First stab at a Spain itinerary - input welcome

Looks good at first glance. You might want to visit only one white village; if it's near your route, I highly recommend Vejer de la Frontera. This is probably the most beautiful of all the white villages/towns, and one that draws far fewer tourists than Arcos, for example. It's under an hour drive from Vejer to Jerez. The other white village I would recommend, close to Vejer and on the route to Jerez, is Medina Sidonia--few foreign tourists go there so it's intact, largely without tourist shops, etc. Medina is famous for Andauz pastries, closely related to the pastries made during Arab occupation. Both Medina and Vejer have a castle. Vejer is a gastronomic center of the region and has many good restaurants, both in the town and nearby. If you want more information on either of those towns, I am happy to help. Both Vejer and Medina are hill towns, so parking is best on the roads that leads uphill into the towns.

https://www.andaluciamia.com/en/vejer-de-la-frontera-best-things-to-see-and-do/
https://www.cadizturismo.com/en/municipios/vejer-de-la-frontera

https://www.fionadunlop.com/blog/2024/10/medina-sidonia-phoenicians-romans-moors-great-tapas-and-pastries/

I can suggest some restaurants and such.

Madrid, La Latina, specifically:

• Alto Bardero
• La Musa
• Casa Gerardo
• Ástor
• Casa Lucas
• La Musa

Other parts of Madrid

• Bardero
• Casa Dani
• La Maruca - Velázquez
• Baldoria Madrid
• Mesón de las Delicias
• Bar Tribuetxe
• Motteau Pasteleria
• La Castela
• La Caníbal

Sevilla

• Bodeguita Romero
• El Favorito
• Vinoteca Lama La Uva
• Bodega Mateo Ruiz
• Fatouch
• Míng Chinese Restaurant
• Barra Baja Restaurante

We did like what you have planned for Cordoba. We stayed one night and saw the Mezquita and a horse show with dinner at a good restaurant next to the show arena
You can get in to see the Mezquita around 8 a.m. for free but need to leave before mass around 9:30. We did that and had plenty of time to see everything.

The horse show was really fun. Andalusian Horses and their riders preforming different types of dressage with flamenco and music. you can get tickets here www.cordobaecuestre.com.

We had dinner before the show at a restaurant right across the street, Mesón Puerta Real.

It seems to me that the day you take the train to Malaga, get to the Picasso Museum, visit the Picasso Museum, then pick up your rental car and drive to Ronda is a very long day. Sometimes it takes awhile to pick up your rental car especially if there are customers in front of you. Things always take longer than expected. I realize that everyone travels at different speeds but . . . it does not feel like a fun day to me. Much too rushed. If it were me, I would take a night from Ronda and spend that night in Malaga. Malaga is a wonderful city! There is so much to see and do there. We loved the walk to the top of the Alcazaba, with its lush flowers and greenery along the way, ruins of fountains and patios, the Nasrid Palace at the top, stunning views of the port and the Mediterranean, etc. There is the seaside promenade where you can have drinks overlooking the port at sunset. Visit the Atarazanas market. The Malaga Cathedral is gorgeous. The city center is so pretty.

What will you do with your luggage when you visit the Picasso Museum? It doesn't make sense to leave it in a locker at the Malaga train station since you aren't returning to the train station. Have you taken this into consideration?

You are wise to spend at least one night in Cordoba which is a beautiful city with its white-washed walls, narrow lanes, patios, and flowers. It would be even nicer to spend 2 nights in Cordoba, if you could take a night from somewhere else. The only other place I would take a night from is Jerez, but I haven't been there so my opinion is not based on first-hand experience. And you probably need that extra night to visit Cadiz for the day. However, there is more to see and do in Cordoba than just the Mezquita, which is amazing. The Alcazar gardens are beautiful; we loved the Palacio de Viana with its 12 patios; enjoyed exploring the Juderia, and wandering across the Roman Bridge in the evening. I realize that it's impossible to see everything.

I would not take any days away from Seville or Madrid.

Thank you to all who have responded. It's great input. Due to ekscrunchy's advice, I have reserved 3 nights in Vejer vs Jerez. I was not really happy with the stay in Jerez anyway - this was supposed to be our "relaxing" portion of the vacation. Originally we had planned to be in Nerja, but after reading up on that I decided it really wasn't our thing. I wanted a rural stay somewhere in Cadiz but wasn't able to find what I was looking for. I'm pretty happy with what I found in Vejer - La Casa del Califa, if anyone has any feedback.

Plectrude - thank you for the restaurant suggestions, I will check them out!

Barbjim1 - appreciate the tip on free admission to the Mezquita! That sounds like a good plan.

kmkwoo - I appreciate your input. The plan was to rent from the train station, but I can look at staying a night in Malaga, though truly our plan was to get to town, do the Picasso museum, the Alcazaba, and the cathedral. I don't want to take a night from Ronda as we'll only be arriving early evening. Maybe we can take a night from Vejer, though with one day in Cadiz, I'm not sure if that's doable. It's always so hard trying to choose! If I had my way, I'd stay a month, but my husband is not as much of a travel fanatic as I am, sadly. Anyway, I'm considering renting a car in Cordoba so we can get to Malaga earlier or staying in Malaga a night and removing a night from Vejer to accommodate more time in Malaga. Stay tuned...

The drive from Córdoba to Málaga is only a couple hours, so if you decide on a rental car, consider looking for a short stop someplace between the two locations; e.g., Antequera, El Torcal de Antequera, Parking Reserva Natural de la Laguna de Fuente de Piedra, Castillo fortaleza de Archidona, etc.

LA CASA DE CALIFA is very good. Just be aware that it's located on several levels and there are quite a few steps.
The owner, from Scotland, is a kind of Vejer legend, as he has a few hotels and a few restaurants. I had lunch at the main restaurant last week--EL JARDIN DE CALIFA. It's lovely (the pastilla was fantastic) and there is both indoor and outdoor space. I think you should reserve a table if you want to eat there. (Many steps take you there)

Parking is an issue, but there are large lots just below the town center, and also at least one underground garage very close to your hotel; I'm sure the hotel will advise on all of that.

Parking La Corredera
C/Corredera 18 B, 11150 Vejer de la Frontera (Cádiz)
+(34) 646 971 341
[email protected]

About ten minutes from the town is one of my favorite restaurants in the area, LA CASTILLERIA. You need to book in advance (you can do it online). It's well known for grilled meats, but they have some fantastic salads as well. It's a very pretty indoor-outdoor restaurant with trees growing up through the roof in the dining room and lots of plants. To get there, you turn off at Santa Lucia (signed) off the main Cadiz-malaga highway and go down a few miles past residences----you will think you are lost but just keep going and you will find it. There is a waterfall and the beginning of a walking trail just outside the restaurant.

https://restaurantecastilleria.com

Other mainstay for eating is VENTA PINTO, at the crossroads of the Cadiz Road with the roads to Barbate and to Tarifa; hyper-local Andalusia "venta," roadside inn, with huge menu served in the bar area and in the dining room. You should try their signature sandwich, Bocadillo de Lomo con Manteca Colora. (it's loin of pork pressed with Vejer's red lard into a roll (5 euro) and it's delicious! But they serve many others dishes..very casual; inexpensive. Probably not much English spoken but everyone super friendly.
Also nice shop next door with wines, cheeses and Andalusia pastries.

https://www.ventapinto.com

Very easy drive is the port of Barbate, one of the four ports where the almadraba takes place--the method of catching bluefin tuna in nets that has taken place since Phoenician times. Blue fin tuna is a BIG deal around here and you'll find it in many restaurants, and in every imaginable method of cooking, and also raw in sashimi, etc... If you like tuna, and all fish and shellfish, you can drive to Barbate and have lunch or dinner in EL CAMPERO; it's a legendary restaurant that even draws many Japanese for the tuna preparations..I eat in the bar but there is also a more formal dining room (formal for Barbate which is not really formal and certainly not stuffy at all-you can wear sneakers/jeans; true in all restaurants around there).

https://restauranteelcampero.es/barbate/

Barbate has a long sandy beach, but the entire coast around there is lined with sandy beaches including El Palmar de Vejer, just about 10-minute drive from Vejer. Many restaurants along that beach strip as well--also focusing on tuna other fish, and shellfish. If you've been to Sevilla and know the restaurant AZOTEA, they have a branch in El Palmar, facing the beach; open air, casual, very good food.....

https://chiringuito.laazoteasevilla.com/es/?

(Do not get confused--there are two AZOTEA'S in El Palmar--this is the one I know and like a lot and where I fell flat on my face last year in the middle of the dining area)

I guess I've rambled on for a very long time...! If you want to do a deep dive into restaurants around there, with general comments about food, etc.... you could take a look at these comments, from the past few weeks:

https://www.hungryonion.org/t/costa-de-la-luz-2026-vejer-de-la-frontera-barbate-conil-de-la-frontera-etc/47248

I am sure whatever you decide to do will work out. My husband and I are in our mid to late 70's so your trip seems rushed to us, but you are younger so I'm sure you have more energy than us. :-) If the daytrip to Cadiz is important to you, then you will need the 3 nights in Vejer. If we return to Spain, I would like to include Cadiz in our itinerary, too.

ekscrunchy - thank you so much for all the great info and recommendations. Definitely not too much - ramble away :) We did pay for parking at our hotel in Vejer.

kwkwoo - you are right that that portion of the trip is a bit rushed. I'm hoping it doesn't feel as rushed as it looks and that the 3 nights at most of the other places will provide a better pace. We are (hopefully) choosing quality over quantity in what we do at each location vs doing ti all. This is not a usual trip for us. We typically fly into a city, see some sights, then head out into the country, where we prioritize hiking and enjoying the different landscapes/views/food/wine. It is our first time going to so many cities in one trip. That is one of the reasons I chose to stay in smaller/more intimate "neighborhoods." It will be interesting!