Itinerary and Tickets for Alhambra

Hello! There are a number of fascinating sights and points of interests on the route between Barcelona and Granada. Here are a few in the general area of the route I think that you are taking:

Poblet Royal Monastery - a UNESCO World Heritage Site and still active 12th-century Cistercian monastery. It was a fortified medieval royal residence and contains the unique hanging tombs of the old Kings of Aragon.

Castillo de Miravet - A large riverside stronghold built by the Knights Templar with commanding views of the countryside. The adjacent medieval village spills down the cliff towards the rivers. A great place to kayak or take a leisurely boat down the Ebro river.

Peñíscola - With its cobbled streets and whitewashed houses, the old town of Peñíscola sits on a big rock that juts out into the sea. The town is dominated by a large Knights Templar castle that looks like something out of the Crusades. Recently, Peñíscola was used as a filming location in the T.V. series Game of Thrones.

Albarracín - voted the most beautiful village in Spain, picturesque Moorish fortifications surround this medieval pink-hued village. Was once the capital of it's Berber taifa kingdom, currently in the works of becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cuenca - from Valencia, you can do a day trip to this unique medieval town hanging from a steep cliff-side, the whole town has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The surrounding Serrania de Cuenca National Park is a haven for the mighty Griffon vulture and other raptors.

Palmeral de Elche - one of the largest historic palm groves in the world, dating back to the Moorish times, designated a UNESCO Site. The Palm forest is surrounded by the town of Elche, one of the oldest in Spain, with much Iberian and Hellenistic archaeology.

Carlos, thank you for your detailed reply.
I didn't note we would take the Cistercian Route from Taull to Tarragona which takes in this monastery plus two others.
I thought about the Castillo de Miravet but we have seen castle and will see several more in the coming three months.
Peniscola just don't fit into our available time.
Albarracin we will add a day to our itinerary. I had this city hi lighted in our LP Spain but decided against it because of time but after your suggestion have added it to our travels.
Palmeral de Elche we may add as part of our drive to Catagena. However, we definitely want to take the time to visit Xativa so it will all me a matter of available time.

Do you know, are the Palmeral de Elche located outside the city? I am assuming they are but would like to know for a fact.

Glad you added back Albarracin, it definitely has a wow factor when I visited it back in December!

Regarding the Palmeral de Elche, most of the historic Palm orchards are actually located within Elche itself, mainly on the east bank of the Vinalopó river, which runs through the town. However there are numerous palm groves that have sprouted up around the town too. There is also a local archaeological museum adjacent to the Palmeral, If you have some spare time.

I didn't have to add it back; I already have it for a night. However, its on our route from Morocco to Zaragoza, Spain and near another stop for us: Teruel, Spain. I knew it sounded familiar to me when I read your post, just didn't check our preliminary itinerary on this section of our travel.

I just returned from Spain and input from Carlos and Enric was so helpful.
And also the helpful suggestions of others, this forum is great.

Ronda (touristy but worth it) and Setenil de las bodegas
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2018/10/day-35-ronda-and-setenil-de-las-bodegas.html
Antequera (less touristy), nice town and to visit El Torcal Park (spectacular)
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2019/03/trapani-october-2016-trip-report.html
We spent 6 weeks in Andalucia last autumn, scroll down to see the various stages
https://www.sloweurope.com/community/threads/two-months-around-andalucia-2018.4178/