Hello. My husband and I are going to Spain in April. We're thinking of driving from Granada to just outside Ronda (Benaojan, the Molino del Santo), where we'll stay 2 nights, then drive to Seville. My question concerns the driving conditions in this specific area.

I have a reservation through AutoEurope now, but with the added no-deductible and liability, it's adding up (I read ALL of the info on using credit cards, etc., but this is NOT an option for my husband, so thanks anyway). We will only really be in the Ronda area two days - one full day and one long afternoon. I'm imagining we'll spend the first afternoon in Ronda, and the next day driving around the nearby White Villages, and therein is my question.

We've (well, he has, I'm the navigator) driven in France - including around Les Baux and the Luberon - and Italy (around Siena, Assisi, Florence) without any problems. What is this area of Andaulsia like in comparison to this? Really windy roads? Cliffs? Paint a picture, please.

The other option would be to restrict ourselves to train travel.
I did look at the train schedules, and they're not the most convenient times from GR-Ronda (we'd have to leave Granada at 7:15 am to make it to Ronda by 10am; the next train wouldn't arrive til the late afternoon), but it would be ok. I don't know if we would be able to see much of the other villages w/o a car.

Give me your best advice, please! Thanks again for all of your help.

Perhaps you could just rent a car while in Ronda for some exploring in the region?
Bus is an option also--the bus from Ronda to Sevilla was just as comfortable as the train.

Driving in Andalucia is easy - roads are similar to those in Tuscany, but less frequented, more like Luberon.

There are many scenic roads. Some roads go through mild mountains, other just through plains. A little bit of everything. You will enjoy driving.

With your experience of driving country roads in other parts of Southern Europe, I doubt that the road conditions in Andalucía will cause any problems. I have been driving in that part of the region quite a bit, and I must say that I never encountered any "oh my god" situations.

I would just pay some attention on the road numbering. Some maps cannot keep up with the re-numbering of the roads that seems to take place every other year (allright, bit exaggerated, I know).

Thanks for all your responses. Cowboy, that's exactly what I was wondering about - the OMG situations! I seem to remember somewhere on this forum that someone had to back up a mountain in some little village... my husband would kill me.

I hadn't thought of buses, yourkshire. Do you know where I would find that info?

We'll probably go ahead with the car, because it would provide more flexibility, but the cost differential is about $200 (car VS trains), and that's why I'm asking. If we could get around fairly easily w/o a car, then I'd take another look at trains or buses.

Any other input out there? Anyone traveled around the Ronda area?

I drove with a friend from Sevilla to Ronda to Granada to Cordoba and back to Sevilla (10 days) with stops along the way that would have been impossible without a car. I've driven in all the places you mention, and this area is indeed comparable to the Luberon. It was lovely and entirely stress-free, with the brief exception of downtown Ronda, where we were lost in traffic for 15 minutes or so. The interesting places in Ronda are accessible from the old steps, at the bottom of the cliff, so I'd avoid driving in the town. Otherwise, no fear!

We drove the whole area last year and it is fine. I think parts of Pennsylvania are scarier! I'm afraid of heights and I found the roads well guarded with amazing views. The roads are wide and in excellent condition. You will have no problems driving and I highly recommend getting a car.

Check out the caves outside of Ronda. It is amazing. There is a great place for lunch too. I will dig up my trip report (click on my name to find it, it is around post #118) and copy and paste the info at the end here.

One thing I do recommend is getting a gps or renting a gps. We had a great map and it wasn't so great.

The other thing to try is all the other English speaking AutoEurope sites. Click the international sites link and try your dates for UK, Ireland, Canada, etc. There is a place to put in your actual address and country when you reserve. If they send you a voucher, then you are all set. We found a rate on an automatic on the UK site that was less than have the US site.

Here is my whole Ronda info:

Day 6, Monday, April 2, 2007.
Seville - Ronda
We got out of Seville early because the processions close down streets and made our way to Ronda. We tried to go to Italica first to see the Roman ruins, but our hotel concierge forgot to tell us they are closed on Mondays, so we drove that route for no reason. But I should mention here that as soon as you cross into Andalusia, the scenery just becomes absolutely amazing. The mountains are beautiful and there are just olive trees as far as the eye can see. So we make our way into Ronda and find our next Parador. This one is in the old town hall on the edge of a 300 foot gorge. I paid 20 euros extra an night for a room with a view and it was the best 40 euros I've ever spent in my life. We had a balcony on the top floor that you could literally fall off into the gorge from. We opened the curtains and the whole valley was below us. Unbelievable. My husband said that it would have been the stupidist 40 euros ever saved it we hadn't paid for the view. We walked around town and I shopped a bit. Then we had dinner at the hotel across the street. Unfortunately it was too cold to sit on the balcony over the gorge, but the food was wonderful and Ronda is a cool town. There are a lot of tourists there, but it hasn't become a tourist town.

Day 7, Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Ronda
We wake up to see these crazy dudes flying ultralight planes over the gorge and valley right in front of our balcony. There were three of them. Crazy dudes.

I wanted to get some more shopping in, but my husband said we should do the caves in the morning before the tourists all got there. So we drove about 20 miles to the Cueva de la Pileta to see the cave paintings and it was truly incredible. My husband was right. Go early. First of all the drive there is just beautiful. Then when you get there you have to hike up a ton of stairs up the side of the mountain. We arrived just in time to join a tour that had just started. The cave is still scientifically preserved, which means that human access is strictly limited. They only take 20 people an hour so if you arrive once a tour is full, you have to wait an hour for the next one. Anyway, the guides are wonderful. They speak in Spanish first, and then English to explain everything. There is no electric light. We were given a kerosene lantern to light our path. The guide pointed out all these amazing cave paintings dating back from between 4000 and 20,000 years ago. It was incredibly cool. Buy the book at the end of the tour. The cave was discovered 100 years ago and has been fiercely protected by many generations of that family. The great granddaughter is currently getting a graduate degree in archeology.

After the cave we stopped for lunch at a little hotel that I had been recommended in a guidebook. We had amazing food next to a rushing river with chickens and goats on the other side. It is called Hotel Molino del Santo. Highly recommended.

After lunch we decided to see a few white towns. After getting a bit lost (again) we made it to the Sentenil, which was the one I really wanted to see. Basically they just dry walled up some caves and live in them today. We stopped for a Coke at a bar that was half cave. I even took a picture in the bathroom of the cave wall and ceiling. Very cool. My husband said we had a day visiting people that used to live in caves and some that still do.

Back in Ronda we toured the bull ring had a relaxing dinner. Our plan was to dry out a bit from all the Sangria, sherry, wine, cerveza, etc. But at dinner, as in several places, instead of bringing water to the table they bring sherry. So I gave mine to my husband. And then after we paid the bill, they brought over two bottles of liquor and two glasses to have on the house. There are a lot of things on the house in Spanish restaurants. So we had to try them. One was anise and one orange. So much for drying out.

I agree that driving in Andalusia is quite easy. Driving into Seville and trying to find your way around a city that does not seem to have street signs is another thing. I find driving in Seville to be quite trying and it is worse at night.

In May 2007 we rented a car in Cordoba, drove to Benaojan, the Molino del Santo (in Benaojan village at the train station not in Benojan village proper a mile or two up the mountain), for two nights and then drove to Granada. The driving was easy until Granada where we spent well over an hour driving around in circles trying to get to the train station - we eventually gave up and dropped the car at the airport and took a taxi back into town. But, other than downtown Granada, driving was like in rural Oregon or small towon Oregon. In Ronda I ended up having to cross the bridge over the gorge and drive through downtown old town before I could turn around and drive back. It was easy. Seville would be much worse than Granada.

We went to Zahara de la Sierra and then over the Pass of the Pigeons or somesuch thing to Grazalema. Quite scenic and also windy but paved well and mostly two lane, some 1 & 1/2 lane stretches, not frigthening at all. Hardly any traffic except in Granada and Cordoba and Ronda. Only bad traffic was in Granada.

Thank you so much! I am glad to see that two of you either stayed or ate at the Molino del Santo and liked it. I had heard about the Cueva de la Pileta (they are noted on the Molino's website), and will take your advice to go early.

I have things set up now to rent the car in Granada (the train station) and return it in Seville, also at the train station. I was looking at mappy.com...doesn't look TOO complicated. I promise to post a trip report and let you all know how it went.

Six weeks! As my son would say, whoo hoo!

Kelliebellie - did you mention which Parador you stayed in in Ronda?

I didn't realize there was more than one parador in Ronda. This one used to be the old town hall or post office or something and is right on the edge of the gorge next to the bridge. Let me look it up.

Here it is:

http://www.paradores-spain.com/spain/pronda.html

thanks kellie - you are most likely correct - I hadn't looked it up yet to see if there were more than one in that area. much appreciated!

IMO it depends on which route you decide to take and whether or not you suffer from vertigo (I do a bit)and if you drive like an Italian or like a normal person. DH drives like an Italian and there were places in Andalusia that were very scary to me. We live in Seattle and go to Mt. Rainer and Mt. Baker and such, so it's not as if I'm not as if I'm not used to curvey, mountain roads. However, the curvey, mountain roads here have GUARD RAILS along the side--in many places in Andalusia, they DON'T!

I was hoping (still am) that Maribel would respond to this post, as she recommended routes to us that were less challenging.

If you do this, I suggest you get the #578 Regional Michelin Map for Andalucia so that you can familiarize yourself with the roads in the area. And yes, there are some white villages that you might have a hard time getting to without a car, but make sure you park OUTSIDE the village, don't drive into the village like DH did!

Hi artlover,
I think I know which "vertigo inspiring" roads you may be referring to around the white towns

If you don't have a daredevil driver at the wheel, like my driver, and really, really dislike mountain driving with guardrails few and far between, you might want to avoid the following mountain passes:
Puerto de las Palomas (that Pass of the Pidgeons) that connects Zahara de la Sierra to Grazalema and the Puerto del Boyar which connects Montecorto to El Bosque through Grazalema.

To explore the white towns with zero white knuckle driving, I would stick to the A (regional) roads rather than venture on to the CA (provincial) roads.

The drive from Arcos de la Frontera to Ronda through Algondonales on the A 382 (if that road hasn't been renumbered lately) is very, very easy.

I HATE driving in Seville and Córdoba and hate even more trying to negotiate impossible confusing (for me, at least) downtown Granada!

I'll do anything to avoid traffic in these labyrinth-like capitals, so we turn our car in at the airport locations and gladly leave the negotiating of the downtown maze to our professional taxi driver.

That Michelin 578 that artlover recommends is a god send.

Well, actually, YOU were the one who recommended it to me, Maribel--and you're a god send!!!

Maribel, you gave us great info for this trip as well!

While the road between Zahara and Grazalema is a winding mountain road it was one of the highlights of our Andalusia trip. The views were amazing looking down upon the electric blue lake in Zahara. And at the top you could see the eagles/hawks flying below you. I personally didn't think it was bad and I have a fear of edges. But if you don't like mountain roads then I wouldn't recommend it.

Driving in Seville -- not so good! Same goes for Granada. I was ready to hand over the keys! But rent a small compact so you can drive into the small villages.

Hi BeachGirl,
I remember your trip planning! I'm glad you enjoyed the scenic drive through the pass between Zahara and Grazalema, two of my very favorite white hill towns.

I'll just second what BeachGirl has suggested. Rent the smallest car that you can manage if you plan any significant touring in the white towns. These villages just aren't laid out for large vehicles. To get to the top of Arcos de la Frontera is a challenge with a large car as those steep streets are so narrow. We almost got our compact stuck in a tiny, tiny cul de sac in Gaucín-should have parked outside the town and walked in.

A large car is a bad idea in many of these little hill towns, and yes you can get in an awful mess trying to turn round or reverse out of a cul de sac...

Here's a fun recommendation in Arcos de la Frontera...at the top of the hill in the very old part, (1 min from the Parador square area) was a very lovely place called the Circulo de la Union...it is actually a "social club" with a central patio for dining which you enter from the street, and also has a dining room and reading room downstairs in the main building. It does't really say it, but it is also open to the public to eat there.

We had a really great "salmorejo" (cold andalucian soup) and some lomos and chorizo, and a pitcher of wine and dessert and coffee for about 28 Euros, and it had a really fun feeling. And we sat in the reading room afterwards...very friendly and tidy and also air conditioned which was important in last summer's heat wave. Best, Rouss

Molino del Santo is a good base for the area. A bit of quiet. 10 minutes into Ronda. I have always been able to park in the underground parking in Ronda city center. follow the signs.

I don't find the roads to Grazalema or El Bosque that bad. Beautiful views. Between Benoajan and Grazalema [actually not far from B] you will go through a cork forest interesting.

I am with everyone else: A car is definitely a negative in Granada and Sevilla. For your pickup in Granada consider the airport or even the train station. The train station is "in town" but not "downtown" just off Ave de la Constitution which will get you out of town. Downtown Granada driving is not fun. Incidentally, even in the smaller villages finding a parking space can be a challenge. Just take your time.

Incidentally, perhaps the scariest drive I have ever made was from Lanjaron [just south of Granada] to to the villages of Bubion and Capiliera. Neat places but I was scared to death going up. No guard rail, some gravel, and on the "outside". Do beware of that one.