A Long Weekend Road Trip Through Andalucía

There is something about a long weekend in Spain that makes you want to escape the city. With Friday off in Madrid for the bank holiday, we decided to rent a car and head south for a few days in Andalucía. Originally, we had looked at taking the AVE, but prices were astronomical and there were no suitable return journeys for Sunday anyway, so a road trip felt like the perfect solution.

The plan was simple: one night in Setenil de las Bodegas followed by the rest of the weekend in Málaga, with a few stops along the way. What followed was one of those trips that reminds you exactly why Spain is such an incredible country to explore.

Through the Heart of Spain

We left Madrid early on Friday morning, driving through Castilla-La Mancha — the land of Don Quixote and, for me, the true heart of Spain. There is something timeless about this part of the country: rolling plains, endless skies and tiny villages that seem unchanged for decades.

Our first stop was Antequera, a town I had saved on Google Maps for years after hearing wonderful things about it. More recently, two of my students, Max and Sophie, had visited and completely convinced me to finally go after telling me about an amazing lunch they had there at one of Spain’s top-rated restaurants.

They were absolutely right.

We spent the afternoon enjoying lomo de solomillo, fresh tomato salad and a slow Andalusian lunch before wandering around the town. Antequera itself is beautiful, although after lunch it transforms into an almost complete ghost town as everyone disappears for siesta. Eventually, after tracking down an ice cream, we got back on the road towards Setenil.

Returning to Setenil de las Bodegas

Setenil de las Bodegas is one of Andalucía’s most famous pueblos blancos, known for the enormous rock formations that hang dramatically over the streets and houses. For me though, it is much more than just a picturesque town.

I actually lived there for a year in 2010/2011 while teaching in the local secondary school, so arriving back there after all these years felt incredibly nostalgic. We stayed in one of the town’s famous cave houses — a three-bedroom Airbnb for just €67, which felt almost impossible compared to Madrid prices.

Walking through the streets brought back so many memories of arriving there at 19 years old, barely able to speak Spanish (or at least that is how it felt at the time), living alone for the first time and trying to adapt to life in rural Andalucía. Looking back now, it is amazing to realise just how much that year shaped me and how important it was in getting me to where I am today.

Tapas in Ronda

That evening we drove to nearby Ronda for dinner. Famous for its spectacular bridge spanning the gorge below, Ronda felt far livelier than I remembered. We found a small tapacería with tables lining the pavement and ordered what felt like every classic tapa possible: tortilla de patata, ensaladilla rusa, jamón, queso, gambas and boquerones, all washed down with wine as the evening rolled on.

It was one of those quintessential Spanish evenings that reminds you why tapas culture is so special.

Next time I visit, I would love to stay at the parador beside the bridge itself.

The Caminito del Rey

Saturday morning began with an early drive towards the Caminito del Rey. Before starting the walk, we stopped in Cuevas del Becerro for breakfast, completely unaware that the town was celebrating a huge local festival that day.

Within minutes we found ourselves trapped between horses, marching bands, police officers, children and elaborate floats processing through impossibly narrow streets. It was chaotic, noisy and brilliant all at once. Somehow, we managed to squeeze into the town’s only café for breakfast before continuing on our way.

The Caminito del Rey itself was stunning. The walk is around 5km long and relatively easy, although you do need to be reasonably mobile. The dramatic cliffs, turquoise water and rock formations make it one of the most impressive walks I have done in Spain.

We booked the guided tour, which was interesting for learning about the history of the pathway, although personally I think I would skip it next time and simply enjoy the scenery at my own pace.

Málaga: One of Spain’s Best Cities

After the hike, we headed down to the coast for the final part of the trip: Málaga.

I have always loved Málaga. For me, it is one of the most complete cities in Spain — beautiful weather, beaches, culture, nightlife, fantastic food and of course its connection to Pablo Picasso.

As soon as we arrived, we dropped our bags and headed straight to Casa Lola, an old favourite of mine, for tapas and a few glasses of tinto de verano and albariño.

The rest of our time there was spent wandering around the port, hiking up to the castle and ending the trip with dinner at El Pimpi — still one of my favourite restaurants anywhere in the world and absolutely worth the queue for a table.

Final Thoughts

All in all, it was the perfect Andalucía weekend escape from Madrid. Sharing the driving made the journey easy and, surprisingly, it worked out much cheaper than the train would have done booking last minute.

Spain is one of those countries where even a simple weekend road trip can feel like a completely different world within a few hours — and Andalucía never disappoints.