Roadtrip in Southern Spain (April 2026)

Malaga would be a good place to start, from there you can drive west/north for Granada, Cordoba, Ronda, Seville and points between.
I think you can forget hidden gems, however, they were all found ages ago.
You might find places like Arcos de la Frontera, Estepona, Jerez, less visited.

The drive east from Malaga to Salobrena along the coast is nice once you get past Torrox
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2024/04/off-beaten-track-in-andalucia-torroz.html
On the same trip we visited several less known towns and villages. Alhama de Granada is a lesser known village that isn't too touristy.
But if it's your first trip in the area I'd advise you to visit Cordoba-Granada-Sevilla.
Touristy, yes, but splendid

Two weeks will go by very quickly. If by southern Spain you’re referring to Andalucía then it is very large and can easily be divided into eastern and western halves. To me western Andalucía is roughly Malaga to the Portugal border while eastern is Malaga over to the Almeria area. Parts of Castilla y La Mancha, Extremadura, and a few others could also be considered southern Spain. An area not on most U.S. tourists radar is eastern Andalucía or anything west of Sevilla.

Other than the Costa Del Sol area many of the coastal villages will not have opened up for the tourist season. They will be quieter and with fewer tourists. There may also be fewer lodging and restaurant options.

You are correct that you don’t need a vehicle in larger cities and since you didn’t mention wanting to visit any in particular, I’ll assume you’d like to stick to smaller towns and villages. There are literally hundreds of small towns worth visiting although many don’t take long to see.

As one who always rents a car, I’d just get the vehicle in Madrid, hitting a few smaller towns while driving south. For example, Cuenca, Chinchón, Belmonte, Alarcón, Almagro, Campo de Criptana, Consuegra, and the list goes on. If heading south via Extremadura then there are Plasencia, Cáceres, Trujillo, Mérida, Guadalupe, Zafra, and that list goes on and on.

As mentioned, Malaga would be a good place to rent a vehicle as would Sevilla. Once you have a rough route planned out, research the towns along it. Some will have interesting surprises. You can also consult a list of Spain’s Prettiest Villages for the areas you’ll be in. I have no idea what the criteria is to be included on the list, but I agree with the majority of the ones I’ve visited.

Just to note that "after Easter" means before Seville April Fair. So do plan accordingly if you'll be in that area at that time. Next year, I think, Easter Sunday is 5/4 and Sevilla fair starts 21/4.

I'm not sure what your plan is. Do you want to include the major sights or concentrate on smaller places?

Just as a possible route, you could take a fast train from Madrid to Sevilla. Then hire a car to head South via White Villlages to Ronda. Then drive East via Antequera to Granada. Stop there for a few days. Then head North to Ubeda/Baeza. Before going West to Cordoba and then getting a train back to Madrid (assuming that is where your flight home is leaving). With a few days in Seville, Granada, Cordoba it still leaves overnight stays in, for example, Ubeda and Ronda.