Please sign in to post.

Recommendations for southern Spain off-season trip - update

Hi Forum friends,

I just purchased a flight to return to southern Spain early next year for two weeks. : ). It’s a round-trip ticket to Malaga. My husband & I had planned to go back to southern Spain next year for several weeks, and I feel like it’s something I would like to do as my first easy step back to traveling.

This is just my initial thoughts for the itinerary for a 2-week trip, but I’m wondering if four nights in Estepona might be too long, emotionally, this time. We loved Cadiz, but that city holds too many memories to consider for this trip. I’m not interested in Nerja. Any recommendations or other places that are still easy by either train or bus? I definitely want to keep four days for Sevilla. Thank you for your input! It’s always appreciated!

Update:
Land at Malaga around noon & train to:
Cordoba -3 nights
Sevilla - 3 nights
Marbella - 2 nights
Estepona - 2 nights
Malaga (dates may be lining up with their Carnaval) - 3 nights
Fly home from Malaga. Afternoon flight has an overnight at Schiphol.

Original draft:
1-night in Malaga (mainly in case the flights get delayed)
4-night at Estepona
4-night at Sevilla
2-night at Cordoba
A final 2-night at Malaga.

Posted by
4180 posts

My question is since Estepona is a beach resort town, won't it be kinda shuttered in the off season? I know our beach towns closer to Barcelona become ghosts towns from Dec-March, with a number of shops and restaurants closed for the season. Maybe some more nights in non-seasonal towns like Malaga or Cordoba would be good? Granada also seems like a good town to spend a few days in the winter, they actually have skiing in the Sierra Nevada around that time.

Posted by
7803 posts

Hi Carlos,

We were in Estepona for a week last February, and most of the restaurants were open, and the promenade was very nice to walk & bike. A few people were on the beach sand, but it wasn't too much suntanning weather - mostly just nice warmth to enjoy the town or play on the beach.

If I shorten the days in Estepona, I'm hoping for something coastal to still be walking/biking along the water.

Granada is a nice option for something inland - thanks!

Posted by
6471 posts

If I get back to southern Spain, two cities have been on my radar. Frigiliana and Marbella. Marbella is reachable from Malaga by bus. Frigiliana is known for a Moorish old town, and it looks similar to the Pueblos Blancos to me. I'm not sure about public transportation to Frigiliana.

If you haven't been to Cordoba, you could spend 3 nights there and not run out of things to do. It is a lovely city.

Posted by
7803 posts

Hi Jules, I haven’t been to Marbella. Any specific recommendations or ideas?

Frigiliana is a sweet spot to explore! It’s just a few minutes north of Nerja. We took the cheap 10-minute bus from Nerja to spend a lot of time taking gorgeous photos and have lunch there during our 2017 trip. In fact, one of the enlarged canvas photos on my home office wall is the bright white buildings with blue accents & greenery of a lane of Frigiliana.

We had an overnight in Cordoba during that trip, so I’m glad to hear you think these two nights will be a good choice!

Posted by
7803 posts

Thanks, Tinac! We’ve been to Malaga a couple of times and have done everything that’s outdoors on your list, plus a few museums & the cathedral. I am planning to see a couple more of museums during this trip, enjoy the food, and the cave in your link looks very interesting! Appreciate the details you shared!

Posted by
382 posts

Good to see you enjoyed Málaga. Although we stopped for a day on the way back to the airport on a recent trip to Andalusia (start of May) and were surprised by the hordes, no other word for it, of people around.
If you already know Málaga well, I'd stay longer in Cordoba. We stayed 4 nights and didn't get bored.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2019/01/free-things-to-do-in-andalucia-jaen.html?m=1
But I also remember you're ok with one night stops so maybe Antequera on the way to Cordoba and/or Écija/Carmona on the way to Seville?
Antequera is a favourite for us
I'd be inclined to choose new places rather than places which bring back memories, at least for the moment, but that's a very personal choice

Posted by
7803 posts

Tinac, the other locations you mentioned look very interesting! I will be traveling by train or bus, if needed. Do you know if they have public transportation to them? I’m not finding many options.

Posted by
382 posts

Hi Jean
Cordoba to Ecija is by ALSA bus, about 40 minutes, 4 buses a day.
In the evening the same bus continues to Carmona and then Sevilla
The Sevilla Carmona return is also served by frequent local buses, usually the M-124
This is the website for those: https://siu.ctas.ctan.es/es/index.php

This was our day in Ecija: https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2024/03/off-beaten-track-in-andalucia-ecija.html

Malaga Antequera is also by Alsa bus and the same bus goes on to Cordoba.
I'm sure about this but the Alsa website seems to not be working very smoothly today and all the options are not coming up.
From Antequera there's also a limited train service (Ave and Avant) which is a lot quicker but the railway station is less convenient to the centre (Google maps is good at showing the various options on these routes)

Posted by
7803 posts

Tinac, thank you for those helpful details & links!

Posted by
396 posts

You might consider Tarifa. We have not been to Marbella or Estepona but thoroughly enjoyed our time in Tarifa.

Posted by
7803 posts

Mml, that’s interesting. We stopped at Tarifa for three hours on our way from Estepona to Cadiz. Originally, I had planned for us to stay overnight. While we explored, we were glad that it was just a daytime stop on the route. What did you do during your days there?

Posted by
7157 posts

Jean, Good observation about Tarifa. It has no wow sites and is good for a very, very short visit.

Posted by
396 posts

Last September, we stopped in Tarifa for one day/night on a road trip through Andalucia. Agreed that there are no “wow sites” but that is in part why we found it a lovely, relaxing place to be. We enjoyed wandering around the charming old city and walking the beautiful beach. There happened to be a large, religious procession which was fascinating to observe…as well as for people watching. The view across the Straits of Gibraltar is awesome! And, lastly, our accommodation, The Riad, was exceptional. Tarifa seemed to us a to be a beautiful, comfortable place to spend more time.

Posted by
7157 posts

@Tinac - I will admit watching the windsurfing at Punta Paloma was interesting. When I lived in Spain decades ago that entire beach was deserted. It hadn’t yet been discovered. When I visited it in 1994 it was hard to find a place to park.

Posted by
996 posts

Hi Jean, great to see you're planning a new trip! I just wanted to add that I wouldn't skip Granada if you haven't been, book the Alhambra ahead of time of course, but I recall really enjoying the city, the street markets (OLIVES YUM) and just the ambience. According to Monty Don, BBC host, there are other amazing gardens in town but I couldn't find a link for you. (I biked around Andalusia decades ago, so my memories are pre-tourist boom.)

Posted by
7803 posts

Hi Sandanciso,

Appreciate the comments! I did stay several days in Granada when we were there in 2017 and agree that it’s a great place to visit!