Andalusia, Spain
Andalusia, Spain
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Andalusia is a region encompassing the Southern part of the Iberian peninsula, with Seville as its capital. The area was under Moorish rule for over 700 years, and the traces are everywhere, from the last great Moorish palace of Alhambra, to the great mosque of Córdoba and the minaret-turned-bell tower of the Seville Cathedral. Our trip took us through GRANADA, CÓRDOBA, RONDA and SEVILLE, and I’ve listed my favorite things from each place below. There is, of course, SO much more to see in this area (you’re next, Cádiz and Jerez.) Enjoy, and eat all the jamón you can lay your hands on.
Granada
Granada was the last great Moorish stronghold to fall to the Catholic Monarchs, thereby completing the Reconquista and ending close to 800 years of Islamic rule of the Iberian peninsula. The Alhambra, palace and citadel of the Nasrid Dynasty, is one of the finest Islamic palaces still standing and makes a visit to Granada essential.
Visit
◐ Alhambra & Generalife
Achingly beautiful Moorish palace, fortress and gardens complex built on top of a former Roman fortress in the mid-13th Century, which later became the royal court of the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. It’s now a UNESCO World Heritage site and a must-visit.
The site includes the following buildings:
Nasrid Palaces. The jewel of the Alhambra – the royal palace, filled with intricate Moorish wall carving and tiles. The only part that requires a timed entrance to visit.
The Alcazaba. The ancient fortress and oldest part of the Alhambra. Climb up to the watchtower, Torre del Vela, for an incredible view of Granada and Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Palace of Charles V. Not really palace, but more of an interesting circular Renaissance structure that was intended to a be a palace. There’s a small museum and gift shop inside.
The Generalife. Gorgeous gardens and summer palace of the Nasrid rulers. Beyond beautiful.
TIPS:
- Buy tickets as soon as you can to secure your preferred slot to visit the Nasrid Palaces. Entrance to the palaces is the only part of the Alhambra complex that requires timed entry. We went in the first slot of the day – 8:30am – which was very early (and cold and dark) but allowed us to tour the palaces relatively undisturbed by tour groups. The nice part is once you’re in at your ticketed time, you’re in, so you can take as much time as you want to explore. Book your tickets here – the “General” tickets include everything in the complex and are only 14 Euros each.
- Print out your ticket at home and enter at the Justice Gate. The Justice Gate is closer to downtown Granada, and less busy than the main entrance. It’s also only a few feet away from the entrance to the Nasrid Palaces, should you be starting your tour that way.
- Get the audio guide. Nothing is labelled in the complex. You can also book a guided tour, but we were fine with the audio guide.
◐ Albayzin and the Mirador San Nicolás
FREE. A neighborhood in Granada that still looks and feels like the Moorish Medieval city it once was – all winding streets, cobble stones and traditional homes. Climb up the very steep, narrow streets to the church of San Nicolás for a spectacular view of the Alhambra. Go at sunset, and see it glow. This is also an area for traditional flamenco shows. (NOTE: This area is notorious for pick-pockets, and all of the guide books warn you that it’s very easy to get lost in this area and end up in a sketchy part. In this age of Google Maps, that’s slightly harder to do, but be on alert and maybe take a cab home at night, as we did?)
Granada Cathedral & Royal Chapel
Imposing gothic cathedral built in the 16th Century after the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, conquered the Nasrid Kingdom. You can visit their tombs in the Royal Chapel next-door, along with Phillip I of Castile and his wife Joanna “the Mad.”
EAT
◐ La Oliva
Words can barely describe how wonderful this experience was. For 38,50 Euros, Francisco will cook you a multi-course tasting menu of local specialties complete with wine pairing. You’ll learn about the history of Andalusian food, olive oil and wine, while having the most incredible meal. I can’t recommend this more – it was truly magical. Make reservations by phone or email – on his website.
Jardines de Zoraya
A restaurant with its very own Tablao Flamenco, the traditional flamenco show. Yes, this is a touristy thing to do, but it’s also a very good restaurant, the dancing and music are exceptional and there were even a few locals in the audience. They do two shows every night, and you can either go just for the show, or for dinner and the show. There’s also a lovely terrace to enjoy a drink when it’s warm out.
Los Manueles
This tapas bar is usually bustling with locals, and is known for its meaty tapas. Granada is famous for all of their tapas bars still consistently providing a free tapa when you order a drink (a tradition that is often forgotten as you head Northwards.) So, wait a sec after you order a drink before you place your food order and you should soon be rewarded with a surprise snack attack.
Bernina 1930
Amazing bakery and coffee shop right across from the Cathedral. We went for hot chocolate and a pastry right after a long day of touring and it saved our lives.
◐ Bodega Castañedo
Wonderful, old school tapas bar, with a ceiling strung with legs of the famed jamón iberico.
Parador de Granada
Inside the Alhambra, there is a very fancy hotel called the Parador de Granada with a restaurant you can visit without having to be a guest at the hotel. This is really the only decent meal to be had within the walls of the Alhambra, and they have a bunch of good Andalusian specialties to try – like deep-fried eggplant fritters with honey, cheese plates and, of course, jamón.
Ronda
Ronda is one of the larger towns that make up the famed los Pueblos Blancos, or White Towns, built into the sierras. It’s definitely worth a day trip if you’re exploring the region – it’s about 90 minutes from Málaga and 75 minutes from Arcos de la Frontera, a favorite of the white towns. (We drove about an hour out of our way to visit when we were traveling between Granada and Córdoba, which was kind of a lot, but we had a great lunch and the view was incredible, so we left feeling like it was worth it!)
Visit
◐ Puerte Nuevo
Ronda is built straddling el Tajo gorge, with the Puerto Nueve dramatically connecting the old Moorish neighborhood over the Guadalevín River to the “new” 18th Century town. The view from the bridge, and surrounding park, is stunning. You can climb down to the bottom of the gorge along Camino de los Molinos for even better views of the bridge.
Plaza de Toros
Modern bullfighting is said to be born in Ronda, and they still have one of Spain’s oldest bullfighting rings, built in 1785, and a small Bullfighting Museum. Worth a peek if you have time.
Puente Viejo and La Ciudad
If there’s a New Bridge, there must be an Old Bridge, right? If you cross over Puente Nuevo, from the New Town into the old city, La Ciudad, and walk down the main street, and then towards the Palacio de Marqués de Salvatierra, you’ll see a lovely view down to the Puente Viejo, built in 1616, and the Arab Public Baths from the 13th-14th Century right beside it. You can then decide whether you want to walk down and across to the New Town via the Puente Viejo, or save yourself a climb back up the gorge and loop back and cross over via the Puente Nuevo.
EAT
◐ Taberna El Almacen
A more new and hip feeling tapas bar we read about in Rick Steves. So good – you must try “pisto,” it’s kind of a local ratatouille. Plus they had many local beers, wines and ciders available
Córdoba
Visit
◐ Mezquita Cathedral de Córdoba
I’d say after the Alhambra, this was the next most incredible place we visited on our trip. The building began as the Great Mosque, following orders of construction from Emir Abd al-Rahman I in 784, which was itself built on the ruins of a Visigoth church, and later expanded over the centuries by subsequent Moorish rulers. Following the Reconquista and conquering of Córdoba in 1236, the mosque was transformed into a Roman Catholic cathedral by King Ferdinand III of Castile. The result is a fascinating mix of over a thousand years worth of architectural styles, incorporating pieces from the Romans, Visigoths, Muslims and Christians. I highly recommend taking a guided a tour, as we did, as there were so many details we would have missed otherwise. Our tour guide was Encarnacio Ávila (0034 679 572 975; info@guiaturismo.com), and she also included a walking tour of the surrounding area.
Roman Bridge
Large, majestic bridge over the Guadalquivir River originally built in the early 1st Century and rebuilt many times after that. After you visit the Mezquita, walk across for a lovely view of the city. On the other side of the bridge, you’ll see the Calahorra Tower, which you can enter to see a small exhibit on historic Córdoba and a view from the top of the tower. (GOT Nerds: This bridge stood in for the Long Bridge of Volantis.)
Alcazar de los Cristianos
The former fortress and gardens of the Christian Kings. This is not a must-do, and definitely not the most impressive fortress in Spain, but the gardens are beautiful and if you have time, why not?
Medina and Juderia
The old city surrounded the Mezquita, including the winding cobble-stoned streets of the old Jewish Quarter. Again, I highly recommend doing a walking tour, as our guide explained the history and context behind what we were seeing, including some darker moments from Spain’s past. She also showed us a number of hidden patios – those interior flower-filled courtyard gardens that are popular in Córdoba. The area immediately surrounding the Mezquita is very touristy, full of knick-knack shops and gypsies passing out rosemary sprigs, so you have wander a little bit away before you feel like you’re in a real city.
Medinat Al-Zahra
The ruins of the former palace and fortified city built between 936-940 AD by Abd-ar-Rahman III, the first Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba. It’s now an active archeological site with a new, very well-done museum on life inside of a Medieval Muslim city. It’s not ruins on the scale of Pompeii by any means, but since they’re built on terraces in the foothills of the Sierra Morena, the view is fantastic. The site is 4 miles West of Córdoba and accessible by car and bus.
Synagogue of Córdoba
Built in 1350, it’s one of only three ancient synagogues left in Spain after the Inquisition and expulsion of the Jews in 1492. (Yikes.) It was undergoing renovations when we visited, but definitely check it out if has re-opened. Our tour guide told us it’s lovely, and a working archeological site.
EAT
◐ Bodegas Campos
Classic Cordovan restaurant, made up of a warren of different rooms and a more informal taberna. It’s wonderfully atmospheric and we tried a number of local dishes – like oxtail stew (rabo de toro), fried cod, seafood rice, incredible orange sorbet with olive oil and a dessert that was layers of puff pastry, cream and raspberry sorbet. The staff here is amazing and so kind when the language barrier defeated us.
La Tortuga
Wonderful coffee and pastry shop. Great for breakfast, where you can get the local favorite of _pan con tomate – grilled _bread with a stewed tomato spread.
◐ Garum 2.1
Tapas bar known for their fresh takes on Cordovan food, earning them many “best of tapas” awards, – like instead of oxtail stew they have a savory churro stuffed with oxtail served with dark chocolate to dip it in. So good, and again, the nicest staff ever.
El Caballo Rojo
Another Cordovan classic, a bit too stuffy though with excellent food and only a block from the Mezquita. We went for lunch, exhausted after a morning of touring around, and tried the local specialty salmorejo here – a cold soup of blended bread, garlic and tomatoes topped with olive oil and ham. So good, kind of like a thicker, blended gazpacho.
SEVILLE
Visit
◐ Real Alcázar
The royal palace of Spain, and a shining example of the Mudéjar style – art and architecture designed in the same style of the traditional Moorish palaces of Al-Andalus, like the Alhambra. The palace was originally built as a Moorish fortress and later expanded by King Peter of Castile in the mid-14th Century. Make sure you get the audio tour to help guide you around. The gardens are incredible. (GOT Nerds: Welcome to the Water Gardens of Dorne!)
◐ Devour: Seville
Devour offers INCREDIBLE food tours of Seville, focusing on the history, culture and delicacies of the city. We did the “Tapas, Taverns & History” tour with Hayley and could not have loved it more. She toured us around five different tapas bars and we had snacks and drinks at each one. I’ve listed the places we visited below in the “EAT” section but please do a tour with them. Unforgettable!!
◐ Seville Cathedral
The third largest cathedral in the world, built on the site of a 12th Century mosque, that was later converted into a Cathedral following the Reconquista. Say hi to Christopher Columbus in his slightly ostentatious tomb and be sure to climb the Torre Giralda, a former minaret-turned-bell tower, for a stunning view of the city.
EAT
◐ El Rinconcillo
One of Seville’s oldest tapas bars, with a beautiful tiled interior. Get a plate of jamón and try a local sherry or a glass of Spanish red vermouth. (Discovered on Devour Food Tour.)
◐ La Taberna
Amazing family-run tapas bar, with every kind of delicious tapa. We had incredible skewered fish and vegetables, fresh fried eggs over french fries and a tinto de verano (like a lighter Sangria.) (Discovered on Devour Food Tour.)
Las Teresas
Wonderful old school tapas bar, right in the middle of the winding streets of the Barrio Santa Cruz. Wine, sherry, fried anchovies, calamari, white asparagus with olive oil and, of course, jamón!
Piano Bar at the Casas de la Judería
The hotel is made up of a series of 27 interconnected homes and courtyards and instantly transports you back to the 15th century. They have a small tapas bar and restaurant, but the best part is their Piano Bar on the second floor where you can get a cocktail and feel like you’re sitting in fancy drawing room.
◐ Freiduria La Isla
Oh my God, this place was SO GOOD. It’s a traditional Sevillian fried fish spot, and we had the most beautiful fried white fish, cazón en adobo, with glasses of fino, a local sherry. You must go here. (Discovered on Devour Food Tour.)
◐ Taberna Alvaro Peregil
The owners have both a sit-down restaurant and a standing-room-only tiny bar, where you grab a drink and tapa and perch along the wall. Try their homemade orange wine – it’s sweet and delicious. You can even buy a bottle at the bar to take home. (Discovered on Devour Food Tour.)
◐ Enrique Becerra
Incredible restaurant with many dishes having a Moorish influence, using ingredients like raisins and spices. We had the most incredible dessert that was a kind of Spanish cream pie, made only from sugar and egg yolks. WOW. (Discovered on Devour Food Tour.)