Granada, Cordoba And Seville

Arriving at Malaga Airport today we travel the short distance into the city by train. From here we then board a public bus for the 128 kilometre drive to Granda. The journey should take us around two hours, getting us into the famous Andalucian city later this afternoon. Located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Granada is a historical gem that is blessed with a stunning fusion of Spanish and Muslim art and architecture including the Alhambra Palace, the Generalife and the city’s grand 16th century cathedral.

Overnight Simple Hostel

One of the highlights of our journey is our visit this morning to Granada’s iconic Alhambra Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site that occupies a small plateau in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. Built in the 13th century by Mohammed Iibn Nasr, the founder of the Nasrid dynasty, the palace is considered one of the finest examples of Moorish architecture outside the Arab world. We also include an orientation tour of the city this afternoon, taking in some of the city’s main points of interest including the Albaicin, Granada’s historic and atmospheric old Moorish quarter. In the evening you can enjoy the colourful procession through town to celebrate the Sunday of the Resurrection.

Overnight Simple Hostel Included meals: Breakfast

After a free morning in the city we take a taxi to the bus station to catch the midday bus on to the city of Córdoba, the once great capital of the Islamic caliphate of al-Andalus. Like Granada, Córdoba hides a wealth of treasures amongst its rambling back streets and this afternoon we have chance to visit its great mosque, the Mezquita-Catedral. Another of Spain’s World Heritage sites, this extraordinary building represents a unique blend of faiths, housing two oratories and a stunning hypostyle hall that contains 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble and granite. Today we can witness more processions for Holy Week.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Travelling by train today we head for Seville. The Andalucian capital can trace its ancestry back over two thousand years. It is now home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites and is one of the three largest Old Towns in Europe (Venice and Genoa being the other two). The remainder of the day is free for you to make your first impressions of the city - perhaps visit one of the many museums or and enjoy the views from the top of the Giralda Tower.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we take a walk through the city, taking in its beautiful ‘Mudejar’ architecture (a mixture of Christian and Moorish styles). This afternoon has then been left free, offering a chance to take in the delights of the Alcázar and the city’s immense Gothic Cathedral, and to enjoy the atmosphere of the Holy Week celebrations.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

We leave the city behind today and travel by bus heading deep into the countryside of rural Andalucia, to Fuenteheridos. From there taxis take us on to the small village of Castaño de Robledo, close to the Portuguese border.  Our destination lies in the heart of the Sierra Aracena National Park, surrounded by a landscape of cork trees and forests of oak and sweet chestnut. Castaño is a captivating collection of narrow cobbled streets and whitewashed houses that exhibit the typical 'serrano' architecture of the area. We walk to the picturesque ‘pueblos blanco’ (white village) of Alájar, famed for the imposing 17th century shrine of Arias Montano that occupies a rocky promontory high above the village.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Lying to the northwest of Seville, the Sierra de Aracena is a remote western outlier of the extensive Sierra Morena and the quiet, easy paced, way of life here remains definitively Andalucian. The wooded hillsides support a smattering of tiny whitewashed villages, with rural economies still reliant on the production of quality-cured hams, chestnuts and cork. The morning is free to allow those who wish to visit the town of Aracena, home to the famous ‘Gruta de las Maravillas’ (Grotto of the Marvels), set amidst one of the most spectacular cave systems in the country (optional). This afternoon we walk to the nearby village of Galaroza, in the beautifully scenic Valle de Murtiga (walking distance approximately 11 km)

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

After breakfast we transfer to Seville airport.

Included meals: Breakfast