Enjoy this exciting exploration of Andalucia – birthplace of Picasso, home of flamenco and cradle of the gypsy life.

Join us to discover the Spain beyond the beach resorts of the sun-kissed Costa. From your base in the traditionally Andalusian town of Antequera, you’ll enjoy full-day visits to Granada and the stunning Alhambra gardens, to glorious, historic Seville, the City of Flamenco and setting for Bizet’s Carmen, and to the enchanting, whitewashed, hill-top town of Ronda, above its famous Gorge.

On this great-value Spanish holiday you’ll also have the chance to visit the magnificent Moorish stronghold of Cordoba and its extraordinary Mezquita, on a fascinating optional excursion.

What You’ll Love

• Six nights’ bed and breakfast accommodation at the three-star Hotel Coso, Antequera (hotel and half-board upgrades available)
• Return flights to Malaga
• A full-day tour of Seville
• A full-day tour of Granada, home to the world-renowned Alhambra and its exquisite gardens
• A full-day tour of Ronda
• Take in the sweeping views from the Puente Nuevo, which joins the old and new towns of the mountain-top
• The chance to join an optional excursion to Cordoba
• Comfortable, air-conditioned coach travel and transfers
• The services of a friendly, experienced tour manager

Single supplements apply. Offer subject to availability.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Fly to Spain

Fly into Malaga, and board the coach and transfer into the sun-baked Andalusian hills and to your hotel base in Antequera. Rest and relax in the hotel and, depending on your arrival time, enjoy a first dinner in one of the town’s wide range of restaurants, traditional tapas bars and cafés.

Day 2 – Included Seville Excursion

The first of your included excursions takes you to historic Seville, the great City of Flamenco, and the setting for Bizet’s Carmen and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, both of which draw heavily on the city’s heady atmosphere.

Seville, where every street is lined with orange trees, has a rich and colourful history, which is reflected in great buildings, beautiful parks, grand boulevards and atmospheric old quarters of narrow streets that open on to tree-lined squares. Wander towards sweeping Plaza de Espana, the city’s ornate, fountain-fronted centrepiece; don’t miss the magnificent Cathedral, one of the largest Gothic churches in Christendom, with its 300ft-high Giralda Tower and much-debated tomb of Christopher Columbus; and perhaps pay a visit to the immense Plaza de Toros, Spain’s oldest bullring, where the traditions of the corrida are still revered despite the controversy that surrounds them. Close by, the cool courtyards of the Moorish Alcazar lead through to the Juderia (Jewish Quarter).

The River Guadalquivir, still tidal some 50 miles inland, and up which Columbus once sailed in triumph following his discovery of the New World, still brings great ships to the city’s port, and divides Seville from Triana, the pleasant district on the opposite shore.

Day 3 – Optional Cordoba Excursion

Spend today relaxing and perhaps exploring Antequera. A settlement since prehistoric times, and boasting a great Moorish fortress known as “the heart of Andalucia”, the town is overlooked by La Peña de Los Enamorados (Lovers’ Leap) a limestone crag shrouded in local legend.

Many, however, will want join today’s optional excursion across the plain to the great city of Cordoba. The elegant former Moorish and Roman capital of Spain is full of fascination. At its heart is the breath-taking Mezquita, the huge former mosque now owned and occupied by the city’s Catholic cathedral. This immense building retains much of the austere grandeur reflecting Cordoba’s historic position as the greatest Moorish city in Europe. Surrounding the Mezquita, the narrow lanes and corridors of the ancient Juderia evoke a sense that nothing has changed for a thousand years.

After your guided tour of the Mezquita, you’ll have the chance to explore the city under your own steam before returning to Antequera in the evening.

Day 4 – Included Ronda Excursion

Today’s included excursion is a scenic wonder. Travel across the Andalusian Plain, through a countryside dotted with villages of whitewashed houses, to the stunning town of Ronda, in the heart of the Andalusian hills. Set above the dramatic El Tajo gorge, which cuts a swathe through the Sierra, this once Moorish citadel is a delight, with a maze of narrow streets, some fine Renaissance houses, its historic bullring and – across the Puente Nuevo bridge which spans the gorge – a fascinating Roman-style baths.

Day 5 – Included Granada Excursion

Board the coach, this morning, for the day’s unforgettable included excursion, journeying north through the foothills of the Alpujarras to the great city of Granada. Set majestically atop three hills, which rise steeply from the Andalusian Plain, this former Moorish capital, with its views to the snow-capped Sierra Nevada, is one of Spain’s greatest treasures.

Begin your time here with a sightseeing tour of the city, culminating with a visit to the gardens of the awe-inspiring Alhambra, the beautiful park and walled settlement crowned by one of the world’s finest Moorish palaces. Discover the ancient Alcazaba citadel and the Generalife, a royal retreat in the heart of the complex, as well as some of Europe’s most beautiful formal gardens, each new treasure reflecting the glories of a great empire. This evening, you’ll return to Antequera after a thoroughly absorbing day.

Day 6 – At Leisure

Enjoy today, the final day of your tour, at leisure.

Day 7 – Departure

Bid adios to Andalucia, today, returning to Malaga to catch your flight home, after a memorable few days in a wonderful part of the world.