Motorhome trip in southern Spain

Our journey

First bivouac in Biarritz

2: Visit Salamanca (2 nights)

3: Visit to Seville (6 nights)

4: Visit Ronda (1 night)

5: Visit to Cordoba (2 nights)

6: Visit Carzola and its surroundings (1 night)

7: Beach holiday in the Alicante region (4 nights)

8: Stay in Duilhac sous Peypertuse (1 night)

9: Stay in Castelnaudary (1 night)

10: ILO Return

During our first stop, we stayed at a site managed by the company "Camping Car Park." The parking was basic but sufficient for one night. We were able to explore the center of Biarritz , located more than 3 km from the parking area. Tomorrow, we're off to Salamanca ...

Our Spanish holiday begins with a visit to Salamanca . We park our campervan at Camping Regio, where we have a choice of pitches. This campsite is located about 6 km from Salamanca, easily accessible by bike via a convenient cycle path.

Plaza Mayor

We begin our visit at the Plaza Mayor, a magnificent Baroque square, then stroll through the adjacent streets, discovering charming buildings along the way. We head towards the cathedrals, passing the Casa de las Conchas (House of Shells) , whose 15th-century façade is remarkable for being adorned with 366 shells. This building is located opposite the Clergy and Pontifical University .

The remarkable feature of Salamanca's cathedrals, since there are two, is that the Romanesque cathedral ( Catedral Vieja ), built in the 12th century, was not destroyed when the Catedral Nueva was constructed at the beginning of the 16th century. They are therefore joined together, and one enters the " Catedral Vieja " through the "Catedral Nueva".

New Cathedral

Old Cathedral

After a second (chilly) night in Salamanca (altitude 800m) we set off for Seville . We were initially only supposed to stay 4 nights in Seville , but we couldn't book the Alcazar visit during that time and decided to spend 2 extra days in Seville .

Campsites are scarce around Seville. We opted for Camping Villsom in Dos Hermanas (reservations recommended) . The pitches are quite small and the campsite was full. The major advantage is the bus stop 200m away, which takes you to Seville's Plaza de España in 30 minutes.

Plaza de Espagna

On our first day in Seville, after exploring the Plaza de España , we set off to discover the " Barrio de Santa Cruz " district, located a short distance from the cathedral. We lose ourselves in its narrow streets, discovering Seville 's urban architecture: small squares planted with orange trees, houses in warm colors, and whitewashed buildings.

We continued our walk in the afternoon, visiting the Iglesia Colegial del Divino Salvador. This first visit to an Andalusian church, the second largest after the cathedral, introduced us to the Spanish Baroque style. It was built in the 17th century on the site of the Great Mosque of Seville. Of particular note is the remarkable collection of 18th-century Baroque altarpieces, especially the incredibly realistic details of the face and hands of Saint Anne teaching Mary to read.

On this second day in Seville, two must-see visits are planned. This morning we're going to La Casa de Pilatos , and we've booked a tour of the cathedral and the Giralda at 2:10 PM sharp...

The Casa de Pilatos is a palace built in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its name is said to derive from its resemblance to that of Pontius Pilate, built in Jerusalem. We admire the expression of Mudéjar art: the gilded coffered ceiling, the marquetry of the doors, and the azulejos tiles . One can imagine the refined life that once existed in this palace.

With the visit to the cathedral and the Giralda scheduled for 2:10 pm, we take the time to make detours to discover the lively streets of Seville as well as Las Setas de Sevilla (The Mushrooms), a modern structure of 11,000 m2 protecting Sevillians from the sun.

After a quick lunch near the cathedral, we joined a 100-meter queue, reservations in hand, like everyone else around us. Not knowing how long the wait would be, we arrived at the ticket check 10 minutes early. The attendant pointed this out to me, and I replied that it was difficult for us to predict the wait time. She didn't like that and made us queue again. I took advantage of this extra wait to write a review on TripAdvisor and Google about the organization of visits to Seville Cathedral and the overzealousness of its staff. It was a relief.

La Giralda et l'entrée nord

After visiting the cathedral, which once again showcased Spanish Baroque (very ornate!), we climbed to the top of the Giralda , from where we had a beautiful view of Seville, especially of the Alcazar palace and its gardens.

After a day of relaxation, we return to Seville to visit two palaces; in the morning we visit the Palacio de las Duenas .

This magnificent 15th-16th century palace, one of the city's jewels, has belonged to the House of Alba (a very old and highly respected aristocratic family) since 1612. Visitors enter a palace that feels very much alive, particularly the private world of Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart , who adorned its walls with mementos and family portraits. Traces of the presence of many other prestigious figures can also be found here. Part of the palace is still inhabited.

In the afternoon, we visited a very beautiful 16th-century palazzo , the Casa de Salinas . As it is still partly inhabited by its current owners, not everything is open to the public, but the delicate columns of the patio, the azulejos from various periods (some original) or the very beautiful Roman mosaic, all in a very good state of preservation, enchanted us, all the more so as it is somewhat secluded and receives few visitors.

We end this day with a stroll in the gentle atmosphere of this city while waiting for the Flamenco show in the late afternoon.

For our last day in Seville, we booked our tickets for the Alcazar five days ago. The entrance queues, better organized than for the cathedral, kept the waiting time down.

Patio de las Doncellas

It was still very crowded (lots of groups). It was only at the end of the day that we were truly able to appreciate the majesty of the place. We could fully appreciate the Mudéjar style, a blend of Christian and Muslim art.

We ended our visit with a stroll through the gardens. In mid-October, the mild temperature allowed us to fully enjoy the site. We had a sudden urge to rewatch the film "La Folie des Grandeurs" (filmed at the Alhambra), and in the gardens, we half-expected to bump into Alice Sapritch and Yves Montand.

On this sixth day in Spain, we're heading towards Ronda , our next stop, located 200 km south of Seville . Perched on a cliff 740m above sea level, plunging steeply into the Guadalevin River , Ronda is a very old town, built on either side of the gorge spanned by the Puente Nuevo bridge . From the El Sur campsite, where we're staying, we walk to explore the town. We enter through the " Puerta de Almocabar y de Carlos V " (Almocabar and Carlos V Gate), located at the entrance to the old town.

We then take the path allowing us to descend to the bottom of the gorge and admire the waterfall and the bridge linking the old and new towns.

After a brisk climb, we cross the bridge and arrive in the "new" town. We stroll through the bullring and visit its museum. Built in the late 18th century, this bullring is among the oldest in Spain. It was in Ronda that modern bullfighting was born.

This morning we leave Ronda for Cordoba , our next bivouac less than 200km away.

On our way, we stopped in the superb village of Zuheros , perched at 656m altitude, on the mountainside we were dazzled by its narrow streets lined with whitewashed houses as well as by the high-perched castle.

After this pretty village, we continued our journey to our next campsite, located 30km from Cordoba . It's situated in an olive grove, a very pleasant family-run campsite where we even enjoyed the swimming pool, with its 22°C water. We stayed there for two nights to spend the entire day in Cordoba . We had booked a tour of the cathedral for 2:00 pm the following day.

We take the campervan to Cordoba and are able to park in a dedicated car park near the city walls. The morning is spent visiting this typically Andalusian city.

In the afternoon, we spent a long time visiting the " mosque-cathedral "; amazing! First, we discovered a forest of columns. The " mezquita " is considered the most important Islamic monument in the West.

After strolling through the courtyard of orange trees, where we discover the minaret, we enter this forest of columns. At its center is the main chapel, whose construction began in 1523 and spanned 243 years. The chapel thus presents a diverse array of styles: late Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque.

For this third part of our trip, we're heading towards the Mediterranean coast of the Valencia region, where the weather forecast is excellent with temperatures around 28°C at the end of October. Along the way, we'll discover the town of Úbeda, located at the gateway to the Sierra de Cazorla Natural Park.

Ubeda , situated at an altitude of 757 meters, is a typical Andalusian Renaissance town. Far from the overcrowded sites of Cordoba or Seville , it can be explored at a leisurely pace. In particular, the Basilica of Santa Maria de los Reales Alcazares , built in the 13th century on the remains of a mosque, boasts an unusual layout, with five naves of equal height supported by pillars with pointed arches.

After Ubeda , we headed towards Cazorla and the natural park, discovering beautiful landscapes with very large olive groves. We could also see how low the water level in the dams on the Guadalquivir River was at the end of October.

After a night at a campsite within the natural park, we drove to Alicante to spend four days by the sea and enjoy swimming. We settled into a small campsite 200 meters from the beach.

We also visit the center of Alicante and the Basilica of Santa Maria with its beautiful Baroque façade

After this relaxing beach holiday, we hit the road again, heading towards France and crossing the border at La Jonqueras . On the way, we stopped for a night in Sitgies at the campsite we discovered last year with Jean-Pierre and Angela during our first road trip in France in a rented campervan.

We decided that on our way back to Les Sables, we would stop to explore the Cathar castles.

The first castle visited, Queyribus Castle, is perched on an eagle's nest, accessible by a narrow road...

We spend the night at the motorhome area in Duilhac sous Peyrepertuse , an area located below the Cathar fortress perched at an altitude of 800m.

After this visit, we cannot resist, and spend our last night in Castelnaudary, where of course we enjoy a good cassoulet...We are ready for the last leg to Les Sables d'Olonne.

This first experience of three weeks and 4000km in our new motorhome has been excellent, and we can't wait for the next sunny days to hit the road again and discover ever more surprising places.