We are driving from Malaga to Barcelona the end of February. Our first stops will be Cordoba and Granada. We would like to head to the coast from there and do not know what stops to make. We will be stopping in Xabia to see friends. We will be leaving Malaga on Feb. 24 and would like to be in Barcelona about the 3rd of February. What stops are a must?

Welcome to the Fodors forums. We moved your thread to the Europe board and tagged it for Spain.

More information please...

• You will have 8 nights for the drive, correct? (leap year)
• How many nights do you plan to stay in Córdoba, then in Granada?
• How many nights in Xàbia? or are you just stopping to see your friends then moving on? I'm assuming you already know neighboring Dènia?
• Are you set on following the coastal route or have you considered going inland? (There are a dozen possible sightseeing stops either way)
• Do you want stops for an overnight or two or... just for sightseeing?

The # of nights for Córdoba, Granada, Xàbia would determine how much time you have, if any, to explore one of these 3 cities on route: Alicante (Alacant), Valencia, Tarragona (Roman Tarraco).
They're not easy "ins and outs", especially busy but beautiful Valencia. You will lose considerable time just getting in and out since it has a metro population of 800,000+

From Xàbia, for a short stop, you could consider Peñíscola and/or Tortosa. Tortosa has a Parador next to La Zuda castle.