Spain - 2025 - Caminito del Rey, Frigiliana, Valencia

Community Highlights Europe Spain - 2025 - Caminito del Rey, Frigiliana, Valencia

Yes, you’ve guessed it, it’s yet another hiking road trip to Spain

Well, it’s winter and we should be chilling (literally) but instead we are itching to get out there and do some nature hiking. To make it more urgent, there are not one but two storms hitting Portugal and we think, why not? It’s been exactly 2 months since we’ve been back from our 2 month trip to Greece, Italy & Malta and, also, we were back in Spain for my birthday just 45 days ago, but somehow it feels right to escape the storms in search of some nature hikes and better weather. So, after a bit of research we decide to go for Southern Spain. Our main objective is the El Caminito del Rey hiking trail but we may as well take the opportunity to do some other hiking trails in the region, add some sightseeing to the mix and catch up with some old friends who live in the area, after all, why not catch up in the sunshine over some nice Spanish wine? It’s settled then. We pack and get up at 5am and after a 4 and a half hour drive, we reach the stunning city of Trujillo, in the Extremadura region of Spain. The Castle is a medieval stone fortress, sitting atop a hill overlooking the stunning old town. This city holds strong links between Spain and Latin America as the conquistador Francisco Pizarro, who conquered (and almost annihilated) the Inca empire, was born here. Anyway, the city is absolutely gorgeous and worth the visit and still has some tourists, mostly Spanish, even in the last week of January. Another 90 minute drive and we reach the city of Talavera de la Reina, another gorgeous town but we’ve visited twice before, so this time it’s just a pit stop for lunch. A couple more hours driving and we reach the town of Villa Franca de Los Caballeros and check in at the Las Banderas, near a very big lake. It’s very basic but we needed a place to stay that was closer to the hiking trail next morning. We wake up next morning and after another 3 and a half hours we reach the town of Calles, Valencia. We get there at around 10.30 in the morning and we hike the 6km to a 2,000 year old incredible Roman Aqueduct through amazing aqueduct tunnels and breathtaking views, the trail is called Peña Cortada, it’s of medium difficulty and highly recommended.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/spain/valencia/acueducto-romano-de-la-pena-cortada-torrecastro

Pena Cortada and Roman Aqueduct (15)

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We then continue to the amazing Bonaire Shopping Centre & Outlet (the biggest in Europe, no trip to Spain is complete without some shopping and a trip to an El Corte Inglés Outlet or two), we’ve been there before and it’s highly recommended if you’re in need of some retail therapy. However, we find out the entire complex was closed due to the recent devastating floods in the region. The next day we also see a lot of debris and a huge number of cars still piled up, another reminder of the deadly floods, very sobering indeed. We then drive to Valencia and check in at the nice Hotel Beleret, for the next 3 nights, go out for a quick menu del dia and fold for the day. Next morning we get up early and have our café con leche y tostada con tomate breakfast, man, do we love the stuff!! We then drive to the beautiful town of Chulilla and do the hike to the Pontes Colgantes (suspension bridges), amazing views, gorgeous trail, very popular even in the winter and of medium difficulty.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/spain/valencia/cv-394-puente-colgante-mirador-el-fandarin

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There are many other interesting hiking trails in the Valencia region, look them up if you’re interested however we don’t recommend doing the most popular ones in the summer as this entire region is riddled with overtourism. We then have a day off as we catch the Metro to see Valencia’s lovely Old Town and visit their fantastic Central Market. We also have a great time catching up with old friends we met 15 years ago in Thailand, then in Orlando (USA), Trancoso (Brazil), Naxos (Greece) and Verride (Portugal) for lunch at the very traditional El Trocito del Medio restaurant, right in front of the market, a very decent menu del dia for 16 euros, including wine.

After another cafe con leche y tostada con tomate, we make our way to Alicante, 3 and a half hour drive, and check in at the Ibis Budget (35 euros), near the Airport, free parking and fabulous ocean views for 3 nights. The next morning we have another chilled day and drive all the way to Playa Flamenca (Torrevieja, Alicante) to have another lovely lunch, again catching up with old friends. We met 15 years ago in Goa, India and then again 12 years ago in Didim, Turkey. We wake up the next morning then go to see the gorgeous seaside old town of Alicante, a great and colourful surprise, followed by a visit to the centenary Central Market and a long stroll along the beach as the weather could not be better considering it’s the end of January. After 4 and a half hours drive we reach the lovely (in the winter, probably nightmarish in the summer, already parking issues in the low season) seaside town of Nerja, already in Andalucia, one of our favourite regions in Spain, and after a nice lunch and a couple of pints, we fold for the day, checking in at the lovely Apartamentos Mediterraneo (32 euros), our great little self-catering studio for the next 3 days. Next morning we go for a 2 hour long nature hike following the dried river bed of the Higueron River. Then we visit the incredibly beautiful whitewashed town of Frigiliana, well deservedly known as the most beautiful of all the Pueblos Blancos of Andalucia. Well we are in a good position to agree with this statement as in 2018 we spent 10 weeks in Andalucia getting to know the whitewashed villages very well. So, its a yes, Frigiliana is the most beautiful of them all, having said that, can’t even imagine how busy it gets in the summer. From there we visit Torrox, another whitewashed village but of course it pales in comparison to Frigiliana. Then we grab some take away chicken and chips and sit enjoying a little picnic in the sunshine. A couple of pints later and its time to chill for the day as we have some planning to do for the next couple of days.

It’s our last day of our 10 days in Spain and we wake up very early and drive 90 minutes to the starting point of the most famous hiking trail in Spain, considered one of the best ones in the world, the absolutely marvellous El Caminito del Rey. You have to get your individual ticket online (10 euros) about 2 months in advance as they run out very quickly even in winter. We had to pay 18 for the guided tour ticket, but the good news is, you can still do it on your own, as soon as the tour got started we started hiking on our own and its fine. There are groups of about 30 people but you never feel crowded as it’s very well timed by the organisers. You have to wear a helmet but they also give you a hair net, as I said, very well organised. The group tour participants also get a headphone so the guides don’t need to get too loud. The hike is incredible, the kind that makes one run out of adjectives as you’re literally overwhelmed by this trail. Two breathtaking hours, with hanging walkways fixed to the cliff face, the most amazing views, gravity defying bridges, you name it. Challenging enough but you never feel unsafe, what an unforgettable experience, please check out our photos. Afterwards, you catch the shuttle bus (2.5 euros) back to the parking lot (there are some free parking spots if you get there early) where you started from and we are still absolutely elated by this hike, I couldn’t recommend it more.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/spain/malaga/el-caminito-del-rey

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We then jump in the car, grab a menu del dia along the way and after a 4 hour drive check in at the Sao Joao de Deus Hotel (42 euros for a 4 star hotel inside the old city walls, incredible) in the beautiful city of Elvas, in the Alentejo region, already back in Portugal. We’ve been to Elvas a couple of times, so this time is just an overnighter. Next morning we have a few pit stops on the drive home. The first one is the gorgeous medieval village of Castelo de Vide, followed by the very picturesque village of Nisa, we then pass by the incredible Prehistoric settlement of Arneiro, which we really feel deserves more attention on a future trip. We then drive to Condeixa and have lunch at Restaurante Simoes, one of our favourite chicken & chips in Portugal, before heading home, sweet home, till the next trip.

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