So, somehow I got the idea that a high speed train would take 3-4 hours to get to Granada from Valencia. Not true - more like 7-8 hours (if someone has more info on the trains that would be helpful, that would be great). Our new plan involves renting a car in Valencia and driving to Granada. We were planning on renting a car in Granada anyway so we could explore the region between there and Seville which is where we will return the car. Does anyone have recommendations/suggestions about the ‘best’ routes that would be reasonable time-wise but also scenic with nice pull over towns? Any additional advice is welcome also! Thank you!
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Mid-Atlantic area
8752 posts
There is no best route.
1. Head west from Valencia and once reaching Manzanares, turn south to Granada. Manzanares, Jaén, and Úbeda are all worth walking around. Manzanares is about the mid-way point. There really isn’t much between Valencia and Manzanares.
2. Head southwest towards Yecla, then Baza, on to Granada. That area is fairly dry if I remember correctly. For me, this is the least interesting drive.
3. Head southwest towards Yecla, but slightly past it turn south towards Murcia, then on towards Lorca, then over to Baza and Granada. Murcia was nice to walk around for a couple hours. Lorca has a castle.
Once away from the coast you’ll notice how dead some of the small interior villages are. You’ll see many for rent and sale signs as the population has moved to the larger cities and coast. Traffic is light once away from the cities, but ensure you stay at or just under the speed limit. There are plenty of speed cameras.
Whichever route you decide to take, once you have an idea of where you might stop for a break, look up parking lots in those places and bookmark them to which navigation app you use so you can go right to them. Each of the routes I mentioned will take about 5.5 hours without stops.