This is your Comprehensive Guide for Travelling from Malaga to Gibraltar, to Cadiz and Ronda in a campervan in Spain.

We bought our own campervan, Bethilda the Bongo, when we had to return to the UK last summer. And we’ve enjoyed vanlife and our time in her. So when we had a week to kill in Spain, we started looking into a campervan trip.

Embarking on a family campervan trip around the Costa de la Luz in Andalucía offers a unique opportunity to experience the diverse landscapes, historic towns, and coastal beauty of southern Spain.

This article provides a structured, practical itinerary, highlighting key locations, recommended activities, and useful tips for a successful one-week road trip in your campervan in Spain.

Choosing your Campervan in Spain

We rented our campervan in Spain from Roadsurfer who are located not far from Malaga airport.

We paid around 600 euros for our week rental, and we just kept the basic insurance. This does mean you need to leave a bigger deposit, but the next level of insurance was another 300 euros so we took the risk.

We chose Roadsurfer because chairs, table, and a full kitchen set came with the van as standard, whereas other companies charge you for these extras. We borrowed bedding off friends who live nearby, but you can rent that from Roadsurfer. If in the summer, you won’t need duvets, just a top and bottom sheet. You can also rent car seats if you need them, but we always travel with one as it is free with all airlines anyway.

We opted for the 4 seater and sleeper van called the Roadhouse and it was perfectly balanced between small for car parks and driving versus spacious for us all. It had 2 double beds – one in the pop-up roof and one permanent downstairs.

Vehicle Collection: Malaga Roadsurfer Depot

The journey begins in Malaga, a major transport hub with convenient air and rail connections. You’ll usually find decent and plentiful flight choices for landing into Malaga from a whole host of European cities.

Roadsurfer is just a 20 minute taxi ride from the airport. Roadsurfer doesn’t have parking or vehicle storage so taxi is your best bet and put your car in the long stay car park in the airport (around 40euros for a week).

Before collecting the van there is some online admin to do, videos to watch, a pass to activate so make sure you have done all of this beforehand. You are also issued with a PDF user manual for the van should you need to refer back to any instructions.

When you collect your fully equipped campervan from the Roadsurfer depot, the staff will provide a brief orientation covering essential aspects such as water filling, waste disposal, and electricity connection. There are also videos on the app to help. Take a video of any damage as well to cover yourself, especially if keeping only the basic insurance like us.

Now you’re on the way, this is our recommended 7 day route for campervan trip in Spain.

Stage 1: Malaga to Ronda

Depart Malaga and drive inland towards Ronda, a town renowned for its dramatic setting atop the El Tajo gorge. The route there passes through scenic Andalusian countryside, winds up into the mountains and offers stunning views, including olive groves and fields.

There is a great campsite, Camping del Sur, on the outskirts of Ronda which offers 2 campervan options – basic aire with toilets and showers, or full blown campsite with pool and playgrounds. We opted for the cheaper at only 20euros as we were only there for one night. The pitches were spacious and toilets very clean and we shared it with just 2 other vans.

It is just a 10 minute drive to Ronda and we recommend parking at the station to explore. Parking is spacious enough for a van and it is a 15 minute walk to the bull ring and bridges.

In Ronda, visit the Puente Nuevo bridge, explore the historic centre, and we all enjoyed the bullring visit which was 22 euros for us all. The kids couldn’t believe that bull fighting exists!! It was a good place to visit as Nyle could run around in all the open space.

After exploring the centre of Ronda we drove down the valley in the van (steep and small road but doable) to look at the bridge from a different angle. It is stunning!

Stage 2: Ronda to Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema

Proceed west to the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, an area notable for its limestone peaks, forests, and hiking trails. Options include short family-friendly walks or longer hikes for more active groups. The lakes are beautiful, especially Zahara de la Sierra. We enjoyed our drive through the stunning scenery and had hunted out a great aire from park for the night – Area de Autocaravanas Algodonales.

Unfortunately we expected it to be cooler in the mountains and when we arrived it was 38 degrees so we decided no one would have a good sleep. As a result we legged it back to the coast for a cooler breeze. It was only an hour to the beach and we enjoyed the drive, especially when passing all the sunflower fields.

If visiting when it is cooler you should stay in Algodonales or drive on to Seville which was our original plan until it was forecast to be 44degrees!

Head from the national park back to the coast following signs for Cadiz!

Stage 3: Cádiz to Conil de la Frontera

Travel along the coast from Cadiz to Conil de la Frontera, a popular beach town with a welcoming atmosphere. Secure a place at a local campervan aire, many of which are within walking distance of the sea. We stayed at Area Auto Caravanas Camper Park Conil which was brilliant. For 15 euros you get free showers, toilets, waste disposal and water. It is just a few minutes drive from the beach.

We didn’t arrive until 8pm so had a play -m there were only 3 other vans here too. You can explore the old town, visit the local market for fresh produce, and enjoy dining at one of the town’s restaurants. This area is also well-suited for cycling and short coastal walks. You could also head back to Cadiz to explore if you wanted to – it’s less than 30 minutes away.

Stage 4: Vejer de la Frontera and Surrounding Beaches

On departing Conil, we visited Vejer de la Frontera, located inland and one of our favourite towns. The town is known for its elevated position and panoramic views.

Public parking outside the old town is recommended due to narrow streets – we found a spacious car park which was free just by following google maps to the town centre. It’s a 10-15 minute walk to the old town from here.

There’s a castle, some beautiful shops, stunning views and some great eateries. The small square in the old town as a ceramic fountain which is really worth seeing.

After visiting Vejer in the morning, continue to the beaches of Barbate, Zahara de los Atunes, and Valdevaqueros. Each offers unique features—Barbate is known for its fishing heritage, Zahara for its scenic dunes, and Valdevaqueros for watersports. The beaches on this coastline are proper golden sand, and you have waves from the Atlantic Ocean so very different to the area East of Malaga!

There are loads of campervan sites around this area. We visited Barbate beach for the afternoon with the most wonderful sandy beach after Vejer de la Frontera. Then went further south towards Tarifa where we stayed at TAIGA Tarifa campsite. We only coughed up 50 euros a night here due to have to work a bit and needing somewhere to take calls, and so the pool was good for the kids. It’s a bit worn and if we didn’t have to work, we would probably have found another Area de Campervanas! Much better value for money!

The beach at Valdevaqueros is however stunning and there are sanddunes at the far right which Nyle loved playing in. You’re better visiting this end of the beach so you arent taken out by the kite surfers. The walk from the campsite to the beach passes a great beach bar / restaurant and the food was wonderful. The restaurant is called Chiringuito Tangana. Drinks and a meal for 4 cost £50.

Stage 6: Gibraltar and Sotogrande

Travel east from here towards Gibraltar and spend the day in this British town. We parked the van in the massive car park just outside the border and walked into Gibraltar. You can then use the local buses for your day in Gibraltar (a day is probably enough unless you are climbing the hugely overpriced Gibraltar rock – we didn’t). Enjoy spekaing some English, paying in GBP (or euro) and the English pubs. It has a fascinating history and getting to the lighthouse at the end gives great views of Morocco and also a huge playground for the kids.

Sotogrande, a modern resort area with marinas and golf courses. There’s also beaches and mooching around the marina is very pleasant. There are a few aires near here, and in the town of Guadiaro there is the best playground in the world (as voted for by the kids).

Stage 7: Return to Malaga via Torremolinos

Begin the return journey to Malaga Roadsurfer by spending a day in Malaga. Malaga is a wonderful city and we drove our campervan in no issue. We parked out past the Pompidou museum and Malaga beach where parking was easy and its a 15 minute walk back into the town. Other highlights of Malaga include the marina – we even went bowling here – the Picasso museum (kids entry is free) and just wondering the pretty streets. We were very impressed and promised we’ll be back for an adult only city break!!!

We left Malaga around 6pm and headed for an aire, stopping for our final night at a campervan aire adjacent to Torremolinos beach, about a 15 minute walk into Torremolinos – for 2 euros you are parked practically on the beach!!

There are chiringuitos and we enjoyed a last evening swim in the sea around 8pm. Note there are no facilities on this ‘car park’ for campervans.

Vehicle Return: Malaga

On the final day, ensure all waste tanks are emptied and the vehicle is clean before returning it to the Roadsurfer depot in Malaga. There is a place just a 5 minute drive away, Autocaravanas Seyla, which allows you to empty your waste for 3 euros. You also need to wash and clean the van before returning it. The whole process took us about 2 hours so it was an early start for a 10am drop off!

We loved our week in our van and exploring these areas of Spain that we hadn’t been to before but which are made for campervan holidays in Spain!

You could also extend this itinerary to include areas such as Nerja, Granada and the Alhambra, Estepona, Frigiliana and