Seville,Ronda, Arcos De La Frontera

We found it easy to rent a car that we then returned at the train station in Seville. We found driving in the white hill towns to be pretty easy. Just scoop out where you want to park the car when you go exploring. For Rhonda there were parking lots right before the main drag of the town. In Arcos De La Frontera, there is an underground parking lot that is located before you start up hill to Arcos De La Frontera. Do not drive to the center of Arcos because the roads are very narrow. Rather catch a cab near the parking garage. If you can I recommend staying one night in Arcos at the Parador since I think it will be tough to do both Ronda and Arcos in one day. We had the pleasure of hanging out with Rick Steves after dinner in Arcos.
I don't recommend where we stayed in Seville but do recommend the restaurant Dona Rufino and the cooking classes at the market.

My sons don't drive yet and I just don't fancy it at the moment so really need alternatives. Thinking maybe just not a good idea as it is obviously best to drive oneself ? I am just looking for Easter sun - somewhere close enough for 4 nights - somewhere interesting they haven't been ...

Vejer is much lovelier than Arcos in my opinion.

I am also spending 4 night in Seville in March and have Ronda (by car) and Cordoba (by Train) on my Day trip list. Haven't picked my Hotel yet (any advice would be greatly appreciated).

@ ekscrunchy

I will have a look thank you

@edpala
Going around im circles researching ......trying to get a terrace or roof terrace as April should be warm :-)
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I would skip Ronda and Arcos. Ronda is a bit far from Sevilla and packed with day trippers.

Look into visiting Jerez and Vejer instead.....closer to Sevilla and a bit less on the beaten track.. Vejer is much prettier than Arcos but you do need to walk some steep streets.

Visit places you want to visit and skip places you don’t want to visit. Arcos de la Frontera is only an hour +/- from Sevilla, while Ronda is about 1.5 +/-. Ronda can get very busy. If you have a rental car you can visit both as a day trip. We always get a rental car.

Places some people say to skip are other peoples’ must see. Only you can decide.

Sorry to disagree but Ronda is much more than an hour from Sevilla by car. Closer to a two-hour drive.

I often ask my hotel to set up a driver for me.

Or you could check GENERALIFE TRANSFERS.

So, for 4 days, would highly recommend sticking to Seville and Cordoba. The highlights of our two plus week trip to Andalucia were: the rooftop tour of Seville Cathedral, the Mezquita and El Caminito del Rey (near Ronda).

Those who have been to Vejer, can you recommend parking lot and logistics of seeing the town once parked. Same with Arcos. Planning both as stops from Seville to Tarifa. Thanks

I can offer only my own personal advice for Vejer: There are several parking lots, most free and at least one paid parking.
I stay outside the town and when I drive in, I take the first space I can find. But do know that wherever you park, you will almost surely have to walk a bit to reach the main plaza, and the paths/streets can be steep, and hot in spring and summer and early fall.
There is a Carrefour you will pass that has a parking lot but from there it's a bit of a walk to the plaza. I sometimes find a spot a bit further on, in front of the shops along Avenida Buenavista. If you are in doubt bout whether or not it's a legal spot, just ask in one of the shops along that avenue.

You can find online several maps of the places to park; the only issue is that there are a couple of different entrances to the town, and to look at a map of parking lots, you should first decide which entrance you will take. (I use the entrance off the N340. (Do not use the one that leads up from La Barca de Vejer).)

For me, parking is kind of an issue because since I take the first space I find, a walk is ahead of me. And I worry that if I do not take the first space, I might not find one further up and closer to the plaza. And many streets are one-way so you can't just turn around and go back to the first space you find if nothing is available up ahead. Sorry I went on and on and did not offer any concrete info for you!! I'll be back in March so will try to find out more. As it is, I get anxious about driving up into town! But you WILL find something; parking in the newer part of town is much easier and if you are okay with walking, that would be a snap.

As far as what to see in Vejer, it's mainly the beautiful main plaza and the whitewashed, often steep, streets in the historic core of the town. Unlike Ronda, Vejer is not clogged with groups of tourists so it feels, to me, much more enchanting. Be sure to go to an overlook to get a view of the surrounding area, La Janda. There is also a good beach only about 15 minutes from the entrance to Vejer, named El Palmar de Vejer. There is a food market but it's not very large and Idid not find it very interesting. If you are food-focused I can offer a few places to buy ingredients local to Vejer and surroundings. For example, the meat store Paco Melero, where you can buy local sausage (embutidos) and also the red lard used in cooking in Vejer. (Trust me, it's wonderful!!!)

If you'd like, I can give you some recommendations for really great places to eat outside the town...its a terrific area for food.

For people asking about hotels in Sevilla and in Cordoba, I can offer suggestions based on where II have stayed recently; I would not stay in the Jewish quarter in Sevilla, nor would I want to stay near the Mezquita in Cordoba--both too much in the midst of the tourist action.

Sevilla: Hotel Mercer, great location, Wonderfull service, very small hotel in a historic palace. Rooms are small but public spaces are glorious. Great breakfast, served at table, can be included with your room. Small rooftop pool. They arranged a driver for me from Sevilla to Cadiz a couple of years ago.

Sevilla: Palacio Don Ramon. Sister hotel of one I adored in Jerez. Ideal location. I will be there in March for 5 nights. Notice: Five nights, and I have been to Sevilla quite a few times. Much less than that and you will not get the true feeling of this city.

Cordoba: Hospes Palacio de Bailio. I stayed here last March. Lovely but not sure it is worth the price. Great location. Excellent breakfast.

For anyone visiting Cordoba in spring, note that it is snail season in the city, when stands open up offering snails in different sizes and with different sauces. You can eat dinner for way under 10 euro.