yeshekathy

This will be our fourth trip to Spain - first was 20 years ago but in the past two years I think we are becoming addicted. Even after this trip there are huge chunks we will not have visited yet - and still want to.
We've 'done' all the big cities and are working through the gorgeous smaller towns and beautiful countryside.
Last time we started in Jerez de la Frontera and drove north and around to Zaragoza (really recommend their Pilar festival in October!!) and thence back to Barcelona to fly home. This time we enter from Morocco and will drive east and north from Marbella to Valencia with a few side trips, then train up to Barcelona again to fly home.
We love: good food and wine, lovely scenery, ancient ruins, historical architecture and lovely old town centres, gentle walking (but not hiking), did I mention good food and wine? We often try to have a kitchen so we can shop at the fabulous markets but also love authentic local restaurants and eat anything and everything.
I just can't decide where to stay along the way... here's a list of places I think we could/should visit. Please give advice about which are really good to stop in - or any others close by that I may have missed...
We'll pick up a car in Marbella, then up to:
Ronda
Antiquera (thought maybe to stay here at least one night)
Zafarra
Alhama de Granada
Frigiliana (maybe stay here or Nerja one or two nights)
Nerja
then follow the coast through Almeria
Lorca
Cartagena
Murcia. (stay somewhere here?)
We were then thinking to go inland to Cuenca, Albarracin, Teruel, Morella and chill out in Peniscola before heading to Valencia.But have decided it's probably too much driving (we have the car for 8 days and drop it when we arrive in Valencia).
So we'll probably just go straight to Valencia via Xativa (one night there) and have two nights in Valencia before we get the train to Barcelona airport and fly out...
So we have 8 nights between Marbella and Valencia. Suggestions please!

IMDonehere

Have you been to Galicia, Austrias, or the Basque Country?

yeshekathy

No they are still on the list for another trip - Spain has soooo much to offer.

Bedar

From Nerja I'd head for Mojacar and then to Altea. Am not familiar with Xativa, but it does sound interesting.

cdnyul

<<We love: good food and wine, lovely scenery, ancient ruins, historical architecture and lovely old town centres, gentle walking (but not hiking)>>

Teruel/Albarracin has all of that.

PalenQ

Book Valencia-Barcelona trains well in advance for discounted fares - www.renfe.com book your own - www.seat61.com has great didactic advice on doing that - general info trains www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Sounds like a neat trip!

MyriamC

Cuenca, Albarracin, Teruel: absolutely gorgeous, especially the drive in the Serranķa de Cuenca. Also visit La Ciudad Encantada. It's along the way. Then on to Valencia which is only one and a half hour drive from Teruel.
The province of Almerķa isn't very scenic. Cartagena is nice for a few hours, so is Murcia.
Instead of Peniscola, which is 150 km north of Valencia, I would pick one of the seaside towns south of Valencia. Dénia is nice, as is Moraira and Jįvea. We'll be in Moraira (again) ourselves second half of March.

MyriamC

I have been thinking ... will you be in Valencia during Las Fallas festival? If so, don't wait to book accomodation because it attracts hundreds thousands of people from all over the world.

yeshekathy

Lovely answers thank you - Myriamc you have inspired me again. I am doing a bit of a rethink. What we really we want is to spend some time in the hills behind the Costa del Sol and then again around Cuenca, Teruel, Morella and down to Valencia. The stretch between has been a bit of a problem so I am having a look at the possibility of taking the car at the beginning and returning it either in Malaga or Granada and then going by train up to Cuenca/Teruel and picking up another car until Valencia. what do you think of that idea? We'd miss Cartagena, Murcia etc but it would avoid some very long driving days.

Cowboy1968

I'd drop the car in Granada or elsewhere in Andalucia and take public transport to Cuenca or Valencia to pick up a new car to explore that region - unless the connections were so bad that it was easier to drive.
And the route from Cuenca to Teruel via Ciudad Encantada and Albarracin is indeed very nice - as MyriamC wrote in her post above.
Xativa castle is worth a visit - don't remember anything that spectacular about the town itself that would call for an overnight, though (unless practical for the itinerary).

yeshekathy

Great input - it looks like we can train it from Malaga to Cordoba and then on to Cuenca all in the same day (Granada not so easy) so I'll work on that. Wish I could book the train tickets or at least see the schedules for March but none of the sites seem to give me details beyond 26th Feb. I'll keep watching.

yeshekathy

No MyriamC we'll miss Fallas - we'll be there in Semana Santa - leave Good Friday.

MyriamC

Even better! Fallas is nice but extremely crowded and loud! Once was enough for us.

I have no experience with public transport in Spain, sorry.
I suggested Cartagena and Murcia because it's nicer than the Almerķa area which you were thinking of. But driving in the hills will be much, much nicer. I'd do it by car, then.

isabellienchen

Definitely recommend to visit Barcelona again! Its phenomenal!

yeshekathy

I am sure we will visit Barcelona again - and I really want to spend more time on the coast north of Barcelona - but not this time... there WILL be more.