©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
“ All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!”
TONY WHEELER, COFOUNDER – LONELY PLANET
PAGE
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YOUR TRIP
YOUR PLANNING TOOL KIT
Photos, itineraries, lists and suggestions
to help you put together your perfect trip
2
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41
Welcome to
Andalucía
COUNTRY
COUN
CO
NTRY & CI
CITY
TY
Y
• The original
p
• Comprehensive
Adventurous
turous
• Advent
Land of Many Mysteries
Andalucía has multiple faces: a parched
region fertile with culture, a conquered
land that went on to conquer, a Àercely
1 5 rapid
traditional place that has accepted
modernisation. Here, in the cradle
16 of quintessential Spain, the questions are often as
intriguing as the answers. Who Àrst concocted Áamenco? How did tapas become
a national obsession? Could Cádiz be Europe’s oldest settlement? Are those really
Christopher Columbus’ bones inside Seville’s cathedral? And, where on earth did
the audacious builders of the Alhambra
get their divine inspiration from? Putting
together the missing pieces of the puzzle is
what makes travel in Andalucía the gloriDAVID C TOMLINSON / GETTY IMAGES ©
17
Touring the White
Villages
Outdoor Activities
Choosing your favourite white village
is like choosing your favourite Beatles
album. They’re all so good it’s hard to make a
deÀnitive decision. Pressured for an answer,
most people tend to look out for the classic calling cards: a thrillingly sited location, a soporiÀc
old town, a fancy parador hotel, and a volatile
frontier history. The best examples lie dotted all
over the region with two heavy concentrations:
one in eastern Cádiz province (p124) and the
other in the mountainous Alpujarras (p254).
ANDALUCÍA
Tour them by bike,
foot, car or bus. Vélez Blanco
16
SPAIN
PORTUGAL
Córdoba
•
#
É
Windsurfing in Tarifa
If Andalucía has a hallmark outdoor
activity, it is windsurÀng, a daring
white-knuckle sport given extra oomph by
the stiՖ winds that enliven the choppy waters
oՖ the Straits of Gibraltar. The activity, along
with its riskier sporting cousin, kiteboarding, has lent a hip vibe to the Costa de la Luz
and its windy southern nexus Tarifa (p133),
a whitewashed coastal town that often feels
more Moroccan than Spanish. Cool windsurfing and kiteboarding outlets proliferate along
the nearby beachfronts providing a refreshing
antidote to the kitsch of the Costa del Sol.
17
REGIONAL
RE
REGI
ONAL
• Cultural
• Day trips & itineraries
• In-depth
É
É
•
#
•
# Granada
Ronda
•
#
É
One of the more epiphanic experiences in
Andalucía is discovering that, contrary to
popular opinion, the bulk of the region remains uncommercialised, traditional and
loaded with outdoor possibilities. OD’d
on Granada’s free tapas? No problema.
Head 27km southeast to the Sierra Nevada
Seville
ski slopes. Feeling claustrophobic in that
kitschy Torremolinos resort? Fear not. Escape on a bicycle along a vía verde. And if
none of this swings it for you, try scuba diving, rock climbing, horse riding, kiteboardJerez de la Frontera •
ing, or even hang-gliding.
#
Not that going on an outdoor adventure
#
Cádiz •
means you necessarily leave the culture behind. Old walking trails lead to time-worn
villages where flat-capped farmers sink dry
sherry while playing dominoes. Cycling ATLANTIC
paths meander past ruined castles. Divers OCEAN
explore old shipwrecks. Spain’s great outdoors is as much a history lesson as it is a
tonic for your health.
É
É
Mountain hikes Sierra Nevada; Parque
Natural Sierra de Grazalema
Peak baggers Mulhacén (Sierra Nevada); El
Torreón (Grazalema)
Hikes for wildlife spotting Parque Natural
Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas
Hikes for birdwatching Parque Nacional
de Doñana
Pastoral hikes Sierra de Aracena; Parque
Natural Los Alcornocales
Coastal hikes Parque Naturel Cabo de
Gata-Níjar; Parque Natural de la Breña y
Marismas de Barbate
Long-distance hike GR7 trail in Las
Alpujarras
Hikes for splendid isolation Parque Natural Sierra Norte (Sevilla province)
Urban hike Around the seawall and malecón
(sea drive) in the city of Cádiz
A Cultural Marinade
The fascination of Andalucía springs from
its peculiar history, Christianity and Islam.
For centuries the region stood on the porous frontier between two diՖerent faiths
and ideologies. Left to slowly ferment like
a barrel of the bone dry local sherry, these
Whether you’ve got six day
60, these itineraries provid
starting point for the trip
lifetime. Want more inspir
Head online to lonelyplane
/thorntree to chat with oth
travellers.
aries
Walking Highlights
ous adventure it is, a never-ending mystery
trail that will deposit you in places where
you can peel oՖ the checkered history in
dusty layers. There’s edgy Granada, arty
Málaga, vivacious Seville, sleepy Setenil de
las Bodegas, rugged Ronda, brassy Marbella, and even a rocky rump of the British
Empire named after an erstwhile Berber
warlord called Tariq.
BEN WELSH / GETTY IMAGES ©
Welcome to Andalucía ..
Map ..................................
17 Top Experiences ........
Need to Know .................
What’s N ew .....................
If You Like… .....................
Month by Month .............
Itineraries ........................
Eat Like a Local ...............
Outdoor A ctivities ..........
Travel with Children .......
Regions at a Glance .......
•
#
311
Andalucía Today .............
History .............................
Andalucian A rchitecture
Landscape & Wildlife .....
Flamenco ........................
AndalucianA rts..............
Bullfighting......................
The Andalucian Kitchen
312
314
327
334
339
345
349
352
Looking for other travel resources?
GET MORE FROM YOUR TRIP
Learn about the big picture, so you
can make sense of what you see
population per sq km
ANDALUCÍA
SPAIN
UK
≈ 95 people
Andalucía Today
Boom
Bullfighting
In January 2012, Catalonia bade adiós to several hundred years of Spanish tradition and became the first region in mainland Spain to ban bullfighting (it has been banned in the Canary Islands since 1991). Whether
other regions will follow suit remains uncertain, though it’s unlikely Andalucía will cave into the opposition movement any time soon. Spain’s
southernmost region has long been considered the heartland of bullfighting; it’s where modern bullfighting was invented and it’s produced
many legendary bullfighters.
For its opponents, bullfighting is intolerably cruel, akin to bearbaiting, and a blight on Spain’s conscience in these supposedly more
enlightened times. The antibullfighting lobby is bigger and more influential in parts of northern Spain. Spanish antibullfighting organisations include the Barcelona-based Asociación para la Defensa de los
Derechos del Animal (Association for the Defence of Animal Rights;
www.addaong.org) and the Madrid-based Equanimal (www.equanimal
org). The British-based League Against Cruel Sports (www.league.org
uk), established in 1924, also campaigns against bullfighting. For in
ormation about creative protests against bullfighting, visit www.run
ningofthenudes.com.
ulation:
illion
n: 47.2
n)
a: 87,268
mploy(2011)
In 2007 Andalucía had never had it so good. A decade-long boom in
construction activity and property prices, massive EU subsidies for agriculture, and steady growth in tourism had seen unemployment drop
from 35% in 1994 to 13% by 2007 – the lowest in memory for this region
which has historically been the poorest sister in Spain’s economy. Instead
of Andalucians leaving Andalucía in search of work – which has often
been the case in the past – hundreds of thousands of migrants from Africa, Eastern Europe and South America were finding jobs in Andalucía.
The Andalucía of the early 21st century was a different world from the
old Andalucía of just one generation earlier. It had fast highways, shiny
shopping malls, internet, mobile phones, ATMs, eye-catching modern
architecture and dance-till-dawn nightclubs. More Andalucians went to
university, fewer went to church. Women had fewer children and more
jobs. Gay marriages were now legal, divorce was easier, and religion had
been removed from compulsory school curricula.
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PHRASEBOOK
PHR
MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
Walking in Andalucía gets you to where 95%
of the annual visitors never go. So if you desire a bit of alone time, a rustic history lesson, or the feeling that you’re strolling like
a latter-day Byron or Richard Ford through
unblemished rural bliss, this is your bag.
Footpaths are plentiful in the region;
maps and signage less so. The best markers
are in the natural and national parks and on
major routes such as the GR7 (pO0O) where
splashes of red and white paint mark the
UNDERSTAND
ANDALUCÍA
POCKE
POCKET
P
POCK
KE T
• Top sights
• Local life
• Made easy
DISCOV
D
DISCOVER
OVER
Best of
• Best-of
• Photo-packed
• Inspirational
Málaga
Walking
PAGE
Get the right guides for your trip
52299
Paper in this book is certified
against the Forest Stewardship
Council™ standards. FSC™ promotes
environmentally responsible, socially
beneficial and economically viable
management of the world’s forests.
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newsletter
3/10/2012 1:31:05 PM
PAGE
44
ON THE
ROAD
YOUR COMPLETE DESTINATION GUIDE
In-depth reviews, detailed listings
and insider tips
Córdoba
Province
p181
Huelva &
Sevilla
Provinces
Jaén
Province
p203
Seville
p74
p46
Granada
Province
Cádiz
Province &
Gibraltar
Málaga
Province
Almería
Province
p227
p265
p144
p101
4 Accommodation
p288
SURVIVAL
357 GUIDE
PAGE
Directory A–Z .................
Transport ........................
Language ........................
Index ................................
Map Legend ....................
358
365
372
384
391
VITAL PRACTICAL INFORMATION TO
HELP YOU HAVE A SMOOTH TRIP
Directory
A–Z
Business Hours
The following opening hours
have some local and seasonal variations.
» Banks Generally open
from 8.30am to 2pm Monday
to Friday and 9am to 1pm
Saturday.
Post o՗
՗ces From 8.30am
.30pm Monday to
y and 9am to 1.30pm
y
ants & tapas bars
pm to around
m or
night.
centres) normally stay open
all day, from 9am to 9pm,
Monday to Saturday.
» Night-time bars Generally
open in the early evening,
but get kicking from between
11pm and midnight to
between 2am and 4am – the
later in the week, the later
they stay open.
Customs
Regulations
Duty-free allowances for
entering Spain from outside
the EU include 2L of wine,
1L of spirits, and 200 ciga-
ha
easily re
such as on
travellers che
commodation h
it. Most risk of the
tourist resorts and b
and when you first arr
a city and may be unaw
of danger signs. Don’t dr
attention to your money o
valuables by waving camer
or large notes around or
having a wallet bulging in
your pocket. Keep hold of
your baggage and watch out
for people who touch you or
seem to be getting needlessly close. When using ATMs be
wary of anyone who offers to
help you, even if your card is
stuck in the machine. Don’t
leave anything that even
looks valuable visible in a
parked car.
If you want to make an
insurance claim for anyth
stolen or lost, you’ll nee
report it to the police a
get a copy of the repo
help replacing a los
passport, contac
bassy or consu
Dis
THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY
Brendan Sainsbury
John Noble, Josephine Quintero, Daniel Schechter
00-prelims-and7.indd 1
5/10/2012 11:35:37 AM
Every listing is recommended by our authors, and their
favourite places are listed first
Look out for these icons:
Our author’s top
recommendation
A green or
sustainable option
No payment
required
SEVILLE . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Jerez de la Frontera . . . . . . 118
THE WHITE TOWNS . . . . . 124
HUELVA & SEVILLA
Zahara de la Sierra . . . . . . 124
PROVINCES . . . . . . . . . 74
HUELVA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
AROUND HUELVA . . . . . . . . 80
Olvera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Grazalema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Lugares Colombinos . . . . . .80
Parque Natural
Sierra De Grazalema . . . . . 126
Costa de la Luz . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Arcos de la Frontera . . . . . 129
EAST OF HUELVA. . . . . . . . . 82
COSTA DE LA LUZ
& THE SOUTHEAST . . . . . . .131
Parque Nacional
de Doñana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Vejer de la Frontera . . . . . . 131
El Rocío . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
The Vejer Coast . . . . . . . . . 132
NORTH OF HUELVA. . . . . . . 86
Tarifa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Minas de Riotinto . . . . . . . . . 87
Around Tarifa . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Aracena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Sierra de Aracena. . . . . . . . .90
Parque Natural
Los Alcornocales . . . . . . . . 138
SEVILLA PROVINCE . . . . . . 92
GIBRALTAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Santiponce . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Dehesa de Abajo. . . . . . . . . .92
Carmona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Osuna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Écija . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
Parque Natural Sierra
Norte de Sevilla . . . . . . . . . .98
MÁLAGA PROVINCE . .144
MÁLAGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
COSTA DEL SOL . . . . . . . . . 157
Torremolinos &
Benalmádena . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Fuengirola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Marbella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
CÁDIZ PROVINCE &
Estepona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
GIBRALTAR . . . . . . . . 101 Mijas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
13-on-the-road-title-page-and7.indd 44
CÁDIZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
THE INTERIOR . . . . . . . . . . 163
THE SHERRY TRIANGLE . . . 112
Ronda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
El Puerto de Santa María . 112
Around Ronda . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Sanlúcar de Barrameda . . 116
Ardales & El Chorro . . . . . . 171
5/10/2012 12:36:17 PM
See the Index for a full list of destinations covered in this book.
On the Road
Antequera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Around Antequera . . . . . . . 174
EAST OF MÁLAGA . . . . . . . .174
Parque Natural
Sierras de Cazorla,
Segura Y Las Villas . . . . . . 222
Parque Natural de
Cabo de Gata-Níjar . . . . . .279
Mojácar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282
LOS VÉLEZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
GRANADA
Nerja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 PROVINCE . . . . . . . . . 227
ACCOMMODATION . . 288
La Axarquía . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
CÓRDOBA
PROVINCE . . . . . . . . . 181
CÓRDOBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
SOUTH OF CÓRDOBA. . . . 196
Baena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Parque Natural Sierras
Subbéticas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
WEST OF CÓRDOBA . . . . . 199
Almodóvar del Río . . . . . . 200
Hornachuelos & Parque
Natural Sierra de
Hornachuelos . . . . . . . . . . 200
NORTH OF CÓRDOBA . . . 201
Los Pedroches & Around. . .201
JAÉN PROVINCE. . . .203
JAÉN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
North of Jaén . . . . . . . . . . . .211
Parque Natural de
Despeñaperros & Santa
Elena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
EAST OF JAÉN . . . . . . . . . . 212
Baeza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Úbeda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Cazorla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
13-on-the-road-title-page-and7.indd 45
GRANADA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
LA VEGA & EL ALTIPLANO. . 251
Guadix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
La Calahorra . . . . . . . . . . . .252
Baza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253
SIERRA NEVADA
& LAS ALPUJARRAS . . . . . 254
Sierra Nevada . . . . . . . . . . .254
Las Alpujarras . . . . . . . . . . .256
COSTA TROPICAL . . . . . . .262
Salobreña . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262
Almuñécar & La
Herradura . . . . . . . . . . . . . .263
ALMERÍA
PROVINCE . . . . . . . . . 265
ALMERÍA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
NORTH OF ALMERÍA. . . . . 275
Desierto de Tabernas . . . .275
Níjar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
Sorbas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
LAS ALPUJARRAS DE
ALMERÍA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Laujar de Andarax . . . . . . .278
COSTA DE ALMERÍA . . . . . 279
5/10/2012 12:36:20 PM
Parque Natural
da Serra de
São Mamede
ATEJO
Ponte
de Sor
Cáceres
33
3
3
› Andalucía
Valencia de
Alcántara
#
Portalegre ^
Portalegre
33
3
ELEVATION
2000m
^
#
#
]
1500m
Córdoba
Western and Islamic architecture
spanning 1000 years (p183)
Mérida
Badajoz
1000m
500m
Seville
Gothic church meets
Mudéjar palace (p46)
200m
100m
0
SPAIN
Santa \
#
Eufemia
EXTREMADURA
e
# 0
0
80 km
40 miles
Pozoblanco
CÓRDOBA
#
\
#
\
PeñarroyaPueblonuevo
3
33
3333
333
3333
33
3
3333
333
3333
333
3333
33
333
3
33
33
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33
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333
33
333
333
33
33
3
333
33
33
Río
G
#
\
PORTUGAL
Rosal
de la
Frontera
Parque
Natural Sierra
Norte \
#
#
\
Castaño
(960m)
R ío
SEVILLA
R
ío
Od
HUELA
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#
\
Ti
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^
#
R
Almonte
#
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#
\
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#
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#
\
Parque
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#
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#
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de Cádiz
#
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San Fernando
#
\
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ATLANTIC
OCEAN
#
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Andalucía’s windsurfing and
kiteboarding capital (p133)
02-highlights-map-andalucia-and7.indd 4
braltar
of Gi
Ceuta
#
]
Tangier
MOROCCO
R
MÁLAGA
#
\
#
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Villamartín \
#
El Torreón
Embalse de (1654m)
El Burgo
#
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Ronda \
#
\
#
]
#
\
Torrecilla
Arcos de la Grazalema
R(1918m)
#
\
Ubrique
Frontera
Parque
Natural Sierra
CÁDIZ
de
las
Nieves
Parque Natural
# Gaucín
\
#
\
Sierra de
#
\
Grazalema
#
\
Marbella
San Pedro
Medina
de Alcántara
Sidonia
6°W
7°W
Osuna
#
Parque
Conil de la Frontera \
Barbate Natural del
Los Caños de Meca \
Estrecho
#
\
#
Costa de la Luz
#
\
^
# Gibraltar (UK)
#
\
Bolonia
Zahara
#
Algeciras
de los Atunes \
#
Tarifa \
Costa de la Luz
Room to loaf on broad
yellow-sand beaches (p131)
P
#
\
#
\
Trebujena \
#
Cádiz
Dive into the riotous fun of
Europe’s oldest city (p103)
Utrera
s
Matalascañas
Parque Nacional de Doñana
Island of biodiversity in the
Río Guadalquivir delta (p117)
36°N
Río Marchena \
#
Gu
a
#
\
Punta
Umbria
Golfo
di Cádiz
Carmona
^
#
Écija
#
Ge\
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e
on
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Isla
Cristina
37°N
Lepe
#
\
Palma
del Río
Lora
del Río
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Ayamonte
#
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#
\
#
\
^
#
#
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#
\
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Córdoba
Constantina
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Parque Natural
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^
#
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La Capitana
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#
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Guadalcanal
Parque Natural
Sierra de Aracena
y Picos de Aroche
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#
\
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ua
Ronda
Clifftop town in brawny
mountain setting (p165)
2/10/2012 4:32:47 PM
E
(
Alcázar
de San
Juan
Valencia
CUENCA
Río
Cabr
ie l
VALENC
r
Río Júca
Top Experiences ›
Villarrobledo
CASTILLALA-MANCHA
Tomelloso
^
#
#
]
Albacete
Ciudad Real
Baeza & Úbeda
Perfectly intact Renaissance
architecture (p212 & 216)
SPAIN
Valdepeñas
MURCIA
#
\
3
333
33
3
33 333
3
333
333 333
33
3
3 33
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Parque Natural de Cabo
de Gata-Níjar
Wild, rugged and protected (p279)
CASTILLA-LA MANCHA
o
Parque
Natural Sierra de
Andújar
Parque Natural
Sierra de
Cardeña
y Montoro
#
\
#
\
El Yelmo
(1809m)
Santa Elena
La Carolina
R
Embalse del
Tranco
de Beas
#
\
Hornos
Embalse de
Parque Natural
Giribaile
#
\
Puebla de
Sierras de Cazorla,
Linares
#
\
Segura y las Villas
#
Don Fadrique
# Úbeda
\
Montoro \
#
\
#
\
r
vi
# Mengíbar
\
ui
aq
al
Baeza
Empanadas
R
Río Guad
#
Cazorla \
(2107m)
JAÉN
Jódar\
#
Huescar
Bailen
#
\
Andújar
Jaén
Magina
(2167m)
Baena Alcaudete
\
#
Parque Natural Priego de
Sierras
Alcalá la Real
#
Subbéticas Córdoba \
#
\
#
\
R
Lucena
GRANADA
#
\
M
Moreda
#
\
en
or
Río Genil
Granada
Orce
#
\
#
\
Velez
Rubio
HuercalOvera \
#
Baza
#
\
Águilas
Río Almanzora
Santa Bárbara R
(2271m)
La Tiñosa
(1570m)
#
Totana \
#
\
Embalse
del Negratín
na
ia
#
\
ad
#
\
R
Cabañas
(2028m)
Gu
Espejo
R
Rí o
^
#
Martos \
#
Parque Natural
Sierra de
Baza
ALMERÍA
\
Guadix #
^
#
Mojácar
San Juan
#
\
Parque Nacional (2786m)
Sorbas
#
\
Sierra Nevada R R Chullo
R
orce Alhama de
37°N
(2612m)
Granada
Mulhacén
Alhama de Níjar
# Carboneras
\
#
\
#
\
(3479m)
#
\
Almería
Maroma
Parque Natural
Morrón R
(2069m)R
#
\
de Cabo
(2236m)
Órgiva
Almería
R El Lucero
de Gata-Níjar
^
#
(1779m)
Vélez \
Golfo
de
#
\
#
\
#
Motril
#
\
San Jose
Almería
Málaga
#
\
#
\
#
\
El Ejido
Cabo
Adra
Nerja Almuñécar
de Gata
#
\
Río Guadalh
R
El Torcal
(1336m)
^
#
#
\
Co
Málaga
Costa Tropical
Torremolinos
d
sta
el So
l
Sierra Nevada
Ski and hike the snowy
mountains (p254)
MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
ROAD DISTANCES (km)
02-highlights-map-andalucia-and7.indd 5
Málaga
209
Córdoba
143
261
165
Jaén
246
330
203
108
Granada
252
296
125
160
93
Almería
410
463
207
316
220
162
Córdoba
Jaén
Granada
240
2°W
#
]
Melilla
36°N
Note: Distances
are approximate
Málaga
126
Cádiz
3°W
Málaga
Decipher Picasso’s works
in the city of his birth (p148)
Cádiz
Seville
Granada
Towering Moorish
citadel, the Alhambra (p229)
4°W
a
Loja
2/10/2012 4:33:10 PM
OUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of
adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed
for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to
Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but
inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling
together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap.
Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.
Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Melbourne, London and
Oakland, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook
should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.
OUR WRITERS
BrendanS ainsbury
Coordinating Author; Seville, Cádiz Province & Gibraltar An expat Brit, now living
near Vancouver, Canada, Brendan once worked in Andalucía as a travel guide, leading cultural and hiking trips in the hills of Grazalema and the Sierra del Terril. He fell
unashamedly for the region’s romantic charms when he met his future wife in a
small white village not far from Ronda in 2003. He has been back numerous times
since, and has developed a special passion for flamenco guitar and the city of Granada. Brendan has also written for Lonely Planet in Cuba, Italy and the Pacific Northwest.
Read more about Brendan at:
lonelyplanet.com/members/brendansainsbury
John Noble
Andalucía Today, History Originally from England’s Ribble Valley, John has lived in
the provinces of Cádiz and Málaga since the mid-1990s. He and his late wife Susan
Forsyth raised their two children in Andalucía and wrote the first two editions of this
guide, also playing a part in every subsequent edition. John has explored Andalucía
from end to end but still finds its nooks and crannies endlessly intriguing to investigate, with every little village and valley revealing more about its fascinating story.
Read more about John at:
lonelyplanet.com/members/ewoodrover
Josephine Quintero
Málaga Province, Jaén Province, Granada Province, Almería Province, Travel with
Children Josephine moved to Spain after a seven-year stint in Kuwait where she
was the editor of the Kuwaiti Digest until the Iraq invasion. Some 20 years on,
the relaxed way of life in Andalucía continues to appeal and she happily divides
her time between a pueblo (village) cottage in La Axarquía and a big-city Málaga
suburb. Josephine loves escaping the crowds and enjoying tantalising new sights and experiences in her home province. A highlight of this research trip was visiting a recently excavated
synagogue in Úbeda and discovering some incredibly talented craftspeople who have set up shop
in Las Alpujarras.
Read more about Josephine at:
lonelyplanet.com/members/josephinequintero
DanielC Schechter
Huelva & Sevilla Provinces, Córdoba Province Daniel C Schechter has lived on the
Iberian Peninsula for a total of four years (Lisbon, Barcelona) and returns there
often to travel, work or visit old friends or make new ones. As a Lonely Planet
author, he has covered five of Spain’s autonomous communities and independently explored four more, including the Canary Islands, where he once washed up
on a small Dutch yacht. He currently resides and cycles in the Netherlands.
Readm orea bout Daniela t:
netherlandsbikeways.blogspot.com
Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
ABN 36 005 607 983
Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reasonable care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about
7th edition – Jan 2013
the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maxiISBN 978174 179 848 7
mum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use.
© Lonely Planet 2013 Photographs © as indicated 2013
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in China
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic,
mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the
written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent
and Trademark Office and in other countries. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such
as retailers, restaurants or hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip.
39-writers-and7.indd 392
4/10/2012 3:01:01 PM
24
Itineraries
Whether you’ve got six days or
60, these itineraries provide a
starting point for the trip of a
lifetime. Want more inspiration?
Head online to lonelyplanet.com
/thorntree to chat with other
travellers.
PORTUGAL
SPAIN
Córdoba
•
#
É
ANDALUCÍA
É
É
#
Seville •
•
# Granada
É
Ronda
É
#
Cádiz •
•
#
É
Jerez de la Frontera •
#
•
#
Málaga
MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
MOROCCO
Two Weeks
Highlights
You’ll need months to poke into every corner of Andalucía, but two weeks can bag
you the highlights. The best starting point is unmissable Seville, deserving of three
days, where the famous cathedral and Alcázar stand side by side in surreal juxtaposition. Head 150km east by train and a few centuries back in time to explore Córdoba,
site of the ancient Mezquita and guarder of hidden patios. Free tapas, shadowy tea-rooms
and the incomparable Alhambra beckon in Granada, where you could fill at least three
days reclining in Moorish bathhouses and deciphering the Lorca paraphernalia. Easily
reached by bus, Málaga is understated by comparison. Spend a day absorbing the Picasso
museum and sample fresh-from-the-Med seafood. Ronda is a dramatic contrast, surrounded by mountains and doused in bullfighting and rebel-rousing history. You’ll be unlucky to
hit Jerez de la Frontera and not take in a festival; the city is also famous for its horses,
sherry bodegas and flamenco. Forty minutes away by train, Cádiz has an abundance of free
sights including a fine city museum and an aficionado’s flamenco club. You can contemplate
your trip’s achievements while walking its romantic malecón (sea drive).
08-itineraries-and7.indd 24
3/10/2012 3:11:33 PM
25
# Úbeda
•
#•
•
# Cazorla
É
•
#
ANDALUCÍA
É
#
Cádiz •
•
#
Olvera
É
•
#
•
#
•
#
Ubrique
Ronda
•
#
É
Jerez de la Frontera •
#
Granada •
#
•
#
É
Arcos
de la
Frontera
Málaga
•
#
É
É
CarmonaÉ
•
#
É
Seville
•
# Almería
Almuñécar
Grazalema
PL AN YOUR TRIP I T I N E R A R I E S
Baeza
É
Córdoba •
#
#
Aracena •
É
PORTUGAL
SPAIN
MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
MOROCCO
One Month
Grand Tour
Lucky devils with a month to spare can linger a few days in Seville, visiting the
obvious sights (the cathedral, Alcázar and some festivals) and the less obvious ones
(Casa de Pilatos, Triana, and some quirkier flamenco haunts). Sorties to the west
lead to Huelva province, which is prime hiking country if you head to the north
where the gentle pastoral hills around Aracena promise legendary walks between sleepy
villages. Passing back through Seville, head east, stopping for a day in gentle Carmona
before a serendipitous escape to the serially overlooked Sierra Norte. On week two, head
to Córdoba, long a historical foil to Seville, where you can map Andalucian history in its
whitewashed streets, Roman relics and Islamic architecture. Tracking east to Jaén province
delivers you to the land of olive oil and weighty Renaissance architecture. The former can
be seen pretty much everywhere you look. The latter is concentrated in the twin towns of
Baeza and Úbeda. Further east, Cazorla is the gateway to Andalucía’s largest protected
area, but one visited only by a small minority. Granada is a more mainstream sight at the
start of week three, but loaded with exotic majesty. Checking all the provinces you’ll need
to circumnavigate the Sierra Nevada to Almería, the dry east that once hosted Spaghetti
Western films. Hit the coast at the unadulterated Spanish town of Almuñécar and follow it
west through ever-growing resorts to Málaga, the Costa del Sol city that is actually nothing
like the Costa del Sol. Start your last week in Ronda, which has been on most itineraries
since Hemingway visited, and for good reason – a bullfighting museum that contains work
by Goya, plunging gorges and premier white-town status lure the masses. The white towns
continue across the border in Cádiz province; pick and choose between Olvera, Grazalema and Ubrique and enjoy the surrounding natural parks. Attempts to bypass Arcos de
la Frontera are normally futile – the sight of the spectacular hilltop settlement practically
drags you off the bus. Your final week can be spent tying up the threads of Andalucía’s culture in Jerez de la Frontera and Cádiz, two ancient yet quintessential cities that contain
all the ingredients that have made this region so great.
08-itineraries-and7.indd 25
3/10/2012 3:11:36 PM
26
The West in Detail
The Cultural Triangle
ANDALUCÍA
Carmona
É
•
#
Seville •
#
É
É
•
#Osuna
É
É
É
÷
#
É
•
#
•
#
É
É
Sanlúcar de
Barrameda •
#
•
#
Jerez de
la Frontera
•
# Málaga
Ronda
•
#
El Puerto de
#
Cádiz •
Santa María
É
É
Vejer de
la Frontera
CO
•
#
LA ST
A
LU D
Z E
É
•
#
փ
#
É
ATL A NT IC
OCEAN
•
# Antequera
El Chorro
É
É
É
PL AN YOUR TRIP I T I N E R A R I E S
Parque
Nacional de
Doñana
Jimena de la Frontera
•
#
Parque
Natural Los
Alcornocales
Gibraltar
CO
ST
A
DE
L
SO
L
MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
MOROCCO
Two Weeks
One Week
The West in Detail
The Cultural Triangle
Start in Huelva province’s Parque
Nacional de Doñana, possibly Andalucía’s finest natural attraction and
a rare European wetland replete with
birdlife. Seville broadcasts a litany of wellknown sights, but its provincial hinterland
is less heralded. Visit the tranquil towns of
Carmona (with its Alcázar) and Osuna
(with its grand palaces). Rugged Ronda is
well on the tourist trail, though if you stay
overnight you’ll wave goodbye to 80% of
them. Recommended stops on the way to
Málaga include El Chorro gorge and ancient
Antequera. Málaga is a ballsy yet arty city
that offers great seafood and a decent August
feria. With time to linger you can visit some
of Cádiz province’s less trodden jewels: Jimena de la Frontera demands a detour,
as does hiking in the Parque Natural Los
Alcornocales. Gibraltar lures expat Brits
missing roast beef and warm beer. Ply the
Costa de la Luz next, spending at least one
night in the white village of Vejer de la
Frontera. A final few days can be devoted
to the culturally intense quartet of Cádiz,
El Puerto de Santa María, Jerez de la
Frontera and Sanlúcar de Barrameda,
enjoying a mixture of sherry, flamenco and
seafood.
If you have to pick a smaller regionwithin-a-region that best sums up
Andalucía’s essence, head west to the
triangle of territory between Seville,
Cádiz and Jerez de la Frontera. With excellent air, rail and bus connections, Seville is
the best starting point for this sojourn. Lap
up the Moorish-meets-Gothic architecture
and seemingly limitless festivals for a day or
two. Fast trains now forge south to Jerez de
la Frontera, first stop on the ‘sherry triangle’ where you can spend two days mixing
bodega tours with horse shows, authentic
flamenco and perhaps a hammam. Continuing west by bus to Sanlúcar de Barrameda
gives you the option to compare fino with
manzanilla and bag some of the best seafood tapas in Spain. This is also a good base
for forays into the bio-diverse Parque Nacional de Doñana. Spend the evening in
El Puerto de Santa María, home of more
bodegas, festivals and fish restaurants. Surrounded by sea, Cádiz feels like the edge of
Europe and the home of something mystical and old. The beaches here are famously
broad and they continue south along the
Costa de la Luz. Explore them from a base
in Vejer de la Frontera, a dramatically
perched white town with a refined air.
08-itineraries-and7.indd 26
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27
SPAIN
Baeza Úbeda
#
•
#•
Córdoba
É
•
#
Jaén •
#
É
É
É
É
Marbella
#
Cádiz •
É
É
É
•
#
Mijas
É
•
#
•
#•
#
#•
Sierra
Nevada
•
#
Nerja
Almuñécar
La Herradura
•
#
÷
#
Almería Parque
Natural
Cabo de
Gata-Níjar
Barbate
#
#•
Los Caños de •
Meca
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
•
#
É
Málaga •
#
Mojácar
Parque
É
La
Axarquía
É
# Nacional
÷
É
#
Granada •
Guadix
•
#
É
ANDALUCÍA
É
É
É
É
Parque Natural
փ
Sierra de #
Hornachuelos
PL AN YOUR TRIP I T I N E R A R I E S
PORTUGAL
The East in Detail
The Coast
•
# Gibraltar
•
#
Tarifa
MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
MOROCCO
Three Weeks
Two Weeks
The Coast
The East in Detail
The coast looms large in Andalucía,
lapping five of its eight provinces
with most towns linked by bus. Empires were once built here, although
more recently resorts have colonised the
littoral. Start in underdeveloped Cabo de
Gata, a spectacular combination of cliffs
and salt flats. Tracking west you’ll dock in
Almería, worth a stop for its Moorish Alcazaba and winding streets. Granada’s Costa
Tropical is precipitous and authentic; Almuñécar is a great base for exploring and
La Herradura offers good diving. A short
bus ride west, Nerja has tempered its development better than other resorts while
excellent hiking beckons in La Axarquía.
Málaga deserves three days of this trip; its
international reputation has sky-rocketed in
recent years thanks to its fine art and inventive gastronomy. Marbella is possibly the
most interesting stop on the busy Costa del
Sol, though Mijas merits a day trip. Further
west, Gibraltar guards the jaws of Europe
with British pubs and fascinating military
history. Starting in windsurfing mecca Tarifa, the Costa de la Luz harbours a variety
of flavours and different food. While away
three days in Barbate and Los Caños de
Meca with a grand two-day finale in Cádiz.
The east is Andalucía’s less obvious
itinerary filled with more esoteric
attractions. Spend three days each
in the two big-hitter cities. Córdoba
is a must-see, the one-time Iberian capital
with one of the finest Islamic mosques ever
built. Granada showcases the later Nasrid
era, in its Alhambra, Albayzín and Moorishstyle bathhouses. You can use both cities
as base for rural forays into nearby mountainous regions. Córdoba province’s ample
wilderness includes the Parque Natural
Sierra de Hornachuelos. Granada has the
Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada and Las
Alpujarras, the valleys that embellish their
southern slopes. Detours from here can
include Guadix, with its unusual inhabited caves, and coastal Almuñécar, a bit
of domestic seaside bliss detached from the
Costa resorts. Jaén is olive-oil heaven and
guard of fine tapas bars, while Baeza and
Úbeda are unique for their Renaissance architecture. Almería province is Andalucía’s
far east: Mojácar promises a sometimes
boho, sometimes glitzy taste of the Levante;
Cabo de Gata is the region’s most unspoiled
coastal enclave; while Almería, the city, is
a kind of Granada-on-the-sea with plenty of
mystic Moorish relics.
08-itineraries-and7.indd 27
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