Author: Vladimir Cristea
When Amsterdam and London get too grey and rainy, sunlight in Scandinavia becomes a rare see, and the climate in the Swiss Alps becomes too cold for anything bar skiing with 4 blankets of clothes on, it’s probably time to admit to yourself that it’s time to take a vacation in heated and pleasant Spain.
And if you’re at it, why not go to the warmest part of Spain? With its most definite person shaped by the blend of Moorish and Spanish culture, Andalusia is known for its remarkable palaces, pleasant coasts, terrific food and archaic municipals located at the hoof of enforcing hills and mountains.
How to get to Andalusia
It’s very easy to get from Madrid to our first stop, Granada, in merely a bit over 3 hours on a high-speed AVE train. It was during this study move that I have traveled at the highest speed ever in my life in an on-ground vehicle- a whopping 300 km/ h!
Days 1-3: Granada
The level of architectural detail on Moorish houses is unbelievable
Granada hosts what is probably the most famous attraction of Andalusia: the Alhambra, a ravishing palace complex situated on a mountain ignoring the city, the majority of members of it building in the 13 th century. You can devote hours now exploring its lush gardens and admiring the palaces, with their heavily decorated apartments and normal Moorish courtyards.
Part of the garden-varieties in the Alhambra
There is more to the city than the Alhambra, though. A highlight of our 10 days in Andalusia was to explore Granada’s narrow streets and bazars, the old-fashioned Arab district of Albaicin. As well as the neighborhood of Sacromonte with its cave lives, from where the prominent flamenco type of music and dance is said to have originated.
A nice little barroom in Granada’s Albaicin neighborhood
In Granada, I got a strong impression that the city is very unique. Everywhere you could find stores selling special mementoes that I hadn’t participated anywhere else in Europe, and the street were scattered with little stops selling baked fruit, tea and spices.
Of course, I have saved the best news for meat lovers for last- Granada is the only place that still maintains the old-fashioned Spanish tradition that every disallow in which you order a liquor( beer, sangria, anything !) will serve you a free tapa. If you then order another sip, you get another plate, with a different food. And we are not talking about olives or tortilla chips, but chicken stew, fried fish, chorizo, paella, salt beef. Should I go on?
We sought 2 brews and got the sausages free of charge. I desire Granada.
Day 4: Cordoba
Cordoba feels so quiet and serene that one can hardly believe that it had once been the largest city in all of Europe. Dating from those long-gone times is the symbol of the city, the Mezquita, an enforce mosque turned cathedral, today marked an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Mezquita has got to be one of the most imposing structures I have ever seen
After such an architectural feast, we had to sit down at one of the many terraces ordered next to the traditional Cordobes white-and-yellow houses and enjoy una cerveza fria.
My tip: Get to Cordoba early in the morning and leave in the evening for the next stop instead of sleeping there in order to only use 1 cros daylight from your Pass!
Days 5-7: Malaga
Malaga is a well-established favorite for expats and remote laborers trying to escape the cold climate of the UK, Sweden or Belgium, but it has come just as much to offer for Eurailers.
It’s very easy to get to Malaga from Cordoba by drill. There are 2 each type of improves on this route, and if you are traveling on a fund, I would suggest taking an AVANT train instead of AVE. It’s exclusively 10 -1 5 minutes slower, but your stomach will thank you for the tapas money you will save on booking costs, as AVANT bookings are less costly than reservations for the AVE train.
Malaga felt to me like the most vibrant city in Andalusia, having a extremely glamorous hitherto affable vibe. Parts of it feel like a large metropolis, other segments like the quaint Andalusian town, and yet again others like a roaring seaside resort.
Here you can visit the museum dedicated to the city’s most famous resident, Pablo Picasso, and visualize the Alcazaba fortress with its panoramic views of the city. Don’t forget pay a speedy trip to the Port of Malaga and to the Malagueta Beach to remind yourself that you are in a summer destination in the middle of January! Malaga is the kind of place where it’s delectable to simply sit at a terrace, enjoy a glas and watch people go about their business.
The beautiful Malagueta beach
While we didn’t get to do it because we didn’t book it early enough in advance, the Caminito del Rey hiking trail seems like a lot of amusing for the excite seekers and is easily reachable with your Eurail Pass in half an hour by set from Malaga.
Days 8-10: Seville
Finally, Seville is the capital of Andalusia and its most populous city. Besides its charming city center, with its historic shrink streets, stately promenade, and local stores selling everything from return to flamenco dress, there is a lot else to see in Seville.
Seville is scattered with cute small-scale coffeehouses and restaurants
Back when nature bazaars “re still” a thing, Seville hosted the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. For this event, the participating countries, including many former settlements from South America, built pavilions, statues, effigies and other organizes in the Maria Luisa Park in central Seville. Today, many of these buildings still exist and can be seen in the ballpark, including the notorious Plaza de Espana.
These daylights, the Plaza de Espana is a very popular tourist spot in Seville
Like any honourable metropoli in areas, Seville also has a Moorish fortress entirely worth visit, the Alcazar. It is accessible from Seville’s main square, the Plaza del Triunfo, where you will likewise find the Cathedral of Sevilla, the fourth-largest church in the world! Don’t forget to climb its bell tower, the Giralda. It’s a perfect advance for those who hate stairs, as there were 17 of them- the rest is made up of 35 ramps, doing it possible back in the day to clamber the fortres on horseback.
Triana Market in Seville
Tips for passing Andalusia in winter
The weather in Andalusia has been stupendous in early January. I am not overdoing when I say that there has only been one partially cloudy date. The non-stop sun coupled with temperatures of 15-20degC during the day( even warmer in Malaga) spawned for amazing “winter” weather. In summer the temperature was over 40 degC, so winter is definitely one of the best goes to visit the region, and everything is much less crowded as well. Do take a warmer jacket with you, though, as it gets chilly at night.
While it’s an absolute solace to simply walk around the cities, soak up the sunbathe, and stop at terraces to have some tapas, it would be a bummer to go to Andalusia without accompanying some of its top landmarks. In such regions I have determined some of the most fantastic architecture I have seen in my life, so those arranges understandably is a lot of tourists even in the winter season. To forestall distasteful surprises, try to book some slews early in advance: the Alhambra, the Mezquita of Cordoba, the Caminito del Rey and the Alcazar of Seville.
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