Location
Andalusia is one of the seventeen communities that constitute Spain. Its capital is Seville.
Andalusia is divided into 8 provinces:
- Sevilla
- Granada
- Córdoba
- Cádiz
- Málaga
- Huelva
- Jaén
- Almería
The offer for visitors is extremely varied, from golden beaches to those beautiful mountain ranges with their highly interesting fauna, and the famous “white villages” rich in folklore and art. There are great possibilities for most different sports as well, from skiing in the Sierra Nevada to surfing at the coast of Cadiz, where you will find ideal conditions as nowhere else in Europe.
A land of great traditions, probably best known for the Flamenco and bullfighting, where myths like Don Juan and Carmen were born.
Seville
Seville is one of the most beloved places by visitors to Spain. The fertility of this land and its favorised climate with mild winters and about 3000 hours of sun per year (In August temperatures can be 47°C)
When you visit this city, you are in the very heart of Andalusian culture, the center of bullfighting and Flamenco music. The Andalusians take their time, and so get into the mood and interrupt your sightseeing from time to time to have a few “tapas”, those typical “small spanish dishes”, and a glass of Sherry wine in one of the probably thousands of bars in this city.
Malaga
Malaga is a great tourist attraction with 163 kilometres of Coastline, wonderful beaches, and famous Malaga wines.
Málaga is the major coastal city of Andalucia and is a genuine and typical Andaluz city with a gritty individualism untouched by tourism and, to a large extent, the passage of time. Malaga is best known for its string of popular resorts along the Costa del Sol and although these have their own attractions, the province has much more to offer, including a vibrant provincial capital with a fascinating history, a section of the Costa del Sol east of Malaga city that is not as developed the western section and rugged mountain ranges like the Serranía de Ronda and the Sierra de Tejeda.
Granada
Granada is located just at the point where the Sierra Nevada Mountains meet the fertile plain of the vega. Behind it are steep mountains (where high-mountain sports can be practised) and in front there is flat agricultural land
It also has 75 kilometres of Coastline, mainly warm water beaches, and is very attractive to tourists as they are able to enjoy both skiing and bathing during a single holiday.
The city is located at the foot of the “Sierre Nevada”, Spain’s highest mountain-massif with great possibilities for winter-sports. The highest peak, “Mulhacén” arrives to 3478 meters. On the other hand it is not far from the Mediterranean Sea, so Granada is a great place to visit in any season.
You are able to relax by walking through the beautiful gardens and charming narrow streets filled with flowers, breath the centuries of history around you everywhere. There are gypsies singing “Flamenco”, and don’t miss to visit their famous “Cuevas” – caves – in the mountain of the monastery of Sacromonte where some of them really live still nowadays making magnificent artisany. Granada’s popular festivals, based as well on Moorish as Christian tradition, are most attractive.
One of the most brilliant jewels of universal architecture is the Alhambra, a series of palaces and gardens. The name Alhambra means “the red one“ and refers to the color of the mountain on which it is built.
Huelva
Huelva has 145 kilometres of Coastline, including vast beaches stretching from Cadiz to the border of Portugal, Huelva may lack the region’s star attractions of other provincial capitals, but once you get past the industrial sprawl on its outskirts, the centre is a pleasant place with many pretty plazas, absorbing historical monuments and, as you’d expect from a city with a bustling port, a wealth of seafood bars and restaurants.
The hub of the city centre today is the palm-lined square, the Plaza de las Monjas, close to the pedestrianised shopping district, along the streets of Concepción to Berdigón. The centre is relatively compact so you can see the sights without having to go far.
Jaen
Jaen is famous for its olive trees and the proud olive harvesters. This Andalucian province has wonderful Natural Parks and well-preserved monuments. Jaen is rich in history, with great monuments such as the Cathedral, built between the 16th and 18th centuries, and the adjoining parish church or “El Sagrario”. The city’s Moorish castle, converted into a Parador, sits majestically on top of Mount Santa Catalina, and atop a nearby hill stands a monumental cross engraved with a moving poem by Almendros Aguilar. But it’s worth climbing to the top just to see the spectacular view of the city and the rolling olive groves of Jaen!
Cordoba
Cordoba was the most populated City in Europe,in X Century. The Mosque, is the oldest monument of the West, and attracts the most tourists, but Cordova is also famous for its gold and silver jewelry shops, wines from Moriles-Montilla,vast forest ranges and Natural Parks.
Once the largest city of Roman Spain, Cordóba later formed the heart of the western Islamic empire. Today, the city is a typical bustling, noisy Andalusian city, with lots of atmosphere, fascinating sites, intriguing small streets and shops and the inevitable fabulous choice of restaurants and bars.
Cadiz
Cadiz stands on a peninsula jutting out into a bay, and is almost entirely surrounded by water. Land of Sherry wines.
Cadiz has 272 kilometres of Coastline mostly beaches of fine sands and crystalline mainly Atlantic, waters. Between Malaga and Huelva, lie Mountains ranges and natural parks, where all kinds of outdoor sports can be practised, including equestrian, hiking, paragliding, ballooning, and many other adventure sports.
Some of the city’s 18th century walls still stand, such as the Landward Gate. The old, central quarter of Cadiz is famous for its picturesque charm, and many of the buildings reflect the city’s overseas links. The old city looks quite Moorish in appearance and is intriguing with narrow cobbled streets opening onto small squares. The golden cupola of the cathedral looms high above long white houses and the whole place has a slightly dilapidated air. It just takes an hour to walk around the headlands where you can visit the entire old town and pass through some lovely parks with sweeping views of the bay.
Almeria
Almeria has 214 kilometres of Coastline most of it shining beaches, enjoys 3,100 hours of sunshine annually and boasts a desert where many westerns have been filmed. A visit to the mountains of the interior is a must.
The city of Almeria is located at the foot of a mountain range which is crowned by the magnificent Alcazaba, an Arab fortress.
Attractions
Andalusia is the home of flamenco music and bullfighting.
Granada -The Alhambra Palace, a series of palaces and gardens one of Europe’s truly amazing sights.
Cordoba – You will see millions of olive trees. Also the Mezquita, (Great Mosque) one of the two most important examples of Moorish art in Spain.
Seville – The Andaluz capital is the most typically Spanish of all Spanish cities. Experience flamenco, see a bullfight, try the local tapas and wash them down with sherry.
Jerez de la Frontera – Watch the dancing horses of the Andaluz School of Equestrian Art.
Ronda, one of the country’s most spectacular villages lying high above the Costa del Sol in the rugged mountains of the Serranía de Ronda.
Costa del Sol– Rub shoulders with the rich and famous at the exclusive marina of Puerta Banus, have a flutter at Marbella’s Casino, enjoy a round of golf on one of the many quality courses in the region or simply lie by the pool with cocktail.
Cadiz province Here is where you will find some of Spain’s finest beaches on a surprisingly underdeveloped coastline with magnificent views across the Straits of Gibraltar to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.
How to get there
BY AIR;
Malaga Airport is 8 kilometres west of the city of Malaga and is the main flight path for millions of people arriving on to the Andalusia area each year.
BY ROAD;
Road N-IV (E5) links Seville to Madrid passing through Córdoba.
Motorway A-49, also called “V Centenario”, goes to Huelva and is going to be prolonged to Portugal.
Motoway A-92 links Seville to Granada, Baza and Puerto Lumbreras, in the region of Murcia.
Another interesting road is the N-630, the old Vía de la Plata that goes to Merida, Castilla y León and Asturias. It follows a very long historic itinary, and has over recent years been re-valued as a route of great cultural and scenestic interest.
BY RAIL;
The Spanish railway network is run by the state owned company RENFE. International trains from France terminate at either Madrid or Barcelona. From there you can catch a train to many of the cities in Andalucia.
BY SEA;
A popular alternative to flying is ferry travel to the north of Spain, followed by a leisurely 2 or 3 days driving down to Andalucia. There are various ferry routes to choose between depending on your base. You can either drive to the Spanish port or park your vehicle to embark as a foot passenger, or take your vehicle across to explore further within Morocco and North Africa.
BY BUS/COACH;
There is a frequent service between the main towns in Andalucia and also day and overnight services to and from Madrid. Buses will be the only form of public transport into the surrounding villages.
Festivals
The local fiesta is the moment when every town and village strives to put on a splendid show, not only for themselves but also for those who come from afar to admire and enjoy. Over 3,000 fiestas are celebrated every year in Andalucia, including fairs, pilgrimages, carnivals, mock battles between Moors and Christians and religious processions, throughout the some 800 communities of the region.
Cadiz – As elsewhere in the Catholic world, carnival is celebrated before the 40 days of Lent. Most Andalucian towns stage some kind of parade, and there is usually a dance and a “Carnival Queen” contest. Cadiz has become the liveliest and most dazzling carnival town in mainland Spain, famous for its amusing and creative figurines and satirical song groups.
Eating Dining Shopping
Seville’s typical dishes mostly are relatively simple to prepare, but extraordinarily tasty. Why not try the famous Gazpacho cold “soup”, a vegetable-cream made of tomato, cucumber, paprika, garlic, olive-oil, vinegar and bread; Pescaito frito, fish turned around in flour and fried in olive-oil; Huevos a la Flamenca, a fried egg in a sauce of tomato and Chorizo (a spicy typically Spanish sausage); Cocido
Andaluz, a “hot-pot” made of chick-peas and different vegetables; Rabo de Toro, a ragout of bull’s tail.
The numerous bars offer Tapas, “mini-dishes”. Each local has its own “house-specialities”, You must try the fantastic olives of the region. The great local wines, Jerez (sherry), Manzanilla and Montilla are a perfect match to all these dishes.
The traditional sweets are mostly of Moorish influences and are prepared often with honey, but also with wine. Very well known are Torrijas and Llemas de San Leandro.
Shopping
With the explosion of huge out-of-town shopping centres and hypermarkets in the last five years or so mean that the shopper can easily find everything under one roof.
Still the best place to buy fruit and vegetables, as well as hunt out bargain clothes and household goods, remains the local market. Some towns and villages also have their own regular covered market. Atarazanas, Malaga Central Market is absolutely not to be missed.
History
A lot of Moorish architecture is found in Andalusia, because it was the last stronghold of the Moors before the reconquista by the Catholic Monarchs completed in 1492.
From the 16th century Andalusia generally suffered as Spain declined, although the ports of Seville and Cádiz flourished as centers of trade with the New World. Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713, and in 1833 Andalusia was divided into the present eight provinces.
With Catalonia, Andalusia was a stronghold of anarchism during the Spanish republic (est. 1931); however, it fell early to the Insurgents in the Spanish civil war of 1936–39. The region later saw recurrent demonstrations against the national government of Francisco Franco.
In 1981 it became an autonomous region and in 1982 it elected its first parliament.
Useful telephone numbers
Emergency Number 112
Airport Information (Malaga) Tel; +34 952 048 484
Train station 🙁 Santa Justa) Tel; 902240202
Tourist Office: (Seville) Tel; 95-4505600
Holiday rents online:
National Transport Line
24 hour medical service