Andalusia

Andalusian Geography. Andalusia is bordered by Estremadura to the north-west, New Castile (Castilla-La Mancha) to the north, Murcia to the north-east, and Portugal to the west. Geographically, the Sierra Morena forms a natural boundary to the north, to the east and south it overlooks the Mediterranean (and Gibraltar), and to the south-west, the Gulf of Cádiz is part of the Atlantic. Much of Andalusia is mountainous.

Andalusia consists of eight provinces: Seville, Granada, Córdoba, Cádiz, Málaga, Huelva, Jaén and Almería. The region of Murcia is separate, but culturally very similar due to emigration.

Andalusia's major cities are its provincial capitals, plus Jeréz de la Frontera. The capital of the region is Seville (Sevilla in Spanish).

Andalusian Culture. The best known aspect of Andalusian culture is undeniably flamenco music, song and dance, to such an extent that little else reaches the outside world. But it should be remembered that Andalusia has a tremendous cultural legacy in terms of the visual arts, as well - Picasso was from Málaga, for example.

History of Andalusia. In 11th century BC Andalusia, a relatively sophisticated civilization appeared which is now given the same name as its lost capital city, Tartessus or Tartessos. It is known that this city was somewhere on the mouth of the River Guadalquivir, near what was to be the Phoenician colony of Gadir, now Cádiz, and it is sometimes identified with Atlantis itself. The Tartessian civilization disappeared suddenly in the 8th century BC, perhaps destroyed by the Carthaginians in order to gain control of the former's trade routes (to complete the early Med civilization scene, the Greeks also had an Andalusian presence). The Romans put an end to this rather messy picture in the 3rd century BC, expelling colonists and subduing the various native Celtiberian tribes, and southern Spain became one of three Roman provinces in the Iberian Peninsula, with the name Hispania Baetica. Roman Spain lasted until the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 5th century when, they were displaced by the Visigoths in most of the peninsula, including the south.

It would be difficult to overstress the importance of the Moorish invasion of 711. The Moors called the entire peninsula al-Andalus, this territory shrinking over the centuries as the Christian reconquest advanced southwards. Culturally and economically, this period, particularly that of the Caliphate of Córdoba, is considered a golden age, though the disintegration of the Caliphate at the beginning of the 11th century was followed by the decline of Moorish civilization in the Iberian Peninsula, exacerbated rather than halted by the successive waves of radical Islamic Berber invaders, the Almoravids and Almohades (bear in mind that these invasions and dynastic successions affected the whole Maghreb, not just Moorish Spain). Most of Andalusia was conquered by the Christians at the beginning of the 13th century, but the kingdom of Granada lasted until it was taken by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492.

Christian Andalusia began well with Columbus's unwitting discovery of the Americas in the same year, and Seville's status as the official trading port with America brought at least some prosperity. However, Spain's economic decline affected Andalusia as well, and was made worse by the very unbalanced distribution of wealth, particularly land (it is striking how few villages exist in Andalusia — the population is concentrated in relative large towns and cities).

Andalusia Travel

In spite of Andalusia's cultural and historic attractions (and its outdoors and nature reserves are also of great interest), the vast majority of its visitors congregate on the coast. The Costa de la Luz is the coast of Huelva and Cádiz, the Costa del Sol is that of Málaga, the coast of Granada is called the Costa Tropicana, while the coast of Almería is simply that, the Costa de Almería. Foreign visitors to inland Andalusia are usually interested in its great cities, and the provinces of Jaén and Córdoba are almost unexplored by non-Spaniards.

Andalusia Sights. All the great Moorish monuments to be found in Spain are in Andalusia: the Alhambra in Granada, the Great Mosque (Mezquita) of Córdoba and the remains of the nearby city of Medina Azahara, and the Torre del Oro and Giralda towers in Seville. And though these are understandably the most visited historic sites in Andalusia, the region has more: the twin Renaissance cities of Úbeda and Baeza in the province of Jaén, jointly a world heritage site, spring to mind as examples of visitworthy places foreign travellers infrequently get to see. Seville and Málaga have two of Spain's great Gothic cathedrals and, though packed to its city limits with coachloads of excursionists in the summer, the town of Ronda in the mountains above Málaga is worth visiting for its spectacular location alone, perched over a huge gorge.

Outdoor Andalusia. Andalusia's beaches are best to west and east, the Atlantic Costa de la Luz of Huelva and Cádiz, the Costa de Almería and even Granada's Costa Tropical being less developed than Málaga's Costa del Sol, which has its own attractions, closeness to nature not being one of them. Inland, partly because of Andalusia's historic underpopulation, there are at least corners of scenic worth near most points in the region: Andalusia has twenty-four parques naturales, nature reserves under the administration of the regional government, and a bewildering array of other types of protected area, from paisajes protegidos and monumentos naturales to the more specific ZEPAs, wildlife reserves. The stars are the Sierra Nevada and the Alpujarras, the highland area beloved by walkers which spreads out southwards from the Sierra Nevada towards the coasts of Granada and Almería, and the Coto de Doñana, probably the most important wetlands in the south of Europe (nature lovers in need of a bronzing can get the best of both worlds at the Cabo de Gata).

Practical Andalusia Travel

Eating and Drinking. Andalusia is tapas-land, and its gastronomic capital is Seville, which doesn't mean you can't eat well in other places and formats. Sherry wines and similar are at their best here, quite unlike their equivalents for export, and the sweet vino de Málaga is a pleasant surprise for those who have forgotten there was such a thing as a dessert wine.

Nightlife. Come on, this is Spain — Andalusia rocks, whether you are looking for the ear-splitting, frantically promiscuous action of its resorts' discos or the sophistication of the clubs of Seville.

When to Go. Cold is never an obstacle in Andalusia, but heat definitely can be, particularly if you want to see the great inland cities of Seville and Córdoba, and the heat-sensitive should avoid these places in the second half of July and in August (and everyone should adopt sensible hot-weather behaviour — get in the shade as often as possible, wear a hat, even if it makes you feel silly, and drink lots of water. I said water, not beer, which you can drink as well, not instead). Andalusia's beaches can be alluring in the winter when prices are low and the weather at home is so depressing, but don't imagine this is the tropics, and young people are likely to be disappointed that so few nightspots (if any) open their doors.

Getting Around. Intercity transport is a pretty straightforward matter, whether you opt for buses or railways, but if you want to explore any of Andalusia's countryside, you will want to get wheels.

Getting There. Seville is well connected to Madrid by the AVE high-speed railway, though it is not cheap. There are too many low-cost airline options to mention, but easyJet flies to Málaga from seven English airports, Belfast and Basel, while Ryanair has flights to Málaga, Seville, Jeréz, Granada, and Almería, though with fewer possible departure points.

SPV Articles, Sections and Links Pages

Cities of Andalusia
The great Moorish cities of Andalusia: Seville, Córdoba, Granada, as well as Jaén, Málaga, Huelva, Cádiz, Almeria, and Ronda.

Costa de Almería
Almería is Andalusia's poorest province, due to its lack of rainfall, and a benefit of this is that even tourist development has been very slow here. Parts of the province are severely visually polluted by mile upon mile of plastic, under which intensive market gardening is carried out. But it has some fabulous beaches, nature reserves including the Cabo de Gata, great diving... You had better see it before everyone else finds out. A dedicated page of selected, annotated links.

Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol, also referred to as the "Costa del Golf," is perhaps the most expatriate-populated part of Spain (although nowadays the expats are just as likely to be Russian or Polish as English or Arab). They come for the beaches, which are good, in spite of their often grey, volcanic sand, for the golf, of course, for the food and drink and, most of all, for the weather. The Spain and Portugal for Visitors Costa del Sol section covers Málaga, Marbella, Mijas, and Torremolinos as well as the lovely Axarquía region.

Costa de la Luz
The coast of the provinces of Cadiz and Huelva has long, sweeping beaches of fine, white sand, nature reserves, including the famous Doñana National Park, good food and wine (this is sherry country), exuberant, amiable inhabitants, great weather... Though constantly threatening to become fashionable, it is much less developed than the neighbouring Costa del Sol and relative isolation can be found. A dedicated page of selected, annotated links.

Costa Tropical
This is the very artificial name given to the coast of the province of Granada, also much less developed than the Costa del Sol and with the added attraction of being close to Las Alpujarras. A dedicated page of selected, annotated links.

Gibraltar
The most disputed territory in Western Europe. A dedicated page of selected, annotated links.

Las Alpujarras
The mountainous region south of Granada. A dedicated page of selected, annotated links.

Andalusia Links Directory
Covering all the provinces of the region - Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Seville. Plus accommodation and the Andalusian outdoors.

Elsewhere on the Net - Selected Links

Andalusia.com
This is the largest of the portals dedicated to Andalusia, with a choice on entry between an interactive map or a directory. Its sheer size makes it a little cumbersome, but if you have time, you can find most relevant information here.

Andalusia.org
The regional tourist board's website is now even more indispensable than Andalucia.com.