Itinerary help with driving stops in Andalucia (Cordoba>Granada) (Granada>Ronda)

More people will see your query if you post it in the Spain forum here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain

If you haven't already done so, check your driving routes on viamichelin.com. From all reports, driving is rather slow on the secondary roads to the white villages. If you zoom way in on the Michelin maps, scenic roads will be highlighted in green.

The Alhambra will probably occupy you until at least mid-afternoon. You can rent a good audio guide inside the complex. You may need to leave your passport as security. (Actually, you may need it to verify your ticket, anyway, so take it with you.) If you don't see a freestanding kiosk renting audio guides, ask at the information counter. Allow plenty of time to get over to the Nasrid Palaces on time lest you lose your opportunity to see them; they are something of a walk from the entry point. The Palace of Charles V is a museum with some the beautiful pieces of sculpture/decorative art from other parts of the complex. Check on its hours for the day of your visit; I believe they vary. I spent several days in Granada, but I think the top two other sights in Granada might be the Albaicin and the totally over-the-top Basilica de San Juan de Dios. The latter is a large church that takes some time to see.

I used public transportation during my month in Andalucia in 2019, so I didn't cover a lot of small places. I liked Priego de Cordoba (off the direct route to Granada) and have read positive comments about Antequera, Baena (on the way to Granada) and Lucena (between Cordoba and Antequera). You can probably find enough info on Priego, Baena and Lucena online to see whether they'd potentially be of interest.

Try to get up-to-date information about the weather at the Caminito del Rey before going there. I do think it's a great idea to take full advantage of a car if you have one, and the Caminito del Rey wouldn't be so easy to reach via public transportation.

I managed to get to Grazalema (and Arcos de la Frontera) during my trip, and I think it's worth a stop. I haven't been to any of the other small places you mentioned.

We do have people on the forum who've driven around the area you want to cover, so it's definitely worth your time to repost in the Spain forum to get more eyes on your query.

For March 16: I haven't been to the Caminito del Rey but it requires a booked timeslot. It's also quite far off the way from Granada to Córdoba. If it's high on your list, maybe save it for March 18, it will be on your way.
And while Antequera is charming, I would perhaps consider Baeza instead, which has beautiful 16th architecture. Nearby Úbeda is also worthwhile, and you probably have time for both stops if you leave Córdoba early, although that would be a bit quick.
Jaén involves less driving time and has a stunning cathedral, but fewer other highlights in my opinion.

For March 18: Nerja caves are fine, but there are far more impressive caves elsewhere in Europe... and in the US. And Frigiliana is nothing special compared to the white villages around Ronda. Instead consider stopping at Caminito del Rey that morning.

For March 19: I have not been to Olvera or Setenil de las B., but I have visited Grazalema and Zahara de la Sierra. Grazalema is beautiful and the road from there to Zahara is impressive; I remember Zahara itself less. It will be difficult to combine all 4 villages in a logical route and 4 is a bit much anyway, they will blur. Perhaps stick with those 2, and if you have time you can go to Olvera after Zahara.

I agree that Ubeda and Baeza are more superficially attractive than Jaen. I'd caution you to pay attention to the weather in that part of Andalucia. It wasn't quite cold, but it was chilly and very rainy during the second week of April 2019. I don't know whether that was totally due to luck or was also a matter of altitude.

Thank you for your responses. Priego de cordoba was also mentioned on another forum post - they recommended stopping in Zuheros, Carcabuey and then onto Priego. Not sure how long these towns take but Iznajar looks stunning and could be another stop- as well as Montefrio (if time allows) since I’ve read that’s not really a town to explore but a great place to stop and take a pic of the National Geographic view. I’ve decided to skip Caminito Del Ray this trip so will see Antequera on way to Ronda now. The weather isn’t looking too promising for the two weeks I’ll be there (at least the 10 day forecast is all rain on multiple cities) so may just be driving through some places and not exploring much by foot if if that’s the case. Someone suggested the town of Alcala la Real and it also looks beautiful. Clearly, not enough time to see all the pretty towns and villages in Southern Spain- esp in my short 2 weeks there.

I wouldn't worry too much about the weather this early. It's my impression forecasts this far out depend a lot on historical averages rather than what's happening in the here and now. Maybe things will be much better than you're expecting.