In-depth Andalusia

With Antequera as a basis you will discover the south part of Andalusia during this route. See the amazing buildings in Granada (the Alhambra), Córdoba (Alcázar de los Reyes), Seville (Reales Alcázares). Also the Bullring in Ronda, you can’t miss it. Andalusia is also nature and gastronomy, a combination that fits well because to really get to know a culture you have to taste and feel it with al your senses, enjoy…

Back to Spain Menu

1st Day: MÁLAGA -ANTEQUERA
Welcome of the group at Malaga airport. Sightseeing tour of Malaga, the capital of the Costa del Sol and the birthplace of Picasso. Departure for Antequera. Arrival at the hotel. Early evening, we meet the tour-director who will give us a briefing about the tour. Welcome cocktail and dinner. Accommodation.

2nd Day: ANTEQUERA - GRANADA - ANTEQUERA
Breakfast and departure for Granada to continue the route. Visit to the Alhambra Palace, the awe-inspiring Moorish Palace, unique in the western world. Inside the monument we find the Alcazaba, a fortress dated the 10th century, the Generalife, a Royal summer residence dating from the beginning of the 14th century, the Carlos V Palace, renaissance style and a group of Palaces residence of the Nazarí dynasty.
Don't miss the view from the Vela tower, located in the Alcazaba and overlooking the Sacromonte (the gypsy quarter in Granada) and up to the Sierra Nevada.
Walk along the Albaicin area, a labyrinth of narrow streets climbing the hill to find the San Nicolas viewpoint, for the unbeatable view over the Alhambra Palaces and Sierra Nevada. After lunch, we continue the tour downtown: the Cathedral and the Royal Chapel, where the Catholic Kings are buried. Behind the Cathedral, we find the Alcaiceria (best shops for handicrafts), a silk market at the Moorish times that still keeps the atmosphere of the Arabic souks. Time at leisure. Returning to Antequera we will stop at Loja for dinner. Arrival at the hotel in Antequera and accommodation.

3rd Day: ANTEQUERA - CORDOVA - ANTEQUERA
Breakfast and departure for Cordova. Today's tour starts by crossing the Roman Bridge over the Guadalquivir River, which takes us to the Mosque - Cathedral, the only monument in the world bearing a Christian Cathedral built inside a Muslim Mosque, a testimony of the faith of both religions. Inside the monument we find the Orange Trees Courtyard with the ablution fountain.
After the visit of the Mosque-Cathedral, we reach the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, the residence-fortress of Alfonso XI whose sarcophagus and mosaics are vivid reminders of the Roman Cordoba. After lunch, we walk along the Jewish quarter Judería, an area full of samples of ancient times such as the old City Walls, the Almodovar Gate, the Jewish Street and the Moorish Souk, and arrive to the Synagogue.
This Synagogue, along with the one in Toledo is the only remaining medieval synagogue in Spain. The walls of this beautiful building are covered with Mudejar style plasterworks and Hebrew inscriptions.
The next stop of our route today will be in Montilla, an old town known for its wine production. Dinner will be served in a wine cellar where we will taste the delicious wines and enjoy the local cuisine. Transfer to the hotel in Antequera and accommodation.

4th Day: ANTEQUERA
Breakfast. Today we remain in Antequera for an in-depth visit of this historical city.
Antequera achieved its greatest splendour between the 16th and 18th centuries. At that time a large number of religious and public monuments were built. Our tour will start from the Arch of the Giants to reach the Colegiata de Santa María, a sample of a primitive renaissance. Following is the Church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, whose magnificent altarpiece was designed by Churriguero and finally to the City Museum, located in a 17th century Palace.
Lunch is served in a typical country restaurant on our way to El Torcal. In this natural reserve, we will see one of the most impressive karstic landscapes in the country. The strength of the wind and the rain erosion has sculpted the rocks forming amazing shapes. Back to the hotel, free time before dinner and accommodation.

5th Day: ANTEQUERA - SEVILLE - ANTEQUERA
Breakfast and we head to Seville. We will start our tour at the Cathedral, which is a sample of the latest western gothic. It was built on the foundations of the main mosque destroyed by the Christians after the Reconquest. The Alminar tower or Giralda and the Orange trees Courtyard with the ablution fountain are located next to the building.
We take a stroll along the Santa Cruz quarter, the old Jewish district, reaching the Reales Alcázares; nowadays it is the official residence of the Royal family when they visit Seville. The highlight of this monument is the beauty of the Mudejar art of the Palace built by Pedro I the Cruel.
Lunch. Walking along the banks of the Guadalquivir River we pass the Torre del Oro, a construction with Almohade origins, the Real Maestranza de Caballería Bullring and the Hospital de la Caridad, exhibiting a fine collection of paintings by Valdés Leal.
Departure for Osuna. Visit the Colegiata church of Santa Maria, preserving a magnificent baroque altarpiece and the Ducal Pantheon. Finally, the University building with a sober decoration and a splendid patio. Dinner in Osuna. Return to Antequera. Accommodation.

6th Day: ANTEQUERA-JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA - ARCOS DE LA FRONTERA- ANTEQUERA
Breakfast and today we head to Jerez de la Frontera. Three are the passions of its inhabitants: the flamenco music, the horse taming and the bull ranching although we can't forget that the artistic heritage of Jerez is one of the most important in the province. We will visit the Cathedral, built on the site of a Mosque, and then the renaissance styled Cabildo House in the Asunción square and finally the Church of San Miguel. In the morning we have the option to see the dancing horseshow in the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art (Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre).
Lunch will be served in one of many wine cellars: taste the sherry-wines and enjoy the gastronomic delights of this land.
We continue our cultural tour to Arcos de la Frontera: one of the most beautiful white villages in Spain, according to many Spaniards and to the present Spanish Prince Felipe, among them. It has a privileged position at the top of a steep cliff on the Guadalete River. Arcos was a very important Moorish settlement, as head of the Taifa reign in the 11th century. The best way to visit this town is by walking through its narrow streets: we will see the Conde del Aguila Palace, gothic-mudéjar style, the Church of Santa Maria de la Asuncion, a Plateresque art style and finally the Encarnacion Convent in a renaissance style. Before returning to Antequera we will stop at the town of Olvera for dinner. Accommodation.

7th Day: ANTEQUERA - RONDA - MARBELLA - ANTEQUERA
Breakfast and departure for Ronda. The sightseeing tour will include a visit to the Mondragon Palace, mudejar-art style and the Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor, built on the foundations of an old mosque which itself was built on the site of a Roman temple. The highlight of Ronda is, no doubt, the ancient Bullring, the first one built in Spain.
After Lunch we travel to Marbella, the millionaire's resort and Puerto Banus Marina, where the most luxurious yachts in the world are anchored. The best quality fashion shops, endless international restaurants and clubs are located within this well renowned harbour.
In Marbella old town we walk to the Plaza de los Naranjos, to the Casa del Corregidor and we will also stop at the Church of Santa Maria de la Encarnación
Dinner tonight is in a restaurant facing the sandy beaches of La Carihuela, a fishing village in Torremolinos, where the gastronomic speciality is the "pescaíto frito" (fried fish).
Return to Antequera, transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.

8th Day: ANTEQUERA - MALAGA - DEPARTURE
Breakfast and transfer to Malaga airport. End of the cultural tour.