Thx for the suggestion.

danon I'm following your thread with great interests! I just returned from Porto last week with my son, and I'm thinking of taking him to Southern Spain next Feb during his school vacation week. I've been to Seville, Granada, Cordoba myself, so I'm curious where you will end up deciding to go. I also don't want to drive so now I'm leaning towards Cardiz and Jerez.

I have not decide what to do at this point. Although we have visited Seville twice ( last time more than 10 years ago) , I would like to go back for several days. And, I have to spend time in Madrid, my happy place 🙂
My husband has to undergo knee surgery, it may change everything for the fall.
btw.I really liked Valencia…not sure about the weather in Feb.
I have been reading your Porto report…interesting places, nice photos.. I visited Lisbon some years ago…liked it very much.

Murcia could work, especially if you are looking for somewhere a bit less touristy. The city has a relaxed pace, good food, and a charming old town. It is not quite as showy as Granada or Seville, but it feels very authentic. Plus, the cathedral and the Salzillo Museum are both worth a visit.

Since you do not drive, you might find Cartagena a bit more convenient. It is on the same train line as Murcia and has Roman ruins, a nice port area, and a more compact layout. Either city can be done comfortably by train and on foot.

October should be a pleasant time weather-wise. Hope that helps.

I was just reading an article this morning about the most beautiful, picturesque, atmospheric villages of the Cádiz province (not the Málaga province, so Ronda isn't mentioned)
These are the ones that appear in the article, highly photogenic, all of which we've visited in the past and all which I happily return to. For an in-depth exploration of the less traveled areas of Andalucía.

Vejer de la Frontera (our favorite of all the white villages!)
Setenil de las Bodegas (where the homes are built into the solid rock, as in cave homes)
Grazalema (another favorite and known for its blankets)
Zahara de la Sierra (another favorite and known for its olive oil)
Arcos de la Frontera (which Rick Steves has made famous)
Tarifa (the wind surfing capital of Spain)
Medina Sidonia (famous for its convent sweets and its fighting bull ranches)
Conil de la Frontera (gorgeous white sand beaches far nicer than those on the Costa del Sol)
With a car, a trip to the Cádiz province to visit the above-mentioned, highly photogenic Moorish white towns would make for a wonderful journey.

Thank you. Very helpful information.

Cadiz, Jerez, Ronda and all the places added by Maribel are good choices. If you ar into Roman stuff, dont't miss Merida (or eben Evora).
Cartagena has some Punian excavations.
The medieval cities of Baeza (the Spnish capital of olive oil) and Ubeda are well worth a visit too.

Good luck with your husband's knee surgery!
I'll be following along to see what you end up deciding!
Yes, I was thinking southern spain for Feb because of the weather. I would love to visit Valencia some other time.

danon,
I too, send good wishes for your husband's knee surgery. Hope it goes well and that he can quickly be on the mend.

yk,
We visit southern Spain in February or March, as this is our preferred time to go, and temperatures are mild, especially in the Cádiz, Sherry Triangle, Costa de la Luz area.

When we attend Holy Week in Sevilla in late March, there is always the chance of rain, and last year several processions on Maundy Thursday-Good Friday were cancelled, but in general, we prefer the late winter/early spring for our Andalusian travels.

We returned to Úbeda, Baeza, Jaén, Granada and the Málaga coast in mid-May this year (reluctantly), invited by friends, and it was excessively warm already.
We try to avoid Sevilla and Córdoba from May until mid-September because of the intense heat.

Today the high reached 43 degrees C or 109 F in Sevilla!

I'm following this thread with so much interest.


Some of you know that the area around Vejer is my own "happy place," and I have been visiting every March for the past few years, spending time in a small hotel outside the town of Vejer.

Before reaching Vejer, I spend about a week in a different city (this year was Sevilla; last year, Cordoba, before that, Jerez; after Vejer sometimes I end with a few days in Madrid.).

From that city, I find my way to the small Jerez airport, rent a car (always now with SIXT) and drive to the Vejer area for a few weeks.. I believe that this is the happiest time of my year. Next March, I have already booked a stay of about three weeks.

I have a question for Maribel and for anyone else who's been to Sentenil de las Bodegas: I've seen the photos of the rocks overhanging the street and am captivated by those images. I could probably make a drive there, or visit on my way to Vejer if I flew into the airport in Malaga.

BUT: Is there much else to see besides that one street that makes it into all of the photos? I imagine that the street is crowded with tourists most of the year.

Would it be "worth" a rather long drive (for me, a drive more than an hour long is a "long drive" when I am by myself) just to see that, or is there much more to see/experience in the town? Or would it be best to leave a visit for a time when I, or anyone else, is spending time in Malaga and could do an easy day trip or an overnight?

https://www.andaluciamia.com/en/sete...hite-sillages/

Just a cautionary note for those seeking a new destination in southern Spain in summer (not fall/winter/early spring):

Spain had never before in its history registered 46 degrees (114 F) in the month of June. But...today in the village of El Granado in Huelva it reached that temperature. The high today in Sevilla, 43 C. We in our Madrid suburb enjoyed a "balmy" 38 C.

August arrived in Spain this year in June!

That said, southern Spain is a wonderful destination outside of the summer. February-March, late September-October-November and even December are lovely times to travel to Andalucía.

And February-March visitors have the International Flamenco Festival in Jerez, the Feria del Caballo, also in Jerez in May (but it can then be very warm). and the zambombas in Jerez are held each evening from the end of November up until Dec. 24.
And the Carnival celebrations in Cádiz will be held next year from February 12-22. (there are also carnival celebrations in Málaga).
In 2026 the Holy Week celebrations will be held between Palm Sunday, March 29 and Easter, April 5 (we plan to go).
Seville's Biennial de Flamenco will be held from September 9 to October 3.
And as lrice know, Sevilla can be magical during the Christmas season! As is Málaga with its elaborate display of lights.

So, in short, I love Andalucía in the months of very late September, October, November, December, January, February, March and perhaps very early April.
When the April Fair falls in Sevilla at the beginning of May, as it did this year, it was just stiflingly hot. As was the Fiestas de Patios in Córdoba in May.

As for eastern Andalucía---Úbeda, Baeza, Jaén, Cazorla, Granada in May, as we experienced this past May, it was extremely warm. Our Alhambra tour was scheduled for 6:30 pm and we still roasted.
Úbeda and Jaén are wonderful destinations for experiencing the very solemn Holy Week celebrations without the crowds that one finds in Málaga and Sevilla.

Just some thoughts.


Ekscrunchy,
A visit to Setenil de las Bodegas would take about an hour. There´s simply not that much to see to linger. Take a few photos and maybe lunch at El Patio de María Teresa, and you´re done. From Málaga to Setenil would, ime, be a waste of time and an hour, 20 minute drive. It's more easily, more quickly accessed from Ronda, as are the even prettier, imo, Zahara de la Sierra, Grazalema and Olvera. Arcos can be accessed easily by car or bus from Jerez de la Frontera.

FYI, the San Pedro de Alcántara to Ronda road is closed due to damage from a major storm and rock slide and there is no opening date scheduled, although they are working night and day to open this major road from the Málaga province coast to Ronda.

After hiking the Caminito del Rey this May (yes, I did it with vertigo!, but very hot, but we started at 9:30 am, thankfully), we planned to head to Ronda to lunch, an hour's drive from the end of the trail, but the detour from Ronda back to the coast and Estepona would have taken 2+ hours.
The inhabitants of Ronda are at this moment quite isolated from the coast, since the alternate highway routes require a 2+ hour drive.

Maribel My son's feb school vacation is Feb 16-22... does that mean Cádiz will be super crazy (in terms of crowded, noise through the night, and expensive)?

Maribel and yk,
thank you for the kind words.
I hope the surgery will not influence my plans.., but, if I don’t make this fall, it will be in the spring.

The information you provided is valuable any time, Maribel.
And , of course, thanks for your help with Burgos…a charming town I really enjoyed.

danon,
Yeah! I´m so glad you enjoyed Burgos, a city that I love.

yk,
The Carnival de Cádiz doesn't attract nearly as many foreign visitors as the Carnivales de Tenerife, Canary Islands, the most famous of the carnivales in Spain.

I arrived in Cádiz on the last days of Carnival and lodging was plentiful and not expensive. That said, if you're not a local and abreast of the very different lingo of the gaditanos, natives of Cádiz, (they use a lot of local slang) and their specific humor, or if you're not abreast of the local political scene of which they make a bit of fun, in Spanish, the humor of it all and the songs and the costumes may be totally lost on you. Frankly, it was for me. The same with Málaga and also Alicante.

I've never gone to Cádiz with the express desire to experience the Carnival. I just landed there at the end. In fact, I would rather be in Cádiz outside of Carnival because the Carnival de Cádiz is very much a local event, loved by the gaditanos and others of the province, and not really understood by foreign visitors, at least by me.
The Carnival de Cádiz is very different from that of Tenerife and certainly not even remotely similar to New Orleans and Mardi Gras.

Since your son´s vacation lands in the middle to end of Carnival, perhaps start somewhere else, such as Jerez, taking the AVANT train from Madrid, and end in Cádiz.

Hi yk,
On further thought, how about going first to Málaga, which is a city of over 30 museums--you have the "one armed" cathedral (whose second tower was never built), the Roman theater and the Alcazaba for m-yk to explore, which I'm sure he would enjoy, the Gibralfaro fortress high atop the city, the automobile and fashion museum (something for guys and girls) and the Russian museum next door, a branch of the Pompidou, the Carmen Thyssen, the Picasso museum, a very long seaside promenade sheltered by palm trees, gardens and parks galore, the yacht harbour, lots of casual, inexpensive places to dine, a lively Atarazanas indoor market with lots of sampling, plenty of spots for churros and chocolate, beach front "chiringuitos" (although sardine season starts in May and goes until August---the months without an "r"). Málaga has lots to offer and there is lodging in every price range. I spent 5 nights there before Cádiz and Jerez in late February, and we return often.

Another vote for lovely Malaga !

Maribel,
We saw reports about those recent temperatures! In June yet. Danon could tell you that we too, just experienced a June heat wave, but here it 'only' got up to 35 degrees (felt like 103 Fahrenheit).
The plastic coating on the Toronto grizzly fence melted in parts.

I am done. the bookmarked post with lotsa great ideas

Ekscrunchy about Setenil, we stopped late afternoon on the way back from Ronda and it worked its magic for us. The tourists and daytrippers had gone home and we wished we'd had longer to wander around.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspo...degas.html?m=1

Ekscrunchy,
If you´re looking for lodging in the Serranía de Ronda countryside, similar to your little hideaway outside of Vejer, you might consider the hotel-hacienda amidst olive groves, Fuente de la Higuera, as a base to explore these white towns that you haven't yet visited, such as Setenil.
It would be a 30-minute drive north, much easier than attempting to visit from the coast.

I remember that you didn't enjoy Gaucín, heavily populated by expats but Olvera, Zahara de la Sierra and Grazalema are pristine and authentic.

Ronda gets, or got, before the collapse of the 397 highway, bus loads of tourists by day, but when the day trippers depart it can work its magic on you as well.
We tour around during the day, then sample Ronda at night.

There is now a hammam, the museum of the Plaza de Toros (as interesting as the one you visited in Córdoba, ime), evening guitar concerts, nice places for tapas like El Lechugita and Casa Mateos that Ziggy of HO raved about, Tragatá, Dońa Paquita, De Locos.

Plus you have a splendid, small art museum dedicated to the works of Joaquín Robledo in the Moctezuma Place, the new olive oil mill,
LA Organic, by Phillipe Starck and ReservaToro.

You would be close enough to drive to El Mesón Sabor Andaluz in Alcalá del Valle, which has become a gastronomic destination like La Castillería.
Google it to read all the raves.

The only issue with Fuente de la Higuera as an addition to your stay at ClaS, is that you might long to be on the coast, and, naturally, with a base outside of Ronda you most definitely need a car but you seem to have mastered the driving!

Just some thoughts for your next Andalusian adventure.

This thread mines deeply into an area that many travelers have wondered about and it is great that our experienced veterans of that area are sharing.
Gratitude.
I am done. the sombrero