Hello all,
Planning a 15-day trip next May, starting in Barcelona and ending in Madrid, with a 5-day stay in Malaga (for day trips) and 2 nights in Sevilla in between. We will be renting a car in Barcelona for the drive south to Malaga and are wondering what stops/overnights you recommend along the way? We have two nights to play with. Others have recommended Peniscola and Valencia ... but am wondering is Peniscola worth an overnight or just a stop along the way with the overnight in Valencia? If so, then where for the second night? Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you!

That's one very ambitious adventure you're planning, nearly 1800 kms, not counting any side trips along the way. The first leg is approximately 1000 kms long by itself.

Based on a typical route, Valencia would be the first logical stop, about 3-1/2 hours south of Barcelona, leaving another 600 kms of driving before reaching Malaga.

I have a couple of questions regarding your 15-day itinerary in which you say you have “two nights to play with”.

Are you planning on spending any time in Barcelona when you first arrive, or are you just picking up and car and heading south?

How long are you planning on staying in Madrid at the end of this journey?

Hi Robert 2533,
Ok, here's the scoop: we arrive in Barcelona for 3 nights before picking up the car and venturing south. Then we have the 2 nights to play with (possibly 3) before arriving in Malaga. We will spend 4-5 nights in Malaga (day trips planned could include Marbella, Gibraltar, or Ronda) followed by 2 nights in Sevilla where we will leave the car. We plan on taking the AVE train to Madrid and spending 3 nights there. I know the distance is quite long between Barcelona and Malaga. Thinking one night in Valencia or thereabouts then possibly driving a good distance (5hrs from what I can tell) to Granada and spending the next day there before driving on to Malaga. Or we can do Granada as a day trip from Malaga if you suggest breaking up the route differently ...
Thanks!

Yes, you should add Granada as a day trip from Malaga. Leaving early in the morning (around 09:00), you can be in Granada in about 1 hour 45 minutes (130 Kms) depending on the traffic around Malaga.

Valencia (http://www.turisvalencia.es/) is a good spot to sped the night. There is a lot happening as they prepare for the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.americascup.com/en/) and there are some events scheduled for May and June and July 2006.

There are several good hotels to choose form in Valencia, but you will want to stay in the old city to be in the center of things. We're staying at the Hotel Palau de La Mar (http://www.hospes.es) over the New Year. It's considered the best hotel in the city and is very reasonably priced.

You may want to consider driving to Almería and spending the night before heading into Malaga. It's about a 5-hour drive. The hotel De Naturaleza Rodalquilar (http://www.hotelrodalquilar.com/) has a pool, as does the Hotel Cortijo el Sotillo. After that, it's a scenic 3-hour drive into Malaga.

IMO with the time you have you'd be better off flying to Malaga and picking up the car there. We drove from Malaga to Allicante, stopping overnight in Almeria and it was a long drive and in retrospect, I would have preferred spending the driving time seeing more of the highlights you have mentioned. There are all sorts of inexpensive flights within Spain.