If you plan on a taking a cultural tour of Spain you need go no further than the region of Andalusia. This region is loaded with diverse history, culture and food! The added fact that you can easily travel between such cities as Cordoba, Seville, Malaga and Granada within a couple of hours of each other at the most, is a real bonus. You can take in all that each city has to offer, but still have time to spend in the beautiful white washed pueblos or on the beautiful beaches on the Costa del Sol. You may now be thinking, can each city really have something different to offer? Yes! I will show you some places you should definitely visit, not least a visit to our rural home on the lush hills outside Cordoba city, for a well-deserved craft retreat between all the touring. Here you can spend 3 days in a real Spanish home on a fully inclusive break which means meals, board, tuition and materials as well as all your finished artwork are in the quoted price.
Let’s start with Malaga. Malaga has an international airport so it may be your natural starting point. From here you can easily rent a car if you want to drive. However, if you want a more relaxing mode of transport, both train and bus services are excellent and very good price wise.
Malaga is growing rapidly as a cultural place to visit as well as for the beaches. You can hang out at the newly renovated port with the Centre Pompidou or take a short walk to the old city for the grand Cathedral (La Manquita) the Alcazaba, Gibralfaro, the Roman Theatre and the Picasso Museum
Seville is a sprawling city with so much to see, therefore I can highly recommend using one of the bus tours so you can hop on and off at all the most important sites. One must do stop is the stunning Plaza de Espana. A great site to visit at night is the Metropol Parasol situated in the centre of the old city. It is great to walk and get a city vista during the day but looks at it’s best when all lit up.
Cordoba homes a melting pot of cultures, Moorish, Roman, Jewish and Christian. One perfect example of this is the Mesquita. It is easy to wander through the Juderia old town and see many examples of notable periods of history as well as many jewellers which modern Cordoba is famed for. As part of our crafting retreat we do a walking tour of Cordoba passing many notable sites.
Granada is a beautiful ancient city in the Sierras. Take a walk through the Moorish Albayzin to Sacramonte where there is a vibrant gypsy and flamenco culture. An absolute must is a visit to the Alhambra where you can happily spend a day in another place and time.
This is a brief touch on the region, for more you can visit www.getawayandcreate.com.
