1 Week Spain Road Trip Itinerary and driving tips

Only Once Today is a reader-supported website. We might earn a commission if you purchase something through one of our links, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

What we talk about in this article

Spain is a fun and magnificent country for road trips and travelers can easily spend a couple of weeks or a couple of months in this beautiful country.

We had the chance to make a short, but sweet Spain road trip. So this article offers a Spain itinerary for 10 days with loads of time for chilling and relaxing.

Our road trip is a short one, but that doesn’t mean you can’t combine it with a second road trip leg after.

You can either do this trip quick and swiftly in a matter of days, but we took our time in each place and it lasted for 10 days for us!

Our sweet and relaxing Spain road trip

Prepare for 10 days of exploring beautiful cities, relaxing on the beaches in Eastern Spain, and enjoying the Mediterranean sun.

For more inspiration be sure to check out these 25 books about Spain before you dive in to your adventure.

Destinations in this road trip

  • Barcelona
  • Sitges
  • Salou
  • Valencia

Before you go - General info

We chose to rent a car in Spain for this road trip. It was easy and straightforward, so it’s a good way to explore this area of the country.

Renting a car in Spain

Renting a car in Spain is pretty easy and you can take care of all your business online even before you leave your home.

Check out the rental cars you can book.

For this itinerary, we recommend renting a car in the airport of Barcelona. You can book it for a week and set the return place for the airport of Valencia.

  • you can set different location for pick up and return
  • make sure to get a GPS
  • don’t forget to take insurance as well
Valencia Spain

Driving in Spain

Spain is an easy country to drive and it’s a fun destination for a road trip.

Roads are good and well maintained.

If you’re European, your regular driving licence will do, but you still need travel insurance. If you’re not European, you need to get an international driving licence, which you can get in your home town for a small fee.

In Spain, cars drive on the right side of the road.

One thing I thought was a little confusing, was driving in the city centers. The roads are quite busy there and some roundabouts have more than 6 lanes!

Toll roads in Spain

20 percent of the Spanish roads are toll roads.

You don’t have to do anything in advance, as the system works with toll boots you can’t really avoid.

On some occasions it’s possible to avoid tolls by driving a different route, but in most cases, it pays off to just drive via the toll route.

Average price per 100 km: 9,5€

Read more about toll roads in Spain

Schengen Visa

Non European travelers need to obtain a Schengen Visa in order to travel through Europe. Read more about the Schengen visa and how to get it here.

Day 1 - 3 Barcelona

Barcelona is the first destination in this road trip.

So you’re sure not to miss the most iconic and popular city in the entire country.

Barcelona is a super hot travel destination and there are tons to see and do.

Depending on your flight schedule and expected jetlag, you can add extra days in Barcelona!

Things to see in Barcelona

  • Stroll through the magnificent creations of Gaudi in Parque Guell
  • Visit the famous Sagrada Familia
  • Check out the street artists on the Ramblas
  • Enjoy some local wine on the beautiful Plaza Real
  • Get a tan on the beach

Where to stay in Barcelona

You can choose to stay in your own apartment in the heart of Barcelona and have the option to park your car or choose to keep your trip budget friendly and book a bed in a hostel.

The BCN Rambla Catalunya Apartments are located in the heart of the city center and they look absolutely fabulous! They have an awesome central location and travelers adore this place.

For budget travelers, Barcelona has quite a few cool hostels on offer! Check out the immense popular 360 Hostel Barcelona Arts&Culture or Hostel One Ramblas, both conveniently located in the city center. Hostels don’t usually offer parking spots.

Check out the best neighborhoods in Barcelona!

Barcelona
Barcelona

Barcelona to Sitges

Sitges is located pretty close by. The drive from Barcelona to Sitges will around 45 to 60 minutes and the distance is 42 km.

Check your GPS for toll roads. If you want to drive straight from one place to the other, you will have to pay toll for the C32 highway.

Day 4 - 5 Sitges

Sitges is a cozy and cute town on the East Coast of Spain.

The town is known to be super LGBTQ+ friendly and they even host their own Pride festival.

Aside from that, it’s a super fun and relaxing place to hang out for a few days and enjoy the Mediterranean sun and vibe.

Sitges has a nice stretch of beach inside the town and there’s also a beautiful harbour where sailboats roll in continuously.

Things to see in Sitges

  • Stroll through the winding streets in the historic part of town
  • Enjoy a day at the beach in town or one of the nearby beaches
  • Walk along the Passeig Maritim

Where to stay in Sitges

Spend the night at the beautiful Galeon Hotel, which has a nice outdoor area and a swimming pool.

Hotel Capri is also a great choice, as it offers parking space to its customers. On top of the parking, this place is also super close to the beach.

Sitges - 1 Week Spain Road Trip Itinerary and driving tips
Sitges Beach

Sitges to Salou

The Sitges to Salou journey is also a short and easy one. This drive can be done in little less than an hour and the distance is 72 km.

On this route, you’ll also encounter toll roads with toll boots along the way.

Day 6 - 8 Salou

Salou is the second beautiful beach destination in this itinerary.

This time, you might want to plan your visit during the weekend, as Salou is a major party destination. But then again, if you want to avoid the party athmosphere, that’s perfectly possible.

Things to see in Salou

  • Check out the PortAventura amusement park
  • Or visit the PortAventura Aqua Park
  • Spend a day at the beach

Where to stay in Salou

Have a look at the beautiful Seaborn by Pillow hotel in the center of Salou. This hotel is super affordable and close to all the action.

Regente Aragon is another great choice. It has a swimming pool and a parking for your car! This place is super popular among travelers.

beach of Salou with beached boats in Tarragona Catalonia Spain
Salou Beach

Salou to Valencia

This is the longest drive in the entire itinerary. It’s still easy and quick, but if you like, you can also break this part up.

The distance between Salou and Valencia is 250 km and the drive takes about 2,5 hours.

Day 9 - 10 Valencia

Valencia is the fourth stop on this trip and it is the second cool citytrip on the East Coast of Spain.

The city itself is gorgeous and there’s a beautiful contrast between the old town and the modern surroundings.

Valencia is the kind of place where you can easily stay a lot longer than 2 days, so if you expect to fall in love, which is very plausible… reserve more days!

Things to see in Valencia

  • Explore the old city center and the Torres de Serranos
  • Check out the state-of-the-art Ciudad de las Artes & Ciencias
  • Make a day trip to Albufera lagoon

Where to stay in Valencia

Valencia is a large city with loads of accommodation options. We enjoyed the old town a lot, but the area around the Ciudad de las Artes & Ciencias is also a very nice place to be.

Mon Suites San Nicolas offers private studio apartments near the city center. The studios are beautiful and perfectly located. They also have parking spots for their guests.

The other Mon Suites studios also have great locations and a parking. Have a look at Mon Suites Catedral or Mon Suites San Martin.

Valencia Spain

Conclusion - Relaxed 10-day Spain Road Trip

This is how you spend 10 super chilled road trip days in the East coast of Spain! We added tons of cool stuff to do, but you can even explore more cool stops between Barcelona and Valencia.

This slow paced itinerary gives you loads of time to enjoy the Mediterranean vibe and catch some sunrays.

We really loved this road trip and we plan on road tripping more of Spain in the near future. So keep an eye on this blog to find more cool itineraries!

Pin it!

1 Week Spain Road Trip Itinerary and driving tips
1 Week Spain Road Trip Itinerary and driving tips
Start planning your trip

Plan your trip

Step-by-step guide to plan your trip

Find accommodation

Upgrade your trip & sleep comfortably

Get travel insurance

The best travel insurance for Europeans

Get a global travel card

Get cash & pay anywhere

"I need 6 months of holiday, twice a year"

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to browse on this website, you accept the use of cookies for the above purposes.