Looking for an awesome Spanish coast road trip itinerary to do in your campervan? Well you’re in the right place! Because we recently did a belter of a road trip up the Spanish Mediterranean coast from Granada to Valencia. And we’d love to share it with you!
Awesome Spanish Coast Road Trip
Leaving from Granada we headed south onto the Costa Tropical before driving along Costa de Almeria, Calida and Blanca up to Costa Valencia. The majority of the places we stayed were free beach parks ups. Then an odd campsite with a pool thrown in here and there.
In this blog post we’ll give you the full lowdown on our Spanish coast road trip route so that if you want you can hit it up yourself. Where there’s any costs or parking restrictions we’ll include them plus let you know what services there are at each stop.
Obviously all the info here was correct at the time of publishing. BUT overnight parking restrictions for camper vans do change often. So if you do visit one of these park ups and it’s not as described please drop a note in the comments to let other fellow travellers know.
Granada To Valencia Road Trip
- Recommended Days | 11-13
- Total Distance | 440km / 275 miles
- Total Driving Time | 9-10 hours
For all of our driving the coast of Spain, we set Google Maps to ‘No Motorways’ and ‘No Tolls’. That way we could experience more of the scenery and not just be driving on big fast roads with no views. And stuck as close to the Spanish Mediterranean coast as possible.
Granada
- Location | Camping Reina Isabel
- Cost | €25-30 per night
- Restrictions | Essential to book ahead during busy periods
- Facilities | Grey & black waste, fresh water, laundry, showers, swimming pool, WiFi
This compact but popular campsite in Granada is just a short bus ride away from the city centre. Electricity is included, which you will likely need even in summer with a good solar setup as the pitches are nearly all but shaded. And it will be welcome.
It is on the expensive side but there isn’t that much choice around here. The toilets and showers are kept spotlessly clean, plus there’s a large family bathroom. The pool area is simply gorgeous. Each pitch is individually marked out with a neat astro-turfed area.
We stayed three nights here and would definitely come back. We really made the most of the pool. And enjoyed being close by to visit the Alhambra and explore all the best tapas bars.
Calahonda
- Location | Travesía Ricardo León, 18730 Calahonda
- Cost | Free
- Restrictions | Maximum 48 hours stay, patrolled by police
- Facilities | Beach toilets and showers, restaurants/bars
Located on the Costa Tropical of the Granada province, Calahonda is a traditional small fishing village with a rich Roman and Moorish heritage. It’s quiet with wide beaches.
The parking area here is quite literally right on the beachfront. And whilst it gets busy on weekends it is relatively quiet during the week. The police tend to come by at least once a day to make sure everyone is behaving and not overstaying their welcome.
There’s quite a few bars and restaurants within walking distance. Plus a bakery and a few shops. We stayed a couple of nights, eating our meals on the beach and chilling with the back doors open to the sound of the waves. It’s a really pleasant little spot.
Roquetas del Mar
- Location | Avenida de la Aduana, 04740 Roquetas del Mar
- Cost | Free
- Restrictions | No maximum, 15 spaces, patrolled by police
- Facilities | Beach toilets and showers, kids play area, restaurant/bar
Moving onto the Costa de Almeria, our next stop was the coastal resort town of Roquetas del Mar. Unfortunately much of the area around here is dedicated to intensive greenhouse farming which is quite the eyesore so it doesn’t make for the best of drives in.
But this overnight parking spot makes it worth it. There’s marked bays exclusively for the use of campervans and police come by daily to issue fines to cars who park in them. We asked the police how long you can stay and they said a weekend or a week is fine.
It’s right on the beach which has chiringuitos and playgrounds dotted all along it. There’s also a restaurant/bar next door that does really reasonably priced breakfasts.
Carboneras
- Location | Camper Park Carboneras
- Cost | €15-18 per night
- Restrictions | Pool only available Mon-Fri, showers €1 per/5mins
- Facilities | Grey & black waste, fresh water, laundry, showers, swimming pool, WiFi
Because we couldn’t find any parking with services close for the next stop we opted to dip into a campsite. It’s a little way out of town but we would totally recommend this one for the lovely swimming pool. It is only open to the public on weekdays though.
We didn’t use the showers here as we have our own on board that’s free, but they looked very clean. The service point was easy to use with a drive over grey water disposal. There is also a small onsite camping shop if you need to pick up things like toilet fluid.
It’s a half hour walk into town where there’s a supermarket (Mercadona) and lots of bars and restaurants. Plus a castle, Castillo de San Andrés, and of course the beach.
Los Alcázares
- Location | Calle Poeta Salvador Garcia Jiménez, 30710 Los Alcázares
- Cost | Free
- Restrictions | No maximum stay, only a few shaded spots
- Facilities | Grey & black waste, fresh water
When we first pulled up in this place we were a little unsure, but it turned out to be one of our favourite stops on our Spanish coast road trip. Located in a repurposed bus station, it feels quite out of the way, but in reality it’s less than a 20 minute walk to the beach and town.
The beaches along this part of Costa Cálida are stunning. And because it’s actually on the shores of Mar Menor, a saltwater lagoon, the water is always a few degrees higher than the surrounding Mediterranean Sea. It’s really shallow too, so perfect for kids.
We ate at two places called Bar Restaurante El Delfin and Freiduría Don Pepe. The seafood was insanely good at both. But there’s lots of eatery options for all budgets. There’s also lots of cool street art dotted around Los Alcázares which we loved.
Santa Pola
- Location | Partida Bancal de la Arena, 03130 Santa Pola
- Cost | Free
- Restrictions | No signs/barriers restricting overnight parking
- Facilities | Beach bar with toilets
Next we headed to a more remote overnight spot along the Costa Blanca with a bit of a wilder beach area. Parking here is just a piece of land set back from the small road running alongside the beach. There’s a chiringuito with really friendly staff and that’s about it.
We enjoyed a lovely afternoon here chilling on the beach and swimming, then a few beers in the bar. It was a very quiet night with lovely views out over the Mediterranean coast of Spain.
If you have time you can take a quick detour and stop off at the Laguna Rosa near Torrevieja. There aren’t many great places to park overnight around here. But it’s worth a quick look.
As you drive along this part of the Spanish coast road trip you will notice lots of salt lake farms so keep an eye out for flamingos.
Dénia
- Location | Carrer Fénix, 03700 Dénia
- Cost | Free
- Restrictions | Maximum 24 hour stay along the beach
- Facilities | None
A little further up the Costa Blanca Spanish Mediterranean coast you’ll find the port city of Dénia. Parking for campervans is restricted to 24 hours along the beach and 48 hours in urban areas. It’s a pretty place, with a ruined hilltop castle overlooking the modern marina.
Where we parked in the rocky area of Les Rotes was right next to the sea. It was so relaxing to be able to hear the waves while drifting off to sleep. But to the north of Dénia there’s also the fine sand beaches of Les Marines.
Cullera
- Location | Camino del Riu, 46400 Cullera
- Cost | Free
- Restrictions | No signs/barriers restricting overnight parking
- Facilities | None
Moving onto the Costa Valencia now and our penultimate stop. The city of Cullera, based on the banks of the river Júcar. Which is exactly where we parked. In a quiet spot where there was just us, the odd fisherman and few boats floating past.
Unfortunately we didn’t get the chance to explore the city. But what we saw of it on the drive through definitely made us want to come back and do so. The historic buildings looked really beautiful. And we’ve heard they do a mean paella in these parts too.
It’s a really pretty part of this Granada to Valencia road trip as you’ll pass through all the rice paddies and olive orchards.
Valencia
- Location | Valencia Camper Park
- Cost | €12-15 per night
- Restrictions | Recommended to book ahead during busy periods
- Facilities | Grey & black waste, fresh water, laundry, showers, swimming pool, WiFi restaurant/bar
By far one of the best campsites we’ve stayed at in Spain, the reasonable price is just the cherry on top. It has everything you could possibly need. But it’s also just a few minutes walk to a metro stop which has you straight into the city of Valencia in around 20 minutes.
The restaurant is also very reasonably priced and the food is great. We ate there a couple of times. The staff are really helpful and friendly. The whole setup makes visiting a major city so easy, which isn’t always the case when you travel with such a big vehicle.
There’s so many things to do in Valencia, it’s such a cool city. So if you have the time we definitely allow yourself a few days here on your Spain east coast road trip. Things not to miss are Turia Gardens, Torres de Quart, the City of Arts & Sciences, and El Cabanyal.
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Yorkshire born & bred, Sarah is a professional blogger who loves to travel. Pushing her boundaries with new adventures is her jam, so you likely won’t find her in one place for too long. Also a serious Marmite addict.
