Driving Stops Barcelona to Marbella
Jan 18th, 2009 | 12:33 PM
#1
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Driving Stops Barcelona to Marbella
We are planning a 10 day trip in early April. We are driving from Barcelona to Marbella (about 660 miles) and plan to take two or three days to make the trip. We plan to spend one night in Valencia, but aren't sure what other stops to make.
What sights are worth the stop between Barcelona and Valencia? How long will that drive take? Where should we stay in Valencia? From Valencia to Marbella (438 mi) is it worth a night on the road? Should we go along the coast or through Granada? Where should we stay the night? What other stops should we make?
We'll have five days in Marbella with friends, so plan to take a few day trips from there including the Alhambra.
Your suggestions are appreciated!
What sights are worth the stop between Barcelona and Valencia? How long will that drive take? Where should we stay in Valencia? From Valencia to Marbella (438 mi) is it worth a night on the road? Should we go along the coast or through Granada? Where should we stay the night? What other stops should we make?
We'll have five days in Marbella with friends, so plan to take a few day trips from there including the Alhambra.
Your suggestions are appreciated!
Jan 18th, 2009 | 01:43 PM
#2
Joined: May 2007
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Valencia-Marbella is appr. 7hrs, so you could do it in one day, especially if you used in the route via Granada.
Valencia hotels...
It may not be the very central part of Valencia, but if you want to stay somewhat close to the city center, you will find several hotels near the City of Arts and Sciences. It is easy to reach by car, and you have only to use a short bit of inner city roads to get to that part of town.
There may be more centrally located hotels which have more sights in walking distance, but it is for you to decide if you want to do a lot of downtown driving to get to your hotel.
Possible stopover along the AP-7/A-7 could be Murcia (after a short visit to Elx/Elche and the botanical garden, maybe). IMO, Murcia is more a small town and easier to handle for a quick visit than nearby Alicante, and cuts the distance to Marbella quite even in 2 parts. Have never stayed there overnight, though, so I cannot recommend any hotels.
Since you will be going to Granada later, you may want to stay on the coastal A-7. There is still one section of motorway missing around Motril, yet it's only appr. 40km of 2-lane highway so it will not have a major overall impact.
If money is an issue, you should keep in mind that between Barcelona and Alicante most parts of the motorway are tolled, and the section BCN-Valencia will cost you appr. €30.
The alternative is the 2-lane highway N340, but I would not recommend that. Many trucks also use that route to avoid the tolls, and it takes much longer.
From Valencia to Alicante you can avoid the tolled section of AP-7 along the coast if you veered off a bit inland on the A-7 via Xátiva and Alcoi to Alicante.
The rest of the trip would be free motorways, both the coastal route via A-7 or the alternative via Granada.
Only the final section of your trip from Fuengirola to Marbella would be tolled again, with parallel A-7 to avoid it if wanted.
Valencia hotels...
It may not be the very central part of Valencia, but if you want to stay somewhat close to the city center, you will find several hotels near the City of Arts and Sciences. It is easy to reach by car, and you have only to use a short bit of inner city roads to get to that part of town.
There may be more centrally located hotels which have more sights in walking distance, but it is for you to decide if you want to do a lot of downtown driving to get to your hotel.
Possible stopover along the AP-7/A-7 could be Murcia (after a short visit to Elx/Elche and the botanical garden, maybe). IMO, Murcia is more a small town and easier to handle for a quick visit than nearby Alicante, and cuts the distance to Marbella quite even in 2 parts. Have never stayed there overnight, though, so I cannot recommend any hotels.
Since you will be going to Granada later, you may want to stay on the coastal A-7. There is still one section of motorway missing around Motril, yet it's only appr. 40km of 2-lane highway so it will not have a major overall impact.
If money is an issue, you should keep in mind that between Barcelona and Alicante most parts of the motorway are tolled, and the section BCN-Valencia will cost you appr. €30.
The alternative is the 2-lane highway N340, but I would not recommend that. Many trucks also use that route to avoid the tolls, and it takes much longer.
From Valencia to Alicante you can avoid the tolled section of AP-7 along the coast if you veered off a bit inland on the A-7 via Xátiva and Alcoi to Alicante.
The rest of the trip would be free motorways, both the coastal route via A-7 or the alternative via Granada.
Only the final section of your trip from Fuengirola to Marbella would be tolled again, with parallel A-7 to avoid it if wanted.
Jan 19th, 2009 | 11:41 AM
#6
Joined: May 2007
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Well, do whatever floats your boat.
I did the (roughly) the same trip two weeks ago, but the other way around, from Málaga to Barcelona. And it was a great trip to see places that usually do not get much attention from tourists. But you are right, of course: flying from BCN to Málaga would be the fastest and easiest way to get there.
I did the (roughly) the same trip two weeks ago, but the other way around, from Málaga to Barcelona. And it was a great trip to see places that usually do not get much attention from tourists. But you are right, of course: flying from BCN to Málaga would be the fastest and easiest way to get there.
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