Driving the south of Spain

I am assuming from your dates that you plan to spend about 2 weeks in southern Spain and Morocco although you don't say how long you plan to be in Morocco. We live in southern Spain - I know it might look small to an American (as it does to us as Australians) on a map, but it is a large area. Driving TO the main cities and towns in Andalucia is generally not difficult, driving IN them can be difficult and to be avoided if possible. A good satnav will show you where parking stations are on the edge of the cities. Expect to pay 17 - 20 euros per day. It really depends on your interests - the big 3 are Seville, Granada and Cordoba. We have spent a lot of time in both Seville and Granada and always find something new. We have only ever been to Cordoba as a day trip but it probably warrants more time. If I had to choose Seville over Granada I would probably go for Granada if only because of the Alhambra. As for driving all along the coast - I am not even sure this is possible (others may know) - certainly there are roads which run close to the coast and towns on the coast - Cadiz, Tarifa for starters and all the Costa del Sol. While picturesque, this will add to the time and makes it more difficult to see the towns and cities which are inland - which is much of Andalucia. In my opinion you will not see much of the real Andalucia by sticking to the coast. Nor will you see too many historical sites and museums, many of which are in the major cities. Have you considered the train instead?

We drove all over Spain in 2010 and had a great time (my wife & I are in our mid 50s). The highways are excellent and a car gives you the freedom to do lots of stop and go touring. All of the 'Truck Stops' serve up good food for bargain prices. For Morocco, we left the car in Tarifa and took the ferry over on foot. In the cities such as Seville, Cordova or Gibraltar (I know it's not part of Spain) we basically parked the car and walked or even taxied. Some of the roads, like the one from Ronda down to the coast, are quite windy & narrow - might scare a few of your passengers. Choose your routes wisely and take a GPS & map(s). Enjoy your trip and slow down for the construction zones south of Madrid. I paid a hefty fine due to a wee bit of speeding!

We haven't actually decided how long we are going to be in each country yet. I would considered taking the train if that makes more sense. I thought the car would give us a little more flexibility and allow us to stop at little places along the way we would miss by train. It's good to know that spending a lot of time on the coast isn't as worth while as inland. There is so much to do with not enough time so I'm trying to narrow things down a bit

It will ultimately depend on how much time you have to tour. Going south from Madrid, I'd try to make it a circular route. Start in Toledo, Cordoba, Seville, then west Jerez or Arcos, Cadiz, down to Tarifa (for the ferry to Morocco), Gibraltar, maybe Ronda, Nerja, Malaga, Granada, then Jaen, Baeza/Ubeda, and Consuegra on your way back up to Madrid. I've named 17 places, not including time in Morocco, you won't have time for all of that. Look them up and choose your favorites.

If you are considering a day trip or just an overnight to Morocco....I would discourage it as Tangier does not do Morocco justice......with the time you have available and if you are inclined to experience a different culture albeit one that is intertwined with Spain's......I would highly recommend planning a multiple-day visit to Morocco including Chefchaouen, Fes, Rissani and Merzouga, Marrakech and Essouria....there are other sights to see in Morocco outside of those but these are the ones we visited in October/November when we piggybacked 10 days onto our 10 day visit to Spain