Insight Guides - Insight Guides Explore Andalucía & the Costa del Sol

How To Use This E-Book

This Explore Guide has been produced by the editors of Insight Guides, whose books have set the standard for visual travel guides since 1970. With top-quality photography and authoritative recommendations, these guidebooks bring you the very best routes and itineraries in the worlds most exciting destinations.

Best Routes

The routes in this book provide something to suit all budgets, tastes and trip lengths. As well as covering the destinations many classic attractions, the itineraries track lesser-known sights, and there are also excursions for those who want to extend their visit outside the city. The routes embrace a range of interests, so whether you are an art fan, a gourmet, a history buff or have kids to entertain, you will find an option to suit.

We recommend reading the whole of a route before setting out. This should help you to familiarise yourself with it and enable you to plan where to stop for refreshments options are shown in the Food and Drink box at the end of each tour.

Introduction

The routes are set in context by this introductory section, giving an overview of the destination to set the scene, plus background information on food and drink, shopping and more, while a succinct history timeline highlights the key events over the centuries.

Directory

Also supporting the routes is a Directory chapter, with a clearly organised AZ of practical information, our pick of where to stay while you are there and select restaurant listings; these eateries complement the more low-key cafs and restaurants that feature within the routes and are intended to offer a wider choice for evening dining. Also included here are some nightlife listings, plus a handy language guide and our recommendations for books and films about the destination.

Getting around the e-book

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights mentioned in the text are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

Youll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of the destination. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.

2018 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Recommended Routes For...

Exciting cities

Seville is full of interesting things to see and do (routes ).

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Families

Have a thrilling day out with the kids exploring the vertiginous path through a gorge on the Caminito del Rey ().

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Moorish treasures

Discover the amazingly ornate monuments built by Spains long-lost Muslim civilisation: the fortress-palace of the Alhambra in Granada ().

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Panoramic views

Admire Sevilles rooftops from its two prodigious viewpoints (routes ).

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Picturesque pueblos

Ronda and the White Towns () are triumphs of Renaissance architecture.

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Surf, sand and sunshine

Take your pick of Andalucas coasts and beaches, from the developed to the deserted on the Costa de la Luz ().

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The great outdoors

Explore Andalucas extraordinarily varied landscapes and discover its wildlife in Doana National Park ().

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Wine lovers

This is the home of sherry, and touring bodegas (wineries) can be a great way to spend a holiday. Youll find the best of them in Jerez de la Frontera ().

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Explore Andaluca

Andaluca is best known for the sun, sand and sea offered by its playground coasts, but thats only the half of it. The region is also extraordinarily rich in scenery, wildlife, history, art and culture.

With its bullfights, white towns, fans, flamenco music, fiestas and Mediterranean beaches, Andaluca is, to many visitors, typical Spain. But it would be a mistake to see it as just a composite of these ingredients. This is a region made up of diverse landscapes wild, open spaces and some of the highest mountains in Europe and crowned by the vibrant cities of Seville, Crdoba and Granada, with their glorious Moorish monuments. Andaluca lies at a geographical crossroads: it is the gateway between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and the crossing point between Africa and Europe. The strategic importance of its location has given rise to a long and turbulent history. Over the centuries, the region has incorporated influences from many different sources, leaving it with an unparalleled heritage for the modern visitor to explore.

Mlagas Teatro Romano

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Geography and layout

Andaluca runs right across Spain from the Portuguese border and the Atlantic in the west to the eastern Mediterranean coast. It is separated from central Spain (to the north) by the mountains of the Sierra Morena; in the south, a mere 14.5km (9 miles) of water the Strait of Gibraltar lie between Andalucas tip and Morocco.