Andalusia 7-day Itinerary

Bigger than a football pitch, this Gothic cathedral was built on the site of Seville’s great mosque, and dazzles with its elaborate portals, forests of pinnacles and flying buttresses.

Elements of the mosque, however, were preserved: the Patio de los Naranjos, with its fountain and orange trees, and the spectacular 105m minaret, La Giralda, symbol of Seville.

Inside, marvel at the world’s largest altarpiece that took 82 years to sculpt, Columbus’s tomb supported by statues of pallbearers, and a masterpiece by Murillo, The Vision of St Anthony.

Tickets include the nearby over-the-top Baroque church of San Salvador.

Built in the 10th century for Seville’s Moorish governor, the Alcazar was converted into a palace by Pedro I, Christian King of Castile in the 1360s, making it the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe.

Pedro brought in Moorish craftsmen from Granada and Toledo to create his dream home, and today their patios, tile work, tracery and arabesques are the most delightful features, culminating in the stunning Salon de Embajadores, where Charles V was married in 1526.

Charles later added his own palace to the Alcazar, decorated with priceless Flemish tapestries. And the gardens are simply enchanting.

Andalusia expresses its passionate soul in the guitars, singing and twirling, stamping steps of its native flamenco – declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010.

Most scholars believed the seeds of flamenco arrived in the 15th century with the Roma from India. Over the centuries they slowly migrated west with their castanets and tambourines, absorbing songs and dances in the Middle East and North Africa along the way. The Spanish at first considered it a foreign art, or ‘Flemish’ – hence flamenco.

By the 19th century flamenco as we know it emerged – popularized by Bizet’s Carmen – with shows performed in cafés cantantes (singers’ cafés), the forerunners to the modern tablaos. These are intimate venues with small wooden stages, perfect for the exhilarating machine gun-like zapateado (dancing).

You can hear flamenco’s eastern origins in the singer’s cante jondo (‘deep song’), evoking pain, sorrow and joy, while dancers express each emotion with their bodies, driven by the pulsing percussive strumming of the guitars.

A good show, and there are many here, can send chills down your spine with their duende, the ecstatic ‘demon’ spirit that brings listeners out of themselves.

Begun in the year 785, when Abd ar Rahman I made Cordoba the capital of al-Andalus, the Mezquita (Mosque-Cathedral). is a breathtaking tour de force designed to show that this western outpost of Islam was equal to anything in the east.

Its seemingly endless columns, horseshoe arches and beautiful double arches melt into distant shadows. Originally open on the sides, with light pouring in, it was walled-in when the Christians built a cathedral in the centre, itself a treasure-filled masterpiece although it seems intrusive in this magical forest of 580 columns, this pure meditation in stone.

The partially excavated and reconstructed halls, mosque, gate, porticoes and gardens of a 112-hectare mysterious palace city. It was built in the 10th century by Abd-ar-Rahman III, the first Caliph of Cordoba; now a World Heritage Site.

There are 93 paradors in Spain, but this is the most requested of them all. Located on the grounds of the Alhambra, it occupies a late 15th-century monastery built by Granada’s conquerors, Ferdinand and Isabella, built over a Nasrid palace.

The parador is chock-full of original features: the cloister-patio, pebble courtyards, arches, dark wood and iron work, beams and rose-tinted bricks, and there’s even one room from the lost palace.

Guests are free to wander the grounds of the Alhambra after dark, especially romantic on a moonlit or starry night.

The friendly professional staff, great breakfast and wonderful views all contribute to a pricy but unforgettable way to experience Granada and its ineffably beautiful star attraction.

The pinnacle of the exquisite refinement and sophistication of Moorish Spain, the Alhambra is where the Arabian Nights come to life.

Dominating Granada from its spectacular hilltop location, with the Sierra Nevada looming in the background, it was the base of the Nasrid kings, the Alhambra ruled from the 13th century until 1492.

Visits include the main palace with the famous lion fountain patio, the Generalife summer palace and its fountain-filled courtyard, the enchanting gardens, the Alcazaba fortress and the Renaissance Palace of Charles V with its circular courtyard: so allow at least three hours to see everything while drinking in the unforgettable views.

This jewel of intricate, lace-like Isabelline Gothic architecture, built just after the end of the Reconquista between 1505-17, holds the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella, their daughter Joanna ‘the Mad’ and her husband Philip – parents of emperor Charles V.

Andalusia expresses its passionate soul in the guitars, singing and twirling, stamping steps of its native flamenco – declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010.

Most scholars believed the seeds of flamenco arrived in the 15th century with the Roma from India. Over the centuries they slowly migrated west with their castanets and tambourines, absorbing songs and dances in the Middle East and North Africa along the way. The Spanish at first considered it a foreign art, or ‘Flemish’ – hence flamenco.

By the 19th century flamenco as we know it emerged – popularized by Bizet’s Carmen – with shows performed in cafés cantantes (singers’ cafés), the forerunners to the modern tablaos. These are intimate venues with small wooden stages, perfect for the exhilarating machine gun-like zapateado (dancing).

You can hear flamenco’s eastern origins in the singer’s cante jondo (‘deep song’), evoking pain, sorrow and joy, while dancers express each emotion with their bodies, driven by the pulsing percussive strumming of the guitars.

A good show, and there are many here, can send chills down your spine with their duende, the ecstatic ‘demon’ spirit that brings listeners out of themselves.

Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born in Malaga. The city’s Picasso Museum, set in a restored 16th-century Andalusian townhouse in Malaga’s historic centre, displays over 250 of his paintings, sculptures and ceramics spanning his entire career. Book an entrance ticket here and a private guided tour here.

Here Carmen Cervera, the Malaga-born wife of Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza, displays her prize collection of mainly Andalusian art, ranging from the mainly religious works of old masters to the colourful, luminous landscapes, portraits and street scenes from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Opened in 2010, this quirkily-named museum houses the private collection of Portuguese car fanatic Joao Magalhaes.

There are more than 80 vintage and modern cars here, arranged in 10 themed areas such as Belle Epoque, Art Deco 30s and English Tradition.

Alongside the cars, presumably to interest the wives of petrol heads, are beguiling displays of fashionable travel memorabilia from the 20s, 30s 40s and 50s, including a collection of 300 vintage hats.

This well-preserved Moorish city fortress, built 11th century on a hill in the city centre, was used as a military installation right up until the 18th century. The complex includes an outer enclosure, and an inner enclosure that housed the palaces.

It’s connected by a walled corridor to the higher Castle of Gibralfaro, and adjacent to the entrance are the remains of a Roman theatre, dating back to the 1st century AD.

Paris’s famous Pompidou centre is home to Europe’s largest collection of modern and contemporary art – anything from Picasso to Pop Art. Malaga’s striking museum outpost – housed beneath the colourful Cubo, was initially established in 2013 for 5 years – and was subsequently extended to 2025. It houses a permanent exhibition of several dozens of works of the impressionist collection of the XX and XXI centuries. It also hosts 2 or 3 temporary exhibitions each year, sourced from the parent collection and designed by its curators.

For thrills, chills and hopefully no spills, this vertiginous walkway, pinned 100m above ground to the walls of the narrow gorge, has become one of Andalusia’s top bucket list attractions.

Originally built in concrete in 1905 for hydroelectric plant workers, it earned its name, the ‘King’s Little Path’ in 1921 when Alfonso XIII walked it to open the Conde del Guadalhorce dam.

As it crumbled and devil-may-care walkers began plummeting to their deaths, it was closed in 2000. Fifteen years later, it reopened with a spectacular new and safe 1.5 km-long boardwalk.

This gigantic, breath-taking stalactite show cave is open all year round, with possible night visits. Buy the ticket that includes the museum, with photos of the cave’s inaccessible art –possibly the oldest paintings in Europe, dating back to 42,000 BC. 

Once impregnable Ronda is the only city in the wildly beautiful Serrania de Ronda between Malaga and Seville, and makes for a fine day trip.

Teetering on sheer cliffs, Ronda’s extraordinary Puente Nuevo straddles the 150m deep Tajo gorge, linking the old Moorish town to the new. The views alone make it Andalusia’s third most visited city, but there is much more, including the Palacio de Mondragon Museum and gardens, the city walls and gates.

Ronda is also a gateway to a series of so-called White Villages (Pueblos Blancos) – 20 hill towns in the Sierra de Grazalema named after their glowing white-washed walls, immersed in lovely landscapes. There are several circular White Village routes out of Ronda, or en route to Cadiz or Jerez de la Frontera. Ideal for leisurely touring by car or bike.

Ronda’s town museum is housed in the 14th-century royal palace of Moorish king Abomelic I, with its gardens, Moorish courtyards and views out over the Sierra de Grazalema. Exhibits cover the town’s history, and the nearby Pileta Cave.

An 18th-century mansion where can visit the half-French, half-Moorish garden and the extraordinary ‘water mine’ that supplied Ronda, 231 steps below the gardens to the Tajo river.

Brand new, and nothing less than the world’s first sherry hotel, the Tio Pepe is located in Plaza Encarnacion, the heart of Jerez de la Frontera, and adjacent to the Gonzalez Byass dynasty’s beautiful bodega.  

Many of its luminous, contemporary rooms and suites (some are ideal for families) overlook the city’s beautiful Baroque cathedral, and have gorgeous beds.  

There are great views from the roof terrace garden, along with a little plunge pool. Staff are a delight, there’s an a la carte breakfast, fitness centre and  a useful public pay car park nearby. And it’s perfectly placed for a sherry tour. 

You don’t have to be a horsey person to marvel at the extraordinary technical skill of the Andalusian horses and their riders, at this famous and unique riding school.

The area first fell in love with horses in the 8th century, when the Berbers from North Africa brought their proud Arab steeds to Andalusia. Afterwards they were bred by Carthusian monks in Jerez, creating the strong, slender pale grey Andalusian Pura Raza Espanola breed, with their elegantly arched necks. The dressage school was founded in 1973, and has become a must-see in Jerez ever since.

A full tour takes in a film on the school’s history, its botanical gardens, the palace built by Charles (‘Paris Opera’) Garnier, the Museum of Equestrian Art, the Carriage museum with historic costumes, the stables, the saddlery, and the Picadero arena, where you can watch the training sessions for the horse ballets.

Jerez de la Frontera is synonymous with sherry (the very word is an Anglicization of Xeres or Jerez), and according to DOP regulations it can only be made in the ‘Sherry triangle’ – Jerez, Sanlucar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Maria.

Made with white Palomino grapes, the wine is then fortified to various degrees, from pale dry Fino and Manzanilla to Oloroso and the very sweet, very alcoholic (up to 22%) Pedro Ximenez.

Many of the bodegas (wine cellars) have a British connection, a love affair that began in 1587 when Sir Francis Drake brought back 2,900 barrels of sherry after destroying the Spanish navy in Cadiz. The tours, some including serious tastings, food and even art, are fascinating; the grandest bodegas are breath-taking wine cathedrals.

Andalusia’s most famous three Michelin star restaurant is just north of Cadiz in El Puerto de Santa Maria, where the visionary ‘Chef of the Sea’ Angel Leon takes seafood and sustainability, to a whole new level.