Andalucia is great to travel in! You find so many lovely white villages, specially up in the mountains. On the other hand you have large cities like Malaga and Granada. Here are some of the gems. You find a lot of them described in our Excursions.
Benahavis
Benahavis was originally a "White village", only a few kilometers from the Carretera. It is the most mountainous village on the western Costa del Sol. You can walk along the Guadalmina river or up to the ruins of the Montemayor Castle.
Casares
Casares is a picturesque mountain village, about 35 kilometers from us. This also one of the white villages and has a wealth of sites of interest, as well as routes to walk in the hills. The cemetery is definitely worth a visit. You can also find a lot of information on the Visit Costa del Sol website.
Istan
Another white village, Istan is known as "the Spring of the Costa del Sol". Of particular interest, therefore, are the fountains, both old (Fuente y Lavadero El Chorro) and new (Fuente La Esfera), the lake, and the Moorish irrigation channels. Take a picknic with you and walk through the village to the recreation area on the other side and enjoy the views all the way down to the Med. Istan is about 30 kilometers drive.
Ronda
Ronda is one of the oldest Spanish cities. Its origin, according to archaeological findings in the old city, belongs to the Neolithic age. Ronda´s bullring, due to its history and architecture, is recognized as one of the oldest in Spain, and its character and beauty make it one of the most monumental existing bullrings. There is also the nearby Sierra de Las Nieves nature park. The region also have a lot of bodegas. Ronda is about 60 kilometers from the coast.
Setenil, a village nestling into the rock
Gibraltar
The Rock is imposing but small. It measures less than six square kilometers in total and is a British self-governing colony. It is inhabited by around 30.000 people made up of Gibraltarians, British, Moroccans, Indians and Spanish. There is also a colony of the famous apes, the only ones in Europe to run free in a semi-wild state.
The upper Rock can be reached by car but the road is narrow and winding. It is probably wiser to take one of the Rock tours organised by taxi or coach or to take the cable car. Included in most touts are the Upper Rock Nature Reserve (which gives magnificent views of North Africa and the meeting of the Atlantic and Mediterranean), St. Michaels Cave, the Apes Den, the historic Siege Tunnels and Europe Point.
You must bring your passport to entry Gibraltar! There can be long waiting time in the Spanish custom on the way out if you bring your car into Gibraltar. Many park their car on the Spanish side and walk. It is a 60 kilometers drive.
Malaga
Malaga city is rich in history. It is located in the Spanish region of Andalucia and the capital city of the province of Malaga. It was the home of Pablo Picasso, the international famous artist who was born here an 1881. There is a Picasso Museum in the city with 12 halls of exhibition galleries.
The city was founded by the Phoenicians and Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans and Moors have lived there over the years. There is thus a rich and varied historical past, which can be seen in the monuments and historical buildings throughout the town. There is a 16 century renaissance and baroque style cathedral, a Roman theatre and the Alcazaba Moorish castle and the Gibralfaro fortress
Malaga has many interesting museums, i e Carmen Thyssen, the small Glass museum, and one of the best car museums in Europe.
Start your walk at the shopping street Marques de Larios, pass Plaza de Constitution (stop and take a cup of chocolate with churros), take a glass of Malaga Dulce at bodega PimPim (oldest in Spain) and walk on to the newly rebuilt port area with many shops and restaurants.
There is also a very good hop on hop off tourist bus service around the city which leaves regularly from the bus station, with a multilingual commentary through headphones. The complete tour would take about an hour and a half, if you did not get off at all. Its easy to spot, since it is the only red double decker bus with an open roof. Your ticket is valid 24 hours, so you can stop off along the way and carry on the tour later.
See pictures from Malaga
Nerja
Nerja is located east of Malaga and is about a 135 kilometers drive. It has the largest natural caves in Europe. There are also historical sites, notably the Balcon de Europa and Salvador Dali church, and some spectacular and largely undeveloped beaches and coves. Many tourists.
Jerez
Justifiably famous for its sherry, Jerez, about 150 kilometers tour, is also the principal cradle of the Andalucian horse. A tour of one of the many bodegas is not to be missed, and the "Andalusian Horses Dance" show of the Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre is stunning.
Granada
The city of Granada lies at the confluence of the Darro and Genil rivers, at the feet of Sierra Nevada. Underneath the Alhambra which is visited every year by more than two million people, is a city filled with monuments and historical buildings. Nonetheless, Granada is also a young and modern capital, with a large student population. A tour to Granada is about 210 kilometers.