Good base for visiting southern spain

Do not bother with a day trip to Tangier. You see the absolute worst of the country and waste a day - and if your trip is just 11 days, you have no time to spare. A "day trip" to Tangier is exactly like having a week-long vacation in Los Angeles and taking a "day trip" to Tijuana because you want to "see Mexico". You get a grotesque, phony, manufactured-for-tourists show, and you never get to see the real country. Morocco is wonderful (for that matter, so is Mexico - but you wouldn't know it by spending 4 hours in Tijuana). Tangier for a few hours is a mistake. Save Morocco for another trip when you can actually see place and do it justice.

About your trip and the time you spend in generally: start by being honest with yourself. How many full days do you really have there? Hint: When most people say "we have an 11 day trip" they are engaged in a bit of willful self-deception. Maybe you're taking 11 days off work, or your vacation is 11 days from the time you lock your front door and head to the airport to the time you arrive back home. If that's the case, you probably have about 8 or at most 9 usable days on the ground in Europe. So, ask yourself this: how many days do you have in Spain, not including the day you arrive there on a flight, nor the day your depart for home (no matter what time those flights are - because those days are not usable)?

Spain is a big country - much larger than many Americans realize - and it takes longer to get between many places than one might first guess.

I haven't explored Tarifa properly but what I have seen of it didn't impress me although we have only driven through the town and to the port. It has a very industrial and grim appearance, not somewhere that I'd like to spend some time.

We spend a lot of time in Estepona and Marbella. Both are typical Costa Del Sol resorts although more upscale than the likes of Torremolinos, Benalmadena or Fuengirola so whilst not particularly stunning they are ideal places to stay and relax and also to use as a base for exploring. Both have a delightful old town, Marbella's is more compact and maze like whilst Estepona's has a more open feel and it is right by the sea. If I had to choose between the two then Estepona would probably be my choice, but not by much.

Ronda is easily accessible from Estepona and Marbella along with the Pileta Caves and well worth a visit. Gibraltar appeals to some people, I'm not a fan and neither am I a fan of Tangier. It's not a good representation of Morocco, some people compare it to visiting a border town in Mexico, it's dirty, unattractive and with little of interest. I suspect most people visit just to say that they've been to Africa. In my opinion it's a waste of a precious day. We went in April but we've been visiting the Costa Del Sol pretty much every year for a number of years so we thought we'd give it a try. My recommendation is to avoid it and spend more time exploring Spain.

I agree with the others on Tangiers, if your goal is to minimize travel time, then doing a day trip to Tangiers from Spain is not the way to go.

For a town that is close-ish to the water and has plenty of character and charm, you may want to consider Jerez? About 1 hr south of Sevilla by train, Jerez's old quarter is dominated by the Alcázar de Jerez, an 11th century Moorish fortress. Another highlight of the town is the Royal Andalucian School of Equestrian Art, which is a famous riding school complete with a museum and "horse dancing" shows. The city is also famous for it's Sherry Wine, which gets its namesake from the town's name "Jerez".

Close by is the ancient port town of Cádiz, which is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Western Europe (even older than Rome!) At the Archaeological Museum of Cádiz you can find various artifacts from the early Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Roman periods from the city's history. A few thousand years later, during the Age of Exploration, Cádiz was the home port of Spain's Imperial Fleet.

Cadiz, Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada.. Skip Tangier and Gibraltar and concentrate on beautiful Andalusia.

I agree that you probably don't have time for Tangier, but not that either Tangier or Tarifa are as bad as described above. Tarifa has a small old town, perfectly nice for spending a night or two before or after the ferry crossing. It's also a destination for windsurfers, but maybe not a typical destination for relaxing. Tangier's infrastructure has been upgraded by the new king in many ways, including diverting a lot of port activities further east, a new access path/stairway to the Kasbah, grass in the parks, etc. As in the larger, grander cities of Morocco, a licensed, private guide can be helpful to navigate to the specific sights that interest you.

You didn’t specify a time of year or how you’re getting around. Of the locations you stated, Estepona would be ok. Although the Costa del Sol is not my favorite it is worth visiting. Estepona is fairly close to Ronda and the white villages. Cueva de la Pileta was impressive but check its hours and how one gets there if using public transportation. Years ago, one had to have a car since it isn’t in a town. I haven’t been to Tarifa in years. If you wanted a place further away, then either Cadiz or Rota (across the bay from Cadiz) might work for you. Cadiz is a city while Rota is a town. One can take a ferry between the two, and Jerez would be a nice day trip from either. If you go to Ronda, Sentenil de las Bodegas just north of it is interesting and worth a short visit. It would be a shame not to visit Gibraltar if you’re that close to it. It’s worth a few hours and gets very busy during the summer months.

Tarifa isn't a dump, but nor is it particularly worth visiting in it's own right for someone with limited time. It's moderate attractions such as a castle and a small old town are good, but those things are two a penny in Andalucia. And those other places are more convenient to get to; whereas Tarifa is in the arse end of nowhere. Unless you're determined to day-trip to Africa (or go windsurfing), I wouldn't bother with Tarifa.

Where are you coming from before these 3 nights and going to afterwards? That might help decide where to choose. For example, though not a quiet village by any means, Malaga might be better for connections for days out - Gibraltar (fantastic, a must see) and Ronda (quite nice) are easy journeys. Malaga itself is on the seaside, pleasanty foodie & has some good sights - but it is certainly not a small, pretty village - but it has good connections to the rest of Spain which might be important depending on your wider plans.