Southern Spain Itinerary Advice

With 8 nights I think you are trying to do to much. If it were me, I would skip Gibralter, Tarifa and Morocco altogether. Assuming you must fly into and out of Malaga, here's what I would do:

Immediately after arrival in Malaga, take the bus to Granada. Sleep in Granada
Visit Alhambra with pre-booked ticket. Sleep in Granada
Pick up rental car, drive to Ronda. Sleep in Ronda
Drive to Sevilla, with a stop in either Zahara or Arcos for lunch. Drop off rental car. Sleep Sevilla
Sevilla all day. Sleep Sevilla
Day trip by train to Cordoba. Sleep Sevilla.
Train to Malaga, then bus to Nerja. Sleep Nerja
Beach day in Nerja. Sleep Nerja (assuming Nerja is a high priority for you)
Bus back to Nerja for departure from Malaga

I think trying to fit in Gibralter, Tarifa and Morrocco mean you will end up either rushing everything, or missing out on some fabulous sites in the area, like Cordoba. We did 21 nights in Spain in 2014 and spent 16 of those nights in Andalucia - and didn't visit G, T or M. Prioritize your list, slow down, and enjoy Spain! You will have a great trip.

I think your itinerary is very ambitious & if you keep it as is, you will be spending more time on the road than actually enjoying the destinations on your list.

Since you only have 7 full days, I'd suggest limiting your destinations to no more than 2 or 3.

Keep in mind that each time you relocate, you will lose at least half of that day.

If I had 7 days & had to fly to/from Malaga, I'd travel to Sevilla or Córdoba on day of arrival & spend 3 nights there, then I'd travel to Granada for 2 nights, then end in Nerja or Malaga for the last 3 nights.

Enjoy!

You have put together a good itinerary, but unfortunately you just don't have enough time for it all. Something has to give, and for me that would be Tarifa, Gibraltar & Tangiers. Concentrate your beach time at Nerja.
Day 1. Arrive Malaga. To Ronda (1)
Day 2. Via Arcos to Sevilla (2)
Day 3. Sevilla
Day 4. To Córdoba (1)
Day 5. To Granada (2)
Day 6. Alhambra
Day 7. To Nerja (2)
Day 8. Beach
Day 9. Depart Malaga

Thanks to each of you for your replies! I will definitely rework and simplify our itinerary based upon your input. Could anyone comment on the timing of the trip? The trip could take place anytime between mid Sep until the end of October. What would be best to avoid crowds as much as possible but still get a little beach time in? G

I would try and go first half of October.

Early to mid -October sound great!
We were in Andalucía at the end of September - mid October (2015) & it was still hot there (mid 80's - high 90's).

We did, however, experience a couple of rainy days while in Sevilla, & also while in Toledo at the end of our trip.

Enjoy!

Thanks! I have just booked for Oct 7 - 16 into Seville (SVQ). Got a great connection through Lisbon. I am going to rework my itinerary starting and ending in Seville.

Day 1. Arrive Sevilla. To Córdoba (1)
Day 2. To Granada (2)
Day 3. Alhambra
Day 4. To Nerja (2)
Day 5. Beach
Day 6. Via Malaga to Ronda (1)
Day 7. Via Arcos to Sevilla (2)
Day 8. Sevilla
Day 9. Depart Sevilla

Thanks Dave. I was working something out quite similar to what you suggest. Question for you. Rick's guide seems to reco Arcos as a white hills base as opposed to Ronda. I plan on visiting both no matter where we sleep. Any insight as to which way to go? Also was thinking of splitting the journey between rental car and train something like this. Any thoughts?

Day 1. Arrive Sevilla (SVQ) 11am, Rental car to Arcos (1)

Day 2. Hilltop drive to Ronda then on to Nerja (2)

Day 3. Nerja beach day

Day 4. To Granada (drop car) (2)

Day 5. Granada

Day 6. Train to Sevilla (3)

Day 7. Sevilla

Day 8. Day trip to Cordoba

Day 9. Depart Sevilla

Driving distances ...
87km Sevilla to Arcos
88km Arcos to Ronda
163km Ronda to Nerja
97km Nerja to Granada
Much more logical to make Arcos a day time stop en route to an overnight stop at Ronda.
Also, consider the wisdom of driving first up whilst possibly suffering with jet lag.

Thank you, that really does make good sense. I appreciate your help!

Hello all, just wanted to get back to everyone on how things turned out. A big thanks to all who replied and especially David.

Here is the itinerary we went with:
Day 1. Arrive Sevilla (SVQ). To Córdoba (1) (Fly TAP out of Newark via Lisbon, not the best service but very efficient connections to not waste allot of time in transit. Rented a car from SVQ, very inexpensive, enjoyed the flexibility of traveling when we wanted at about the same overall cost as public transport)
Day 2. To Granada (2)

Day 3. Alhambra
Day 4. To Nerja (2) We drove the A-4050 (AKA the road of the goat) on our way from Granada to Nerja. Spectacular drive! Road was in good condition, amazing views, just do it on a clear day.
Day 5. Beach
Day 6. Via Gaucin to Ronda (1)
Day 7. Via Zahara to Sevilla (3)
Day 8. Sevilla
Day 9. Sevilla
Day 10 Depart Sevilla

Overall it was a great itinerary. We really enjoyed each of the cities we visited. It was fairly busy but still had relatively short drives on travel days. The amount of time spent in each place was about right. We would have enjoyed another day in Ronda or in Nerja at the beach. Single night stops should probably be avoided if possible. We enjoyed driving in Spain. Primary and secondary highways are well marked and in great condition. Google maps work very well! You can download map areas for "offline" use and also plan routes online then export them via text message to your phone (just don't do this too far in front of your vacation as I found some of my preplanned routes for some reason did not link. Driving in the White Hill towns can be nerve racking but were worth the reward! If anyone has any questions let me know.