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In the province of Huelva, to
the northwest of Sevilla and close to Spain's border with Portugal,
lies La Sierra de Aracena, without doubt one of Spain's most
beautiful and unspoiled mountain regions.
It's
a land of woodlands and far-reaching views, of soft, rolling
hillsides and crystal-clear streams. The hills are thickly wooded
with sweet chestnut and cork oak, giving the area a marvelously verdant feel.
Charming little villages are dotted here and there in a green and glorious land and the little market town of Aracena itself is a delight.
A hidden and unspoiled corner of Andalucía, second to none. Read more …
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Between the Atlantic coast to the west and the Ronda Mountains to the east are a cluster of some of Andalucía's most beautiful mountain villages. These are known to the Spanish as, simply, "Los Pueblos Blancos", the white villages. Well worth visiting are Arcos de la Frontera, Grazalema and Zahara de la Sierra.
Villages which demand you to slow down a pace or two. After all, one of the most popular sayings here is ‘how wonderful it is to do nothing and then to rest afterwards'!
Landscapes are dramatic, embracing both the mountains of The Grazalema National Park, with its jagged peaks, gorges, chasms and caves, underground rivers and deep canyons, and the equally beautiful, softly rolling hillsides of the National Park of Los Alcornocales, one of the world's largest cork oak forests. Read more …
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La Costa de la Luz gets its name from its bright, sparkling light - which dazzles off whitewashed walls, enhances the golden hue of sand dunes and reflects joyously from the deep blue and silver sea. This is Spain's Atlantic coast, extending from Tarifa in the south up towards Cádiz and beyond, mile upon mile of awesome, untamed sandy beaches as memorable as any in southern Europe.
Swept by the Atlantic winds that once filled Columbus's sails, it's a remarkable part of Spain, one of the coolest beach destinations in Europe, with surfing, hip hangouts and a laid-back attitude. One of only a handful of shorelines left in the world where beaches are still backed by sand dunes rather than by tower block hotels. Read more …
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The Costa del Sol is not what most people would imagine as "rural Andalucia". It's certainly true that what was once nothing more than a few quiet fishing settlements has been completely transformed during the latter part of the 20th century into a tourist destination of world renown.
But immediately inland from the coast, it's another world - in atmosphere, beauty and unpredictability. Spectacular mountains rise up all around and the scenery is marvelous, a wonderful backdrop to picture-postcard white villages such as Casares and Jimena de la Frontera.
It encompasses rolling hillsides and deep dales, extensive forests and the dramatic Sierra de las Nieves, located in the hills behind Marbella, a foreboding area of mountains which has seen little human influence or activity, ever. Read more …
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Jagged formations of deeply weathered limestone rise sharply above ancient groves of olives and almonds, flocks of sheep and goats graze the hillsides, eagles and vultures ride the winds high above. The scenery seems to change with every turn in the road and it is easy to see why the last of the 'bandaleros' were able to escape capture in this dramatic terrain.
The Ronda Mountains is an area which really does offer you a taste of that much-touted 'Real Spain' and the area has made remarkably few concessions to mainstream tourism.
Ronda is one of Andalucía's loveliest towns, spectacularly situated, steeped in history, reputedly Hemingway's favourite city in all Spain. Gaucín is a
beautiful village which enjoys sweeping views across the mountains to Gibraltar and the coast to the Rif Mountains of North Africa. Read more …
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Antequera lies in the very heart of Andalucía, 46 kilometres inland from the Costa del Sol, just off the motorway network which links Sevilla, Málaga, Granada and Córdoba. With Ronda and Marbella also close at hand it is at the "Crossroads of Andalucía"
All around, deep in the heart of the Province of Málaga, some of Andalucía's prettiest villages and most striking scenery are to be found.
These include the Sierra de Torcal, a massive, Mars-like mountain of heavily eroded rock formations, the huge natural gorge, El Chorro, and Andalucia's largest natural lake, Laguna de Fuente de Piedra, also know as "The Pink Lagoon" because it is the only inland breeding ground of pink flamingos outside of Africa. Read more …
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Further north, La Subbética de Córdoba also lies in the centre of Andalucía, almost equidistant from its major towns, Córdoba, Granada, Sevilla and Málaga. Within an hour from here you can be in any one of these great cities.
That alone is a pretty good reason to base a holiday here. Another is that it just happens to be incredibly beautiful, a land of rugged hills and deep valleys, spectacular scenery and a thriving ecology. A vibrant and vivacious landscape, it is both robust and melodious at one and the same time.
The centrepiece of the area is its Natural Park, the Sierras Subbética, a range of limestone mountains which extend through much of the region, their steep slopes and rugged crags overlooking pretty, narrow valleys and some lovely small towns (like Priego de Córdoba) and villages. Read more …
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Inland from Nerja and the Mediterranean Sea, the hilly countryside of La Axarquía is above all, a land of sun, enjoying one of Europe's warmest climates.
Head inland from its Mediterranean coastline and "La Axarquía", the ancient name given by the Moorish Arabs to their "western marches", begins to take shape. Low valleys planted with semi-tropical date palm and kiwi, chirimoya and avocado, mango and molasses lead on to a gentle vista of rolling hills, almonds, olives and lemons.
Then the mountains appear, the Montes de Málaga, Las Sierras de Jobo, Alhama, Tejeda and Almijara, which join to form a natural border around this diverse and very beautiful region. At its heart lies the broad expanse of Lake Viñuela. Read more …
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"El Poniente Granadino" lies at the western frontier of "Al-Andalus", the old Moorish Kingdom of Granada. It is a region of great natural charm, warm, welcoming people and ancestral traditions.
Very centrally situated, it is a rural idyll from which it is easy to travel to many of the must-see places in Southern Spain.
Row upon row of olive trees, the symbol of Andalucía, spread all the way to the horizon on gentle hills and through green valleys, surrounded by spectacular moon-like, craggy mountains, their silvery green leaves contrasting beautifully with the ever-changing, pastel colours of the earth. Here and there, small towns and dusty villages appear like white jewels in clefts and on rocks, between poplars and olive trees, along rivers and beside lakes. Read more …
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Traveling south from Granada in the 7th Century the Moors reached a vast, fertile valley encompassed within a bowl of mountains. The land had everything they prized - good earth, free-flowing rivers and the natural fortification of the sierras. Captivated by its beauty, they named it El Valle de Lecrín - the Valley of Happiness.
This land, which inspired and sustained them, and the seventeen villages they founded, remains for you to discover.
The snow-capped Sierra Nevada rises steeply to the east; the sierras of Albuñelas and Guájaras form its western boundary. To the south, Sierra Lujar guards the pass through to the Mediterranean Sea. Between these mountains lies a gentle land - of rolling countryside, rich with orange and lemon groves, almonds, olives and grape vines - and timeless, sleepy villages. These days, fast motorway connections make a trip to Granada or down to the Costa Tropical a doddle. Read more …
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Between the highest mountains in Spain and the Mediterranean Sea, La Alpujarra is one of the most enchanting and beautiful regions in the world. Some call it Las Alpujarras, others La Alpujarra: whichever you prefer, it's a joyous land of sunshine, snowy mountains and some of the most splendid scenery imaginable.
From the snows to the sea, there are panoramic views in every direction, from the peaks of Veleta and Mulhacén to the southern sierras and the Mediterranean beyond. At sunset, the Rif mountains of Morocco are sometimes clearly visible, 200 kilometres away across the sea.
Beautiful in their Moorish simplicity, mountain villages like Bubión and Capileira appear to tumble haphazardly down the steep hillsides, connected by a labyrinth of narrow, winding cobbled streets. A picture to behold, glistening white in the sun, roses and geraniums spilling from every nook and cranny. Read more …
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If anywhere is “real” Spain, it’s Sevilla, sensual and extravagant, home to flamenco, bullfighting and Carmen. A city of dark-eyed beauties and white-washed alleys, unforgiving blue skies, never-ending late nights, fiestas and siestas.
It is impossible not to be captivated by its exuberant atmosphere: stylish, confident, ancient and proud, yet also convivial, intimate and fun-loving. If you don't know what alegría means, Sevilla is the place to learn.
With the wide river rolling through it, there's a fabulous Arabic heritage of labyrinthine alleys and languorous gardens, the Giralda, the Alcázar and the Barrio Santa Cruz. There's the grandiose 17th-century colonial style, when the riches plundered from the Americas were converted into a swaggering architectural confection of ornate palaces and monuments, basilicas, bullrings and fountains. And then there's the wonderfully lavish 1920's Sevilla, when they built grand art nouveau hotels, parks and boulevards.
Sevilla revels in its reputation as Spain's party town. And what a setting for a party! Read more …
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Córdoba was the largest city in the world in the tenth century, the thriving capital of Al-Andalus, the name used to describe Moorish Spain which extended throughout almost all of the Iberian Peninsular. In its heyday it was considered the Mecca of the west.
Right in the centre of the city, surrounded by the old Jewish and Moorish quarters, The Mezquita of Córdoba is, along with Granada's Alhambra Palace, the finest example of Islamic Art in the western world, the grandest and most beautiful mosque constructed by the Moors in Spain. When the Christians reconquered the city they were so overwhelmed by its beauty they could not bring themselves to destroy it (as was their custom). Here they built their Cathedral inside the existing Mosque!
It's one of only a handful of man-made places in the world which literally takes your breath away.
Quite apart from the Mesquita, there's much more to discover in Córdoba. It's very picturesque, a town to stroll around. You will come across little squares, peaceful courtyards and balconies overflowing with bougainvilleas. The aroma of lemon blossom, the exuberant colours of the flowers, the cool trickle of a fountain … Read more …
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As you approach Granada for the first time, you just know you are arriving somewhere special. Soaring high above the city is the spectacular back drop of the snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountains. And what a city lies below! A city of classical beauty, the jewel in the Spanish Crown.
The mesmerising Alhambra Palace and its exquisite gardens, one of the world's greatest wonders; the narrow, cobbled streets and beautiful walled gardens of the ancient Arab quarter, El Albaicín; the magnificent Cathedral, just one of many superb examples of Renaissance architecture; the caves of Sacramonte, nostalgic legacy of the gypsies.
A city which inspired García Lorca, Andalucía's finest poet, it is, above all, a people's city, full of life and colour, energy and fun. As witnessed by the spectacular fiestas, such as 'El Dia de la Cruz' when the entire town is adorned with spring flowers, on patios and balconies, on houses, in shop windows - everywhere - and everyone spills out into the streets dressed in their traditional costumes to dance the night away in a riot of colour, music and merriment. Read more …
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A city which continues to evoke the romance and mystery of centuries of trade (some legal, some not so) between Europe, Africa and the Americas, Cádiz is, first and foremost, a port - its history loud with broadsides and buccaneering, with armadas and sieges. Columbus sallied out of here and Drake sneaked in to "singe the King of Spain's beard".
Literally crumbling - the effects of brine on its soft limestone - the city has tremendous atmosphere: slightly seedy, much of it in decline, but still full of intrigue and mystery. Its heyday was in the early 18th century, when wealthy merchants built lavish homes and created a prosperous, glamorous society. Much of Cádiz still looks as it must have done in those great days of the Spanish Empire, with its grand open squares, tiled alleyways, secret courtyards and high, turreted houses.
A city of intrigue and history, at the same time it's also very friendly - the people of Cádiz are famed throughout Spain for their hospitality, humour and good nature.
There is nothing swanky about Cádiz, but its people live well and the city has a lovely, laid-back vibe. The seafood and the sherry is the best in Spain and its reputation as a party town goes back to Roman times. It's a sort of Spanish "mini-Manhattan", a place to throw away the map and just stroll through its narrow streets, tightly packed alleyways and plazas large and small. Read more …
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