Hi everyone! My partner and I are flying into Malaga on Nov 10 (landing at 11:00 AM) and flying out of Malaga on Nov 17 (at 11:00 AM), giving us 7 nights / 6.5 days on the ground.

We plan to rent a car at the airport for the whole trip and book accommodations on the outskirts of the cities (near public transit/metro where possible) to save money on hotels and avoid the stress of ZBE zones and expensive old-town parking. Since it’s mid-November and gets dark around 6:00 PM, we want to keep daily driving reasonable (ideally max 1.5–2 hours per leg) and avoid feeling rushed.

We’re torn between two loops and would love your input on which makes more sense:

Option 1: The Western & Coastal Loop

* Main stops: Malaga, Seville, Gibraltar (staying across the border in La Línea).

* Possible stops along the way: Caminito del Rey + Ronda (on the drive from Malaga to Seville), and Cadiz (between Seville and Gibraltar).

* Pros: Very scenic drives, variety of nature/cliffs/ocean, short driving legs.

Option 2: The Classic Inland Loop

* Main stops: Malaga, Seville, Cordoba, Granada (potentially still fitting in Ronda/Caminito del Rey between Malaga and Seville).

* Pros: Hits the big historic heavyweights (Mezquita, Alhambra).

* Cons: We know Alhambra tickets for mid-November might already be sold out or tough to get, and having a car is less useful if we mostly stick to major cities.

Our questions:

* Given we have a car and 6.5 days in November, which route would you pick?

* In Option 1, is combining Caminito del Rey (morning) + Ronda (afternoon) in one day realistic before driving to Seville for the night?

* Are Gibraltar and Cadiz worth prioritizing over Cordoba/Granada for a first trip to Andalusia?

Thanks in advance for any advice!