• 4 days in Southern Spain, Andalusia highlights itinerary
If you have 4 days for your Andalusia travel itinerary, we strongly recommend to focus on Seville, Cordoba and Granada. This will allow you to discover the three former Hispanic-Muslim capitals of Andalusia at a reasonable pace. Our suggested 4-day itinerary for travel to Andalusia is as follows:
Day 1: Seville. UNESCO World Heritage Sites and evening flamenco performance. Overnight in Seville.
Allow at least 3 hours to visit the Cathedral, la Giralda, the Alcazar and the Archive of the Indies in Seville. Then, explore the iconic quarter of Santa Cruz, which is a delightful labyrinth of narrow streets featuring beautiful examples of traditional Southern Spanish architecture. A great place to stop for some food and great wines in the Santa Cruz district is Casa Roman.
In the early evening, buy tickets to watch a good flamenco performance. Museo del Baile Flamenco has daily flamenco shows with very talented performers.
Day 2: Seville palaces in the morning and afternoon bike ride. Overnight in Seville.
Seville has fantastic private palaces that are open to the public. These are Casa Pilatos, Palacio de las Dueñas and Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija. They are all different and we recommend to visit at least two of them. Afterwards, you many want to have a bite near the surprisingly modern Metropol Parasol, where there are many great food spots.
Our favorite is Palo Cortao. A small restaurant with great food, super friendly and professional staff and amazing wines (great sherries amongst them).
Then, hire a bike for two or three hours. Seville has 179 kilometres of bike lanes and it is completely flat, so cycling is easy, safe and a great option to optimise your time in the city.
Start pedalling to the beautiful parque de Maria Luisa. Once there, make sure you don’t miss two majestic outdoor spaces annex to it: Plaza de España and Plaza de America. This will allow you to see the most exquisite constructions erected in Seville in the 1920s.
From there, cycle along the Guadalquivir river to see Torre del Oro and to enjoy the beautiful views of the quarter of Triana, located on the other side of the river.
Day 3: from Seville to Granada via Cordoba to see the Great Mosque-Cathedral there. Overnight in Granada.
Travel from Seville to Cordoba in the morning and spend 4 – 5 hours in the city. Cordoba was the first Hispanic-Muslim capital and it treasures probably the most thought-provoking building that Spain has to offer: the great Mosque-Cathedral. Make sure you don’t miss it and explore also the Jewish quarter.
If you want to venture beyond the main attractions in Cordoba to see some local action too, walk to Plaza de la Corredera and have something to eat and drink there. Then continue on to Granada.
Day 4: Granada. The Alhambra and the quarter of el Albayzin. Overnight in Granada.
Enjoy your last morning in Andalusia exploring the quaint quarter of el Albayzin and the breath-taking views of the Alhambra that it has to offer. El Albayzin has an exotic Hispanic-Muslim footprint in its urban structure, houses and gardens and it makes a delightful and relaxed stroll.
In the afternoon, visit the majestic Alhambra and el Generalife or summer palace of the last Hispanic-Muslim sultans. Allow at least 3 hours to visit these sites and make sure you buy your tickets in advance.
Then in the evening, we recommend to enjoy the local tapas scene in Granada. The quarter of El Realejo has great tapas bars as well as a great local atmosphere.
• 5 day itinerary of Southern Spain, essential Andalusia
A 5-day Andalusia travel itinerary will allow you to see the three great Hispanic-Muslim capitals (Seville, Cordoba and Granada) and still enjoy a full day trip to the province of Cadiz.
Cadiz province is the southernmost territory of continental Europe and it has two small yet lovely cities that are definitely worth-visiting. These are Jerez de la Frontera and Cadiz city.
Our suggested 5-day Andalusia travel itinerary includes Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Jerez and Cadiz as follows:
Day 1: Seville. Alcazar, Cathedral, Archive of the Indies and Jewish quarter in the morning – afternoon and flamenco performance in the evening. Overnight in Seville.
Day 2: Full day trip to Cadiz and Jerez from Seville. Overnight in Seville.
Visit a Sherry bodega in Jerez to do a sherry tasting and learn about the art of pairing food and sherry there. Then discover the stunning colonial city that Cadiz is.
Day 3: Seville. Palaces of the Spanish nobility in the morning and bike tour in the afternoon. Overnight in Seville.
In the morning, visit Palacio de las Dueñas, Casa Pilatos and/or Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija. Continue your exploration of the city by renting a bicycle for the late afternoon – early evening and pedal to Parque de Maria Luisa, Plaza de España, Plaza de America, Torre del Oro and the Guadalquivir river banks.
