Places to Explore

• Alcalá la Real

  This ancient city, known to the Iberians and Romans, grew to prominence under the Moors who ruled here for more than 600 years. It was they who gave it the first part of its name, Alcalá, which originated... (more)

• The Alpujarras

  A trip to the Alpujarras, on the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, takes you to one of Andalusia's highest, most remote, and most scenic areas, home for decades to painters, writers, and a considerable... (more)

• Aracena

  Stretching north of the Riotinto mines is the 460,000-acre Sierra de Aracena nature park, an expanse of hills cloaked in cork and holm oak. This region is known for its cured Ibérico hams, which... (more)

• Arcos de la Frontera

  Its narrow and steep cobblestone streets, whitewashed houses, and finely crafted wrought-iron window grilles make Arcos the quintessential Andalusian pueblo blanco (white village). Make your way to the... (more)

• Baena

  Outside the boundaries of Subbética and surrounded by chalk fields producing top-quality olives, Baena is an old town of narrow streets, whitewashed houses, ancient mansions, and churches clustered... (more)

• Baeza

  The historic town of Baeza is nestled between hills and olive groves. Founded by the Romans, it later housed the Visigoths and became the capital of a Moorish taifa, one of some two dozen mini-kingdoms... (more)

• Cádiz

  Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on three sides, Cádiz was founded as Gadir by Phoenician traders in 1100 BC and claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Western world. Hannibal... (more)

• Carmona

  Claiming to be one of the oldest inhabited places in Spain (both Phoenicians and Carthaginians had settlements here), Carmona, on a steep, fortified hill, became an important town under the Romans and... (more)

• Cazorla

  Unspoiled and remote, the village of Cazorla is at the east end of Jaén province. The pine-clad slopes and towering peaks of the Cazorla and Segura sierras rise above the village, and below it stretch... (more)

• Córdoba

  Once a medieval city famed for the peaceful and prosperous coexistence of its three religious cultures—Islamic, Jewish, and Christian—Córdoba is a perfect analogue for the cultural history... (more)

• Doñana National Park

• Écija

  Écija is dubbed the "the frying pan," "furnace," or "oven" of Andalusia because its midsummer temperatures often reach 100°F/37°C. On a more positive note, it has more ceramic-tiled baroque... (more)

• Fuentevaqueros

• Granada

  The Alhambra and the tomb of the Catholic Monarchs are the pride of Granada. The city rises majestically from a plain onto three hills, dwarfed—on a clear day—by the Sierra Nevada. Atop one... (more)

• Guadix

  Guadix was an important mining town as far back as 2,000 years ago and has its fair share of monuments, including a cathedral (built 1594-1706) and a 9th-century Moorish alcazaba (citadel). Today, however... (more)

• Itálica

• Jaén

  Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra de Jabalcuz, Jaén is surrounded by towering peaks and olive-clad hills. The Arabs called it Geen (Route of the Caravans) because it formed a crossroad between... (more)

• Jerez de la Frontera

  Jerez, world headquarters for sherry, is surrounded by vineyards of chalky soil, whose Palomino grapes have funded a host of churches and noble mansions. Names such as González Byass, Domecq, Harvey... (more)

• La Rábida

• Mazagón

  There isn't much to see or do in this coastal town, but its parador makes a good base for touring La Rábida, Palos de la Frontera, and Moguer. Mazagón's sweeping sandy beach, sheltered by... (more)

• Montilla

  Heading south from Córdoba toward Malaga, you'll pass through hills ablaze with sunflowers in early summer before you reach the Montilla-Morilés vineyards. Every fall, 47,000 acres' worth... (more)

• Palos de la Frontera

  On August 2, 1492, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María set sail from Palos de la Frontera. At the door of the church of San Jorge (1473), the royal letter ordering the levy of the ships'... (more)

• Priego de Córdoba

  The jewel of Córdoba's countryside is Priego de Córdoba, a town of 14,000 inhabitants at the foot of Mt. Tinosa. Wander down Calle del Río, opposite the town hall, to see 18th-century... (more)

• Puerto de Santa María

  This attractive, if somewhat dilapidated, little fishing port on the northern shores of the Bay of Cádiz, with lovely beaches nearby, has white houses with peeling facades and vast green grilles... (more)

• Riotinto

  Heading north from Palos and Huelva on the N435, you'll reach the turnoff to Minas de Riotinto, the mining town near the source of the Riotinto (literally,"Red River"). The waters are the color of blood... (more)

• Sanlúcar de Barrameda

  Columbus sailed from this harbor on his third voyage to the Americas, in 1498, and 20 years later Magellan began his circumnavigation of the globe from here. Today this fishing town has a crumbling charm... (more)

• Santa Fe

  Santa Fe was founded in winter 1491 as a campground for Ferdinand and Isabella's 150,000 troops as they prepared for the siege of Granada. It was here, in April 1492, that Isabella and Columbus signed... (more)

• Seville

  Seville's whitewashed houses bright with bougainvillea, its ocher-colored palaces, and its baroque facades have long enchanted both Sevillanos and travelers. Lord Byron's well-known line,"Seville is a... (more)

• The Sierra Nevada

  The drive southeast from Granada to Pradollano along the N420/A395—Europe's highest road, by way of Cenes de la Vega—takes about 45 minutes. It's wise to carry snow chains from mid-November... (more)

• Úbeda

  Úbeda's casco antiguo (old town) is one of the most outstanding enclaves of 16th-century architecture in Spain. It's a stunning surprise in the heart of Jaén's olive groves, set in the shadow... (more)

• Zuheros

  At the northern edge of the Subbética mountain range and at an altitude of 2,040 feet, Zuheros is one of the most attractive villages in the province of Córdoba. From the road up, it's hidden... (more)