Hello members,
After a mediterranean cruise that ends in Barcelona my husband and I will be driving to Granada. Can anyone give me any suggestions on where to stay overnight in between these two cities, I thought of Valencia but looking for hotels near the center I found them to be very expensive for such a short time. Does anyone know of a smaller city where we can stay overnight.

Thank you

Alicante and Murcia come to mind, as they will be on your route to Granada.

Just something to think about: we flew from Barcelona to Granada. That's about 90 minutes. Cost between $100/person or less if you catch a special fare. Same day in Granada.

I don't know what cruise line you will use, but if it is Oceania, for example, they will drop you off at 4 a.m. and take you to the Barcelona (BCN) airport. After presumably a short sleep night, getting in a car and driving 5-6 hours may not be the best choice. And it may turn out that adding all the costs, it will be cheaper to fly too.

We are renting a car and will be visiting other cities like sevilla and Madrid that's why we didn't think about flying

quote:

Originally posted by vacationer:
We are renting a car and will be visiting other cities like sevilla and Madrid that's why we didn't think about flying

Fair enough! In this case, Alicante and Murcia would be resonable alternatives to Valencia.

You may wish to consider Elche (Eix). It's a smaller centre with very nice gardens and parks and just off the motorway. It is easily navigable by car. Elche is inland by about 15/20 kms.

Nearer to Valencia and more touristy are Calpe {Calp) and Altea. They are on the sea but will be crowded in the summer season. Of these two my preference is Altea.
Dennis

It would be a shame, if not a crime, to miss seeing Valencia, even if it
s too expensive to stay there - unless you are really doing slow travel in which case going via Teruel and Ubeda would be tempting; both are pretty wonderful and I've stayed in Teruel cheaply enough.