The desire to embark on a journey, somewhere in Europe for a road trip where we could combine both mountain and sunny beach life. We googled various places and countries, contemplating where we could find something completely new to us. That’s when the Pyrenees mountains came into view, which were familiar mainly by name, and we had never delved into what they had to offer.
After closer inspection, the grandeur and beauty of the mountains surprised us, and the images of the place were truly stunning! With the reliably sunny Costa del Sol added to the mix, the decision was made: we’re heading to Spain!
Then began the planning of the route, where to fly and what we wanted to see? Clearly, the smartest choice was to fly to Barcelona, where cheap flights are available, and the Pyrenees mountains are relatively close, so this was a good first stop for us. From there, we would continue by car to the Pyrenees mountains, then drive along the coastline towards the Costa del Sol.
So, first, a flight to Barcelona, where we booked accommodation for 3 nights. In this time frame, we could easily explore Barcelona and visit its attractions. From Barcelona, we would rent a car and head towards the Pyrenees mountains. On this journey, we had spotted the stunning Montserrat, which is relatively close to Barcelona, and our journey would continue through the Pyrenees mountains from there. While we had roughly looked at some spots in the Pyrenees, our idea was to explore interesting places along the way and go mostly based on our current mood.
So the plan was to tour the Pyrenees mountains, then return to the coastline and drive towards Malaga. For the Pyrenees-Costa del Sol trip, we left it open, without any specific plans, and we’ll see how much time we have and what we want to explore.
We rented the car through the Autoeurope.fi website, picking it up from Barcelona airport and choosing Malaga city center as the return point. The Autoeurope.fi website has worked well for us, finding us affordable cars, but it’s always a good idea to check reviews and others’ experiences with the rental agency you’re considering. Also, it’s worth noting that car rental companies typically charge an additional fee when the car is returned to a different location.
From the Costa del Sol area, we looked at a few places we definitely wanted to visit, including Malaga, Estepona, the mountains of southern Spain, and Gibraltar. Otherwise, we kept everything open here too.
So, the plan was that when we arrived at the Costa del Sol, we would stop for a while to enjoy the beach life and rent a car again later to tour the area. We also didn’t pre-book our return flight, so we could stay as long as we liked.
The trip was scheduled for late September, so we had to prepare for slightly warmer clothes. Especially in the mountains, it can often be cooler, but in the fall, it was wise to prepare for the chill. However, we trusted that the rest of Spain would still be relatively warm, so we mainly reserved warmer clothes for hiking in the mountains.
With these rough plans, we booked our flights, packed our bags, and were ready to go.
