Anyone done a trip around Andalucia?

Pauliej said:
I know their has been various posts over the years about the different areas but has anyone done a trip and stayed at a few places?
We are looking at doing this next year and the early plan is to fly into Malaga airport, coach to Granada for three nights, train to Cordoba for three nights, train to Ronda for three nights then head to Benalmadena for five nights to finish off.
I know people will recommend driving but I'm not confident driving abroad but would do so at a push.
Any information or advice will be greatly appreciated as this is one we want to tick off our bucket list next year. We've stayed in Granada before and definitely want to revisit that place if we can.
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You will have a great trip - we spent 3 weeks there earlier this year.
Couple of things

The village of Sentinil is worth a look

www.saltinourhair.com

Setenil de las Bodegas: The Cave Village of Spain

Things to do in Setinel de las Bodegas, Andalucia Setenil de las Bodegas (Bodegas means ‘wineries’) in Spain got its name from a once-thriving wine trade.
www.saltinourhair.com www.saltinourhair.com

And Caminito Del Ray is a fantastic walk (about 2 hours)

Plataforma Oficial de reservas Caminito del Rey

Plataforma Oficial de reservas Caminito del Rey. Compra aquí tus entradas para el Caminito del Rey. Aquí puedes encontrar toda la información del Caminito del Rey y su entorno privilegiado.
www.caminitodelrey.info www.caminitodelrey.info

These guys will do trips from Ronda and are my ‘go to’ when I’m away.

 
Granada is beautiful. We also went to one of the ‘white towns’ called zuheros. Little village in mountains. Really nice.
 
Johnnyweetabix said:
In late June we did 2 nights in Granada , 2 nights in Antequera , 2 nights in Seville and 1 in ronda followed by a week in Estepona . Loved it all.

Antequera was a less popular gem which we loved , truly loved Seville , very hot but so green , really loved it there and Estepona old town and nearby beaches were great , really family feel with people on the beaches till dark and lovely old town streets .

Loved it all
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Played golf and stayed in Antequera a long time ago. We enjoyed our time there.
 
We used a 10 travel day Interrail pass in May. Paris, Barcelona, Granada, Còrdoba, Seville, Ronda, Madrid, Cerbère and Paris again. Only one train a day to and from Ronda though, but really spectacular. I'd recommend it .
 
Malaguena said:
That whole stretch from Torremolinos through Benalmadena and down to Fuengirola is the pits - chavvy Brit central.

If you want somewhere nice to down tools I’d recommend Nerja …… though I’d still recommend staying in Malaga city
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This is one of the things putting me off going to that part of the world, the flight alone would be agony.
 
t4tomo said:
Almeria town / city appears to be surround by tarpaulin greenhouses? Is that intensive vegetable growing?
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Yes it is. Plastic greenhouses.

It is what turned Almería from one of the poorest parts of Spain (under Franco in the 70s). To one of the most prosperous now.

I live in a small seaside town surrounded by greenhouses.

I think of it like going to Redcar or Saltburn. When I was a kid.

You go through an ugly area. Then arrive at the seaside.
 
spanishman said:
Yes it is. Plastic greenhouses.

It is what turned Almería from one of the poorest parts of Spain (under Franco in the 70s). To one of the most prosperous now.

I live in a small seaside town surrounded by greenhouses.

I think of it like going to Redcar or Saltburn. When I was a kid.

You go through an ugly area. Then arrive at the seaside.
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Bet they don’t do Ice Cream topped with limon tho
 
1finny said:
Bet they don’t do Ice Cream topped with limon tho
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Agreed.

On the plus side it is one of the few parts of Spain where "free" tapas is provided in a lot of (not all of) the bars. The drinks prices can be a little bit higher. However they are not a ridiculous price compared with the rest of Spain.
 
spanishman said:
Yes it is. Plastic greenhouses.

It is what turned Almería from one of the poorest parts of Spain (under Franco in the 70s). To one of the most prosperous now.

I live in a small seaside town surrounded by greenhouses.

I think of it like going to Redcar or Saltburn. When I was a kid.

You go through an ugly area. Then arrive at the seaside.
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Just a further update. As I am now home after playing golf. So I have a bit more time to write stuff.

Almería city is not completely surrounded by greenhouses. It is close to the only desert in mainland Europe. The desert has been used as a film set for many types of films. Particularly spaghetti westerns in the 60s.

Also the area where I live is a small town close to a bigger town called El Ejido. This has the biggest area of greenhouses in it. So big it can be seen from space.

@1finny have added a link to a story about the greenhouses.

Site is undergoing maintenance

Site will be available soon. Thank you for your patience!
eladelantado.com
 
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I’ve done a bit of solo cycling around there (Billy no mates), using San Pedro de Alcántara as my base, but never been further east than Malagueta beach.

Malaga is a lovely city. Possibly my favourite along side Barcelona.

From San Pedro I’ve ridden up to Ronda and back via El Madroñal - Ronda’s great, but that high bridge nearly made me **** myself when I glanced over the side without realising the drop.

Also done San Pedro to the Rock of Gibraltar and back - passed through Estepona, Sabinillas, Manilva (on the way back), Sotogrande, San Roque and La Línea.

I like Sotogrande - looked very nice, but I never stopped for long.

Estepona has a long beach and some quaint backstreets.
 
Madeinbrazil said:
Stayed in Jerez, lovely place, good base to visit Seville and Cadiz, if you're after the real Spain rather than the tourist trail, it's worth a look
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Had a week in Jerez a couple of years ago and loved the place. Also paid Cadiz a visit and that was a great day as well.
Love Andalucia.
 
SmoggyParmo said:
I’ve done a bit of solo cycling around there (Billy no mates), using San Pedro de Alcántara as my base, but never been further east than Malagueta beach.

Malaga is a lovely city. Possibly my favourite along side Barcelona.

From San Pedro I’ve ridden up to Ronda and back via El Madroñal - Ronda’s great, but that high bridge nearly made me **** myself when I glanced over the side without realising the drop.
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Very difficult to get a photo from the bridge that shows the scale of the drop.
1000001099.jpg
 
NYboro said:
Very difficult to get a photo from the bridge that shows the scale of the drop.
View attachment 93830
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That's it.

I picked Ronda pretty much at random as it was about 50 miles from where I was staying and made for a nice 100 mile ride with a decent hill climb.

I didn’t realise how iconic that bridge was until I was literally peering over the side. Beeing sat quite high up on a bike added to the experience!
 
1finny said:
Take the train - its a great way to travel round Europe
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In a few years time there should be a lot more fast train links into and within Spain. Particularly in Andalucía.

Sadly, the first lot of fast trains will not go all along the south coast.

A key part of the fast train network yet to be completed is in the Valencia area. On the east coast. This is planned for after the link between Murcia and Almería is completed (2026 or possibly 2027).

The longer term plan is for fast trains to cross the French border. Go down the east coast all the way to Murcia (in the corner). Then along to Almería or inland to Granada. From Granada I think you will be able to get to Málaga or eventually further west along the southern coast in Spain.
 
spanishman said:
In a few years time there should be a lot more fast train links into and within Spain. Particularly in Andalucía.

Sadly, the first lot of fast trains will not go all along the south coast.

A key part of the fast train network yet to be completed is in the Valencia area. On the east coast. This is planned for after the link between Murcia and Almería is completed (2026 or possibly 2027).

The longer term plan is for fast trains to cross the French border. Go down the east coast all the way to Murcia (in the corner). Then along to Almería or inland to Granada. From Granada I think you will be able to get to Málaga or eventually further west along the southern coast in Spain.
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To be fair, the only really slow part is on the French side, between Montpellier and Perpignan. That's made up for by the spectacular views of the Med. From Girona onwards it's high speed.
 
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