Opinions

All I can say is-driving in Spain is easy and enjoyable whether on smaller roads or their ‘freeway system’. We drove from Barcelona, through Andorra, across France, then down to San Sebastián and Bilbao. Then we traversed back to just south of Barcelona before ending our trip.

Might be practical to train to Toledo and rent the car there so the immediacy of jet lag doesn’t cause a bad driving time from Madrid to Toledo. You can get some rest on the train!

Even with a car, it seems you have a number of one night stays which don’t allow for time to see those cities, but that might be on purpose?

Spain is really fun. You’ll enjoy the time.

We needed a car for northeastern Spain a few years ago. On an earlier trip, in Andalusia, we had a car on the middle part of the trip. From what you describe, and without analyzing every bit day by day, my initial suggestion is to reach Toledo by train. I haven’t been to Úbeda, but you might want a car.

Seville was no place for a car. We stayed in the old part of town, and parked our rental car in a lot at the edge of town for several days.

Are your dates set? In order to avoid renting a car more than once, what about going from Madrid to Toledo by train, then on to Cordoba by public transport, then to Seville still without a car, but then renting your car when you’re ready to depart Seville? We had a car to explore Ronda and the area (from near Malaga), but then you could drive towards Granada, then Úbeda, then Valencia. Maybe you won’t want/need a car in Granada itself, so paying to park might still be involved at some point.

We’ve flown into Madrid then drove to Toledo for a night to get over the flight. It’s about an hour’s drive. In Toledo we stayed at Hotel María Cristina since it has its own parking garage. It is not in the historic center, but is easy to get to. The historic center is about a 10-15 minutes walk from the hotel and you can take the escalator (Escalera mecánica del Parque Recaredo) up the hill.

Since Úbeda is less than a three hours drive from Toledo you’d have time for a few stops en route. I always suggest Consuegra with its castle and windmills, Campo de Criptana for its windmills mentioned in Cervantes’ Don Quixote, and Belmont castle.

I can’t speak to using trains or busses since I always get a rental car. Look for lodging that has parking. Expect to pay 15-20€ per night for parking in cities. We’ve been to Spain so often we seldom go into larger cities any more and parking in the smaller towns is generally free.

Since you will have driven down through Úbeda, to prevent backtracking, for your night partway between Granada and Valencia, consider Murcia. It’s worth about a half day visit. An alternative is Lorca. There is a castle there and beside it at the top of the hill is the Parador (hotel). It might be worth looking into. If you enjoy castles, en route to either place is Vélez-Blanco Castle. It might be a good place to take a break and walk around the small town.

Slow down.
Spend 3-4 nights per location.
España will be there for your next visit.

I would take trains to most of your destinations. You can rent a car to drive to Ronda and explore the white towns. You do not want to drive in the cities you are visiting. And if you leave your car in a parking garage for several days, isn’t that a waste of money? The trains and ALSA buses in Spain are wonderful. On time, dependable, clean, comfortable. Personally, I think having a car in this part of Spain would be very stressful except for the hill towns.

Stay inside Cordoba. It’s a wonderful small city with narrow lanes, white-washed buildings, patios, flowers. I really think you will miss a lot by not staying inside Cordoba.

And Malaga is wonderful! We spent 2 nights here and I wish we had an extra night. The coastal ambience is wonderful and different from all the inland cities you are visiting. There is a lot to see and do in Malaga. Such as the walk uphill to the Alcazaba, the Castillo, Cathedral, Atarazanas Mercado, seaside promenade where you can have drinks and watch the sunset.

I would spend 4 nights in Seville. A beautiful city with plazas, fountains, parks, and lovely architecture. And many interesting and important sites to visit.

And please don’t depend only on Rick’s guidebook. I recommend also using Lonely Planet, Michelin Green Guides, Rough Guides, and Fodors. Rick treats Malaga like it is nothing more than a transportation hub, and that is the furthest from the truth.

If you reshuffle your route, you could minimize car-rental duration.
Specifically, I would start with Madrid-Toledo-Cordoba-Seville all by train.
And rent a car for Seville - Ronda - Málaga - Granada - úbeda - Valencia.

If you follow that order, no need to break the drive between Ubeda & Valencia. Instead you could spend a second night in Ubeda to have time for nearby Baeza, or Sierra de Cazorla if you want more nature.

I would go with trains. Most of your trip you will be staying in cities where parking will be a problem. Also, traffic is a pain.

Traffic is only a pain in the cities. Once away from them it is fairly sparse. In rural areas one can drive for a while without seeing another vehicle. Remember to drive at or below the speed limit to avoid getting a ticket. Traffic cameras are all over, especially entering and leaving cites, towns, and villages.