Southern Spain's Andalucia

Itinerary at a glance

We meet in Seville (1 night) and enjoy a leisurely stroll that takes in King Ferdinand's Alcazar and the chic shopping district.

Journeying into the Andalucian countryside, we walk among green hills to one of Los Pueblos Blancos ("the white villages"). En route to our parador in Ronda (1 night), we'll visit  Europe's largest prehistoric cave painting. A morning amble amid the natural pillars of El Torcal National Park offers a great contrast to the manmade wonders of Moorish Granada (2 nights). Our hotel is a short walk from the Alhambra so we can enter the palace in advance of the crowds. Later, we'll haggle our way through the alcaizeria (reminiscent of Morocco's souks). Then we give the evening over to dinner in the gypsy quarter.

Though our moorish-style parardor in Jaen (2 nights) clings to a rocky crag, there's space for a pool. Use it…or siesta before a visit to the Roman baths. Other walks lead us to an olive oil tasting at a working mill…the workshop of a classic potter…and a visit to the ruins of a medieval castle. On our final morning, we arrive in Córdoba with time to explore the awesome Mezquita, one of the finest examples of Spanish Moorish architecture.