Driving around Andalusia - Malaga to Cadiz

Alhambra, pearl of Andalusia

Last year during fall, I got a chance to spend about 10 days in the Andalusian region of Spain. We had started with a plan to drive from Malaga to Lisbon in Portugal, but after realising how much there is to explore there itself, we changed our plans to just stay in Andalusia. We did a round trip with stays in Cordoba, Cadiz, Tarifa and Marbella and had a fabuous time, enjoying the sun, the landscapes, the beaches, the history, the architecture, the small towns, and the spectacular drives all around. I totally loved the trip and can see myself going back a few more times.

We stayed at 4 different locations during the holiday and spent one day exploring the place we stayed in, the rest of the days either driving to other places nearby or stopping at places while driving from one place to the other.


Itinerary

Day 1: Fly to Malaga and stay the night
Day 2: Drive Malaga -> Nerja -> Granada -> Córdoba (4 hours); stay in Cordoba at the Abetos del Maestre Escuela hotel
Day 3: Explore Cordoba
Day 4: Drive Cordoba-> Seville -> Cadiz (2.5 hours); stay at Cadiz at Monte Puertatierra Hotel
Day 5: Explore Cadiz old town
Day 6: Drive Cadiz -> (Medina Sidonia) -> Vejer de la Frontera -> Zahara de los atunes -> Tarifa (2.5 hours); stay at Tarifa at an Airbnb
Day 7: Visit Bolonia
Day 8: Diving and beach day in Tarifa
Day 9: Drive from Tarifa to Marbella (1.5 hours); stay at Marbella at Eden Roc apartments
Day 10: Visit Setenil de las Bodegas and Ronda
Day 11: Explore Marbella
Day 12: Fly back from Malaga


Getting to Malaga

I was supposed to land in Malaga in the morning but my flight got delayed by 7 hours! Anyways, once I managed to get there, I picked up the car and drove to our hotel. We had booked a simple small hotel near the airport to reduce the amount of travel time that day but I was quite flabbergasted when I saw the hotel and its location! Apparently, we had booked the hotel in some suburbs of Malaga, which turned out to be quite residential and rundown in reality! Or actually, one side of the street looked really rundown while the other looked ok. Anyways I checked in, thinking to myself if it had been a bad decision to stay here.

And then I started searching for places to eat, which was not very comforting either! As we were quite outside the city, there weren’t a lot of options to eat nearby. There was just one place, a hotel nearby - the Hotel Romerito. Once I got there though, jaan main jaan aayi.

It was actually quite a cute little posada hotel and had a nice restaurant. It had an open square for eating, decorated with ceramic paintings on the walls, some fountains and lots of beautiful plants all around. It felt amazing to be able to sit outside and have your dinner as the temperature was above 20 degrees – it was warm even in November. We had a tasty dinner there, already trying some of the Spanish local foods.

While walking back to our hotel, we noticed that the shops around were open till midnight! And women and children were walking around even at 12 at night. It felt so different, and such a welcome change from where we live. I think it was mostly because of the weather, that going out for a walk at night also felt comfortable. I had finally ended up enjoying my first evening in Andalusia. And it only got better over the week.


Driving from Malaga to Cordoba through Nerja and Granada

Most of the days, we drove just for a couple of hours. Today was the only day when we were driving for long, 4 hours, with a few stops on the way. We took the coastal route to get to the old Moorish town of Granada. On the way, we stopped at a coastal town called Nerja for breakfast. It is a small place on the sea with some nice resorts and eating places, and loads of British tourists.

It was mostly a random village we had decided to stop at to have breakfast, and after parking, we just walked to the town centre to a restaurant overlooking the sea. It turned out the restaurants opened only at 11am and we were early! (And this is something we faced everywhere, Spain really doesn’t like to wake before noon). We sat outside at the Bamboo restaurant and had a lazy breakfast, and that was enough to get me into the warm tropical holiday mood😊.

Beach at Nerja

After that we just walked along the beach promenade to take in the vibe of the place. The beach was nice, and some people were snorkelling there too. But it really felt like the place hadn’t woken up yet.

Then we drove towards Granada through the Sierra Nevada mountains and it was quite a green drive. On the way, there were some picturesque bridges spanning multiple mountains, and lot of charming little villages and greenery all along.

Granada old town

Granada is a remnant from the Moorish past of this region and is quite picturesque because of that. The old town is built on a few small hills. One is topped by the Alhambra – a magnificent fort and palace. The neighbouring one is lined with Moorish houses in white. The houses are decorated with local ceramics and pottery decorations on its walls, with some of them showcasing tiles with Christian motifs and themes. It exudes a Moorish/Arabic feel to it which is difficult to explain. The old town is extremely clean and very inviting to walk through.

Everywhere, you will see people walking around, shopping, eating, listening to music and just having a great time. And as the whole town is surrounded by hills it gives it a cosiness I love. It’s definitely one of my favourites places in Andalusia and I can see myself going back there, yet again.

House decorations

In Granada we tried to visit the Alhambra but it was fully booked. So we walked down from the Alhambra into the old town. We spent some time exploring the small shops. And then we climbed the mountain in front, lined with the white houses all the way up. The whole area felt from a different era, with all the ceramic decorations, plates and pottery on the wall, the flowers and all the gaiety around. We stopped at a few squares, where there were loads of people just enjoying a day out. With someone nearby playing the guitar (always). It was so lively, it was fun even to just keep walking around and partaking in the gaiety. We also saw an unusual number of hippies around.

Views of Alhambra

As we kept walking up, we passed by a few spectacular viewpoints of the Alhambra. I have to say this, the Alhambra is always a pleasure to look at. Even though I have been there before, I loved it even now, sitting so daintily on top of the mountain, visible from everywhere across the valley and the old town. So serene, so calm, so charming. It was lovely. We went to one of the viewpoints up top, the Mirador, and just sat there for a while. Admiring the Alhambra. At leisure.

All through the day, we would stop for a while and listen to someone play the guitar, it was like a constant with us all our time in inland Andalusia. And everywhere there were lot of tourists, enjoying a warm fall day. Most of the restaurants were full, so we just walked around a lot that day, trying to find a place to eat. The day just felt like a dream, again.

When we left Granada, it was already getting dark, so we missed part of the landscapes during the night drive. We did see a gorgeous sunset while driving out of the city. The whole drive for sure would have been spectacular, but we could only make out some of the shapes on the way. We saw some 4-5 castles on the way. All lighted up, and located on top of small hills. They all looked so charming. And we also saw some bull cutouts of top of some hills, maybe to highlight the bullfighting heritage of the area. They were all visible from afar. We think we drove through some mountainous landscape all the way till Cordoba but of course can’t say for sure. It was dark all the way.


Cordoba

We spent an entire day walking around and exploring the old town of Cordoba. And I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was. (I had heard years ago from some friends that it was not a place worth visiting and now I disagree 😊). The city around seemed quite big and bustling. It had wide roads, lined with trees on both sides. And lot of pretty houses and modern buildings all around. While driving through it, I did wonder though if it was worth coming here or not as it seemed like quite a usual modern city.

Cordoba bridge

Its when you come to the old town you see what the old Cordoba is all about. We first walked along the Guadalquivir river, one side of which had modern houses in orange and yellow, the other was the old town. Then we crossed the famous Roman bridge to get to the old town (this bridge was pictured in Game of Thrones). We ended up spending a lot of time on the bridge itself. It was fun just being there while an artist regaled us with his guitar music for a long time and my friend got her name written in Arabic calligraphy. There were lot of tourists there and I just sat for a while, taking in the feeling of having landed in a different time and place.

Cordoba mosque cathedral

We then crossed over and walked around the old town. It was a facinating experience. We first reached the mosque cathedral, the symbol of Cordoba. It was a huge structure, decorated exquisitely with carvings and sculptures all around. And there was a huge garden in the centre full of orange trees. My friend went inside it and found it mind-blowing.

Streets of flowers

We just ambled along the whole day through its old streets. Eating, shopping, photographing and so on. The whole area looked old, with the narrow streets lined with old yellow stone buildings. We walked by the street of flowers, called the Callejas de las Flores. And sat in a square with the guitar playing in the background (again). We passed by a horse performance and the Alacazar – the local fort on our walks but didn't have the time to see them.

Streets of Cordoba

The rest of the time we just explored the shops around, they were all selling such beautiful art and handicraft objects. Everything was so cheap here too. Overall, we didn’t do much during the day, but still felt we had experienced and enjoyed a lot. And I would suggest Cordoba as definitely a nice place for a stop.

Abetos hotel, Cordoba

In Cordoba, we had stayed at a hotel outside of town – the Abetos del Maestre Escuela Hotel. And it was fabulous. It was located in the suburbs, in a residential area in the mountains with only greenery and forests surrounding it, with some huge bungalows in those woods. The hotel was built in a traditional Spanish style, quite grand in its appearance. Every day we had our breakfast and dinner in the hotel itself on its terrace. From there, you could get a panoramic view of the greenery around. And it felt delightful to start the day with a view like that. And it was so cheap! I was surprised by how reasonable food was in Spain, much more than London and Netherlands. 

One day, I went out for a run in the woods nearby and found a hiking trail to follow. It was a bit narrow and tricky at times to run but was still nice to run amid the greenery. I would definitely recommend this hotel to stay in if you have a car. It was a great experience for us, away from the crowds.


Driving from Cordoba to Cadiz through Seville

During the drive from Cordoba to Cadiz, we realised that the landscape in this part of Spain changed every 100 kms. Sometimes you would see bare deserts, something forests; sometimes flat lands, sometimes high mountains; and so on. During this drive, it was mostly bare deserts, with some places having scrub vegetation, but not a lot.

Plaza de Espana

On the way, we stopped for a few hours at Seville, at the Plaza de Espana. It was the location of a major exhibition in 1928 and has since stood as a symbol of Seville. The day was very hot which limited how much we wanted to exert but we still enjoyed walking around a bit. 

It is still as grand and majestic as ever, and doesn’t fail to impress. There was a dancer doing the flamenco on its stairs but we got there too late to watch it. We then walked a bit through the bridges along the small canal in front. They even have gondola rides there now, though it was too hot to get into them now!

All along the Plaza, there are paintings representing all the Spanish cities which had taken part in the exhibition in 1928. I took a photograph in front of Barcelona, at the same spot (and in the same pose) I had taken a photograph 10 years ago. Though it's only now that I looked at it closely, and realised how colonial that painting was. It’s so interesting that we have all become so much more aware of these things now, than before.

Seville

After the Plaza, we walked in the park next to it for a while, enjoying the cool shade of the plants. And watching the small fountains and other structures in the park. We had lunch at one of the local places. We walked around a bit and somehow, I liked the town a lot more this time than the last. The city felt so nice, clean and grand.

While driving out of Seville, we initially had some mountains which turned into plains and most of the drive was lined with gorgeous trees on both sides. Towards the evening, we could even see the sun and the moon together for most of the evening. It was a short drive and soon we reached our next destination, Cadiz.


Cadiz

Streets of Cadiz

Cadiz was a nice seaside resort town on the Atlantic ocean. It’s almost an island by itself. Cadiz has both an old town, and a more modern resort side to it. The old town was quite small and slow, with more white than yellow houses. It has a bit of history, apparently being the oldest city in Western Europe. There was one main church, a few castilles, a few squares and some other places to see. It is really very small though, with very old buildings and very narrow roads (It was where the Pathaan song was shot recently).

Cathedral of Cadiz

We were staying at the Monte Puertatierra Hotel, just one lane away from the sea. It was in the transition zone between the old and the new Cadiz. From our hotel started the more modern buildings, the hotels, holiday homes and the restaurants. And so the area around the hotel felt a lot more open than the old town. 

Main road, Cadiz

One of the days, we walked into the old town. I ran along the coast and onto one of the forts into the water, the Castillo de San Sebastian. We sat next to the rocks there for a while, watching the waves crash into the rocks. Then we walked in to the town centre and walked past some stunning squares in the city centre including the Plaza de San Juan de Dios, eating at one of the restaurants around. (This square is also in the Pathaan song). There was a local market there and the vibe was quite lively, with lot of people just sitting outside and having a nice time. As we walked back, we walked past the port which was full of cruise ships of that day.

One of the evenings, we walking towards the old town and saw a group of people practicing in a band together for a few hours right next to the sea. At 10 pm! Its sound could be heard all around town, and provided a nice ambience for our walk around.

The next evening, we walked all along the waterfront, till the end of the promenade. It was a nice walk with lights and palm trees all along the beach on the waterfront. And resorts, hotels and holiday homes lining it. There were some very nice restaurants along the water. Most of them used to be empty though when we used to go out for dinner, at 7 pm 😊.

The beach and beach restaurants were good too, though not a lot of people were in the water as it was too cold (still around 20 degrees!). When I went in, I found it quite warm actually and good for swimming. I guess people here are quite spoilt with really warm weathers and waters, that they actually give up on swimming when it turns just a tad cold 😉.

Sunsets in Cadiz

We saw some gorgeous red sunsets while walking along the beach everyday. At night, we again saw the sun and moon together at the same time, it was quite a regular occurrence in Spain surprisingly. Also we kept noticing the phase of the moon everyday as it got to a full moon by the end of the trip. It looked lovely with its reflection on the water as we walked at night every day. Overall, I thought Cadiz was a nice resort town to relax, but it was too touristy and modern for my taste. Tarifa though where we went to next had the right balance.


Map



Part 2: Cadiz to Marbella

Spanish countryside: Andalusia

After our stay in the Gran Canaria island, we spent a couple of days driving around in Andalusia, the southern (and warmer) part of Spain. We flew to Malaga from the Canary Islands and straightaway drove to Sevilla. We spent a day in Sevilla and then came back to Malaga. Once in Malaga, we spent a day exploring the town and then did a day trip to the hill station of Granada. Driving around was quite comfortable as all these towns are about 1-2 hours away from each other.

What I remember most about this leg of the trip was the warm(er) weather and the non-European culture of Andalusia. It was a lot warmer here in December than London, with temperatures ranging in the early 20s. This made the walking around and exploring the towns quite comfortable. And this region of Spain has a Moorish (Arabic) influence which was in juxtaposition with the European feel in the rest of Spain. This mixing of cultures made for interesting towns to explore; in terms of their architecture, handicrafts, look and feel of the towns, history and music.

All the three towns were quite similar in some aspects. They all had cathedrals in the city center, a fort or a major palace from Moorish times and an enchanting old part of the town with narrow lanes and memories of a very distant and different past.

Sevilla

Sevilla old town

In Sevilla, we spent the whole day walking around the old narrow cobbled lanes of the city center, eating tapas in the various cafes when tired of the walk and enjoying the sun which had made the day very warm. We took a map of the old town which guided us to the main sites to see and the rest of the time, we just walked around on whichever street seemed interesting to us.

Church of del Salvador

The first church we went into was the Iglesia del Salvador (which I mistook for the main cathedral). Inside the church, there were intricate sculptures made of solid silver and and huge Christian paintings all around. They were one of the best I have seen in Europe and very impressive. The square just outside the church was also fun, it was full of people enjoying the winter sun while being out for Christmas shopping. There were vendors selling street food and performers entertaining the kids.

Sevilla cathedral

After del Salvador, we reached the cathedral of Sevilla which is a huge Gothic structure built of light brown stone. We had had enough church visits for the day and so decided not to venture inside but have heard that its a beautiful cathedral.

Giralda Tower

Just next to the cathedral is the Giralda tower; a huge architectural marvel which provides good views of the city from the top. It might be worth visiting though we did not go up. (In a lot of European towns, every place is hyped up so much that you end up spending money on things not really worth it. I would say its a good idea to decide before-hand what place you would like to pay and visit, rather than going everywhere the guide books tell you to!)

Alcazar Palace

Alcazar Palace

We did visit the Alcazar palace though (or castle as its called), which is located just next to the cathedral. The palace was a remnant from the Moorish reign of Sevilla, and was built in the Arabic style. It had grand rooms with exquisite designs made in marble on the walls, all clean and well preserved. The designs in the palace reminded me of the marble carved windows and structures from the Mughal architecture from India, in Agra, Delhi and some places in Rajasthan. I would say that the work in these Indian palaces and forts is grander than Alcazar, except that here, the structures were a lot better in terms of maintenance and preservation as compared to India (there were no names written on the walls by visiting tourists as it happens in India!). And this cleanliness makes it look a lot better than what we have in India, which is a pity given that we have much better palaces in India. But that's how it is!

We also took a horse carriage ride around all the touristic areas around; the Torre del Oro tower, a bull fighting ring, a couple of museums and the Parque Maria Luisa park. The carriage ride was a good way to just ride through all the worthwhile areas and then decide which of those places you want to spend more time at.

Playa de Espana

Playa de Espana

After the carriage ride, we spent some time at the Playa de Espana, which is a huge brown sandstone Parliament building located in the center of the Maria Luisa park. It is built in a semi-circular shape, with fountains in the center and a flowing canal in front where people can choose to boat (in Venice-like gondolas). In the setting sun, the building looked mesmerising; the brown of the building and the yellow of the sun playing games with each other. We also liked walking next to the base of the building; around the semi-circle, there were mosaics contributed by each of the cities of Spain which were interesting to look at.

Santa Cruz

After Playa de Espana, we spent some time in the Santa Cruz area of the town, which is another of the old and handsome part of town with cafes and eating places spread everywhere. It was relaxing after the hectic day to just walk around lazily and stop for a cup of coffee whenever tired or just flick through the souvenirs being sold in all the shops. Sevilla is also famous for the tomb of Columbus which we did not get a chance to see. Might be worth visiting next time.

We had dinner at a restaurant called Giralda, just next to the Giralda tower which actually had tasty vegetarian food. If you ever get to eat there, would recommend the paella, it was just so yum and tasty, a must try!

In Sevilla, we stayed at the Barcelo Renacimiento, an executive hotel located outside the town on an island. It was a good and relatively cheap hotel. I did realise though, that it makes sense to stay close to the city center, as it makes it much easier to go in and out your hotel especially if it gets cold and you need to either find a sweater or else buy one!!

Malaga

We spent the next day exploring the town of Malaga. It was not as extensive culturally like Sevilla, as Malaga is more of a beach town. Nevertheless, we found it to be very lively with lot of things to do.

View of Malaga

We first went to the Malaga Gibralforo fort perched on top of a hill, which was again a remnant from the time the Moors ruled over Spain. It was quite average honestly, with a museum with some displays of those times. The view from the top of the fort though were fascinating, a birds eye view of the town below, the sea on one side and mountains far away on the other side.

The rest of the day, we spent exploring the narrow lanes of the town. The cathedral was a beauty; huge, light brown and with crowds all around. And surprise, there was a tower next to it for views of the city!

Malaga cathedral

Malaga cathedral

Malaga was the home of Picasso, and we visited his house since we could not see the museum as it was already closed by the time we reached. Picasso's house is definitely a miss as it has nothing commendable to see or appreciate. But just next to Picasso's house is a restaurant called Picasso, another place I would recommend as the food served there is a lot tastier than a lot of places around. Plus the waiters are quite fluent in English which feels like a boon!

Malaga main street

The main street of Malaga was especially lively at that time of year as it was Christmas time. So there were lighted decorations over every street, christmas trees on every square, shops on sale and families all out having a nice time in the streets.

Street performers

And then there were the street performers to keep the people entertained, and there is one I should definitely mention. The photo here shows two street performers and I am still not sure how they managed that! It was espeically interesting to see how the kids were all trying to figure out the secret of how the man was floating in air so effotlesslessly. Any ideas?

There were hajaar places everywhere to just sit around and enjoy the scenes in the small streets of the city center. Each of them providing a good view around, plus tasty titbits to eat. There were also flamenco dancers and musicians carrying guitars coming in regularly to the restaurants to entertain the guests and ask for money thereafter. It felt a little like begging though, and very unlike a first world country. Visiting these towns also make me wonder how Spain fits in with the developed world; it did not feel so given the poverty among the the people in the smaller towns.

Castillo de Santa Catalina

The hotel we stayed in Malaga was earlier a castle: Castillo de Santa Catalina. It is a definte recommend. Castillo is located slightly outside the town but its a lovely place to stay. Its not a huge castle but a smaller one, with a couple of tastefully done up rooms and well-maintained gardens all around to spend time in.

View from Castillo

From the towers of the castle, you can get a panoramic view of the city lights and the sea (and Africa also maybe?), and enough place on the terrace to relax while taking in the view. Also, given that the castle is located outside the town, its a very quiet place to relax on the trip.

View from Castillo

We did not get much time to spend there though, but it was definitely a high point of the trip. I also noted that space management in the castle was not the best. They could have a lot more rooms than what they have currently, if they just would just optimise the space a little more. Then possibly more people can enjoy this beautiful experience.

Granada

The next day. we did a day trip from Malaga to Granada, with the drive taking us through mountains and fields and small villages on the way. It was not the most picturesque drive I have been through though (and not at all like the breathtaking views of the Spanish countryside we had seen in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) but it was short enough to not be boring:).

Highway 'services'

On the way, we stopped at the local service eating places which were a nightmare to get vegetarian food at. The only options available would be potatoes and bread and cheese, and the fact that we knew how to say 'no meat' in Spanish was a big life saver.

Granada

Granada was a beautiful town, maybe the most charming of the Andalusian towns we visited. It was located just next to the Sierra Nevada mountains which form a picturesque background to the town. They were snow covered at the time of the year, and consequently Granada was a lot cooler than the other towns. It is situated on hilly ground and hence has roads going up and down giving it a charm of its own.

Entrance to Alhambra

We spent some time in the square next to the huge town hall, eating and then watching the local performer catching hold of tourists walking by and embarassing them. Then we went up the Alhambra, the royal palace, located on top of the hill. The entrance to the fort was pretty, green paths winding up the mountain; the image looked just out of a painting.

Shop in Alhambra for clicking pictures

Inside the Alhambra, you again see the same Arabic architecture as seen in Alcazar in Sevilla. There are many old buildings within this complex too, for times of war and times of peace and for prayer. There is also an old Turkish bath in line with the fascination of the Arabic for communal baths.

Inside the Alhambra

We had lunch at an Indian place just near the town square, called Mulgai. The food was strictly ok, but after a week of having tapas with limited vegetarian options, an Indian lunch felt almost like heaven. In case you are in the mood for desi khana, at least you know that Granada has options.

Alhambra and Sierra Nevada

Thereafter, we walked up the hill in the old town, to the top of the hill which provides a mesmerising view of the Alhambra fort from afar with the snow covered Sierra Nevada mountains in the background. On top of the hill, there is also a mosque from the Moorish times.

Sierra Nevada

There were huge crowds of people at the top taking in a view of Alhambra from afar, a truly magical look. But there were many locals also spending time on the hilltop square just catching up with each other and chatting away before Christmas. Like a town square, there were performers entertaining the kids; and one I particularly liked were creating big bubbles using soap water which fascinated not just the kids but adults alike.

Granada

While coming back from the view point, we walked along the squares of the old town, in front of old churches, taking in the view of the town (and the cathedral!) with the sun setting and washing the whole town in bright orange. We stopped at a couple of local restaurants just to have a bite and felt like we had come to a different world, almost expecting a belly dancer to appear out of nowhere and waiter wearing topis and carrying shishas serving us. We also ran into a local market by mistake which looked just out of Turkey or Morocco. The people were Arabic, the music was Arabic and the things being sold were all Arabic too, like shishas, topis etc. It did not feel like Europe at all!

Square in Granada

After spending a few moments taking in the feeling of that place, we left to go back to Malaga and back to London the next day.

On the whole, the whole Andalusian experience had been a fascinating one for us. An exquisite mix of two disparate cultures coming together in such a beautiful form.

Food was the only tough part of the trip. For one, it was very tough to converse with the waiters at the restaurant since their English was not too fluent. And second, it was even tougher to get vegetarian food, so we ended up eating a lot of patatas (potatoes) and bread over the next few days. Getting vegetarian food and communicating in English were the only minor problems we had. That notwithstanding, it was a nice feel good trip. A definite recommend if you want to experience a different side of Europe or just want to go back in time to a different era.