Andalusia
road trip

Land at Seville SVQ (direct from most European hubs) or Málaga AGP (cheaper, 2h drive). Pick up the rental car ONLY if landing at Málaga — in Seville, do not collect the car until Day 3. Drop bags in Santa Cruz or Triana; both are walkable to everything.

Slow afternoon. Plaza de España (free, ridiculous, the Star Wars filming location), then through the Jardines de Murillo into the Santa Cruz quarter — get lost in the narrow streets. Late-afternoon snack at Bodega Santa Cruz (Las Columnas) — order a montadito and a Cruzcampo, eat standing up.

Sunset on the rooftop of Hotel EME (across from the Cathedral) or the cheaper Setas de Sevilla viewpoint. Late dinner — Spain eats at 10pm — at Bodeguita Romero or Casa Morales for old-school tapas. One flamenco show as a primer at La Carbonería (free entry, drinks expected) — the deep stuff comes later in Granada.

Pre-booked Real Alcázar entry at 9:30am (essential — walk-up is 90+ min queue in May). Allow 2 hours. The Game of Thrones water gardens are the highlight; the Mudéjar palace ceilings are the surprise.

Seville Cathedral and the Giralda climb (combined ticket online). Lunch in the shade at Bar Alfalfa or El Rinconcillo (1670 — Spain's oldest tapas bar, allegedly). Then cross the Puente de Isabel II into Triana — the gypsy quarter, ceramics tiles, riverside bars.

Triana tapas crawl: start at Casa Cuesta, move to Las Golondrinas, finish at Bar Las Columnas back across the river. Drinks on the Triana riverbank watching the Torre del Oro light up. Bed by 1am — tomorrow is the drive to Córdoba.

Quick Seville morning — coffee and a tostada at Bar Eslava. Pick up the rental car from a city-centre location (Plaza de Armas works well). Drive the A-4 motorway northeast — flat olive groves the whole way, easy 1h30 drive at 120 km/h.

Arrive Córdoba lunchtime. Mezquita-Catedral immediately (the queue calms down after 2pm). Pre-book the timed ticket online for 3pm — give yourself 90 min inside. The 856 columns and red-and-white arches are the trip's first 'I wasn't ready' moment.

Walk the Judería (Jewish quarter) — Calle de las Flores for the photo, Sinagoga for context. Dinner at Bodegas Mezquita (do the tasting menu — flamenquín, salmorejo, oxtail stew) or Casa Pepe de la Judería. Stay one night in Córdoba (the city empties at night — magical).

Slow morning. Salmorejo and a coffee at La Bicicleta. Pick up the car, A-45/A-92 motorway southeast toward Granada — the landscape shifts from olive flats to Sierra Nevada in your windscreen. 2h15 drive, easy.

Park at the hotel and DO NOT use the car again until Day 6 — Granada's centre is a labyrinth of pedestrian streets. Walk up to the Albaicín quarter, the old Moorish town. Late lunch at Bar Aliatar — order the free tapa that comes with every drink (a real Granada thing).

Sunset at the Mirador de San Nicolás — the postcard view of the Alhambra glowing pink across the valley with the Sierra Nevada behind. Get there 45 min early. Dinner at Bodegas Castañeda (chaotic, perfect) or El Trillo (more elegant). Late drink in the Sacromonte caves at Cueva la Rocío.

Pre-booked Alhambra ticket — Nasrid Palaces timed slot around 9:30am (the earliest are coolest in summer and least crowded). Allow 3.5 hours: Nasrid Palaces (your slot is fixed), Generalife gardens (any time), Alcazaba ramparts (any time). Bring water — there's no shade between sections.

Long siesta-style lunch back in town at Carmela (modernised Andalusian classics) or Los Diamantes (peak free-tapas, no reservations). 45-min nap. Optional: hammam at Hammam Al Ándalus — book the 90-min ritual, restorative after the Alhambra walk.

Real flamenco — cave-zambra in the Sacromonte. Cuevas Los Tarantos or Venta El Gallo are the legit ones; book ahead. Late dinner after the show at Restaurante FM (Granada's best new wave) or back to Bodegas Castañeda for one more round. Bed late.

Pick up the car. Drive west across the Sierra de Loja — the most scenic stretch of the week. Stop in Antequera for an early lunch (Plaza del Coso Viejo) or push through to Ronda. Roads narrow after Antequera — keep speed at 80 km/h on the mountain section.

Arrive Ronda mid-afternoon. The Puente Nuevo bridge over the Tajo gorge is the photo you've seen a hundred times — and it still hits. Walk both sides, take the cliff path down for the underneath view. Plaza de Toros (Spain's oldest bullring) is a 30-min visit.

Sunset drinks at Bar Maestro on the cliff edge — get there 6:30pm. Dinner at Bardal (Michelin two-star splurge, book a month ahead) or Tropicana for a casual Ronda classic. Sleep in Ronda — the village empties of day-trippers after 7pm and the silence is unreal.

Drive south through the Pueblos Blancos — Zahara de la Sierra and Grazalema make a 90-min worthy detour. Then drop south to Tarifa, the windsurfing town at the southernmost point of continental Europe, looking straight at Morocco across the strait.

Long lunch at Chiringuito El Tesoro or Tumbao on the Valdevaqueros beach — fresh fish, feet in the sand, 30 EUR a head with wine. The Atlantic side has the wind and the surfers; the Mediterranean side (Playa Chica) is calmer for one last swim.

Return the car at Málaga airport (1h30 drive east — the easiest return, plenty of car-rental desks). Light dinner at the airport or in Tarifa before leaving. Sunday-night flights typically leave Málaga 8-10pm — give yourself a 2h buffer.