The 5 Best Routes by car in Spain

There are many doubts that arise when organizing a tourism trip through Spain, especially if it is the first time you visit it, since the heritage it has is enormous.

That's why we are going to propose to you 5 routes by car to visit different areas of the country, so that you can choose the ones you like the most, join several, or even if you have time, complete them all in a single trip.

Each of the routes that we recommend is a trip in itself, in which we have calculated a week for each of them.

And for those of you who want to follow them as is, we are going to propose alternatives so that you can choose based on each person's tastes.

As a complement, through the links you can access extensive information about each of the cities and places to visit, and you will also be able to see very interesting videos for your visit.

Yes, on these routes Not all regions of Spain are coveredOn the contrary, areas are left out that, due to their enormous attractions, deserve their own routes, which we will propose in future articles.

Driving route from Madrid

El interior of Spain It is an area full of castles and medieval cities, where the most important city is the capital of the country, Madrid.

In fact, on this route we suggest that you pass at least 3 or 4 days in Madrid, because the attractions that the capital has cannot be enjoyed in less time.

El Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Gran Vía , Retirement park or Prado Museum, Which is the largest art gallery in the world, they cannot be known in less time.

Here we leave you all the information you need to visit Madrid.

That is why the ideal for visit the interior of Spain is that you take Madrid as your starting point, and after visiting it you go to see the cities and important places that surround it.

The good thing is that just under 2 hours away there are several visits that are very worthwhile.

Here we leave you a list with 24 places to see near Madrid

Escorial Monastery

Once you have visited Madrid, using the A-6, which is one of the national highways, we recommend that you head north to do a mini route of 2 or 3 days depending on the time you have available.

The first stop is less than 30 kilometers away, without leaving the Region of Madrid, and it is about Escorial Monastery.

This incredible monastery is located in the heart of Sierra de Madrid, in a privileged natural environment at the foot of the Mount Abantos.

Here we leave you all the necessary information to visit the Escorial Monastery.

Ávila

crossing the Sierra de Guadarrama, we continue in the direction of the walled city of Ávila which has a huge wall that surrounds the city of 14 kilometers, one of the best preserved in the world.

A real gem, not too well known outside of Spain, but in our opinion. one of the most impressive sites in the country.

Do not miss the video of the city of Ávila.

Salamanca

The next stop is the university city of Salamanca a city full of culture with a huge cathedral, a beautiful Plaza Mayor and an incredible atmosphere fostered by said university character.

Segovia

To close the circle for the northern cities near Madrid, we have left what in our opinion is the most impressive of all, Segovia.

This city with thousands of years of history, has its Roman aqueduct, one of the best examples of Roman architecture in the world, simply impressive.

But this is not all, since at the top of the city is located the Alcazar of Segovia, a castle that will remind you of the movies Disney.

Here we leave you the information with the best what to see in Segovia and a video where we show you the city.

Toledo

Returning to Madrid, and crossing the city towards the south on the A-42, you will find another of those medieval movie cities such as Toledo.

La City of 3 Cultures where Muslims, Jews and Christians lived together, it is one of the most beautiful and visited cities in Spain; Everyone who travels to Madrid must reserve at least one day to visit it.

Here we leave you a whole information to visit Toledo and a video in which we show you the city.

To visit Madrid and all the cities we just mentioned you would already have a one-week trip, but in any case we leave you other options in case you want to include them, such as Aranjuez with its Royal palace and its gardens, the university city of Alcalá de Henares: Cuenca and their houses hanging houses.

Route by car through the south of Spain

El south of Spain It is one of the areas with the most heritage, since it is where the great Muslim period monuments, some of which still remain among the most important ever built.

If you want to join the first and this second route, From Madrid you can visit Toledo and Aranjuez, and you are now heading south on the A-4 highway.

For this route we recommend spending at least two days in each of the three large cities, Sevilla, Córdoba and Grenada and from there we will leave you several options to visit in Andalusia.

Sevilla

Sevilla It is one of our favorite cities in southern Spain, from where many of the expeditions to America carried out by Christopher Columbus and many other historical navigators.

There are many essential points that must be visited, such as the Giralda, Barrio de Santa Cruz, Spain Square or the tower of Gold.

Here we leave you all the information you need to visit Seville

Cordova

AndaluInc It is incredibly beautiful, but in our opinion the city we like the most is Cordova.

A city of narrow streets typical of the Jewish quarters full of flowers, which has one of the jewels of Muslim architecture in the center of the city, the Mosque of Cordoba, or other monuments such as Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs.

Here we leave you the information to visit Córdoba and a video where we show you the city.

Grenada

The most important Muslim city in Al-Andalus was Grenada, and the impressive Alhambra It is its iconic monument.

A city that has been incredibly well preserved and whose visit requires at least 4 or 5 hours to get to know it because of how big it is.

Here we leave you the information to visit the Alhambra and city ​​of grenada and its neighborhoods Albaicín, with its streets that transport you to places like Morocco, and the sacromonteWith its cave houses cradle of Flemish, must-sees.

Other visits in Andalusia

In addition to the three large cities mentioned, there are others that you can include to complete the route.

To highlight the millennial Cadiz, with a coast with incredible beaches, and where you can do the Route of the White Villages.

Or the city of Málaga, With the Costa del Sol and places like Marbella o Ronda; or Huelva with its Doñana national park.

As well Jaén, with the historic cities of Ubeda y Baeza, a beautiful town like Baths of the Encina, and nature sites such as Mountain range of Cazorla.

And in Almería, in addition to visiting the natural area of Cabo de Gata, you can make a route through the most beautiful towns in the Alpujarra of Almeria and, an essential, visit Mojácar. 

Car route through Levante

All Levante coast It is one of the most visited points in the country, especially in summer, where the heat in the interior of Spain makes the coasts fill up.

Here we leave you an article where we explain what is the best time to travel to Spain where we tell you in more depth about the characteristics of the country's climate.

Murcia and Mar Menor

If we go from south to north, a good starting point could be the city of Murcia, a great unknown, capital of what is considered the Garden of Spain, and one of the places where the best vegetables are eaten thanks to its climate.

In the region you have an essential visit to the historic city of Cartagena, and in a natural enclave to discover what the Mar Menor.

Alicante coast 

Further north, on your route you will take a tour of some of the most important vacation destinations in the country, not only for Spaniards, but also for Europeans, such as the city of Alicante, and places like Benidorm, Jávea, Denia, Altea, Gandia, Villajoyosa o El Campello.

Beyond the beaches, a piece of advice is to know the Elche palm grove, Heritage, or even Alcoy, in the inland mountains, where the Three Kings oldest in Spain.

Valencia and the Albufera

We arrive at Valencia city, in which you should spend at least two days visiting it, since there are many attractions that you will find, both in its historic center and in places like the Science City or the lagoon.

Valencia is the city of Paella and Fallas, two of the essential elements of Valencian culture.

Here you have wide information to visit Valencia, with the best corners that you should know.

Castellón and the Maestrazgo

Following the route towards the north, in Castellón It is worth knowing the holiday enclave of Benicasim, or the beautiful enclave of Peñíscola with its castle on top of a hill on the seashore.

But also go inland to discover the attractions of the region of maestrazgo, with places as charming as Villafames, Baby cot o Morella.

Car route through Catalonia

The fourth route that we recommend is the one that leads to visit Catalonia, which well justifies one or several trips of several days.

It is an area of ​​Spain that we know very well, and although it would take a lot of time to get to know it, we are going to propose a general route that will serve as a reference for planning yours, adapted to the days available.

Tarragona

If you get to Tarragona to the south from the province of Castellón, the entrance into Catalonia the great natural landscape of the Delta of the Ebro, a place where you can enjoy nature.

After passing through Sea Ametlla, the city of Tarragona, Heritage, should be an essential visit to the vestiges of the ancient Roman city of Tarraco that you can see in its historic center.

If you want to make a getaway to the interior of the province on your route, the great attractions are visiting some Cistercian monasteries, such as the poblet monastery, or wine-growing territory of Priorat, with corners as surprising as siurana.

Barcelona

Continuing along the coast from Tarragona, already in the province of Barcelona, you will arrive at the town of Sitges, a town with a lot of charm and, finally, to the capital, where obviously you should spend at least 2 or 3 days just visiting the city.

Barcelona is a city where modern architecture and the influence of Gaudí marks the entire trip, with emblematic places such as the Sagrada Familia.

But it is also worth including in your car sightseeing route algunas visits around, which you can do in a day.

In this regard, above all, we recommend the place of the Tavertet Cliffs, the charming town of Rupee and, of course, the Monastery of Montserrat, absolutely obligatory visit.

Here we leave you an article where we explain what to see in the surroundings of Barcelona and a video of our visit.

Girona and Costa Brava

Already on your way north you will reach the Girona province, where along the coast you find the beautiful towns on the Costa Brava, with its famous coves, and if you go inland, many charming places in the region of La Garrotxa.

There are so many attractive corners that it is well worth booking several days to get to know this area of ​​Catalonia.

Essential places that you should include in your route are the historic center of Girona, and beautiful towns like in peratalla, Tossa de Mar, Palafruguell y Besalú.

Almost on the border with France, you find the charming town of Cadaqués, where you can visit the Dalí house-museum.

Here we leave you the video with images of our visit to the area.

Lleida

If you extend the car route through the province of Lleida, you will find little-known and surprising corners.

To highlight the spectacular medieval town of Montfalcó Murallat, or the Cistercian monastery of Vallbona de las Monjas.

And, of course, if you dare to reach the Pyrenees, you will discover one of the most beautiful and charming places in all of Spain, the Valle de Aran, as well as the nearby Boí ValleyWith its romanesque churches.

Here you have extensive information with the best to see in the province of Lleida, and be sure to watch the video that summarizes our visit, which, by the way, was awarded the Pica d´Estats 2019 international award for the best job in Internet.

Car route through the North of Spain

The last route that we propose goes through a different Spain in terms of landscapes than what we have proposed so far.

Due to its climate, it is the greenest area in the country, and with an orography that combines mountainous and coastal landscapes, in the north of Spain it eats incredibly.

With a deep gastronomic tradition, In the cantabrian coast There are some of the best restaurants in the country and the pincho culture is well established.

the Basque Country

We suggest you start the route in San Sebastián, One most beautiful cities in Spain, with the prices scenario of the Concha Bay.

From there, along the coast, you will see beautiful fishing villages such as Ondarroa, lekeithium o Bermeo, until reaching the city of Bilbaowhere is the famous Guggenheim museum which has led to the revitalization of the old industrial city.

In surroundings of Bilbao you can find a corner as interesting as the butron castle.

On our route we will not leave the coast until we reach the beautiful town of Castro Urdiales, border with Cantabria, where we recommend having pinchos or sardines in one of the bars in its old town.

Cantabria

Already Cantabria are some of our favorite beaches and towns.

After leaving Castro, there are several places where we recommend stopping, such as Laredo and its huge beach, and Santoña, a town famous for its anchovies.

It is also worth going through the L Creekblood, and of course, by the surf beaches of Loredo y Somo where one of our favorite sunsets in the world occurs.

La city ​​of Santander It also deserves your time to get to know it and enjoy it, not just the area of ​​the Sardinero, with the visit of Magdalena Palace, but also its historic center, and in its surroundings, the spectacular Cabárceno nature park.

Following our route along the coast, places that you should include in it are the Liencres dunes, Suances, Quotation marks, with and San Vicente de la Barquera.

And, of course, in that area you have the essential visit of Santillana del Mar, One most beautiful villages in Spain, Neocave and museum of Altamira. and the Fuente Dé Cable Car, already in the Picos de Europa.

Here we leave you the information about Cantabria

Asturias

We continue to advance through the cantabrian coast, but now in Asturian lands, where do not forget to try the cider while you enjoy the landscapes full of cliffs and enormous mountains, since the Picos de Europa.

On your route along the coast you should include places like Llanes, and Ribadesella, where the famous river descent takes place every summer, and a little further on, the fishing village of Lastres.

About Villaviciosa you can visit one of the best examples of the Asturian dogmanic, San Salvador de Valdedios.

An extension towards the interior allows you to climb to one of the most emblematic places in the Picos de Europa, Enol Lake, to Cangas de Onis and Sanctuary of Covadonga.

La city ​​of Gijón It has enormous attractions for your visit, such as the Cimavilla neighborhood, always with a great atmosphere, and where you have places as interesting as The Labor.

Following the route by car towards the west, you must stop at visit Aviles, whose historic center will surprise you, and another stage should be the picturesque coastal town of Luarca.

Galicia

And we are approaching the end of the journey when we reach Galicia and its estuaries, the best place in Spain to eat seafood at the best price.

Stop by the estuaries to try the different types of products from the land and sea in towns such as cedeira with its barnacles, or in the estuary of Betanzos, which is one of our favorite spots before reaching the city ​​of A Coruña.

Of course, first you should not miss seeing places on the north coast like the Cathedrals beach en Ribadeo.

And on the west coast, you should know the estuaries in Death Coast, with corners such as the fishing port of malpica or Cabo Vilan Lighthouse.

And after passing through Santiago de Compostela, further south, in the lower estuaries, you have beautiful corners like combarro, with its hórreos and cruzeiros, and the Cies Island against Vigo.

Here we leave you information to visit Galicia and a video.