Seville, Granada and Classic Spain

Enjoy this exciting exploration of Andalucia – birthplace of Picasso, home of flamenco and cradle of the gypsy life.

Join us to discover the Spain beyond the beach resorts of the sun-kissed Costa. From your base in the traditionally Andalusian town of Antequera, you'll enjoy full-day visits to Granada and the stunning Alhambra gardens, to glorious, historic Seville, the City of Flamenco and setting for Bizet’s Carmen, and to the enchanting, whitewashed, hill-top town of Ronda, above its famous Gorge. On this great-value Spanish holiday you'll also have the chance to visit the magnificent Moorish stronghold of Cordoba and its extraordinary Mezquita, on a fascinating optional excursion.

What's Included:

• Seven nights’ carefully chosen bed and breakfast three-star accommodation at the Hotel Coso Viejo, Antequera (upgrade hotel available for a supplement)
• A full-day tour of Seville
• A full-day tour of Granada
• A full-day tour of Cordoba
• Return flights to Malaga
• Comfortable, air-conditioned coach travel and transfers

• The services of a friendly, experienced tour manager

  Highlights:

• Stay in the heart of the ‘real’ Andalucia in the hills behind the sun-kissed Costa
• Enjoy a full-day visit to Seville, the city of flamenco
• Journey towards the Sierra Nevada, beneath which the great Moorish city of Granada stands
• Visit Granada, the world-renowned Alhambra and its exquisite gardens
• Take in the sweeping views from the Puente Nuevo, which joins the old and new towns of the mountain-top
• Explore the Andalusian city of Ronda
• The chance to join an optional excursion to Cordoba
• Wander around Antequera under your own steam

Day 1: Fly to Spain

Fly into Málaga, and board the coach for the approximately hour-long transfer into the sun-baked Andalusian hills and your hotel base in Antequera. Depending on your arrival time, rest and relax in the hotel, and enjoy a first dinner in a wide choice of restaurants, traditional tapas bars, and cafés.

Day 2: Included Seville excursion

The first of your included excursions takes you to historic Seville, the great City of Flamenco, and the setting for Bizet’s Carmen and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, both of which draw heavily on the city’s heady atmosphere.

Seville, where every street is lined with orange trees, has a rich and colourful history, which is reflected in great buildings, beautiful parks, grand boulevards and atmospheric old quarters of narrow streets that open on to tree-lined squares. Wander towards sweeping Plaza de Espana, the city’s ornate, fountain-fronted centrepiece; don’t miss the magnificent Cathedral, one of the largest Gothic churches in Christendom, with its 300ft-high Giralda Tower and much-debated tomb of Christopher Columbus; and perhaps pay a visit to the immense Plaza de Toros, Spain’s oldest bullring, where the traditions of the corrida are still revered despite the controversy that surrounds them. Close by, the cool courtyards of the Moorish Alcazar lead through to the Juderia (Jewish Quarter).

The River Guadalquivir, still tidal some 50 miles inland, and up which Columbus once sailed in triumph following his discovery of the New World, still brings great ships to the city’s port, and divides Seville from Triana, the pleasant district on the opposite shore.

Day 3: Day at leisure

Today is free for you to relax and enjoy the facilities of your hotel, or perhaps take in the sights of Antequera.

Day 4: Included Cordoba excursion

Today you’ll explore the great city of Cordoba. This fabled, elegant former Moorish and Roman capital of Spain is full of fascination.

At its heart is the breathtaking treasure of the Mezquita, the huge Mosque into which the Christian cathedral has been incorporated, but which retains much of its austere grandeur that reflected Cordoba’s position as the greatest Moorish city in Europe. Surrounding the Mezquita, the narrow lanes and corridors of the ancient Juderia evoke a sense that nothing has changed for a thousand years.

You’ll have the chance to explore the city under your own steam, following our guided tour of the Mezquita, before returning to Antequera in time for dinner later this evening.

Day 5: Optional Ronda excursion

Today, you can relax or join the optional excursion to Ronda. During this, you’ll travel across the Andalusian Plain, through a countryside dotted with villages of whitewashed houses, to the stunning town of Ronda, in the heart of the Andalusian hills. Set above the dramatic El Tajo gorge, which cuts a swathe through the Sierra, this once Moorish citadel is a delight, with a maze of narrow streets, some fine Renaissance houses, its historic bullring and – across the Puente Nuevo bridge which spans the gorge – a fascinating Roman-style baths.

Day 6: Included Granada excursion

Board the coach, this morning, for an unforgettable included excursion, journeying north through the foothills of the Alpujarras to the great city of Granada. Set majestically atop three hills, which rise steeply from the Andalusian Plain, this former Moorish capital, with its views to the snow-capped Sierra Nevada, is one of Spain’s greatest treasures.

Begin your time here with a sightseeing tour of the city, culminating with a visit to the gardens of the awe-inspiring Alhambra, the beautiful park and walled settlement crowned by one of the world’s finest Moorish palaces. Discover the ancient Alcazaba citadel and the Generalife, a royal retreat in the heart of the complex, as well as some of Europe's most beautiful formal gardens, each new treasure reflecting the glories of a great empire. This evening, you’ll return to Antequera after a thoroughly absorbing day.

Day 7: Day at leisure or optional half-day wine tasting

You’ll have another day to potter around at your own pace or you can join an optional half-wine day tasting excursion at a local winery. Surrounded by vineyards, you can sample some of the different labels while learning about the production process.

Day 8: Return to UK

Say goodbye to beautiful Andalucía today, transferring back to Málaga airport for the flight home, after a memorable few days in a wonderful part of the world.