rtwin80days

During my Spain trip in August, I am covering Madrid, Seville, Granada, Barcelona along with group of friends. At the end, I have 3 days / 4 nights on my own, wherein I wish to explore the rustic charm of white villages of Andalucia. As my second-last stop is Barcelona & my return flight back home is also from Barcelona, I am looking for a quick gateway to villages such as Arcos de la Frontera, Grazalema, etc and then catching my homebound flight. Choice of white villages vs. day-trips to beachy areas from Barcelona is because I have an over-dose of beaches from South-east Asian travel and prefer mountainous terrains & rugged landscapes.

Someone who has gone to white villages and / or knows connectivity between Barcelona & white villages, pls suggest:

1. How best to do Barcelona – white villages – Barcelona? I do not drive, so public transport is my safe bet.

2. Any particular itinerary / names of must-see villages or spots.

3. Detail / contact of any tour company which covers a 2-3 day trip to these white villages.

I am well-travelled & can kick some a$$ if need be. However I do not want to take unnecessary risks being alone in a sparsely populated and less touristy terrain, hence considering a package tour. Rest of the Spain trip happens to be with friends & it is being planned by us directly.

WomBatt

1. There is no 'quick gateway' to the pueblos blancos from Barcelona.
Presuming you mean as most do, those south of Seville - Barcelona to Seville by train is a five and a half hour journey each way. Flight including to and from airports might come in at three and half each way with vueling.com
Then onward to wherever.
2. A web search for 'pueblos blancos' will give a great deal. Including the adequate 'wiki' page and others with further links to individual villages and towns so you can determine why YOU would want to visit. However I strongly doubt with public transport you could link four a day together.
3. Not something I would do but this fellow maybe - http://www.theotherspain.galeon.com/...in.galeon.com/ - this is not recommendation.

I would be far, far more concerned with risk to belongings and person spending time in Barcelona - Andalucia is not the wild west.

WomBatt

The link should be - http://www.theotherspain.galeon.com/

Ackislander

Even if you could link four a day togeether by public transportation, it is questionable whether it would be worth your while to do so. One person's "rustic charm" is another person's "primitive toilets, few choices of restaurants, and everything closed all afternoon."

If I were doing it, I would pick a town in the area like Ronda and see how many places you could visit from there. Ronda is big enough to have some choice of lodgings and places to eat.

rtwin80days

Sorry for the late response guys. I have been brooding over how to best cover pueblos blancos during the trip.

One idea is to go from Granada to Ronda and one more white village. I have couple of days in Granada apart from one full day for Alhambra.

Any idea on public transportation from Granada to Ronda / white villages?

WomBatt

There are three direct train journeys every day Granada to Ronda - www.renfe.com

If basing yourself in Ronda you can work with the bus companies to see what you can figure - http://www.turismoderonda.es/informa...oautobuses.pdf

rtwin80days

WomBatt, thanks a lot!! I am relieved to know I can fit in white villages in the trip and utilise 2 extra days I have in Granada.

Now time to focus on what to do with the 3 extra days at the end of the trip when my last stop is Barcelona and my outward flight too is from Barcelona.

chapla

I don't know what you imagine you will see/experience visiting the Pueblos Blancos.They are not that interstin honestly.Most people just drive by them or pull over and take photos.They do not have the charm of the villages in Provence, France.
By the time you are on your own you will have experienced the intense heat in August in Andalucia.I suggest you rethink your plan and fly up to San Sebastian and discoverthe Basque villages!

weber6560

I am in general agreement with Chapla. I have been thru the "white villages" more times than I want to reveal. It is indeed a beautiful area through which to drive, but the "villages" have failed to capitalize on their noteriety [sp]. For example, I can't recall posting on this board touting a restaurant between Seville and Ronda. As far as I know, there are not festivals of note. Or market days. The routine is "drive through". I am a fan of Molina del Santo, the gorge, but other than that, the area is not one that I would put high on my list.

Aduchamp1

Add me to the list to those who do not understand the charm of the pueblos blancos tour. I am not sure when this mania started but it is very successful ploy for tourists. Ronda is worth the trip, however. I love watching the stone Roman bridge and wondering when it will collpase under the weight of modern trucks.

amer_can

Another nod to Chapla's suggestion..SanS. would be my choice. Great food, ambiance, and good transport to smaller villages along the coast.

rtwin80days

Maybe I can do a day trip to Ronda and if possible, a detour to drive through one more white village on the way. I was checking bus schedule to lots of white villages from Ronda. How about I just take the bus, go to the village, stroll around, take pics and then take the next bus back...?

kimhe

From Granada you might be much better off going to close by and beautiful Alhama de Granada. Much smaller than Ronda, but still some fourty bars/restaurants/cafés in this ancient SPA town.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...d-of-town.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suk_-RNXfJM

Cafés and Restaurants in Alhama: http://www.casadelhorno.eu/index.php?topic=barscafes