We are going to rent a car and drive from Seville to Granada. We will set aside the whole day to drive and visit the white villages. We were originally going to do the coast but the white villages sound more authentic and different. Now we are trying to figure out which villages to visit. We definitely want to stop in Ronda. We will not do any museums or anything but enjoy exploring and eating more. I also heard there is some cheese making shops around there so definitely will need to do that as we love cheese. Which towns would you recommend stopping? Right now we have noted down Arcos de la frontera, Villeleungo de Rosario (cheese), Grazalema, Zahara , Ronda, Antequera. We obviously cannot do all so which would you recommend as a must visit? Thanks!

Here are two routes for you to consider:

Route 1

Arcos de la Frontera (Cádiz)
Algar (Cádiz)
Jimena de la Frontera (Cádiz)
Benalauría (Málaga)
Ronda (Málaga)

Route 2
Arcos de la Frontera (Cádiz)
Algar (Cádiz)
El Bosque (Cádiz)
Ubrique (Málaga)
Cortes de la Frontera (Málaga)
Ronda (Málaga)

You can do a side trip from El Bosque to Villeleungo de Rosario on the way to Ubrique, or cut out Cortes de la Frontera and just head up to Ronda from Rosario.

I am planning a similar trip in late Aug/Sept and have been doing some reading. Have you looked at a roadmap of the area? It appears that some villages are quite close...less than 20 km...whereas others are 50+ km apart. Might be able to catch some of the smaller places on the route to others. The area is also part of the Holy Inquisition. I read a book about it. Quite deep and disturbing. Cortegana is a Biosphere Reserve whereas Baeza, Jaen is on the UNESCO World Heritage Registry. It's all a fascinating area so I'm sure wherever you end up it will either satisfy your curiosity or make you want to explore more in the future. Safe travels!

The so-called "white villages", popularized by Rick Steves, are not terribly interesting. Are picturesque from a distance. Am not a shopper, but if you go thru Ubrique, you should have a look at the leather goods there. All the items in the top shops of Madrid, etc. come out of Ubrique.

Robert as I understand they are driving all the way to Granada, which, with stops, would be quite a long day.

I agree with Bedar, the white villages are not that interesting, but we really enjoyed the drive through the Sierra de Grazalema, the cork forest, pretty winding twisty road, sheep and goats along the sides, and bought cheese at Grazalema, which was very very good, and a good price. There are shops in town, but we also saw a couple of farms along the way.

In Ronda you would just have a short time to have a look at the old town and the Puente Nuevo.

Yes, a very a long day!

Sevilla - Arcos de la Frontera - Zahara de la Sierra (have lunch at Hotel-Rest. Al Lago http://al-lago.es/) - Ronda - Colmenar - Granada.
This means, roughly, five hours driving time. Doesn't leave much time to see the towns/villages along the road.

Yea, it looks like a bunch of the one we are interested in are close together but I guess we can't stop at all given we are doing this in one day. Is Arcos worth it? It seems a little out of the way if we wanted go to Ronda. Was thinking Grazelema and the cheese museum in Villeluenga del Rosario. But have also seen people mention Zahara, Olvera...

Robert- I mapped out your options and it looks like option 2 would take less time. Do you think those are better stops than the ones I listed above? Any that are not must-sees and can drop to save time?

Yes, Arcos is worth it. As are in fact many of the villages of the Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos de Andalucía http://www.andalucia-web.net/ruta_1.htm as well as those in the province of Cádiz http://www.cadizturismo.com/rutas/ru...eblos-blancos/
You will definitely need more time to get a feel of the area.

"we really enjoyed the drive through the Sierra de Grazalema, the cork forest, pretty winding twisty road, sheep and goats along the sides..."

Agreedl Here is our morning going to Grazalema before heading to Sevilla (with photos) with a quick stop for some sheep who decided to utilize the roadway.

<B>http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/chapter-ten-on-to-sevilla/</B>

Maitai nice pics and good memories!

thanks Maitaitom for sharing that! Looks like a lot of fun and beautiful sites.

Since it seems there are many places to see, should I take a night off Madrid and spend one in the white villages? Then I would have 2 days to explore. That would leave us with 3 nights in Madrid. What do you think? If so, any suggestion on which town to stay?

Maitaitom, what month were you in Seville? You keep mentioning the heat! We will be there at the end of September for 4 nights. (3 whole days)

We were there the last week of May. People told us we hit hotter than usual weather for that time of year. It was a good way to lose weight walking around town. Made room for a few more GinTonics

"Since it seems there are many places to see, should I take a night off Madrid and spend one in the white villages?"

My answer would be no. I agree with Bedar that white towns "are not terribly interesting." Our group are among the few naysayers for Ronda (except for the gorge). We loved Sevilla and loved Granada and loved Madrid. I would not substitute a night in a white town for any of them.

Ok forget that idea. We will just need to narrow it down. Thanks!

Here's a link to my pictures of our 3 wk tour in Andalucía in June 2016: https://www.flickr.com/photos/104652...7676088957951/

Thanks for sharing Myriam. Great Pics ! what was your favorite?

Myriam, I love your photos! What was your itinerary? Are the beach photos of Malaga? We are going to Madrid, Toledo, and Andalucia in September for 2 weeks. I'd love to know where you went and your impressions/favorites.