Advice for 3 days in Andalucia (Next Week!)

hey hey ajfrontier
i would really see if you will need and IDP to drive in spain. some rental car companies ask some don't but if a cop stops you for any reason on the road they will ask and if no a $$$ fine. translation of your driver's license, need both to drive
go to a aaa.com office, worth any headaches to spend $20-25 and 2 passport size photos for each driver, pick up same day.
euroweeklynews.com IDP for spain: yes or no?
booking.com for hotels, what's left to choose from, really late but i'm sure you will find something even though may be slim pickens.
look for a place that has parking, may be further away and probably a daily rate. remember check-in times 3-4pm check-out 10-11am
enjoy & have a great time happy holidays/gobble gobble
aloha

I think you’re trying to see too much with too little time. Granada to Vejer de la Frontera is about a 3.5 hours drive, while the drive to Madrid from either Cádiz or Arcos de la Frontera is about 6.5 hours. Then there’s the drive getting between Vejer to Ronda, to Arcos, to Cadiz which will be about 3 hours since you won’t be driving very fast; about 40mph. That affords very limited time at any of the places you want to visit.

If you’re determined to effect that itinerary you could drive Granada to Vejer then on to Cádiz and spend a night. Then, drive up Arcos and over to Ronda where you could spend the second night. There wouldn’t be much time to stop and visit other white villages. That would leave a 6 hour drive to Madrid’s airport via mostly highway type roads.

No matter which order you visit places, you will use about 13 hours of your time driving between places. Keep in mind that sunrise is about 8;10am and sunset right now is about 6:10pm. You, not being familiar with the roads, I advise against driving on the more rural roads at night. Arrive at your lodging during daylight hours since hotels are not always well marked and are not lit up like in the states.

If you weren’t dead set on seeing the places you mentioned you could visit alternative locations, all heading in the direction of Madrid, and cut out a lot of travel time. Possble places could include Jaén, Cuenca, and Toledo. Stops en route could be Consuegra with its castle and windmills, Campo de Criptana with its Don Quixote windmills, and Belmonte and Chinchón with their impressive castle and Plaza Mayor, respectively.

I'd lean on jaime's excellent advice -- he has driven all over. My last visit to Spain was a driving trip and some of the drives can be loooong and boring. I would concentrate on finding the places that are closer to your starting and ending points to really maximize your time enjoying (and minimize driving). I am sure there are many near Granada worth exploring.

Do you have tickets for the Alhambra? I would not rent the car and take the train or bus to Cordoba and Seville.

Thanks everyone! I am taking lots of notes.

To clarify- we have train tickets from Madrid to Granada, and tickets for the Alhambra on Thursday. Then Friday-Sunday is currently open, planning train Granada to Madrid Sunday PM/ Monday AM.

So, we are hoping to drive in some kind of three-day loop from Granada to see ???? I listed some places that looked appealing, but happy to hear any recommendations for how to spend that time, and where to stay along the way.

My daughter has already visited Seville and Cordoba this fall, but no Pueblos Blancos and not Cadiz or Malaga.

Priego de Cordoba is an attractive provincial town. Photos -- Priego de Cordoba. It's a viable substitute for Vejer de la Frontera, I think, and is a 60-90 minute drive from Granada. (There's bus service, but I assume that would be slower.)

Ubeda and Baeza are striking Renaissance cities that look very different from the white-cube architecture prominent elsewhere in Andalucia. Ubeda's less than 2 hours from Granada by car. It's also known for ceramics.

I think you could craft a loop trip encompassing Priego de Cordoba and Ubeda since you'll have a car. Also be aware that there is more to see in Granada than just the Alhambra (where I spent well over half a day). I don't know when you're arriving in Granada, but you could spend part of your weekend time there.

ViaMichelin.com will plot a driving route for you. If you zoom way in on the resulting map, the most scenic roads will be outlined in green.

I am not as familiar with Granada's surroundings, but I have found this website helpful in the past: https://www.andalucia.com/province/granada/home.htm
First decide the distance you want to drive per day, then I am sure you will find some special places to explore to take best advantage of having a car.
To Ronda is only two hours, so that would make a nice base--I don't think I'd take on multiple bases with three days. Good luck!

In the initial entry it wasn’t stated that you’d be returning to Granada and taking the train back to Madrid. Therefore, disregard what I said about Toledo, Cuenca, and Jaén. That may save a couple driving hours that will replaced with the train, but still a very busy itinerary.

Acraven’s suggestions of Úbeda and Baeza is nice. I haven’t been to either, but will be visiting them Spring 2026. Choices, choices.

Thank you to everyone! Based on all advice, we will stay 2 days (1 night) in Granada and then 2 days in Ronda. Have not 100% decided what we're doing, but we have lots of great options thanks to this thread, and I always prefer to keep options open. LOVE the recommendation for the Michelin Map.
My daughter really wants to get to the water- is Marbella recommended? It looks reasonable from Ronda and Granada.

Not a good time to swim, but to get close to the water head south from Granada to Motril, then follow the coast all the way past Marbella before taking the A-397 north to Ronda. Along the coast there is a coastal (slower) road or a highway. I believe the highway is a toll road.

A place that had a nice large beach is Salobreña, near Motril, but there is no shortage of places to stop at traveling the coastal route.