Holiday Ratings
Recommended days	7
Budget	£
Difficulty	Easy

Why Andalucia

Andalusia is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, thanks to its beaches, mountains and most importantly, fabulous Moorish monuments. It is a couple of hours flight from the UK and the area is geared for tourism with good value prices on hire cars, accommodation, dining and attractions making touring Andalucia an excellent option .

Touring Andalusia is a great way to see everything and there are huge variations in scenery, climate and pace of life between the different regions. The road network is excellent although the motorways are toll roads and the cost can add up. Other than peak holiday season, traffic is generally light too.

Malaga Alcazaba

For this break my Dad accompanied us and we took an early flight from Bristol so had some time to kill before going to our resort. We drove into Malaga and eventually found the old Moorish palace fortress, originally built in the eleventh century.

Just outside it was a small Roman theatre and the Alcazaba itself was on several levels. The buildings and gardens were both impressive and even with the incredible weather we had the place pretty much to ourselves.

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Cordoba

The next day we decided to make the trek to Cordoba (5 hour round trip) and what an excellent decision it was! The weather was amazing and the buildings superb. We didn’t get to see the Synagogue or Torre De La Calahorra so we’ll save those for next time.

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The Mezquita was quite incredible, Arab art and simplicity with a gaudy Catholic church dropped in to the middle of it. There is also a restored Roman bridge and the aforementioned guard tower that are well worth seeing.

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The water gardens of the Alcazar were a real pleasure to walk around and mostly empty too. After the reconquest it became the Palace of the Christian Kings and they embellished it further. A very worthwhile day.

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Estepona

I needed a bit of a rest after all the driving so we had a chilled morning in the resort before taking an afternoon drive along the coast to Estepona, about 20 minutes away.

What a beautiful town! I read that in 2012 they decided to tart the place up so they dug up all the roads to re-lay gas pipes and electric cables and then cobbled the new roads. They installed 14,000 flower pots in matching colours for each street and banned cars from the centre.

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The town was certainly very pretty with some lovely shaded squares just off the promenade. We took a walk along the beach and saw Gibraltar in the distance then came home for the casserole Debbie had put in the oven.

Tarifa

Our next trip was to Tarifa, south and west of us and possibly the most southerly point in Spain. North Africa was just a 45 minute ferry trip away but we stayed in Europe.

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We wandered round the castle and old town and just enjoyed a non touristy place. After stopping for lunch at a hillside cafe overlooking the straits of Gibraltar we then drove to Estepona again, where we watched some kite surfing for a while.

The Pueblo Blancos

For our final trip we chose a lazy day. We drove up into the white villages which was only about 30km from us but due to the mountain roads (some VERY interesting ones!) it took about an hour. We did stop at the Condor Cafe for a snack and to watch the birds, certainly a memorable experience.

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Gaucin was visited first and then on to Casares, both were very pretty towns with amazingly narrow streets and both had inaccessible castles. Spent some time in Castillo del Aguilla (Eagles Castle) and then had lunch overlooking Casares castle. A delightful end to another great break.

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Conclusions

I know, tedious now isn’t it. I was going to say “another fantastic break” just like all the others but they all are! I love travelling and seeing new places and things so pretty much every break brings new experiences.

Touring Andalusia is a fabulous opportunity to see the rich Moorish and Roman heritage whilst enjoying lovely weather and scenery. We have visited this region many times before, here to see Cadiz, Gibraltar, Ronda and the Alhambra and here for another visit to Cordoba and Baelo Claudia.

It really is a fantastic area with lots to offer and touring Andalucia is definitely a bucket list must. Even if you aren’t into history (weirdo!) there are beaches, restaurants, countryside and cultural events to keep you occupied. Great for sightseeing and travel photography too.