Andalusia is the Spain of the imagination: Moorish palaces, gorges lined with white houses and sunshine most of the year. Bus tours cover Granada and Seville; a motorhome also reaches the wild coves of Cabo de Gata, the mountain switchbacks of the Alpujarra and the fishing villages where time stood still. The route runs in a loop through Granada, Ronda, the Malaga coast and back along the sea via Almeria and Cartagena. Around 1,400 km at a relaxed pace, with rest days on beaches. Best time: April to June and September to October; in summer the hot inland days are spent at the coast.
Day 1: Valencia — Granada (500 km)
The longest leg of the loop, deliberately placed first when there is most energy. Via the A-7 and A-92 through Murcia, 5 hours with a lunch stop. By evening you are at the foot of the Sierra Nevada. Most important: buy Alhambra tickets 2-4 weeks in advance on the official website — it is the most visited monument in Spain and there are no tickets at the door. Overnight: Camping Reina Isabel (La Zubia), 15 minutes by bus from the centre, or area de autocaravanas Granada.
Day 2: Granada — a full day
A full day for one of the great cities of the world. Morning — Alhambra (3-4 hours): Nasrid palaces, Generalife gardens, Alcazaba fortress. Take the earliest slot — fewer people and soft light. Afternoon — Albaicin, the Moorish hilltop quarter with white houses: getting lost here is the best thing you can do. Sunset — San Nicolas viewpoint: the Alhambra against the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada, arrive an hour early. Evening — tapas: Granada is the last city in Spain where a tapa comes free with every drink. Calle Navas and the Realejo quarter.
Day 3: Granada — Alpujarra — Orgiva (90 km)
Short in kilometres, intense in the mountains. The Alpujarra is the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, where the last Moors retreated after the Reconquista. White villages of the Poqueira gorge: Pampaneira, Bubion, Capileira — three villages one above the other, local weaving and goat's cheese. Trevelez — the highest village in Spain (1,476 m) and home to the finest serrano ham. Road: the A-4132 is narrow but passable in our Yearling without rushing — in the villages, park at the entrance. Overnight: Camping Orgiva in the valley with a pool and mountain views.
Day 4: Orgiva — Ronda (180 km)
Transfer to the most dramatic city in Spain. Ronda stands on the two edges of the 120-metre-deep Tajo gorge, joined by the Puente Nuevo. Descend the Camino de los Molinos trail — 20 minutes down and you will understand why you came: the view of the bridge from the gorge floor is worth the whole trip. Beyond the bridge: Spain's oldest bullring, a walk along the edge of the gorge and the sunset from the Aldehuela platform. Overnight: area de autocaravanas Ronda, 10 minutes' walk from the centre.
Day 5: Ronda — white villages — Malaga (130 km)
Morning, the white-villages route: Setenil de las Bodegas, where houses are built directly into the rock (the cave streets Cuevas del Sol), and Zahara de la Sierra above its turquoise reservoir. At dusk, a descent to the sea at Malaga: the Picasso Museum in the city of his birth, the Alcazaba fortress and the Muelle Uno waterfront. Overnight: area Malaga (Huelin) or Camping Torremolinos.
Days 6-7: Malaga — Nerja — Cabo de Gata (220 km)
East along the coast. Stop at Nerja: the Balcon de Europa above the sea and the caves with the world's largest stalactite. Then — the star of the south-east: Cabo de Gata-Nijar natural park, Europe's only desert that meets the sea. Volcanic rocks, cacti, beaches without a single building — this is where they filmed the spaghetti westerns. Not to miss: Playa de los Genoveses (a wild crescent bay), Playa Monsul (black rocks and the Indiana Jones dune), the Cabo de Gata lighthouse and the Arrecife de las Sirenas reef viewpoint at sunset. Base: the village of San Jose. Important: in summer (15 Jun - 15 Sep) car access to the beaches is restricted — leave the motorhome in San Jose and take the shuttle. Overnight: Camping Cabo de Gata or area Los Escullos. Two nights minimum — this is the place people hire a motorhome for.
Day 8: Cabo de Gata — Cartagena (150 km)
Along the Murcia coast to Cartagena, a city with 3,000 years of history. A Roman theatre discovered by chance during building work in 1988, modernist facades on Calle Mayor and the naval museum with Peral's submarine. Overnight: area de autocaravanas Cartagena by the harbour.
Days 9-10: Cartagena — Calblanque — Valencia (300 km)
Morning: the secret for last — Calblanque natural park 20 minutes from Cartagena. Wild beaches with golden dunes that even many Spaniards don't know. A dirt track from the main road — 10 minutes of careful driving. After lunch, the easy drive home: under 3 hours on the AP-7, back in Valencia by evening. Option for 12 days: a day in Seville after Ronda (but in summer it is +40 degrees) or an extra day in Cabo de Gata — most people choose the latter.
Practical tips
- 1Budget: a 10% discount applies for 10 or more nights. Fuel for 1,400 km: around 180 euros. Southern stopovers are mostly paid (8-15 euros), campsites 25-40 euros.
- 2Heat: in summer in Granada and Ronda do sightseeing in the morning, siesta in the shade or driving with the air conditioning on, the city comes alive at night. On the coast the heat is not felt.
- 3Book in advance: Alhambra 2-4 weeks ahead (essential), Cabo de Gata campsites in August.
- 4Water: in the south water points are scarcer than in the north — fill the tank at every opportunity. All points on Park4Night.
- 5Roads: the only genuinely mountainous section is the Alpujarra. If in doubt, skip day 3 and drive from Granada straight to Ronda via the motorway.
Ready for the adventure?
Book your campervan in Valencia and start the adventure.
Our McLouis Yearling 89G is the perfect companion for Andalusia: air conditioning for the southern summer, a solar panel for self-sufficient nights in Cabo de Gata, a compact 7.4 metres for mountain villages and 3 beach chairs for wild coves.
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