Three Weeks in Southern Spain

We two stayed 11 nights in that area in Sep 2023: Sevilla, Ronda, Granada, Cordoba, Madrid. Our trip report (which includes links to most of our lodging) might be useful reference: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-spain-aug-sep-seville-ronda-granada-cordoba-madrid

Be aware that southern Spain can still be quite hot in September, especially the first part of the month. You're planning a lot of active, outdoor time, which could end up feeling pretty brutal, so I recommend looking at weather statistics for that area. I Iike to check the most recent five years to get a feeling for the range of conditions I might experience at my potential destinations. If you hike at altitude, temperatures will be milder, and the coast (Malaga) doesn't usually experience the extremes you may encounter in Seville, Cordoba and sea-level parts of Extremadura.

Seville weather -- September 2024

You can use the pull-down box at the right, just above the graph, to change the month/year displayed. The Search box near the upper right will allow you to see data for different locations.

I've never driven in Spain, so my experience is generally limited to cities and large towns. I think Toledo is great and should be on your itinerary. Get off the direct walking route between Zocodover Square and the Cathedral to avoid the day-tripping masses. The city is worth at least a couple of nights to me. I'd say the same about Cordoba while acknowledging that most US visitors seem to treat Cordoba as a day trip from Seville. (However, most US. Isitors don't have 3 weeks to spend just in southern Spain.)

Extremadura has some very interesting cities. Caceres is a UNESCO site for a reason; the historic center is very atmospheric. Trujillo (smaller) is worth a stop in transit. I didn't find Merida particularly attractive as a city (it didn't help that it was terribly hot when I visited), but it has important Roman ruins and a modern archaeological museum.

I took a public bus up into the Alpujarras one day and noticed some of the smaller towns were really dead during the sfternoon siesta period, which tends to be taken very seriously in southern Spain because of the extreme summer heat. I had the impression Capileira was a more lively place than Pampaneira and Bublon; it is definitely larger. Of course, that might means it gets a lot of foreign tourists.

Many folks mention planning to walk the Caminito del Rey, which I believe is north of Malaga. The gorge-hugging walkway was rebuilt not too long ago and is no longer the highly risky activity it was at one time. (You can find scary, pre-rebuild videos on YouTube.)

Do not miss Toledo, it is the best in Spain.

Thank you to all who have responded! I appreciate the help.

Geoffb - great trip report, thank you! I will definitely use this as a reference for our trip.

acraven - will check on the weather, thanks! We are flexible on dates so can do towards the end of the month if that looks better. Good info on Extramadura, and I think we may add a few days to the trip so we can visit Toledo and maybe a couple of overnights in Cordoba. Not sure if I'm ready for the Caminito del Rey hike. I'm not crazy about heights, though I've done some fairly steep/exposed hikes in the past so it's not completely out of the running.

geovagriffith - see above; we will try to add some days to the trip to include Toledo.

We spent 23 days in mostly Extremadura by itself last year and could have used more time. We started and ended in Madrid, had a rental car, and spent two nights in Toledo upon arrival in Spain. On that trip, in Extremadura, we stayed in Jarandilla de la Vera and Plasencia (3N each) and Trujillo, Cáceres, Guadalupe, and Mérida (2N each). My point being, Extremadura merits much more than a couple days. The remainder of that trip was in Castilla y León and Castilla y La Mancha.

You’ll find few foreign tourists in Extremadura. We stayed at Paradores the entire trip.

I did some fantastic hikes in Extremadura. I stayed in Caceres four nights and I'd rank them as follows, but it would be really tough to choose between 1 and 2!
1) Alcantara bridge -- into Tajo park (you can access a hike right at the Roman bridge)--stunning nature, we had it all to ourselves (saw one other hiker)
2) Monfragüe -- just sitting at "the rock" eating lunch was amazing, but also great hikes! Another stunner.
3) Not really hiking, but for interesting rock formations, bird life (*see those huge storks up close), and plants, see Los Barruecos, just outside town
On our other full day, we visited Merida for the Roman sites.
I'd add that all of the drives were scenic as well, through pretty countryside/farmland.
Caceres is hardly undiscovered, but we found it pleasant and it's a beautiful place (with great restaurants). We rented an apartment (local agency, but found on Airbnb) outside the old town with an amazing view.

On my two trips to Andalucia, I did not do much hiking aside from directly outside Ronda, but I would look at Grazalema. I "met" a poster on a forum years ago who lived there and had written a hiking guide to the region. I always loved Ronda and stayed there twice, but in more recent times I see a lot of people complaining it is "touristy."

I would nix the night in Malaga and add that elsewhere (I like Malaga but would not want to drive there and I'd rather have that night put toward another stay.) I think maybe the Alpujarras area would make a nice contrast with Extremedura, but Grazalema might be the easiest--just guesses.

If possible I would spend a night or two in Cordova which is a lovely city with white washed buildings, narrow lanes and patios with flowers. The mezquita is amazing, and there are other very interesting sites to see. The city is gorgeous at night when the mezquita is illuminated.

And I would also spend 2 nights in Malaga, a wonderful city with lots to do and see. The pedestrianized historic center is beautiful. And it’s so nice to have the coastal ambience especially when the rest of Andalusia can still be very hot in September.

Ditto what @kmkwoo said!!

Plus, highly recommend walking the El Caminito del Rey. We are seniors, not hikers, and it was a highlight of our trip.

Thank you, jaimeelsabro and valadelphia for your insights into Extramardura!

Jaimeelsabro, did you do a trip report? What did you consider the highlights of the region?

valadelphia, I will look into those hikes.

mml, the hike looks amazing. Just not sure if I could handle those heights. Usually when I hike up steep/exposed mountains, I'm looking up, but the Caminito del Rey is flat so it won't be as easy :) I've been challenging myself lately though (just completed the presidential traverse on Mt. Washington in the White Mountains of NH) so maybe I should just go for it.

Go for it!!

We found Ronda totally overcrowded with tourists so were glad to have stayed in nearby Arriate. One of the best meals we had in Spain was there at Taberna Malacana.

Have a great trip!

El Torcal is a special place and I would definitely include it.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2018/10/day-37-el-torcal-de-antequera.html?m=1
Málaga is one of my favourite cities but given the fact you'll have a car and would only stay one night in Málaga I'd stay in Antequera, which is delightful, much quieter and great food , instead

PS Toledo is totally different from the towns you are planning to visit in Andalusia so I would keep it in the itinerary
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2025/04/toledo-in-january-trip-report.html?m=1

acraven; thank you for the link. Pretty impressive. September was better than I thought. Six days that were over 90F and most of those days were just 91F. Take a siesta from 5 to 7pm and things looks pretty livable. I think (guessing) the humidity is pretty low and that does make a huge difference. A little breeze would help too. There are sites for both of those factors. Came to mind because right now here in Budapest it is pretty darn warm in the sun, but in the shade with the low humidity and the constant breeze, its sort of nice. Of course I come from Texas. The last town I worked in (mostly outside) was Eagle Pass where 110F wasnt terribly uncommon. So Europe is a holiday for me. Well, not a big fan of August but if you offered me a ticket to the coast in August, I would take it or if it was the only month I could travel ... I would go.

But you provided a great resource for people to reference and make decisions using.

Link to the trip report.

We enjoyed the entire trip, but we especially enjoy visiting the small villages few tourists visit. If we had to do it again we would have taken a night from Jarandilla de la Vera and added it to Gredos so we could have done more walking. We thoroughly enjoyed Plasencia and Trujillo, especially in the evening.

Each town was different so I can’t say there was one specific highlight. If you like Roman ruins, it would be Mérida, but if you like hiking then it would be the national parks. There were a few places we visited that I had wanted to see for a while and others we had been to previously.

If you did manage to make it over the border to Monsanto, Portugal the town is one big hill. Very little is flat and some inclines fairly steep.

As others have pointed out, southern Spain can be very hot in September, so check average temperatures for your destinations.

I might change your itinerary a bit by going by train from Madrid to Cordoba instead of Granada. It's a faster train trip and I think you'll be tired after your flight from the US. You can then access Seville and Granada by train or maybe begin your car rental in Cordoba. As others have suggested, stops in Merida, Caceres, and Trujillo later in your trip are all worthwhile if you enjoy history in smaller town settings. You might then drive to Toledo for an overnight stay and take the train to Madrid.

I'd reduce the stay in Granada to 2 nights and add 2 overnights in Cordoba. Southern Spain has a long history of Christian, Jewish, and Moslem culture and I think it's particularly evident in Cordoba. In Cordoba, visit the Mezquita and Alcazar, and enjoy exploring the old town, particularly in the evening when the day-trippers are gone. Just outside the town, easily reached by bus or car, is the Medina Azahara, the remains of an Arab palace and city.

You asked for unique places to stay and in Cordoba is the Hospederia Banos Arabes de Cordoba. This is small, rather basic, hotel includes beautifully built and maintained Arab baths which are available to hotel guests. You might also enjoy staying at some of the paradores of Spain.

Give us updates as you refine your itinerary.