- Best White Villages on this trip
- Setenil de las Bodegas (houses built under overhanging rock), Zahara de la Sierra (castle above a turquoise reservoir), Grazalema (a mountain village in Spain's rainiest corner), and Arcos de la Frontera (a clifftop town above the plain). Olvera and Ubrique are easy extras.
- Driving side
- Right. Motorways are excellent and mostly toll-free.
- Historic centres
- Seville, Córdoba, Granada, Cádiz and Málaga restrict traffic in their old towns with cameras (low-emission or access-controlled zones). Use public car parks on the edge or a hotel garage registered with the city.
- White village streets
- Extremely narrow, steep and often one-way. Park at the edge of each village and walk in.
- Mountain roads
- The Grazalema roads (including the Puerto de las Palomas) are well surfaced but twisting, with steep gradients and goats or cyclists on bends.
- Heat
- Carry water, avoid midday sightseeing in summer, and never leave people or pets in a parked car.
- Campervans
- Campsites near Málaga, Ronda, Grazalema, Cádiz, Seville, Córdoba, Granada and Nerja. Many towns have signed motorhome areas (áreas de autocaravanas).
- Motorhomes
- Fine on motorways and main roads. Avoid driving into old towns and white villages; the Grazalema mountain roads are manageable but slow.
- Travelling with children
- Castles, beaches, the Nerja Caves and Plaza de España suit families. Plan around the heat.
- Ferries
- Optional extension: car ferries to Morocco (Tangier, Ceuta) run from Tarifa and Algeciras. Check insurance and hire-company permission first.
