Driving from Cadiz to Valencia or vice versa

Not all on the same trip, but yes. On my most recent trip it was essentially Cartagena to Málaga. I avoid the Costa Del Sol when possible as there is little of interest to me along it.

That being said, what’s your question regarding the route?

I realize that driving inland on the fastest routes would be a quicker way to move between the two cities, but on a map, the coastal route appeals to me. Question: which city/town would be an interesting overnight stay?

What time of year?

We drove from Cadiz to Gibraltar just for a day trip last month. We were advised by a local driver to avoid the coastal route this time of year because of beach traffic, so we drove up to Jerez and then across to Gib. I'd assume the same traffic would occur along the Costa del Sol.

Just be aware that driving that route might take longer than estimated depending on when you go.

May of 2027.

But that route..any of the options..is not going to take you along the coast on a beautiful drive with many sea views. You'll be close-ish to the sea from Cadiz to Malaga but even that road in mainly a big highway with few views of the sea...it's pretty ugly...the closer you get to Malagaa, the more you see big concrete high rises marring the landscape....

The parts of that route I know well are only the stretches between Cadiz and Tarifa and unless you get onto very small, secondary roads, you will not see the sea...

I'd do it as quick as possible in order to have more time in the actual destinations at either end....

For most of that drive there are actually a couple coastal routes; one being the autovia/highway that is slightly inland while the other skirts the coast and takes one through every small town. Along the southern route that would be the A-7/AP-7 highway and the N-340 two lane road through the towns. While both the A-7 and AP-7 are highways, the AP-7 is a toll road.

You can take a combination of the roads. Taking the old (before Spain had highways) N roads exclusively will make the drive significantly longer.

Places we enjoyed overnights at were Málaga and Almería. In Motril we stayed at a hotel by the beach and it was fine for a couple nights. There’s nothing of any real interest in the town itself except one church. In Mojácar, we also stayed at a hotel along the beach. That village, even though it is supposedly one of Spain’s prettiest villages, was overrun with tourists when we were there in May 2026.

Thanks for the thoughts. I should clarify that the towns I named in my original post were just placeholders to give an idea of the intended route. There is no need to drive through any of them. So old N roads close to the coast are what I am thinking of. No need to go fast, meandering and stopping frequently (much like wandering in a town centre), are what we do. Maybe it might take 3 days of travel? That's not a bad thing.