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Traveling with the camper (12) | Tips and places of interest in southern Spain

After our trip by plane to Ghana, we have been traveling with the camper for over a month now. We had our motorhome trip in Spain not yet finished and because of this time of the year we decided to discover the south of Spain. How beautiful it is! These are our motorhome tips and sights for southern Spain, are you reading along?

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Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain

The motorhome in a beautiful landscape | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain
The motorhome in a beautiful landscape | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain

1. El Rocio

El Rocío is a village on the edge of the Doñana National Park. The village has no asphalted roads, but all sandy roads. Horses with carriages are waiting everywhere to show people around the village. We thought it looked a bit like a cowboy village. There is no salon to be found, but there is a large church 'Ermita de la Virgen del Rocío'. Once a year, during Pentecost, it is very busy in the village. The 'Virgen' is then brought out, which is accompanied by all kinds of rituals and music. During the rest of the year it is relatively quiet. The village is really a tourist attraction. We were there in a weekend and in addition to the tourists, enough Spaniards also came to the village. There was even a wedding going on in the church.

Ermita de la Virgen del Rocio | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain
Ermita de la Virgen del Rocio | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain

From the edge of El Rocío you look out over the National Park. With a bit of luck you can spot all kinds of animals. We were lucky and saw many pink flamingos and a pack of deer running through the water to the other side.

2 Seville

What a beautiful city Seville is! You can walk around for hours, there is so much to see. We set off early to be able to view the busiest sights in peace. It is probably a bit quieter at the moment than in high season, but it is still busy in the city. We found Plaza de España very impressive, so don't miss this during your visit to Seville! There are so many beautiful details to see, take your time to see this! There are plenty of terraces and restaurants if you would like to eat outside. In the city you can also use the hop on hop off buses for a fee. We did everything on foot, but we used a map from the bus operator. All the places of interest are clearly marked on those maps, a small tip!

Plaza de España | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain
Plaza de España | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain

Tip:: if you are with the camper, there is a nice camper place in the harbor. You can find this place through Park4Night ID: #12067. We think it is a unique place and it is close to the center of Seville. The bus stop is nearby and a one-way bus ticket was €1,65 per person.

Camper place in the port of Seville | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain
Camper place in the port of Seville | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain

3. Caminito del Rey

Perhaps you have already heard of this walking route in the Malaga region? Earlier this trip I already wrote a blog about this, read it here!

The Caminito del Rey | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain
The Caminito del Rey | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain

4. Torcal of Antequera

Also called the Pancake Mountains, have you ever heard of it? Torcal de Antequera is a protected nature reserve. The area is 1171 hectares and is known for its rocks and karst formations. There are several layers of rocks on top of each other, making it look like stacked pancakes, which is where the name comes from! In this area you can make beautiful walks. Don't forget to put on your walking shoes, possibly bring walking sticks and something to eat and drink. Depending on which route you take, you may sometimes have to climb a bit. There is a visitor center that you can visit, where you can also park.

Torcal de Antequera, the Pancake Mountains | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain
Torcal de Antequera, the Pancake Mountains | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain

We walked a route from a parking lot down the road up to the visitor center and back. Don't forget to look around you during the walk, you can encounter sheep, gemstones and more surprises!

Did you know that this area is on the UNESCO World Heritage List?

Torcal de Antequera | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain
Torcal de Antequera | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain

5.Sierra Nevada

Skiing in Spain, did you know this is possible? Now that we were in the area with the camper, we enjoyed visiting the snow. It is not a snow-sure destination, but we were aware that there was snow during our visit and there was even skiing. The route to the Sierra Nevada and to the top was very beautiful.

With the camper in the snow at the Sierra Nevada | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain
With the camper in the snow at the Sierra Nevada | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain

Along the way we encountered many sellers with sleds, goggles and gloves and many (Spanish) cars and campers, currently a popular area! We parked the camper in the parking lot, which can be found via Park4Night ID: #166934. We could park for free at that time, but there was a rate of € 5 on signs. Many campers stayed overnight. We walked a bit and then ate our lunch in the camper because it was finally very cold outside! A short visit for us, but a nice experience with the camper.

6. Tabernas Desert

The Tabernas desert is the only desert in Europe. Moreover, this is where the least rain falls in Spain (and even in Europe). Several Western films and series have been filmed in the Tabernas desert. There are several theme parks that can be visited for a fee. One of the theme parks 'Oasis Mini Hollywood' even has a zoo. We have not visited a theme park and can therefore not comment on this.

We did make a beautiful hike next to this last mentioned park. Most of the route signs are no longer there, so paying attention is recommended. The walk is definitely worth it!

There are a number of RV parks in the Tabernas desert to be found via Park4night en Camper contact.

The Tabernas Desert | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain
The Tabernas Desert | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain

Tip:: Pay attention if you plan to find a wildlife spot with the camper. Officially this is forbidden and moreover campers were sent away by the police last week!

7. Málaga

Busyness and doubt

We had a slight doubt to visit Malaga. We had not yet heard any enthusiastic stories about the city and all motorhome pitches around Malaga were also full! However, our followers on our Instagram page indicated that we should not skip Malaga. After some research we had found a motorhome for a few days later and we could explore the city!

Bank holiday

What we had not paid attention to during our visit was that it was a public holiday in the region that day. Fortunately, it turned out not to be a problem, except for the large chain stores and the 'Mercado Central', everything was open. So we could go to the souvenir shops, the catering industry was open and fortunately the sights were too. Because of the holiday, access to the Picasso museum was free, of course we took advantage of this. Neither of us are real museum people, but if you are in Picasso's city and the entrance is free, we still wanted to take a look. We can imagine that art lovers can enjoy themselves for a while in the museum. I just wrote it, Malaga is the city of Picasso. Why? Picasso was born in this city and the house where he was born can also be visited as a museum.

Malaga Cathedral | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain
Malaga Cathedral | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain

We did not see everything of Malaga during our visit and decided not to extend our visit there for now. We think it would be a nice city to come back to for a city trip!

8. Camper place Malaga

We were on a motorhome that can be found via Park4Night via ID: #21760. The owners were very friendly and the bus stop is a 7-minute walk away where you can get on to take the bus to Malaga. The cost for a one-way ticket was €1,65 per person.

9. Juzcar

The Smurfs, who doesn't know them? Did you know that since 2011 Júzcar, a small village with few inhabitants has been transformed into the Smurf village? Smurf films have been filmed in this village. All houses are painted blue for this purpose. They were typical white houses and the inhabitants initially had the idea to paint the houses white again after the recordings. But, due to the attention that came to the blue houses and tourism started, it was decided to leave the village blue.

Júzcar, the smurf village with a smurf on the left | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain
Júzcar, the smurf village with a smurf on the left | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain

There is now an information point at the beginning of the village and there are a number of activities for children. We visited the village one morning and thought it was a funny experience, but we got tired of it pretty quickly. We can imagine that a visit to the Smurf village with children might be a lot of fun for them!

10.Gibraltar

A piece of British Overseas Territory bordering Spain. There is a camper place in the harbor, a nice place to spend a night! You will find the camper place Park4night via ID: #68706.

The Rock of Gibraltar is the main attraction in this area. You can choose to go up with a cable car or just like us to walk. Keep in mind a fairly steep climb up! Once at the top you have a beautiful view of Gibraltar, the harbor and you can see Morocco on the other side. There are a number of attractions to visit on the Rock of Gibraltar such as St. Michaels Cave, the tunnels, and the Moorish castle.
To visit the rock you have to buy an entrance ticket for the 'Upper Rock Nature Reserve'. The cost per ticket was £16 (payable by debit/credit card only). If you choose to take the cable car, there is an option for a combi ticket.

In addition to the above sights, you can encounter many free-roaming monkeys on the rock. The monkeys are now quite used to people, but pay attention! It is not for nothing that there are warning signs that the monkeys can also show aggressive behavior. Close your bag tightly and put away your sunglasses, because the monkeys are curious about your stuff!

Free-roaming monkeys on the Rock of Gibraltar | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain
Free-roaming monkeys on the Rock of Gibraltar | Motorhome tips and places of interest in southern Spain

11. Tarifa

Tarifa is a small town on the coast, the southernmost point of Spain. It is a mecca for surfers, wind and kite surfers. We spent one night here on a rainy day. More than a walk on the beach, watching kite surfers and a few hours of digital work, we have not done or seen anything in Tarifa.

We stood with more than a hundred campers on a spot along the beach where it is officially forbidden to camp. Due to the many campers that had been there in recent months, campers that had been there for weeks and the crowds on the day itself, we had decided (perhaps a bit naively) to spend the night here as well. You may have guessed it… This was not the best decision. At 6.30:XNUMX in the morning the camper was knocked on by the police, our documents were checked and we were given five minutes to leave the place. There were many police cars with sirens and flashing lights present, with many officers. All campers have been approached and checked and had to leave. This place is therefore not an official place (anymore) and is no longer on the apps where you can find places to stay, so be warned!

What did we think of Spain?

We have now played most of Spain. Spain is a great (holiday) country and certainly very camper-friendly. There is no shortage of (free) camper pitches. The country has a lot to offer, beautiful cities, nice villages and a lot of coast with many hours of sunshine!

For us it is now time to discover the next country and this is… Portugal! If you missed our first blog about Spain, you can check it out here read. After Portugal, we plan to also discover the north of Spain to complete the circle. More on that later!

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We travel together

Hi! We are Stefan (29) and Laura (28) and have been a couple for over 12 years, so true childhood sweethearts! We have sold our house, have (partly) resigned from our job and are traveling with our motorhome for an indefinite period of time. Are you curious about our adventure? Then take a look here regularly, see you soon!

1 comment

  • Nicely written, easy to read, again a lot of info, always handy for future Spain visitors! ?

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