What to visit during the holidays in Andalusia in 2019
Are you tired of the sun and chilling out on the beach yet? Then you should start exploring beautiful Andalusia and visit Southern towns, cultural and natural landmarks or British Gibraltar. There are many places worth to see, and we chose our 5 highlights.
1. Malaga
This cute coastal town is full of history, rich culture or delicious food. Despite the tons of tourists, it is still impressive and offers many opportunities to spend time. We picked Atarazanas Market to get some fresh fruit and vegetable. Right after, you can walk through botanical park The Parque de Malaga, along the fortress Alcazaba up to the hill called Castillo de Gibralfaro. The path is quite bluffy, so make sure you wear comfortable shoes and carry some water. You can refresh at the viewpoint, showing the whole city. The entrance to the castle is 3,5 euros, but we did not go in because of many tourists.
You deserve some relax on the beach after this little hike. Walking along the coast will lead you to Playa de Malagueta – the central and one of the best beaches. The afternoon can be spent in the city centre – visiting Roman Theatre, the cathedral or the narrow streets.
2. Frigiliana
Tiny village laying app. 60 km from Malaga, reminding us of the glorious Greek Santorini. This village is however surrounded by mountains, and the blue roofs are substituted by red ones. The old quarter was built by the Moors. It is a web of narrow winding streets full of mini markets, tapas bar or restaurants with beautiful floral decorations. A delight for the eyes.
3. Granada
A city full of delicious tapas (you always get a free tapas with a drink) and the very rush city centre is located only 130 km from Malaga. If you are keen on culture and history, you will be charmed by the palace La Alhambra – one of the most popular and important in Spain. In the beginning, it was built as a fortress, but later it served as a palace with wonderful gardens. It’s worth the visit but remember to purchase the tickets in advance.
The district Albacin is peaceful, and the best view on magical Alhambra can be found here – Viewpoint San Nicolas.
Our tip!
Observe Alhambra from one of the restaurants or from the Mosque gardens besides the viewpoint.
If you are planning to stay in Granada more than a day, hike in Sierra Nevada. We went for an hour walk to Los Cahorros (hanging bridges) since the highest peak Monachil was still covered by snow. The path is not marked, so print the instructions out before you come here.
4. Torcal de Antequera
You can find something incredible only 30 km from Malaga! El Torcal de Antequera is horizontal limestone formations, resembling towers. The walk is simple, and you can choose between three different tours. This is so unique that we strongly recommend visiting.
5. Mestá Setenil de las Bodegas a Ronda
These interesting places are located app. 100 km from Malaga. What matches these two towns is sandstone. In Setenil de las Bodegas, they built dwellings, bars and souvenir shops into the sandstone cliff. Whereas in Ronda, a beautiful viaduct Puente Nuevo was constructed in between of the cliffs. Both towns are cute and offer many views, bars and restaurants with traditional Spanish cuisine.
Bonus tip - Trip to Gibraltar
Malaga – Gibraltar = 136 km
We decided to park our car in Spain. Since Gibraltar belongs to Great Britain, the rental company would give us a fine, if we travelled over the Spanish border. A day parking cost around 12 euros. But because of these circumstances, our trip was a great adventure! We had to walk on the airport runway right after our passports were checked. That was an experience!
We were heading towards The Rock of Gibraltar, offering numerous views on Spain, Gibraltar and Africa. There are two options to reach the peak of this hill. Number 1 is a cable car. It costs 16 pounds plus if you want to enter the natural reserve, you will pay additional 5 pounds for the Walkers ticket. Option number 2 is walking up to the hill and purchasing only the 5-pound ticket. You will obtain a map with 4 tours which are crossing so you can tailor your own trip experience.
Since this hill had a function of a military base in the past, you can visit numerous batteries or tunnels. Right after, you can play with crazy stealing monkeys. Actually, did you know that Gibraltar is the only place in Europe with the wild monkeys? Nevertheless, we advise you to be careful and wear your backpacks on your chest to prevent yourselves from monkeys jumping on your back. Afterwards, go to Saint Michael’s cave before you walk on a 71-meter high bridge.
If you are wondering whether you should or shouldn’t drive to Gibraltar, the answer is GO. It was one of the highlights of our Andalusian trip. We were impressed with exotic nature, amusing monkeys, delightful English accent and friendly locals. You may feel like in the UK, noticing red telephone boxes and famous coffee shops chains.
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