We're planning a trip to Spain in Feb 2025, and will be following Rick Steves' plan from Barcelona to Madrid then taking the southern route to Toledo down to the Hill towns and over to Granada. Wondering if we should head up the Mediterranean coastline via car for 3 days back to Barcelona for our flight home? Or should we bypass the coastline and head to Madrid via train and go to Salamanca/Santiago/Bilbao and leave from Madrid? Suggestions would be helpful, since Rick Steves does itinerary does not provide info for the coastline from Granada to Barcelona. Since we'll be going in February, the weather may be better in the south. Thanks so much.
Posted by
11647 posts
Spain’s mediterranean coast as well as Salamanca/Santiago/Bilbao are all worthwhile. If you can’t fit them all in your time in Spain, choose
one or the other area to explore this time and return to visit the other area. They are both extremely valuable to visit.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8162 posts
You do not say how much time you are allowing, but the Salamanca/Santiago/Bilbao leg is probably over a week in itself, the weather dreary in February, and difficult (depending on weather) by car or public transport (slow connections in that part of the country).
If you want some coast, maybe concentrate on the Malaga/Nerja area. Convenient to Granada and the hill towns, enjoy some down time, then train back to Barcelona via Madrid.
Driving back to Barcelona along the coast also works. Valencia would be the highlight and worth a couple nights, Murcia might be an overlooked but interesting stop. But along that stretch of the coast are many resort/ex-pat communities with not much of interest, so doing some research based on your interests will be needed.
Posted by
OP
15 posts
Thanks for the suggestions! We have a few extra days at the end of our southern Spain trip; probably about 3. With your suggestions, don't think that we'd have enough time to drive up the coast.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8162 posts
Then I would opt for Malaga. On the coast, interesting city (Birthplace of Picasso, with a museum...though famously he left and vowed to never return) A wonderful old center with a market and lots of restaurants. If you wanted smaller, you could go to Nerja after Granada, spend a couple days, before heading to Malaga to catch the train.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7234 posts
In February you’d probably not be spending much time at the beaches. If you follow the coast road you’ll be traveling at a slower speed and passing through all the towns. If you follow the slightly more inland route it is a highway, but you will not see much coast at all. Granada to Barcelona is a 9 hours drive without stops.
With only 3 days you won’t get to Salamanca, Santiago, and Bilbao and expect to spend any time at them. With your very limited time it doesn’t make sense to backtrack from Granada to Madrid, where you already were, to head further west and north.
You may want to reconsider your itinerary order of at least decide which places are most important to visit. As stated in your question, if it was my trip, I’d combine highway and coastal roads between Granada and Barcelona. Murcia City is about 3 hours from Granada and worth an overnight. It has a nice Alcazaba. Near it is El Palmeral and Castle of Biar and Atalaya Castle. Once reaching Valencia you could take the coastal road for a while, then go over to the highway to go a little faster.
Choices, choices, since 3 days isn’t much time. For either option (Granada/Barcelona or Salamanca/Santiago/Bilbao) I’d like at least 7 days, probably more.
Posted by
NC
409 posts
Another vote for Malaga…a lovely, relaxed city. Would not recommend Nerja which, though nice enough, is very much an expat, vs Spanish, community. Frigiliana is a gorgeous day trip if time allows.