Andalusia driving route recommendations

Posted by Ken (Northern Georgia ) on 07/28/25 09:13 PM

We’re renting an Avis car in Sevilla to drive to Ronda in the Andalusia region and wondered if anyone has a recommended route to take? We’re planning to stay 2-3 nights in Ronda with visits to Arcos de la Frontera, Zahara, Grazalema, etc.

Background- seasoned Int’l travelers,late 60’s, physically mobile, prefer experiences (Food/wine, scenery, castles/mosques, flamenco, bullfighting) and fewer churches. We start our 16-day land trip after a 15-day cruise around Spain. This is a follow up to earlier post.

Posted by jaimeelsabio

Mid-Atlantic area

07/28/25 10:02 PM

7858 posts

There are basically two routes to get there. One is to head south and go to Arcos de la Frontera, then head east to Ronda. The other is to head southeast towards Olvera and Setenil de las Bodegas, then head south to Ronda. Which route you take depends on what you want to visit and when. Neither is better than the other.

One could depart Sevilla in the morning and visit Arcos, Zahara de la Sierra, and Grazalema en route to Ronda.

As an FYI, the distance between Zahara and Grazalema is short, but because of the twists and turns in the road going over the foothill, it takes a while.

Posted by GeoffB

State of Washington, USA

07/29/25 06:42 AM

302 posts

My wife and I, early/mid 60s, visted Andalusia region in Sep 2023. We rented a Budget(/Avis) car in Sevilla and drove to Ronda (3 stops enroute) and stayed 2 nights, and then to Granada (with 1 stop enroute). Details are in our trip report: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-spain-aug-sep-seville-ronda-granada-cordoba-madrid

Posted by Ken OP

Northern Georgia

07/30/25 05:46 PM

106 posts

Jaimeel and GeoffB, thank you for your posts and recommended routes to Ronda! I also appreciate the trip report, very detailed.

Do you recall any Olive groves or wineries on the drive to Ronda?

Posted by jaimeelsabio

Mid-Atlantic area

07/30/25 06:32 PM

7858 posts

Not en route to Ronda, but if you continue heading south past Arcos de la Frontera for another 30 minutes or so to Jerez de la Frontera there are a number of sherry bodegas one can visit, e.g., Osborne, Gonzàlez Byass, Williams and Humbert, etc. That region of Spain is known sherry, not wine.

From Jerez, Arcos de la Frontera is about a 30 minutes drive, so Jerez isn’t that far out of the way.

I know of no olive groves or producers in the area.

When I lived south of Sevilla in the late 1970s there was an olive oil plant just south of the city and every time we drove up to Sevilla the aroma of the pressed olives permeated the air when olives were being processed. Unfortunately, it had closed by the early 1990s.