Seville: 2 days
Seville’s old city, centered on the east bank of the Guadalquivir, is where you’ll likely spend most of your time. Its heart features three iconic monuments: the Giralda tower, the Catedral, and the Alcázar, surrounded by the narrow streets of Barrio Santa Cruz, once the Jewish quarter and now a lively tourist hub.
Known as one of Europe’s hottest cities, Seville’s intense summer heat begins as early as May. Beyond its history and landmarks, Seville embodies the spirit of southern Spain, celebrated in tales of Carmen, Don Juan, and Figaro—a city that truly captures the essence of Andalusian charm.
Going with the whole family? See our guide to Seville with kids.
Next destination: From Seville Santa Justa, direct high-speed AVE train to Córdoba Central (45 minutes)
Córdoba: 1 days
Córdoba lies upstream from Seville beside a loop of the Guadalquivir, which was once navigable as far as here. It is today a minor provincial capital, prosperous in a modest sort of way. Once, however, it was the largest city of Roman Spain, and for three centuries it formed the heart of the western Islamic empire, the great medieval caliphate of the Moors.
It is from this era that the city’s major monument dates: the Mezquita, the grandest and most beautiful mosque ever constructed by the Moors in Spain.
When designing your itinerary for Spain, try to time your Córdoba visit for spring when the patios are in full bloom.
Next destination: From Córdoba, take an ALSA bus to Baeza and Úbeda (2.5 hours)
Baeza and Úbeda: 1 days
Baeza is tiny, compact and provincial, with a perpetual Sunday air about it. At its heart is the Pza. Mayor – comprising two linked plazas, Plaza de la Constitucíon at the southern end with a garden, and smaller Plaza de España to the north – flanked by cafés and very much the hub of the town’s limited animation.
Úbeda, 9km east of Baeza and built on the same escarpment overlooking the valley of the Guadalquivir, looks less promising when you reach it. Don’t be put off by the modern suburbs, though, for hidden away in the old quarter is one of the finest architectural jewels in the whole of Spain, and perhaps even Europe.
Next destination: From Baeza/Úbeda, take the ALSA bus to Granada (2.75 hours)
Granada: 1 days
If you see only one town in Spain, it should be Granada. For here, extraordinarily well preserved and in a tremendous natural setting, stands the Alhambra – the most exciting, sensual and romantic of all European monuments.
Built on the slopes of three hills, the rest of the city basks in the Alhambra’s reflected glory. Because the Moorish influence here was so ruthlessly extinguished following capitulation to the Catholic monarchs Fernando and Isabel, Granada tends to be more sober in character and austere in its architecture than Andalucía’s other provincial capitals. See the best things to do in Granada.
