Spain Guide
Andalucía
The popular image of Spain as a land of bullfights, flamenco, sherry and ruined castles derives from Andalucía, the southernmost part of the Iberian peninsula. Above all, it's the great Moorish monuments that compete for your attention. The Moors, a mixed race of Berbers and Arabs who crossed into Spain from Morocco and North Africa, occupied al-Andalus for over seven centuries. Their first forces landed at Tarifa in 710 AD, and within four years they had conquered virtually the entire country; their last kingdom, Granada, fell to the Christian Reconquest in 1492.
The Moors developed the most sophisticated civilization of the Middle Ages, centred in turn on the three major cities of Córdoba, Seville and Granada. Each preserves extraordinarily brilliant and beautiful monuments, of which the most perfect is Granada's Alhambra palace, arguably the most sensual building in all Europe. Seville, Andalucía's capital, is a vibrant contemporary metropolis with a fabulously ornamented Alcázar and the grandest of all Gothic cathedrals. Córdoba's exquisite Mezquita, the most beautiful Moorish mosque, is a world architectural landmark.
It's also worth leaving the tourist trail to visit smaller inland towns such as Úbeda, Baeza and Osuna, Moorish Carmona and the stark white hill towns around Ronda. The province also takes in mountains – including the Sierra Nevada, Spain's highest range. Perhaps more compelling, though, are the opportunities for walking in the lower slopes, Las Alpujarras.
On the coast, it's easy to despair. Extending to either side of Málaga is the Costa del Sol, Europe's most heavily developed resort area, with its poor beaches hidden behind remorseless concrete hotels and apartment complexes. However, the province offers two alternatives, much less developed and with some of Spain's best beaches – the villages between Tarifa and Cádiz on the Atlantic, and around Almería on the Mediterranean. Near Cádiz, too, is the Parque Nacional Coto de Doñana, Spain's largest and most important nature reserve, which is home to spectacular flora and fauna.
Highlights
1 Seville Andalucía's pulsating capital city is a treasure house of churches, palaces and museums.
2 Coto de Doñana Europe's largest and most important wildlife sanctuary.
3 Mezquita, Córdoba This 1200-year-old Moorish mosque is one of the most beautiful ever built.
4 Alhambra Granada's Moorish palace is the pinnacle of Moorish architectural splendour in Spain.
5 Las Alpujarras A wildly picturesque region dotted with traditional mountain villages.