sorriso

I am attending a language school in Ronda for two weeks in November after which I will have four or five nights on my own before I'm joined by my son. He and I will be going to both Seville and Granada. After that I/we will go to Toledo and maybe Barcelona. My heart's plan was to go to Morocco during the interval but as a solo female traveler I've come to accept that the added costs for a "guide" plus other necessities push me out of my budget travel brain. So I turn to you, veterans of travel. Where do you suggest I spend my time?

I am a frugal traveler and I can find accommodation/food to suit that anywhere I go. Tell me about the places. I love the ocean no matter what the season, interesting architecture (i.e. different than USA!), history. No need for major museums or shopping. I will be traveling by train and would prefer just one place that I can dig deep into by walking and poking into small museums/house museums. Practicing my Spanish would be wise!

Thank you.

KarenWoo

I recommend Malaga or Cordoba.

We loved Malaga last year. I think it is an underrated city. The city center is beautiful! The Alcazaba is gorgeous! You walk slowly uphill among the ruins; there is lovely landscaping, with trees, flowers, small fountains and patios, and gorgeous views of the Mediterranean. From there you can continue on to the Castle, with more spectacular views. There are many small art museums; we visited the Picasso Museum, which was very interesting. The promenade along the port is very pretty. The beach is there, too, but I assume you won't have beach weather in November. There is a wonderful huge market and tons of restaurants and cafes. Even a ferris wheel!

Cordoba was one of our favorite cities! We loved the Mezquita, Alcazar, Palacio de Viana (beautiful home with 12 patios), the Roman Bridge, and plenty of wandering in the Juderia. The modern city is very nice, too, with a great indoor market. Cordoba is very pretty, and was the least crowded city that we visited last year.

Hope this helps!

Huitres

My teenage daughter and I went to Spain last summer and thoroughly enjoyed it! In fact, Seville was one of our favorite cities! We stayed in a great beach town, Tarifa, down in the south of Spain. We visited Tarifa after Sevilla and took the COMES BUS (“La Linea-Sevilla” screen sign on bus) to get down there (it was a 3 hour trip) for 19,95€. The busses are so efficient in Spain and widely used, I am sure there are several busses that go from Ronda to Tarifa so it should be easy to do. The Tarifa bus station is located at the top/north end on the outskirts of town. We took an Uber to the central area where we were staying. We found a great little place called Pension Correo, Calle Coronel Moscardó, 8, located next to the big San Mateo church in the old city center, just 2 blocks from the ocean. We, too, are frugal travelers so the nightly rate of 100€ was great for us! I am sure it would be even less in November. It was a fabulous place with a great vibe and lots of locals and Spanish vacationers. I did not encounter any other Americans and I was glad to be in a "non-touristed" spot not over-run by Americans for a change (compared to the Rick Steves' areas he promotes). Tarifa was delightful, with crowded beaches (windy, due to where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea via the Strait of Gibraltar), and lots of fun shops and restaurants. (Tarifa is also close to Trafalgar where Nelson and Napoleon had their infamous 1805 sea battle). We saw views over to Africa and the “Pillars of Hercules” – the first pillar being the Rock of Gibraltar and the second pillar being the mountain Jebel Musa in North Africa (Morocco). We came to Tarifa so we could take a close boat ride over to Morocco the next day but found it so much more than a jumping off point. Tarifa is charming enough to stay in without venturing across the waters to North Africa. We would stay there again!

PalenQ

Yes to Cordoba though you and son may well plan to see it when in Seville but as Karen says above fits all your needs except seaside - I would suggest also Alicante - neat seaside town. Book train tickets in advance at Renfe for discounted fares at least for long-distance trains - www.seat61.com has great advice on doing this yourself online - for general info on trains and where to go in Spain BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

yorkshire

Malaga, Cadiz, Cordoba

efarr99

Malaga

PalenQ

Yes to Malaga - really has been thoroughly spruced up in recent years - beaches too but much much more as said above and close to Ronda and Seville by train or bus.

Andee01

I second KarenWoo’s suggestion of Malaga or Córdoba. We spent 4 nights in Malaga in June. It was a relaxed destination with plenty to do and see in the old town, port area and at the beach. Although we didn’t end up visiting Nerja from Malaga, based on my research for our trip, this also looks like an interesting place to visit. We went to Córdoba on a day trip from Seville, but both agreed it would be a lovely place to spend several nights. It was less busy than other destinations, so felt a little more laid back, and has plenty to offer with historic sights, and pretty narrow alleyways to wander.

MinnBeef

We’ll Salamanca is stunning but it might be a bit out of the way with your itinerary. Why not spend the extra 3 nights in Madrid? Much more Spanish than Barcelona. The Prado is amazing and I’m not even a big museum guy. Great gardens. The food mercado (i can’t recall its name) was great fun. I actually preferred Madrid to Barcelona.

kja

I agree with KarenWoo – either Cordoba (which I adored) or Malaga (which is on my wish list).

sorriso

I didn't do a good job of making the itinerary clear. After I leave Ronda I have an interval of four or five nights before my son joins me in Granada. After Seville we/I head north to Toledo. It is wise for me to stay in the southern part of the country during that time and I would like to see the coast. I absolutely would be happy being in a small town as long as there are places to wander, eat and drink.

PalenQ

Malaga ain't no small town but there are plenty along the coast but in Malaga area many are fairly modern seaside resorts but can be fun to stay in - spent a week once in Torremelinos near Malaga and was fun but that's if relaxing on beach is part of fun.

yorkshire

Are neither Malaga nor Cadiz floating your proverbial boat?

PalenQ

those are not 'small towns' like OP wants - there are obviously zillions of small towns on coast to choose from if one wants to stay put in one place for 4-5 days - I am not familiar with any but maybe someone else is?

yorkshire

Cadiz certainly did not feel large when you are on the peninsula (and I found old town Malaga so charming). Public transport plus any smaller are not necessarily a great match, but I would look at all of the tiny places between Cadiz and Malaga. It's slim pickings once you omit the resorts.
People have expressed love for Sanlucar de Barrameda, but I found it dire on a Sunday visit. I only passed by, but I thought the coast around Vejer de la Frontera was quite pretty (Conil de la Frontera-Zahara de los Atunes, etc.).
If you are still considering inland. Jerez and Antequera would be on my list.

PalenQ

'small towns' sound neat but for several days could be rather boring unless you speak Spanish and mix with locals perhaps - yes Cadiz does not seem like a large town IME and even in large towns you can find neighborhoods that are more like small towns.

sorriso

Thank you all for your responses, I'll have a wonderful time sorting things through this weekend!

yestravel

Malaga gets my vote. While it’s not small, the historic core and the beach area would provide you with what you are looking for and it would be much like a small town. No need for going elsewhere.

sorriso

I just booked a hotel in Malaga centro, thanks everyone!

yestravel

I hope you enjoy it!