beach. Winds can be very strong which is why it is popular with the wind/kite surfers.

I feel your itinerary still doesn’t take into account the time it will take getting to the places you want to visit, or the time it will take to see what you want to see. Prioritize the most important places you want to visit so you know before the trip which to drop if you need to drop something.

Parking in the small villages shouldn’t be an issue and generally free, but could be a pain in the large cities. Once you know where you’re lodging, look up parking areas/garages near them if the lodging doesn’t offer parking. You can expect daily parking rates anywhere from 15€-25€. Large city parking will be at the high end of those rates. There are free lots is most cities but you need to know where they are as they are seldom marked. There may be a short (10-15 minutes walk) from them to the historic center, but they can save you some money over a long trip. You can search for them on Google maps, then bookmark them.

Rent the smallest car to will fit everything you’ll have since there are many narrow streets in some of the places you’re going. Also, older (built pre-1990) parking garages, especially the underground ones, were not built for today’s larger cars. Maneuvering in them can be very difficult with a worst case being your rental won’t fit at all. Look at photos of garages before going over to get a feel for them.

I'd take the train to Cordoba and, after your stay there, take the train to Sevilla.
After you check out of your Sevilla hotel, rent a car at the train station and continue on with the trip.

You should have a car if planning to visit Vejer, and I imagine it's a lot easier to visit the other small villages with a car, rather than have to time your visit to the bus schedules. I'll be there in March, too. That's an ideal month for this region.

Most hotels have some arrangement for parking, whether it's in a hotel lot, or a nearby garage. But I'd settle this before arrival.

You do need a car to visit Vejer. What I mean is that it's theoretically possible to get there by bus but they do not run often.

I visited Vejer by bus in 2019 but agree that a car would be handy for knocking off a bunch of small towns.

Jaime and EK,
Thanks that is very helpful.
We'll adjust and start out with the train to Cordova, and rent a car as we leave. Then follow the general route suggested by Jaime.

Certainly, some "stops" can be very quick stops. Others if my wife wants to wander, then we'll take more time at those.

Thanks for the help!

Just keep in mind that many things will be closed in the afternoons in the small towns.

Bring a jacket for Punta Paloma...it will be very windy.

I'm not sure how this would fit into your plan, but instead of Punta Paloma, you could visit Baelo Claudia which is a gorgeous wide, sandy beach with one of the highest sand dunes in Europe. It's also home to an ancient Roman site and has a lovely small museum. I'd highly recommend....you can drive there from Vejer...

https://www.andalucia.com/province/cadiz/bolonia/baelo-claudia.htm

Yea-
We will definitely go with the consensus and skip Punta Paloma.
If time permits, we will check out Baelo Claudia instead.