04 May Andalusia Road Trip: 22 Days in the winter
In 2018 I took my first trip in Andalusia. I travelled alone for 15 days in spring, catching the Semana Santa festivities across many towns.
I visited Seville, Cadiz, Jerez, Cordoba, Ronda, Setenil, Granada, Nerja, Frigiana and Malaga.
I got back in Andalusia with my fiancé for 10 days in 2023 with the intent of showing her this beautiful part of Spain during the Semana Santa Festivities and we went in Seville, Cordoba, Ronda, Setenil and Cadiz.
I started writing this article in January 2026.
We went back to Andalusia for a larger trip, trying to cover things we seen before but also new places.
So 22 days in which we visited Marbella, Estepona, Mijas Pueblo, Malaga, Nerja, Frigiliana, Almunecar, Granada, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Bolonia and Tarifa.
Add to that a small rode into the Siera Nevada mountains and this is how these 22 days unfolded.
What I will try to do in this article is to tell you all about my trip, accommodation, transport, prices, car hire, parking, food, etc. so that maybe you’ll be inspired in your future trips to this area pf Spain.
Before we start, I am not a travel influencer or any kind of influencer for that matter.
And honestly, after watching quite a few clips on IG or Tiktok I came to the conclusion that most influencers really don’t do their homework, don’t really understand Andalusia or just try to cram their short videos with too many things to check or “you must really see this place”.
I started writing this article on a beach in Cadiz and I think most people building travel videos just don’t get the places that they visit.
In order to create trending videos they constantly try to “discover ” new places or things to try forgetting one essential thing.
A thing that crossed my mind while sitting on this beach.
You see, between work, photography, business attempts, my websites, etc. I forgot how to take things slowly.
I forgot how to just sit and watch at the sea, how to stay without doing anything for half an hour.
I constantly need to move, to take photos, to walk, to DO SOMETHING.
And being in Andalusia it dawned on me how opposite the way of life here is to my way of life.
How much you need to rest, to recover, to drop the GPS looking for the next moment or sight and just relax.
To start your day with a coffee with tostada or with a few slices of cheese and tinto de verano on the beach.
To watch old men talking and arguing near a bodega.
To just relax.
And now, since we got this out of the way let me tell you about the trip, the things we seen and the things I am a bit sorry I missed but left for another time.
Before we start I must mention that our itinerary and accommodations were picked so that they would fit the New Year festivities and maybe if we came here during late spring or autumn we would have split things differently.
Transportation
We rented a car from Wiber all inclusive and the price for 22 days was around 700 euro and it included full assurance, a thing I like to pay for on all my trips abroad.
The car we got was a Citroen C3, a really nice and fun car, new and shiny, large enough so we fit in comfortably, small enough not to be a problem on the small roads in Andalusian cities.
I really enjoyed the car, the experience with the company upon receiving and leaving the car and I would certainly rent with them again.
The rent a car office is a bot outside the airport but they do provide a shuttle which takes you there and back so no problems there.
All in all a solid win and really pleased with them.
Marbella
We picked Marbella as the first base in our trip because I wanted to see some places closer to there but in the end due to weather and how tired we were we changed our plans and improvised.
Accommodation
We stayed in Hotel Baviera for our accommodation and right from the start I want to say that I think that overall, this accommodation was the best we had in our entire trip.
The staff was very nice and welcoming, the room was big, the bed was perfect and it was quiet.
Even if our room was on the fifth floor the water pressure was perfect and hot water came instantly unlike in other accommodations.
Parking was available at location for 15 euro/day and we picked a room without breakfast because we do love to wander around and pick local places where to eat each day.
Eating out.
We tried quite a few places in Marbella and below you can find a small summary of things we liked and things we thought were just ordinary.
Cafe Bar Central Malaga- really nice selection of tapas caliente but a bit lagging on tapas fria.
Delicious patatas and a nice Tinto.
Overall a good experience, not expecting that on a place situated in a tourist area.
La Taberna del Pintxo- hand down one of our favorite places, we absolutely loved the pintxos and we would definitely go back here for another meal.
Churreria Marbella – love at first bite. Tostadas, churros and coffee. One of the best churros we ate in Andalusia, a big win in our book.
I think one of the best things during our visits in this part of Andalusia was the fact that many places used Flor de Malaga olive oil which we found absolutely perfect unlike other places that used a different brand of oil that was a bit less intense.
Gastrobar La Santa
Not much to say about this place except we didn’t enjoy it as much as La Taberna del Pintxo.
If I were to grade it, it would probably get a 6.5-7/10.
Now, before we move on , I must address an important aspect. We visited Andalusia in the winter so that means that many decent or high ranked places were closed or on holiday or operating in different days from the days we were in town. Also, in the near future I will write an article that details better our food experiences in each town.
We wanted to eat in certain places but just like we couldn’t control weather, we couldn’t possibly know, months before, when we booked, when these places will be open or closed.
Key takeaways from Marbella
We picked Marbella to be our first stop because we wanted to spend New Year’s Eve in Malaga, a bigger town, full of life, shops, restaurants, etc.
We initially wanted to reach Gaucin from here bit on the 27th of December a big storm hit Andalusia and washed over Marbella so badly that we thought that while the weather alert was still on, there was no point in spending so much time to get to Gaucin just so that we get rained upon.
So, we picked Estepona as a small half day trip and in a way, we really enjoyed it there, caught a few hours of sun(contrary to the weather prognosis), walked along the promenade and just relaxed.
Sometimes things just arrange themselves and while I was three times in Andalucia and never got to see Gaucin, we saw a new place and it was all good in the end.
On the day we left Marbella for Malaga, being early risers we knew that between 9:00 when we checked out of Marbella and 15:00 when we were expected in Malaga, we needed to fill this space with something.
So, we picked Mihas Pueblo as a destination because it was on our way. We didn’t want to make a detour, drive for hours and arrive late in Malaga.
We wanted a 30-40 minutes drive, on our way and naturally continue to Malaga after.
So we picked Mijas Pueblo and after parking the car in a parking space central, we took an elevator up and started our discovery of the small town.
We spent four to five hours here, climbing stairs, walking the empty white streets, taking pictures and had a good time.
Now, if you were to ask us, “is this place worth it?” I would probably say ” it depends”.
If you plan a long trip, like we did, then there is no rush, you can linger around places, drive, explore new things and visit Mijas Pueblo.
If you are on a tight schedule then in all honesty, you can skip this place.
Not because it doesn’t have its charm but because if you have 7-10 days you should see places like Seville, Cordoba, Malaga, Ronda, Cadiz, places that deliver more.
Malaga
It is a bit unfair of me to rate Malaga because it holds two extremely important things for me.
One, Malaga is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, my favorite painter, whose works impressed me since an younger age and second, Malaga might just be the place where my favorite restaurant from Andalusia is based.
Accommodation
We spent four nights at Pinar Malaga Rooms, in the old center, close to many attractions and restaurants.
A bot further away from the beach but since I never picked my hotels in accordance with how far they are from the beach, that didn’t bother me.
Parking was arranged through the accommodation, just 350 meters away and we paid 72 euro for four days.
At this point you are probably observing that parking in Andalusia is pretty expensive and while on short trips it does not matter so much, on longer trips these 20 euro/day will add up to quite a sum.
In all honesty, when we booked the car, we had different plans in mind like exploring more places, for which we needed a car but due to weather conditions we were forced to rethink the original plan and drop some of the locations that we wanted to see.
For example, even though we wanted to do Caminito del Rey, we couldn’t find tickets with about two months in advance, just guided tours.
In Granada we managed to land a slot for the Alhambra at 12:30 with 38 days in advance so we needed to arrange the trips around some places that we wanted to see.
Picasso museum did not sell tickets and we couldn’t find on Viator or other sites.
Luckily I thought of the idea of buying a Malaga Pass and after emailing the Picasso museum to ask if I can enter at any time we went right in.
Otherwise, we would have lost another day of travel so that was one lucky find.
Eating out
Now, as you know from my old visits in Andalusia when in Malaga, you must look for Casa Lola. Which I did. And honestly, after 8 years it was better than I remembered. Food, atmosphere, waiters, prices, this place is just my favorite place in Malaga and we did order eleven or twelve tapas and absolutely enjoyed them all.
Place is very busy, especially around the popular hours to eat but it is understandable seeing how good everything was.
It is an understatement for me to say that if we ever return to Malaga we will eat there again. The only question is how many times will we eat there.
Pez Lola.
I am super embarrassed to admit this but here it goes.
After reaching Malaga, parking, visiting the town a bit, running back to the hotel to take our room, accommodating and panicking, realizing I no longer have my eye drops and looking for an alternate eye solution and pharmacy we went out to eat, my goal was to take my fiancé to Casa Lola.
However, due to agitation, tiredness, call it how you want to call it we ended up at Pez Lola, which is a few meters away from Casa Lola and with all the things on my mind I didn’t realize we were in another place until we ordered.
Alas, we were lucky since we can totally recommend Pez Lola, trying out there about 7-8 tapas and finding the place super nice and the tapas really good.
To be fair, I wouldn’t mind eating here again, trying their Potaje, which we both absolutely loved.
So yes, it seems that if Lola is present in a restaurant’s name, chances are that food will be very good.
When I will update or rewrite the article about food in Malaga I will make sure to include the other place where we ate here.
Nerja
Our next stop was Nerja.
Like I said when asked before Nerja for me is important not mainly because I consider the town to be a must for Andalusia but rather because it is a good place to camp in and take trips from there.
I stayed in Nerja in 2018 and I picked this place again in 2026 because I planned day trips from it.
Nerja is also very close to Malaga and you can easily get a bus to reach it and this is how I arrived in Malaga in 2018, by taking a bus from Nerja.
Nerja has its charm and it is nice to walk on those streets for a few hours but I think because of Balcon de Europa it has become a must see and it is always a bit more crowded than other places in Andalusia.
In addition to being close to Malaga, it is only a stone throw away from Frigiliana, one of my favorite places in Andalusia and you can easily reach Almunecar, Salobrena, Torre del Mar or even Comares from there.
I still regret that Sunday when we planned to reach Comares but it rained all day but when we drew the line 2 days of rain in 22 days in December and January it is not that bad.
If there is one thing that bothered me about Ronda was the lack of a good restaurant.
On my first visit I ate in three places, now in just about the same and I still think that when it comes to restaurants, Ronda is a step bellow other towns from Andalusia.
I did have a wonderful meal at an Indian restaurant but only because I didn’t have much options when it came to traditional food.
All of them will be reviewed in another article so stay close if you are curious about food in Nerja.
From Nerja I reached two places. Frigiliana and Almunecar.
Now, if you are short on time I highly recommend Frigiliana.
It is hilly, you might lose your breath if you really are out of shape but it is so worth it.
I visited Frigiliana twice and I am pretty sure that if we reach Andalusia five more times, I will visit it five more times over.
If you have all the time in the world I suggest adding Almunecar to your travels too and the reason is simple.
You have an old castle, lovely old town, long beach so you can easily spend a few hours here.
Again, if it is your first trip, you can easily skip it but if you have time I do think that Almunecar is an welcome addition.
I covered accommodation, parking and food in other articles on the blog and many more will come so I won’t dwell too much on these points here.
Since I took day trips to both Frigiliana and Almunecar I didn’t eat there. I enjoyed some coffee, tostada but nothing that should require a longer review.
Granada
I said it once, I will say it again.
Granada rocks.
From the Alhambra to Albaicin, from old house to an amazing cathedral, from local tapas to Moroccan restaurants, from Sacromonte to the center of the town, Granada is just amazing.
For me, when I think of Andalusia I think of Seville, Granada and Cadiz. This is my top three and these are the places I want to return to, over and over.
Both times I visited Granada I stated closed to the Cathedral and it really paid of.
Now, this time, my booking was with Hotel Sacromonte and I already covered this place in a review so I won’t push much here.
What I loved about the setting is that it was so close to the Cathedral, to the market, to beautiful churches, the stairs to Albaicin.
I think Granada is one of those places you should spend more time in.
First of all, you need to be really careful with your Alhambra visit. If you plan a tour, a visit in Andalusia, monitor the sites and book your tickets months in advance. Then, arrange your tour according to that.
You might think I’m exaggerating but at my last visit, this one, I booked my tickets in November for January and found just 2 hours free for the Alhambra. Of course, for the Gardens, you can find tickets plenty but seeing Alhambra really is worth it and you should not skip it.
In the future I plan to write an article about things to see in Granada and let me tell you by now that this is the thing you should definitely see in Granada.
If you have an extra day and rented a car then you could easily do what we did and that is driving into the Sierra Nevada mountains and admiring the views from there.
This is not necessarily a must but the peaks are high, the snow lingers on for months and it is just cool to walk around Granada dressed casually then go up the mountains and be surrounded by peaks with snow on them.
In the winter, however, be prepared to be allowed only to a certain point and then, after that point, only cars with chains will be permitted.
We didn’t want to risk anything since we had quite a lot of our trip ahead so we obeyed the signs and enjoy the views to the point we were allowed to travel.
Cadiz
Now, the road from Granada to Cadiz is the longest one we took in our trip.
If you have the time and have a car there are so many places you can stop along the way that I need a new blogpost just for that.
I have covered my accommodation in Cadiz here and in my humble opinion, if you arrive by car, it is a wise investment to park your car close to the hotel even if it is a bit more expensive.
I have written this article on multiple sittings because it is rather large and I do want to take my time and remember everything as best as I can and as I write about Cadiz I cannot help a thought about wanting to be there again.
Enjoying a tinto de verano on the beach, eating from a few good restaurants, climbing the tower of the church or Torre Tavira, waiting for the Sunday market and eating amazing, amazing food, resting on a bench while watching the water, Cadiz is simply amazing.
What I love most here is that feeling of tine stopping, slowing down. You want to explore but you want to relax too.
You want to move through the streets but you want to lay on the sand and sleep or read a book.
Cadiz is that place for me, that makes me even forget about photography, makes me slow down and walk lazily for some time, then head to the beach and so on.
Most people chose Tarifa as a point for a drive to Gibraltar but we did a day trip from Cadiz and it worked out wonderfully.
The reason we picked going from here to Gibraltar instead of the much shorter trip from Tarifa was simple.
As we watched the weather prognosis it announced that in a few days, storms will hit Tarifa and Gibraltar and it would have been impossible to walk for hours in the rain.
So, we picked driving longer but on a sunny day instead of waiting for four more days when all the weather apps were showing storms.
(In the end, it didn’t rain but we wanted to be safe and I’m not sorry for that extra hour driving)
Since Gibraltar is something different I will not add it to this guide but rather post an article later, dedicated just for this place.
Tarifa
To be honest, Tarifa didn’t impress me much while staying there.
The bad accommodation, the food was not amazing though we found a couple of places that are worth mentioning, most shops and restaurants closed due to the period of the tine we were visiting, it just didn’t do well for me.
However, looking back, remembering sitting on a bench and earing pastries while looking at the continent of Africa has to be one of the nicest memories possible.
Couple that with an amazing sunset, one of the best we ever witnessed, long grey days at the beach, a splash of rain and lots of time resting after 19 days spent on the road already made us look back fondly to Tarifa.
My biggest regret was the fact that I have planned to surprise my fiance with a day trip to Tangier, an easy one hour boar ride from Tarifa but due to unexpected expenses back home we were at the limit of our wallet and I didn’t plan to reach Morocco in the winter, where boats can get cancelled due to wind and waves(it is an ocean after all) and get stuck there for a day without some extra cash in my wallet.
But if you ever reach Tarifa, I think this trip would be like a bonus to your already wonderful time spent in Andalusia.
So, this sums up our travels in Andalusia and looking back I cannot help but smile, thinking of how it went.
From arriving in Marbella on a late evening wondering if we pushed it too much with 22 days to departing on a rainy morning from Tarifa thinking there were so many more places we wanted to see.
Now, bellow, I will try to run a few sketches for all of you that want to visit Andalusia and don’t know where to start or are just overwhelmed from the millions of videos and blogs out there.
One big disclaimer before we start
I know that not many people can afford the luxury of taking 22 days off( I only took 7, the rest were days off around Christmas, New Year Eve and two more Romanian holidays) or the money.
I am being realistic here.
Please don’t let guides like this one discourage you.
If you find an offer, a tour that stays just 1-2 days in Seville, half a day Granada, etc. do book it.
Yes, maybe you will miss some spots but you’ll get back home with smiles, plenty of photos, memories and sore feet.
One day in Seville is better than no days in Seville and if I want one thing that people should take away from my articles is not the length of the journey but rather the happiness that comes from every little place you see, any time you can afford in a new place.
That being said, here are a few options that cover a lot of needs.
ANDALUSIA – AS I TRAVEL ROUTE SYSTEM
(Big Five + Extensions + Coastal Reset)
1. THE BIG FIVE (core Andalusia loop)
Seville → Córdoba → Granada → Málaga → Cádiz
7–8 days | high intensity | first-time essential route
ROUTE LOGIC
This is the essential Andalusia backbone, built as a progression:
• Seville → imperial start (scale, energy, architecture)
• Córdoba → compressed history (intense but short)
• Granada → emotional peak (Alhambra, vertical city)
• Málaga → reset (modern coast, food, breathing space)
• Cádiz → slow landing (Atlantic, silence, time dilation)
SWAP RULES
• Seville ↔ Málaga
→ useful depending on flight arrival point (coast vs inland entry)
• Córdoba ↔ Granada (rare swap)
→ if you want Alhambra as a final emotional peak
• Málaga ↔ Cádiz swap
→ choose between urban energy ending vs slow Atlantic ending
2. EXTENDED ROUTE (balanced Andalusia)
Seville → Córdoba → Granada → Nerja/Frigiliana → Málaga → Ronda/Setenil → Cádiz
10–12 days | medium intensity | full-spectrum experience
ROUTE LOGIC
This version expands the core into a more complete Andalusia experience:
• Core Big Five + two additional layers:
o coastal micro-layer (Nerja / Frigiliana)
o dramatic inland layer (Ronda / Setenil)
SWAP RULES
• Nerja ↔ Ronda
→ coastal cliffs vs inland drama
• Frigiliana ↔ Setenil
→ aesthetic white village vs geological village carved into rock
• Granada ↔ Nerja order swap
→ smoother transition if you want coast after mountains
3. BEACH + SLOW VERSION (coastal Andalusia reset)
Seville → Cádiz → Bolonia → Tarifa → Estepona → Málaga → Nerja
7–10 days | low-medium intensity | slow travel / reset trip
ROUTE LOGIC
This is not a sightseeing route — it is a rhythm shift.
• Seville → cultural entry point
• Cádiz → first slowdown
• Bolonia → Atlantic pause (raw landscape)
• Tarifa → wind, emptiness, horizon thinking
• Estepona → soft Mediterranean transition
• Málaga → urban re-entry
• Nerja → final balance point
SWAP RULES
• Cádiz ↔ Tarifa
→ slow urban calm vs wild Atlantic energy
• Estepona ↔ Nerja
→ quiet modern coast vs dramatic cliffs
• Seville optional removal
→ if the goal is pure coastal immersion
Key takeaways
Andalusia is not a small region. It is a hub from where you can see history, art, sea, beaches, quiet mountain towns, historical buildings, etc.
I know that many influencers are trying to push cities/places but if you want your holiday to be nice, you have to accept a few things from the start
• Unless you spend months in Andalusia, you will not be able to tick everything off the box. Not even then. So, put that stress aside and be honest with yourself. You want culture, food, beaches, ancient towns? Pick and build your itinerary according to that.
• Parking is expensive. It gives you freedom but any day spent in a town means a day in which you will pay parking. For me 72 euro/Malaga, 60 at Granada, it added up. Be conscious about it.
• Don’t try to search for 1000 videos with best 17 places from this city or that. There are the basics and you build the rest around them. In my future articles I will list what I consider to be the best things in each town and if you want to check me against hundreds of YouTube videos, you can.
• Give yourself room to breathe. Save one day for doing nothing. Just walk without a target, rest when you need, drink something, eat something. No plan. Give your body and mind a chance to switch things up, to feel like you are actually resting and not just hurrying from one place to the next.
In the end, Have Fun!
Ps: currently working on various articles covering Andalusia, Puglia, Tenerife and many other destinations so stay tuned!
No Comments