Driving in Andalucia

Of those places, we've only driven to Ronda. We stayed at a hotel recommended in the RS guidebook in the old town and there was a free parking lot that was pretty close. We were able to park on the street to check in and drop off our luggage and then we drove to the parking lot.

The driving is the same as would be in the U.S. Coming from Malaga the terrain will become hilly and the roads will have plenty of twists and turns. Most will be two lane, some with shoulders while others will not have shoulders. Parking in the smaller towns won’t be much of an issue and should mostly be free. You will probably need to pay for parking in Ronda and possibly Jerez de la Frontera depending where in the towns you will be. I suggest looking up parking lots before going over so you can go straight to them rather than spending time looking for them. In Ronda we got discounted parking through the hotel we stayed at. You can assume overnight parking will be about 20€ +/- a night. Not knowing where you’re spending nights, look for hotels with free parking. I’ll suggest looking at the Paradors in Ronda and Arcos.

In Arcos de la Frontera there is a large lot at the bottom of the hill and for a less stressful visit, I suggest parking at it and either walking up the hill or taking the tram. Last time I was there, there was a small pay lot up the hill by Basílica de Santa María de la Asunción. It can get busy and fills up quickly. The road up the hill is straight and narrow and maneuvering in the lot isn’t too terrible. Most people have issues with driving down the hill. The road is equally narrow and has a couple 90 degree turns. If your rental car is too large, it will be difficult making the turns without scrapping the car on a building.

To add a note on Grazalema: there is a parking lot on a square in the village. It is well-signposted, and not too small, with overflow a bit further on along the road through the village. No real issue!
Do be careful on the road between Grazalema and Zahara de la Sierra if you are heading that way; it is narrow and winding.

Hello from Wisconsin,
I think jaimeelsabio above said it all quite well.

As for driving through Arcos de la Frontera. I grew up driving a gas truck into and out of customer's farm yards. The rule to follow in a narrow passage is to let the front end of your vehicle get as far forward as possible before making the turn. Of course you should have positioned yourself to the far right if turning left, and to the far left if turning right. Remember, other cars have made this passage before you. Take your time.

I would stay in Ronda and make day trip to the other places rather than moving almost nightly. The white villages have been transformed on their edges by massive condo building. Every Spaniard wanted to have a vacation residence during the housing boom. The Spanish boom was much larger than the one we experienced.

wayne iNWI

I have rented a car from Malaga a few times, and while I haven’t been to those locations I would say that basically the main highways are excellent but in small towns and villages it can get very narrow and a little tricky as you’d expect. Never had any problems parking anywhere even in peak summer season.

Arcos "downtown" has medival street plans and narrow arches to pass through, so a smaller car is essential if you do more than park in a peripheral lot. We paid off a Bogus Traffic Warden who presumably watched the cars, but who knows.

You don't mention Gibraltar, but I want to say that this was a long, tedious drive from Ronda for a daytrip. The highways were great, it was slower tractor-trailers that held us up. I don't mean to sound whiny, just reporting on the experience. Our (luxury) Pousada in Ronda charged 10 Euros a day or something for indoor parking. Do not underestimate how far it is to Grazalema and Jerez. We found Jerez underwhelming. You don't mention Seville, but a car is handy for Carmona and Italica. Not hand while in Seville, of course.

You will get slightly better advice if you give the month of travel.

Thanks for all the feedback. Sorry I didn't mention that we plan to be in Andalucia mid-February.