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5 Great Driving Tours of Spain

By Mairead Foley

Spain is a vast country that has plenty to see and do, from the north to the south. With a landmass of almost 500,000 square kilometers, you are spoilt for choice in terms of the driving tours that you can enjoy in the nation. So read on and find out what are our top 5 drives...

Catalonia Driving Tour

After spending some time relaxing and sightseeing in Barcelona, drive along the scenic and spectacular Costa Brava to S'Agaró in the Girona area. This road trip is over 100km and along the AP7 road.

You could spend some time at the beach at S'Agaró before heading to historic Figueres the birthplace of esteemed artist Salvador Dali. To get to Figueres, take the A7 and the E15, and it is a 93km drive. Spend some time at the Dali Museum whilst at Figueres.

After Figueres, take the Girona A7 road, then the Autopista Barcelona-Montmelo Road and the AP 7 road, which is a partial toll road and this will bring you to Girona. Girona is an enchanting city with plenty to see and do (in particular the Roman ruins) so you can certainly spend some time there. It's a perfect spot if you want to take in the many lavish beaches of Costa Brava!

If you want to travel further to see some more majestic scenery you could head to the mountain town of Cardona by taking the C16 and the C60. You could even travel further to the skiing haven of Andorra, by taking the C14 route.

Ibiza Driving Tour

If you are staying on the island of Ibiza, you're sure to enjoy the windy roads that lead into the mountains. The roads are lined with wonderful almond trees and olive groves and have the most spectacular views. A beautiful drive in particular takes you from San Carlos along the majestic coastline to Cala San Vicente.

If you drive into the mountains you'll be surrounded by unbelievable scenery. If you take a driving trip to Es Broll, you will be driving right through the heartland of Ibiza, through Santa Gertrudis towards Santa Agnes. Take the left hand road that will bring you to Es Broll. Es Broll is a wonderful freshwater spring surrounded by magnificent scenery.

Andalucia Driving Tour

A driving tour of the southern region Andalucia will take in Malaga, Ronda, Seville, Cordoba and Granada. As you set out from Malaga, take the road A357 and A367 to Ronda.

Ronda is a historic spot and is famous for the 130 metre deep El Tajo gorge that was immortalised in Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls". The 18th century Puente Nuevo 'new' bridge, which affords terrific views of the Serranía de Ronda mountains is well worth finding.

From Ronda continue west to Jerez de la Frontera, the sherry production capital of the world, then north to Seville. Visit the Plaza de España and Parque Maria Luisa in Seville; they are attractions that are well worth visiting.

Take the A375/376 to Seville from Ronda. From Seville, travel to Cordoba via Carmona. You can stop off and visit the Great Mosque (Mezquita) of Cordoba. Take the E5/A4 road to Cordoba from Seville.

After this, you can take the Ruta Del Aceite (The Olive Oil Route) through Jaen to Granada along the E902. Make sure to catch the marvellous sunset over the Alhambra from Miradór de San Nicolas. Alhambra Palace is a major attraction in the area. The drive back to Malaga from Granada takes you around 90 minutes along the A92 and A45.

Driving tour from Sierra de Guadarrama to Madrid

The Sierra de Guadarrama is a mountain range forming the eastern half of the Sistema Central, and affords spectacular views to the visitor. A driving tour from Sierra de Guadarrama to Madrid is via Rascafría, along the Río Lozoya through the picturesque mountain villages of Ateruelo, Alameda and Pinilla to Lozoya.

Here the visitor will join the C604 to Lozoyuela, and from there can take the NI back to Madrid for approximately 70km north of Madrid. You could also branch off for Segovia, and take in the wonderful town of town of El Escorial - which is home to the marvellous Monastery of San Lorenzo Del Escorial.

From El Escorial you can make your way to the Valley of the Fallen, which is a Spanish Civil War Memorial. The capital city Madrid itself has so much for the visitor to see and do, from the Prado Museum to the Royal Palace. Find out more about Madrid.

Costa Del Sol to Madrid Driving Tour

This tour, which will probably take you a couple of days, will take you from the Costa del Sol to Granada and Toledo on the road to Madrid. There is plenty of majestic scenery to view and you will make a stop at the World Heritage site of Alhambra and Generalife Gardens.

As you depart the Costa del Sol, you will pass the Sierra Nevada range, alongside the Darro and Genil Rivers and you will come to Granada. Granada has a distinctly Moorish influence with the impressive UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Alhambra and Generalife Gardens amongst the many attractions.

The city of Toledo is about 70km south of Madrid, and is a medieval city fortress which overlooks the River Tagus. There is much sightseeing to be done in Toledo - the city was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its extensive cultural and monumental works. It was once a capital of the Spanish empire and was a place where the Christian, Moorish and Jewish cultures all came together.

About the Author

Mairead writes for Novacarhire.com - an independent car hire reservation website where you can book low cost car hire at over 5000 locations worldwide.

Heading to Spain? Visit Novacarhire.com's Car hire Spain page and get an instant quote which will offer you the best deals from top car rental providers.

Article Source: http://www.goarticles.com

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