Advice Regarding Pueblos Blancos

Perhaps then with just 2 nights.

Day
1. (Pick up car in Granada) Drive to Ronda (2N)
2. Excursion to Grazalema & Zahara
3. Drive via Jerez de la Frontera to Sevilla (Return car in Sevilla)

Pueblos Blancos is such a generic term, there are thousands of white washed houses in Andalusia, just driving along the coast road west from Malaga all the way to Gibraltar you will see them all perched up in the mountains and along the coast (along with all the other developments the Costa Del Sol is famous for). You could spend months visiting all the 'Pueblos Blancos', it's not a particular area in Andalusia but rather a traditional style of building. It's akin to say you're going to England to see the Thatched Cottages.

You're concerned about crowds but many of these villages are simply residential villages, with a few shops, bars etc. There will not be any crowds but likewise you might be wondering why you're there. Ronda for example will be busy because it's a very attractive and historic town, you'll have to visit in winter to be guaranteed a visit free of crowds but if you drive several miles out of Ronda you'll come across other villages full of whitewashed buildings that will almost feel that you have them to yourselves.

What is it about the Pueblos Blancos that interests you? Is it particular towns and villages that you've read or heard about or is it that you're simply interested in seeing the traditional whitewashed buildings?

Yes, rent the car in Granada and return it in Sevilla. There's no benefit to dropping it in Jerez. You have plenty of options for the pueblos blancos. You will go past Antequera - consider stopping outside the town to see the prehistoric dolmens (closed on Mondays). I like to base in Ronda, which has lots to see (bullring & museum, the bridge and gorge, medieval section, quirky museums, plus a good selection of restaurants. You can explore some of the small pueblos on the way to Ronda, and on leaving Ronda. You could stop in Arcos last on the way to Sevilla though if it's Feria you may have trouble finding a parking place. Get good directions for the car return in Sevilla - it's kind of a maze of highways to get into town. I'd take a taxi from the rental agency rather than try to drop luggage and passengers before returning the car.

BTW I'd have recommended Ronda over Arcos in any case.

Thank you, all. Yes, we have some particular towns we wish to see. We will be starting in Ronda, and going to Setenil de las Bodegas, then probably Olvera, Zahara de la Sierra, Grazalema and Ubrique. Originally we were going to make our way to Arcos at the end of the route, but due to the Feria, I think we will avoid that and see if we can stop there the next day on our way to Sevilla. The crowds I was referring to were the Feria crowds in Arcos. Our route is sort of a circular route, I think, so maybe we will stay our second night in Ubrique or even Ronda. I guess we will keep the car until Seville. Does anyone know of a good location to drop the car that would be on our way? We really didn't want to drive IN the city!

Hi Tracy, before deciding to skip Arcos because of the Feria, check some of their previous year’s programs. We were planning to stay in Frigiliana (lovely Pueblo blanco village) for four nights last year, but I found out a few months before our trip that nearby Nerja was having their Feria while we would be there, so I moved us to a hotel on their main plaza. We really enjoyed watching some of the local events, I.e. Miss Spain and local Nerja Queen crowning new Feria Queen, kids’ show, amazing fireworks and light show. But, it wasn’t so crazy that we couldn’t enjoy our other planned activities.

If you decide to stop there the day after the Feria, many shops may be closed as it’s the day to recover from the Feria.

I am doing a very similar route next month, and have arranged to drop the car at the airport in Seville (SVQ). It's a few miles outside of the city, and should avoid driving in town.

We did the opposite route last October and chose to use Grazalema as our base city. Our two night stay at La Mejorana was just the experience that we wanted. A word of caution...be very aware of the speed trap cameras outside of Granada. Enjoy your trip!

I don't remember it being that obvious from Rick's book, but Arcos and Ronda are not at all alike. While I love Ronda, and consider it a better "base" location than Arcos, Ronda is much bigger and much more 20th Century. There's plenty of history in Ronda, but there's also more of "today". Ronda is probably more crowded, but we loved staying at the Parador (expensive, parking fee) for three nights with our car. The evening "Passeggiata" (what's the Spanish word?) after the day-trippers had left was very pleasant. Honestly, I would say that Arcos is also so well-touristed that it has a bit of the Disneyland feel of, say, Dinan, France. Rent the smallest car you can stand. We had to fold in both mirrors to get through street arches in Arcos.

We were going to stop at Zahara on the way from Arcos to Ronda. But when we got off the highway and I saw how far it was to Zahara, we decided to settle for the long-distance view. General Comment on Rick Steves routes in all countries: The "attraction" is always 20 to 30 minutes off the highway, on slower, local roads. And you have to search for a parking place when you get there. (Opinion.)

Thank you, everyone for the great advice!