Andalucia; Granada, Sevilla, Malaga, Cordoba

Andalucia is the southern part of Spain. Besides the Muslim and Romani cultures, it is also possible to see Iberians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines as well as Castillian and Jewish tracks.

The area is also well known for its hot weather. In the summertime, 40C is pretty normal to see. In the wintertime, the sun shines though, at nights it gets really cold.

Granada

Granada is the capital city of Andalucia with an average population of 300.000. Although this lovely city has many charming places, Alhambra is the first place to remember. This big castle includes gardens, fortifications, and charming palaces. It is constructed for the Arab Sultans which governed the area for years. It is one of the most visited monuments of Spain. Generally, it is hard to find the tickets of Alhambra so reserving or buying the ticket in advance can help you to save time. Keep in mind that visiting Alhambra can easily take half of the day or even a whole day. Also, be careful about the visiting hours of Nazrettin palace (a special part of Alhambra) which is stated on your ticket.

Another interesting part of the city is Albayzin. It is the old Arabic part located on the hill opposite the Alhambra. The area is known for cobble-stoned streets and small white houses. Walking in this area and climbing to the top may surprise you with the small squares, painters, gypsies, flamenco dancers, and with impressive views.














Sacromonte is another place that presents traditional gypsies' life, and flamenco.

The Cathedral and the shopping streets around it are also extremely touristic destinations.

 Unlike other parts of the country, Tapas culture is still alive in Andalucia. The food comes together with the selected drink.
In Granada, there are two main areas for bars: Pedro Alarcón and the area around Plaza Nueva and the Calle Elvira.

Sevilla

Sevilla is another unique city of Spain at the heart of Andalusia. Summertime it is really hot, for example, it is possible to see 48C easily. The city is also known as the home of bullfights, flamenco, and tapas. 

Places must be seen:

- Plaza de España (Amazing, detailed painted structure)

- The Moorish-style Alcázar palace (A royal palace reminds Alhambra).

- The cathedral ( the biggest Gothic Cathedral in the world from the 15th century)

- The  Giralda Tower (the bell tower of the cathedral)

 - Santa Cruz (the old Jewish quarter)

Also walking through the streets of Sevilla is a source of joy.

Malaga

Malaga has its own charm in the heart of Andalucia. Having beautiful sunny coasts and smooth weather, its history, the multicultural structure, being close to the other cities, and good transportation opportunities give a special flavour to the city.

 Places must be seen

- The Alcazaba of Malaga (it is a thousand-year-old and once it belonged to the old Muslim rulers)
- The Roman Theater (constructed at the 1st century BC and have been in use until the 3th century. right behind the Alcazaba.)
- The old city (at the heart of the city where you can find Picasso museum (Málaga is the birth city of the Picasso))
- The Catedral de la Encarnación (a nice piece from the Renaissance)
- Gibralfaro castle (built-in 14th century)
- The beaches and water parks of the beautiful coasts.

The interesting buildings that you can find when you are walking in downtown are 
- Aduana (The Custom), 
- Ayundamiento (The City Hall), 
- Banco de España (The Bank of Spain),
- Correos (The Post Main office), 
- Palacio de Congresos (The Congress Palace), 
- Palacio Episcopal (Episcopal Palace).

Day Trips from Malaga:

- Take day excursions to Granada, Sevilla, Ronda, Cordoba and Gibraltar,

- Visit the beaches of Nerja; an hour from Malaga (which has a nicer beach than the one in Malaga),

- Take an excursion to the Caves of Nerja,

- Visit the magnificent El Chorro Gorge and national park of El Torcal.

 



   Distances to other cities 

to  Ronda,  118Km,  2 hours by car.
to Granada 129Km, 2 hours by car.
to Sevilla     216km - 2h24 by car, 2h45 by bus, 2h30 by train.
to Cordoba 160 Km, 2.5 hour by car.
to Gibraltar 130 Km,  2 hours by car.
to Madrid    537km - 5h26 by car, 6h by bus, 3h45 by train, 1h flight.
to Barcelona 1,016km - 10h by car, 17h by bus, 13h30 by train, 1h30 flight.

Cordoba

Cordoba, a small lovely city of Andalucia, has an interesting historic background. In the 11th century it was one of the important capitals in Europe. It was the zone where Jews, Muslims and Christians were living peacefully together, and creating art and science. Also, it has the second-largest old city center in Europe declared World Heritage by UNESCO. The city is also famous with flamenco, bullfighting.

Places that must be seen:

- the Great Mosque of Córdoba and current cathedral (la Mezquita),
- the Roman bridge,  - Roman Temple, 
- the old Jewish quarter (close to the cathedral and includes beautiful original streets),
- the Synagogue and the Sephardic House. 
- the Roman walls (Surrounding the large Old town) 
- the Old Town (in addition to the cute streets there are several palaces such as Palacio de Viana)
- The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (in the old town)

Besides the monuments, it is a wonderful experience to be in Cordoba in spring in their famous festival which is called Patios Festival/Contest. Also known as Battle of Flowers. During the fest the residents of the old town open their decorated patios to public.

Also upper north part of the city, the luxurious zone of the city, is a nice area to see and to inhabit (there are several options for tourists).

Enjoy Andalucia !

Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria (Gran Canary)

Once a volcanic island, one of the 7 Canary Islands, just among three continents; Europe, Africa, and America in the Atlantic Ocean, Gran Canary is a unique island. 

The transparency and the color of the ocean, the forests, the caves, the mountains, and maybe the most important thing: "the temperature" is awesome. A unique island with a stable temperature. The yearly average is 25C. Thus, you can swim almost all around the year. On a cold November day in Europe, it can be a good place to get a sunbath and swim.

Gran Canaria is the central island with the most beautiful beaches. TherBesides the natural beauties,  get ready to be surprised with the very cheap tropical fruits (papaya mango avocado), gems, and aloe vera products. 

There is a big difference between the north and south in terms of beaches and their weather conditions. South is always sunny and warm almost all the time a while the north part is sometimes cloudy and cooler than the south. The inner parts of the island are more rainy and cloudy. The water temperature varies between 18C in winter and 22C-25C in the rest of the year. Also, the transparency of the water is a bit different between south and north, the quality of the sand, as well. In some parts as soon as you get into the ocean you see variates of fishes and plants. Because of this, there are so many underwater photo exhibitions and courses for a short period of days. Besides that, diving and snorkel diving courses are available.

The southern part is more popular among tourists while the north is more for native people. The distance between Palma de Gran Canaria (Palma de GC) which is at the north & also the capital city, and Maspalomas which is the most famous city in the south is 60 kilometers. The famous beach at the south is 10 km away from Maspalomas, called Playa de Ingles while the most famous beach at the north is called Playa de Canteras.

Right behind the Playas de Ingles, there is a wide area full of sand (dunes) called Las Dunas de Maspalomas.

There are even touristic camel trips in this area. Depending on your taste you may prefer to experience walking in that area or ride to a camel.

Life in Gran Canary follows a slow rhythm so as soon as you step into the city you feel the rhythm and feel an obligation for the adaptation :) Therefore it is a great place to relax.

Another interesting thing is the cultural mixture. You can see Arabs as much as Africans as well as the tourists which are mainly German and English, beside the native people.

The capital city of Las Palmas is also popular among tourists with the cathedral and the old town (El barrio de Vegueta) and shopping zones.

Shopping specially at the north part is pretty cheap (do not forget to bargain). Between north and south, the bus number 30 is functioning which takes an hour for a reasonable price. The same bus passes from the Airport of Gran Canary too.  Also in order to go to the Palma de GC from the airport take bus number 60.

Some main museums are,

Casa de Colon, Colon, 1, 35001 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Tel: 928 312 373/312 384.

El Museo Canario, C/Dr. Verneau, 2 (Vegueta), 35001 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Tel: 928 336800

CAAM, C/Los Balcones, 11. 35001 las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Tel: 902 31 18 24.

Cathedral De Santa Ana & Museo Diocesano, Calle Obispo Codina 13, Las Palmas. Tel: 928 33 14 30.

  

 Pueblo de Mogan, once a little fishing village, is a great place to watch the sundown. The village today is called Little Venice.

Enjoy living inside of nature. Enjoy Gran Canary!

Gran Canaria is also a heaven for trekking lovers; there are many hiking paths through nature. The highest point of the Island is Pozo de Las Nieves, a peak standing at 6431 feet above sea level.

PS: Renting car is a useful way of travelling, however if you prefer to the travel from city to city by bus, be careful about the bus hours, they have special timetables for each day.

Andorra

Andorra is a lovely small country between Spain and France in the Pyrenees, covering an area of 468 km squares. The average altitude is around 2000 meters.
Although you see Spanish and French effects on the culture, the dominant one is Catalan culture. The same can be seen in terms of language too. The official language is Catalan, though it is possible to hear French and Spanish, as well.
The capital city is Andora la Vella. The other 6 “big cities” are; Sant Julia de Loria, Escaldes-Engordany, La Massana, Ordino, Encamp, Canillo.

This peaceful country hasn’t been in a war for the last 700 years. Also, they have a very high life expectancy (on average 84).

The country is known as ski-land and it is also famous for its nature, ski resorts, SPAs, and tax-free shops.

Andorra has a charming landscape with it is fresh air, green high mountains, rivers, lakes, valleys, large meadows, trekking areas, and ski resorts. Depending on snow conditions, ski season starts after the second half of November and lasts till mid-April.

Beside being a natural heaven, due to being a tax free country, it is also heaven for shoppers, specially for buying duty free products;  watches, electronics, perfumes, cigarettes, liquors, etc. There are 2 long streets with so many shops and malls between Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. One can walk between two cities without even realizing that. The number of available shops is more than 2000 in Andorra. As you can imagine the famous brands are all around the city.

In terms of architecture, the country has its own style. In addition to stone houses, there are several churches and bridges in different cities. 

No matter how tired you are, nature with the fresh air and SPAs bring you back to life. 

Tricks and Tips:

-  Andorra doesn’t have an airport. So other Catalan regions are entrance gateways; either from France (Toulouse or Perpignan) or from Barcelona you can reach Andorra.

- Tourist visas are not required to enter Andorra, however since there is no airport you need to enter either France or Spain. Thus, tourists still need a Schengen visa, unless they are  EU citizens.

      - The shops are open between 10:00-13:00 and 15:00-20:00. Some are open till 21:00/22:00.  On Sundays, some of the shops are still open and the hours change depending on the shop.

    -  The cities/towns in the country are very close to each other, even without having/renting a car or motorbike, one can still go to the other cities easily by the well scheduled buses.

      - Unlike other stores, small electronic stores are open to bargain. 

    -  Almost all 3-4 star hotels have their SPA facilities, however, check their schedules in advance. 

   - Don’t forget that even if it is not the ski season the country is in the mountains, so it is cold after sunset, even you may wear short sleeves during the daytime.

      - Tourism information offices are helpful and friendly in Andorra.

   The distances from Andorra la Vella to:

   Barcelona                                135.7 Km (84 miles)

   Tolouse -France                      122.3 Km (76 miles)

   Sant Julia de Loria - Andorra        3.22Km (2 miles)

   Escaldes-Engordany- Andorra      1.61 Km (1mile)

   La Massana- Andorra                   4.83 Km (3 miles)

   Ordino - Andorra                      172 Km (107 miles)

   Encamp- Andorra                         1.62 Km (1 mile)

   Canillo – Andorra                         9.65 Km (6 miles)