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Andalucía and Costa del Sol : Overview & Top 10

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Andalucía and Costa del Sol

The diverse and politically semi-autonomous region of Andalucía has a population of some 7 million and embodies what is thought of as typically Spanish – an accurate portrait of the place and its people must include the bullfight, flamenco, gypsies, remote white villages, high sierras and mass tourism on endless stretches of beach. The memories you take with you after a visit here will be colourful, joyous, intense and deeply stirring.

  • This campsite offers a shady area for tents, trailers and RV hookups, as well as apartments. The area is known for its Cuevas de Ardales, containing Paleolithic paintings and carvings.

  • One of the most convenient camping choices in the region. There are big, clean bathrooms, a pool and a laundry.

  • Going south from Cadiz city, when you reach Vejer get away from the main road and head for the beach. Canos de Meca is a very small town, barely a street on top of the beach. A famous spot for hipsters in the 70's, it still keeps some of that feeling. Young people hang around at the beaches (one of them nudist) untill the sunset, when you should go to one of the cafes on the cliffside and enjoy the view with a cold beer.

  • Wood-beam ceilings and rustic comfort in a gorgeous setting. Outdoor barbecues and a pool will complement your bungalow.

  • Designed by Siloé and Vandelvira, this masterpiece of Andalucían Renaissance was commissioned as a family pantheon and is still privately owned. The sacristy is the highlight, employing caryatids and atlantes as columns and pilasters. It was once embellished by a Michelangelo sculpture, a sad casualty of the Spanish Civil War (see Plaza de Vázquez de Molina, Úbeda).

  • Although not without aesthetic merit, these two structures are more about Christian triumph and royal ego than they are about spirituality. At the Royal Chapel’s sarcophagi, note how Queen Isabel’s head presses more deeply into her marble pillow than that of King Fernando – said to indicate greater intelligence. In the cathedral is the equestrian statue of El Matamoros (“The Killer of Moors”) by Alonso de Mena (see Cathedral & Capilla Real, Granada).

  • This Moorish mansion has been remodelled over the centuries, in particular the wonderful big patio. The decor is elegant, although some rooms may be small, and you will find antiques everywhere.

  • The closest major town east of Seville has been continuously inhabited for more than 5,000 years. Its Roman remains are truly exceptional, especially the huge necropolis. The view from the originally Roman Puerta de Córdoba (Córdoba Gate) out over the sweeping plains also shouldn’t be missed. Fine churches, palaces and alcázares adorn the site – one of the ancient castles is now restored as a spectacular parador (see Parador Alcázar del Rey, Carmona).

  • Most Andalucían towns celebrate this Catholic festival, the most spectacular extravaganza being in Cádiz. Costumes and masked balls and lots of carousing are the order of the day and night during these chaotic revels. The implicit anarchy invites every sort of political lampoon, which is why Franco tried to abolish these events – unsuccessfully (see Cádiz).

  • Claiming to be a compendium of the world’s smallest curiosities, this is certainly an oddball collection. There’s a fine copy of Da Vinci’s The Last Supper , executed on a grain of rice, fleas in full suits of clothing and a bust of Churchill’s head sculpted from a stick of chalk.

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