We are heading to Spain for a week in October and wondering if we can just do day trips by bus or tours instead of renting a car. The next week we are going to Portugal (Portimao). Can we get a train from Malaga and maybe rent a car there for the week. Suggestions are welcome. Thank You.

My husband and I used to spend a couple of months each winter in Torremolinos (near Malaga) and found it very easy to go to the bus station in Malaga and take day trips for instance to Nerja one way, Mijas, Ronda, Gibraltar, etc, the other way. No problem at all. And also the local train takes about 30 minutes from Malaga to Torremolinos and then another 30 to Fuengirola, both great places to spend several hours. Really not much need to rent a car, ;unless you really want to do it yourself. And for instance, the mountain driving on the Ronda side would not have been to our liking. Hope you enjoy. Halfpint

We've been to Marbella twice and both times we've rented a car, but Malaga is on a train line (Marbella isn't) and like halfpint pointed out, you may be fine with trains and buses. IMO driving in some parts (especially to Ronda) can be rather scary, or maybe it was just the way my DH drove the little Opel as if it were a Ferrarri. There are some very narrow and steep roads without guardrails, but maybe it was just me and my vertigo. Anyway, I hope to find out that you can arrange your trip with buses and tours if you feel more comfortable that way.

For train information check out www.renfe.es and for some bus information you might try www.auto-res.net or www.guia-digital.com.

And there are lots of great websites (besides this one) that might have tour information...spainlist.com, spainalive.com, red2000.com and okspain.org to name but a few.

Happy planning.

Andalusia has a pretty good bus system, in my opinion. You can easily do day trips from Malaga by bus to many spots. You might want to look for direct buses to save some time. They are marked “directo” in the schedule. I took the bus from Marbella to Ronda and I agree with artlover. I also thought the road to Ronda is scary and I was happy I am not driving.

Thanks to everyone for your help. I would really feel better travelling by bus or train than worrying about the roads and traffic.

Carley writes: "... heading to Spain for a week in October and wondering if we can just do day trips by bus or tours instead of renting a car. The next week we are going to Portugal (Portimao). Can we get a train from Malaga and maybe rent a car there for the week. Suggestions are welcome."

There's a Eurolines bus (Viajes Julia) that runs about 3-days a week Malaga to Lisbon (via Cadiz and Sevilla). It's a long haul; but it's probably the only direct connection you will find. There's no direct rail line across southern Spain into Portugal: Renfe (Spain) terminates in Huelva. But you may be able to get a series of buses (Damas SA Sevilla to Faro). You can pick up CP (Caminhos Portugueses) or a Bus in Faro; I think Bus is best.

The Eurolines bus to Lisbon is about a 12-hour ordeal but they have a 1-hour meal stop along the way.

Do not plan to rent a car in Spain and drop it off in Portugal! Sure, they're both UE Member countries; but that's about as far as it goes.

hello--Has anyone done any day trips from malaga/costa del sol to granada? I am wondering how realistic this is

You can do it..but then you don't visit Granada..just look at it Maybe it you can be there for one night you will have more time and enjoy the trip a lot more.

Thanks, Kenderina. Do you recommend I stay in Granada 2 nights instead of Malaga? I will be flying from madrid (via salamanca)into Malaga in late August. The total trip is 2.5 weeks, so my average in most cities is 2 nights.

Sure, Granada is a historic place and beautiful scenery. Malaga is nice to be a couple of days relaxing but it has nothing very notorious to see

thanks, kenderina. mind if I ask you several questions about Spain?

Hi Kenderina, my email is: [email protected] and my yahoo id for chat is: dtvny (yahoo.com)

Please email me when you have a chance. I would be most appreciative. Gracias.

Trains are spotty in this area and though buses are frequent with 4 folks it may be as cheap to drive. I'd consider driving (or busing or training) from Malaga to: Granada (the Alhambra, finest Moorish relic in Europe, is worth the trip in and of itself!), Gibraltar (see the tail-less monkeys on the 'Rock', one of the weirder places i've ever been to); bus Malaga to La Linea, where, incredibly you have to walk across an airport runway to Gibraltar as border spats with Spain prevents thru buses) or Cordoba (fantastic cathedral that was once a mosque and captivatingly ancient warren on streets in the old town, one of Europe's finest collection of medieval buildings. Seville a little farther but still possible as a day - wondrous city as well. Cordoba and Seville two of Europe's finest old-looking cities. Around Malaga itself the coast is a blah collection of high-rise hotels - little Spanish here at all as it caters to the annual British invasion.