Spain Travel Advice

[nik-]

In Madrid you could check out Malasaña as a neighborhood to stay in. I stayed there on one of my stops there. Not so sure about Valencia (I stayed in the old Town when I was there). In Barcelona I stayed just of La Rambla, but I wouldn't recommend it. Just too tourist centric.

[Lubicon]

Suggestions for a week or so in the Malaga area? We've done Granada and Seville (both outstanding) and are looking for ideas in the south part of Spain in May. Caminito del Ray and Ronda are on the potential list.

[Nyah]

Are you renting a car? Mijas is a really beautiful city, and is only about 20 minutes from Malaga. Marbella, Calahonda and Fuengirola are all really cool towns, albeit very full of Brits.

I'd absolutely recommend Ronda. I loved it there. It's a bit of a haul to get up there, an hour or so from Malaga but it's a really pretty drive (if anyone in your party has a hard time with winding roads, Gravol is a must). I'd recommend driving up and staying the night.

Gibraltar isn't far, but if you go you'll need your passport because it's technically a British territory.

If you're feeling really adventurous, you can take a ferry over to Tangier and pop onto the African continent for a day. It's a port town and has a bunch of Moroccan shops and cafes.

[Nyah]

Oh, and one more thing I'd recommend if you're driving, is the highway along the coast south of Malaga has two routes: the AP-7 is a toll road and is great if you're in a bit of a hurry and just want to get from point A - B, but if you're more into scenic routes that go through the towns along the coast with places to pop out to the water, stick to the N-340 then the A-7.