Ultimate Guide to an Andalusia Round Trip: Top Tips and Must-See Cities august 16, 2024 – Posted in: Spain, Travel – Tags: Andalusia, Holiday, Itinerary, Round Trip, Spain, Vacation

3-week Andalusia Itinerary – What to See and Do

In March 2023, we embarked on a round trip in Andalusia. Before that, we had visited Seville, Cadiz, and Cordoba several times. We were so fascinated by Andalusia’s culture and history that we wanted to take a more extensive tour of the region. We started in Seville and traveled counterclockwise, up into the mountains and along the coast. In the image above, you can see the towns we visited.

We planned the entire trip ourselves, including booking hotels and arranging transport by bus and train around the region. As you read the various articles about Andalusia, you’ll find recommendations for the hotels we stayed at. We collaborate with Booking.com and receive a small commission if you also book through them. By the way, the bus system in Andalusia can be a bit complicated, so we’ve created a complete guide here: How to get around Andalusia by bus and train

Why Should You Visit Andalusia?

Andalusia has a town for every mood – and every type of vacation. Are you looking for a beach holiday, exciting attractions, or challenging hikes in the mountains? Andalusia has it all! What makes Andalusia so fascinating is also the diverse cultures that have passed through here over time. For example, the Arab Moors ruled the region for 800 years, from 711 to 1492, and if you have even a slight interest in history, every town has its historical buildings that you simply must see.

Yes, and then there are all the delicious Andalusian delicacies, and there’s always time for a round of tapas. Plus, the cuisine changes from town to town, with each region offering its own specialties. If you want to taste it all, a round trip in Andalusia is a great idea.

How Do You Get to Andalusia?

There are several travel agencies that offer tours of Andalusia. If you want to plan your own trip around Southern Spain, know that it’s easier than you might think! And the locals are really sweet and helpful.

The region of Andalusia is covering an area of 87,268 km². There is so much to see everywhere, and you definitely can’t see it all in just a couple of weeks. Therefore, a little planning at home is required. Start by deciding where you want to land. Ryanair flies to both Malaga and Seville, and in our experience, it’s almost always cheaper to fly to Seville.

Once you know where you’ll land, you can use this guide to decide which towns you want to visit – or if you want to explore entirely different places. We also started with a very basic guide, where we listed the town names along the route we had chosen. Then followed a bit of research on the various attractions the towns had to offer. Afterward, we could estimate how much time we would need in each town – or if it should just go on the maybe list.

Do You Need to Speak Spanish?

In the larger cities like Seville, Granada, and Malaga, most Spanish people speak good English. In the smaller villages we passed through, we had to rely on the little Spanish we knew, along with gestures and sign language.

Fortunately, it doesn’t matter because the locals love it when you speak even a little Spanish, and they will go out of their way to try to understand you.

When Is the Best Time to Visit Andalusia?

In the summer months of June, July, and August, Andalusia can get incredibly hot. It’s not a joke that Seville is called the “frying pan of Europe,” with an average temperature of 36 degrees in July. Even though Andalusia is used to the heat, with shaded squares, parasols, and air conditioning, the high temperatures make it difficult to seriously explore.

We always visit Southern Spain in spring and autumn. In March, all the orange trees bloom, giving off a magical scent. If you come in the fall, you’ll find that you can still wear shorts in Seville at the end of September. During this round trip, we also visited the beach town of Nerja, and while the sea wasn’t warm in March, you could still enjoy many lovely sunny hours on the beach for a fraction of the cost of a trip to, say, Tenerife.

What Should You Pack for a Vacation in Andalusia?

You might encounter a shower or two in the spring and autumn in Andalusia, but it usually only rains in the winter. The summer in southern Spain is dry, so you can leave your raincoat at home. When we traveled around in March, we were glad to have the jacket we brought from the Danish winter, as the evenings can be quite cold, especially in the mountains.

Depending on the type of vacation you choose, you’ll also appreciate having swimwear and hiking shoes or boots. Many attractions can be managed in a pair of sneakers, but the old, worn stones can easily be slippery, and you’ll likely end up walking many kilometers around the towns. So, good footwear is a must!

Otherwise, you can find everything in Andalusia that you can buy back home. You don’t need to pack a large travel pharmacy, as you can get all the most necessary items at the many pharmacies, often even without a prescription.

Find a Great Hotel in Andalusia

In all of our travel articles about Andalusia, you can also read our recommendations for all the lovely hotels we stayed at in the different towns. In Andalusia, price and quality are generally well balanced, but you often get a little more for your money here. But see for yourself! You can quickly search for good hotels in the various towns in Andalusia right here:

Booking.com