Southern Spain (Andalucia) - trip report

[Clariman]

Following my earlier request for advice on what different cities were worth visiting, I thought I'd write up a few thoughts.

Firstly, given a stressful January (my father being ill and passing away - at the same time other things were going on), we decided to simplify the trip. So we cancelled the hire car and took the train between cities. Rather than try to cram in Granada, Seville, Cordoba, Ronda etc., we focused on just 2: Seville and Cordoba.

Given that we flew from a regional airport, Malaga was our only Andalusian destination airport option. There are great links by bus and metro train from the airport to the city centre. We arrived very late so jumped in a cab for 20 euros. We stayed at a hotel beside the Malaga Maria Zambrano train station so that we just had to step out of the door to catch our train to Cordoba.

Perhaps worth a comment no the Spanish Renfe trains at this point. Basically, we were very impressed with speed, punctuality and roominess. More by chance than by design, we dropped a class of travel each time until we travelled bog standard class. Malaga to Cordoba was about 45 minutes on the very fast inter-city AVE train travelling 1st class (Preferente). Very comfortable, loads of space, drinks and snacks included. For Cordoba to Seville we travelled on the AVE in what you'd probably call Premium Economy (Turista Plus) - only about 40 minutes. This was the same carriage type and layout as 1st class (2 seats one side of the aisle and 1 on the other) but no drinks included. For the comfort this was great value and would choose again. For Seville to Malaga we travelled on the faster of the 2 regional train options - AVANT - in economy/standard (Turista). This was a 2+2 formation but still a lot more space and comfort than on a British train and took about 2 hours. Overall very impressed.

So we started with 3 nights in Cordoba and were welcomed with rain. Had a brilliant little hotel, up a quiet alley just 30 metres from the main tourist attractions. The old town has narrow streets and was full of Moorish and Jewish influence. The small museum of Andalusian life just across the river gave a fascinating insight into how Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities happily lived side by side for centuries. Of course, that didn't last forever as the Jews were banished in the 1600s etc., but the exhibition was quite thought provoking. Perhaps a separate post on another board on that topic. Highlights for me included the Mezquita - the ancient Islamic mosque where the Christians had plonked a huge Catholic cathedral right in the middle of it. That's one way of stamping your authority. Some beautiful Islamic architecture. Also loved the patios (enclosed courtyards) that Cordoba is famous for. The Viana Palace with its dozen or more patios and gardens was a delight. The later parts of the town (17th to 19th century) were also quite attractive and housed most of the shops. Amazing to think that this town was one of the richest and most important ones in the whole of Europe.

Like Cordoba, Seville's main areas of interest were within walking distance of each other, but on a somewhat grander scale. I have to say that I loved Seville. Again the Moorish influence in the architecture was really stunning and interesting. The Alcazar Real (Royal Palace) was a great place to visit. We spent over 4 hours there wandering through the building and visiting the gardens. This started out as an Islamic Caliphate palace around the 10th century but then became the palace of the Castilian Catholic kings. A surprised highlight was the collegiate church of San Salvador which we enjoyed visiting much more than the famous Cathedral. The altarpieces were stunning and it had a superb audio guide. There is so much to see in Seville that it is beyond a post like this. Suffice to say we loved it. Another highlight for us was hearing/seeing real flamenco music - not the tourist stuff from 1970s Costas but a really interesting and fascinating performance art - with a deep and complex history. It was like chamber music for guitar, singer and dancers. Again, I could write a separate post about that.

Food was a bit mixed overall. Some good traditional tapas and some modern innovative well-presented tapas in Seville. However, main courses were mostly chunks of meat or fish with some potato - in various guises. Slightly disappointed but loved the wine and rediscovered Fino as an all day and meal time drink!

If I was to sum it up, Cordoba and Seville are both pretty high up on my list of cities that we've visited - especially Seville. I'd put Seville a few notches under Florence but above Bologna (excepting the food!). Cordoba was interesting historically and culturally so would sit somewhere around Bologna for me. What makes both unique compared to other European cities is the huge Islamic influence in the architecture - an influence which either stunning or simply beautiful.

Clariman

[SteMiS]

Hi. Thanks for that I've just come back from Southern Spain, spending 3 nights in Marbella and 2 in Malaga. Would concur about the buses; cheap and easy to use. About €6 from Malaga Airport to Marbella (and similar Marbella to downtown Malaga) and €3 downtown Malaga to the airport. Both bus terminals within easy walk of the old towns of each (assuming not too much luggage).

Quite impressed with Malaga - Picasso museum and Alcazaba worth visits. Also enjoyed smaller and less well known Revello de Toro museum. Very busy centre and lights on Calle Marques de Larios pretty spectacular.

Particularly interested in your train journeys to Sevilla and Cordoba as very much on my list. Did you book your tickets on line or at the station? What were the costs? I speak moderate Spanish so no issue either way.

[Clariman]

Particularly interested in your train journeys to Sevilla and Cordoba as very much on my list. Did you book your tickets on line or at the station? What were the costs? I speak moderate Spanish so no issue either way.

I booked in advance using the train operator's websitehttp://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html

If it appears in Spanish, click on the word 'Welcome' in English at the top. I had read that the website can be a bit temperamental about accepting credit cards, so some people recommend using other agency sites. I booked 3 journeys separately. The first 2 I had no bother using my Amex card, but inexplicably the 3rd one failed but my Mastercard worked. I got e-Tickets so printed them off before leaving the UK.

Like the UK, prices vary depending on class, time of day, promotions and also which type of train. Looking at the Renfe website now, I see that a train journey from Malaga to Cordoba next Thursday costs from 24.95 Euros for Tourista or Tourista Plus. First class promo tickets for some trains available at 27.05 Euros.

We don't speak any Spanish but it wasn't a great problem.

The stations at Malaga, Cordoba and Seville were all very modern, clean and bright. The transport system seems well integrated because I think bus stations were next to each train station. We were also impressed that we needed to have our bags scanned like an airport in order to travel on the AVE and AVANT services. There were no airport-style queues though.

[redsturgeon]

Thanks Clariman for that very interesting run down of your trip. I like the use of well known Italian cities as a scale. I would agree that overall food tends to be better in Italy and you need to be more selective in Spain to find good place to eat. Comparing Northern Italy with Southern Spain regarding cuisine though is probably unfair on Spain since the well known gastronomic centres are definitely in the North of both countries.

Glad you had an enjoyable trip though.

John

[saechunu]

Quite impressed with Malaga - Picasso museum and Alcazaba worth visits. Also enjoyed smaller and less well known Revello de Toro museum. Very busy centre and lights on Calle Marques de Larios pretty spectacular.

We'll we spending a couple of days in Malaga at the start of our Andalucia trip. The Revello de Toro museum looks good so have added it to our itinerary - thanks.