White Villages

We had a car and stayed in Grazelema. We picked up the car at the train station in Sevilla and stopped in Arcos and Zahara. The next day we drove to Ronda and Sentil. It's a beautiful area. After the white villages we returned the car at the train station in Granada.

The bus company servicing that route is Damas. Some of their website is available in English.

In 2019 it was possible to make a day trip from Ronda to Grazalema by bus. A day trip to Zahara de la Sierra was not possible because of the bus schedule.

Cadiz is a worthwhile destination, but it is south of Jerez.

Several days sounds to me like a lot of time to spend in Arcos.

Agree with @acraven. One day is enough for Arcos and, for us, Ronda too as we were not fans of Ronda. Other options in the area are: Tarifa, Cadiz, Malaga and, if you like to walk, El Caminito del Rey.

We spent a half day in Arcos and a little more than a half day in Ronda. Our favorite white villages were Grazelema, Zahara and Sentil.

Along the lines of the initial questions, is there a place one could base themselves for a night or two in order to find public transportation to Zahara, Grazalema and Setenil? I'll be going from Malaga to Seville, but could shave one or two nights off to fit in another stop if it meant I could explore these villages. Might Uber or Bolt be an option?

I also would rather not drive, particularly because I'm terrible at parking unless there's plenty of space and I'll be there in January, which apparently could mean snow in the mountains and I definitely don't want to drive in bad weather!

Buses to small towns aren't frequent, which makes day trips a challenge. I am doubtful that there's a place from which you could visit all the places you mention without a car. Sometimes travel is the art of the possible, and you have to take some places off your itinerary.

Arcos is easiest from Jerez. It's possible, but a much, much longer trip, from Seville.