Andalusia (South of Spain) – The Land of the Thousand Cultures

The southern region of Spain is called Andalusia. It is the largest autonomous region (akin to U.S. states) of the country. This region is extremely diverse and interesting for a couple of reasons.

First of all, nature there is extremely beautiful. It is a large region with loads of hills, rivers, nice beaches, and even a large ski station. On top of this, the weather is possibly the best in the whole Iberian Peninsula. Not only in summer but all year round.

As if that wasn’t good enough, this region has historically been an absolute melting pot, with all sorts of civilizations and cultures having ruled or controlled the region. Native Iberians, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, and Moors to name a few until the Castilian and other Christian North Iberian towns reconquered the area.

Among all the different towns that have been part of Andalusian history, the Moors were by far the most prominent. They ruled over the region (or parts of it) starting on the 8^th century all the way to the 15^th century.

These diverse cultural influences have resulted in an extremely rich cultural legacy with astonishing architecture and a vibe and atmosphere that deviates from that of the rest of the country.

Visiting an Andalusia is an absolute must in a trip to Spain. Nowhere else can you find such rich cultural and architectonical variety. Also, the diversity here is unparalleled in any other place in Europe.

There is a multitude of options for places to visit. During the summer months, you will likely want to visit the popular Costa del Sol or do some watersports in Cadiz. However, my first picks for any trip are Seville, Cordoba, and Granada.

So there you go… Hope you find it interesting and useful.

Andalusia in a nutshell

Fly, drive or take the speed train from Madrid to Seville. Explore this amazingly beautiful city and rent a car to initiate a road trip that will take you from Seville to Cordoba and finally to Granada, where you will visit the Alhambra palace and eat vast amounts of food at ridiculously low prices.

The details

Seville

Our trip begins in Seville, which is the capital of Andalusia. You would be surprised by how many of the things that Spain is known for abroad originate (or are most prominent) in Andalusia e.g. flamenco, Sevillanas or bullfighting to name a few. Seville is big in all of those!

What to do in Seville

If you are looking to spend a night watching flamenco dancers with a glass of red wine, you got to the right place!

Additional points of interest are the following:

• Alcazar of Seville which is an iconic Moorish-Renaissance castle.

• The Maestranza bullring, which is one of the largest and most beautiful in the world.
• The beautiful Plaza de España (perfect Instagram pics here to make sure you document your trip).

• The Giralda tower, which is a bell tower atop a former minaret.

• The gothic cathedral of Seville. Right next to the Giralda tower.

• The Parque de Maria Luisa.
• Take one of the horse-pulled calash (old wagon) and take a tour around the city during sunset. You will remember this…
• Check some of the unique squares in the city. Top picks are Plaza of Santa Marta (near the cathedral), Plaza de Santa Cruz and Plaza de Las Cruces (best at night).
• Museum of Baile Flamenco. This is the place with the best flamenco in the city. Other places tend to be a bit touristy. This is the official dance academy and has spectacles for professionals. A must!

Eating in Seville

In general, Spain is a great place to eat and Seville is one of its best places for that. I’d suggest you follow the “Tapeo” policy while you are in Andalusia. What this means is that rather than selecting a specific restaurant, you pick a bunch of them in a specific centric area (won’t be hard). Try different places, get a glass of wine in each of them and try different tapas. After a couple of hours you may be in an absolute trance as a result of the delicious food, an intense digestion and very possibly you will be slightly drunk… You will love it!

Some specific suggestions are the following:

• Mariatrifulca in Puente Triana. A must for dinner. Highly recommended to make a reservation in advance and try to secure a table in the terrace.
• Terrace of the EME hotel. This is a perfect spot for an after-dinner drink.
• Az-Zait. One of the best options in the city for tapas. Great option for lunch.
• Charlatán
• Abantal, which has a Michelin star and is still quite affordable.
• Very original and super tasty food.

Cordoba

Next head to Cordoba. Cordoba is another beautiful city in Andalusia. It was a very important Roman city and later became one of the main Islamic centers of the Middle Age during Moor ruling.

Cordoba is best known for La Mezquita (The Mosque), an immense mosque dating from the 8^th century. This mosque was later converted to a Catholic Church in the 13^th century, with a Renaissance-style nave added in the 17^th century.

The architecture, the city overall and the “Tapeo” are amazing in Cordoba as well so make sure you dedicate some quality time to the city.

Other places to see include:

• Plaza de las Tendillas, which is right in the center of the city. You will find loads of shops and tapas places around this area.
• The Medina Azahara ruins. These were once a vast, fortified Moorish medieval palace-city. They are located on the western outskirts of Córdoba.

• Mercado Victoria is the first gastronomic market in Andalusia, housed in a nineteenth-century forging building and surrounded by lush gardens. Here you will find the best fresh local products, as well as more exotic ones.
• The Jewish Quarter (Juderías) with super cozy stone streets and restaurants.

• Plaza de la Corredera. This centric square has a lot of history to it. It was once the site of spectacles such as bullfighting or Inquisition burnings. Nowadays, it is full of bars, restaurants and a local market, where you can find all kinds of fresh produce.

Granada

To me, Granada is one of the most special cities in Spain and arguably the most special. Apart from being extremely useful and charming, it has some of the most amazing architectural gems from the Moorish occupation. On top of that, it stands in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, which are the largest and tallest mountains in the whole Iberian Peninsula and where you can actually ski. Don’t think this is the typical tiny ski station. Not at all. Indeed, Sierra Nevada hosted the 1996 Alpine World Ski Championship! Albeit it’s altitude (i.e. nearly 800m/2400 feet), it is only at a 1-hour drive from the sea.

Did I mention that it is the Mecca of “Tapeo” and that food is ridiculously cheap? If you want evidence of this and some more background, I strongly recommend you to watch Anthony Boudain’s show Parts Unknown about Granada. Name of the episode is “Living the Dream in Spain”.

As you know, I really love history and this city has a lot of that. Possibly, my favorite story was that of the war of Granada between the Iberian Christians and the last Moor king of Granada, Boabdil. The legend says that when Boabdil realized that Granada was lost and fled, he turned one last time to behold Granada’s beauty. When he did, he began to cry with sadness. His mother, who was with him said to him: “You do well, my son, to cry like a woman for what you couldn’t defend like a man”. Not that men don’t cry but the story is quite cool, isn’t it?

What to do in Granada

Just walking around the city makes the visit worth it but there are a lot of things you should see while you are here. Here are my top picks:

• Granada is most known for the Alhambra Palace, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site back in the 80’s. This Alhambra consists of a defensive zone, together with a bunch of residential smaller palaces and a larger palace. In addition to that, the gardens and orchards of the Generalife are as beautiful as it gets.

• The Mirador de San Nicolás, where you can get an amazing view of the city, and the old Moorish neighborhood called Albaicín. Ideally get here walking from Plaza Nueva throughout the Paseo de Los Tristes.
• Check the Cathedral of Granada and its surroundings.

• The Teterias street where it feels just like being in Istambul.
• The Columbus monument at the Plaza de Los Reyes Catolicos.

On top of the above, if you have some extra time, heading to the Sierra Nevada is definitely a good call. If its winter and you like skiing, there you go! But even if it’s summer or late spring, you can have some extreme adventure and do the 1-day hike to the Mulhacen (3500m/ 10.500 feet). Not bad…

Eating in Granada

If you are looking for food options beware that you may enter into option paralysis. So I’ll save you some time and stress with some top picks:

• Pricey great restaurants (The best there is): La Ruta del Veleta (small town 5km from the city), El Carmen de San Miguel, El Mirador de Moraima, Chiquito, Chiquito or Pilar del Toro.
• Great restaurants with great views: Mirador de Moraima (again), Carmen de las Tomasas and Carmen del Agua.
• For “tapeo” I suggest you go to near Calle Navas (El Braserito, Los Diamantes and El Mentidero) or in the Plaza Nueva/Albaicin area (Los Manueles, La Antigualla, Casa Torcuato and Los Caracoles).

As a bonus item, I strongly encourage you to have a drink (maybe a Gin and Tonic?) during the sunset in the El Huerto de Juan Ramas.

Well, that’s all about Andalusia. Here comes the worst of the itinerary… Heading back!

The Logistics in Andalusia

From Madrid to Seville – How to get to Andalusia

In America, the main transportation system is clearly the car. While there are loads of train lines, my opinion is that they tend to be a bit old and definitely have room for improvement. This is quite different in Europe. In Spain specifically, the speed train system has had a massive development in the past couple of decades. Actually, Spain has one of the largest and finest speed train networks in the world so I suggest you take advantage of it.

The Spanish speed train is called AVE. I find it totally amazing and super convenient to travel around Spain. To provide you with an illustrative example, you can get from door to door of the city center of Madrid to Barcelona in 2.5 hours with a roundtrip cost of about 100 Euros. We are talking about over 400 miles distance! You have train lines in almost every direction from Madrid.

So here is what I would do. Visit the Spanish railway system webpage (link below) and get some tickets from Atocha (Madrid train station) to Santa Justa (Seville train station). Both stations are located in the center of the city and the total trip is about 2.5 hours. Cost for roundtrip ticket should be below 90 Euros if you buy it with some time in advance.

Link to RENFE: RENFE (Spanish railway system webpage)

While in the South of Spain – Moving around Andalusia

While visiting Seville you can easily move around with Cabify or local taxis. From Seville to Cordoba and then to Granada you can easily travel both by train or bus. But if possible, my vote would be to rent a car to make your own Andalusia road trip. This way you can stop in some very nice scenic towns on the way and define your own timing and schedule.

Heading back home

Drive back from Granada to Seville (or take the train/bus), drop the rental car and take the high-speed train to Madrid. Spend a few hours there to do some shopping or last-minute sightseeing and head to the airport (Madrid Barajas airport, recently renamed to Adolfo Suarez airport) to fly back home.

A few useful links or the Google Maps itineraries by car:

1. From Madrid to Seville: Madrid to Seville
2. From Seville to Cordoba and then to Granada: South of Spain

*Thanks to my dear friends Chema, Jose, and Estrella, who shared with me some invaluable insights from their hometowns.