Orgiva

If you get an early start, this scenic detour is well worth the hour or so it adds to the journey: About 40 kilometers from Granada, turn left on A348 and continue to Lanjarón, a lovely small spa with mineral springs in a gorgeous mountain setting, with a ruined castle perched on a shelf above it. The water is supposed to cure various ailments and is bottled and distributed nationally—if you order mineral water with your meals, you have probably tried it already. Continue on A348 to Orgiva at the edge of the Alpujarras. This is the area the Moors occupied for more than a century after Granada fell to the Catholic monarchs. In this picturesque, little mountain village you find fine views of the Alpujarras, the Sierra Nevada, and the smaller Sierra de la Contraviesa to the south. Leave Orgiva on A348 toward the south and turn right after 3 kilometers on A346. Thirteen scenic kilometers later, you arrive back at N323, which you follow to the coastal highway N340.