Do you really want to discover Andalucia? Not only what the tourist guide says about it but its feel? Then do what many, many a foreigner living here also still does whenever he or she can: just go on a walk about.
Roughly, this is 4 times the size of Wales, 3 times Belgium or twice The Netherlands. That’s so big and covers so many towns and villages that we’ve started a town guide for Andalucia, summarizing the tourist information for all the main towns. Still it’s only 18% of the total landmass of Spain.
With a population of 8,5 million the population density of Andalucia is of 97 people per square kilometer, which is the same as in Austria or Slovenia – but only one third of the UK. Ergo: plenty of space!
It’s this space that is so attractive for Europeans from the north who want to buy property here: space equals tranquility, silence, lower stress levels when driving, but also less light pollution – in short, things that more and more can seem to be luxury items. While at the same time Andalucians, always on the look out for a reason to party or socialize, make the villages incomparably bubbly – not to mention the big cities where the feel of a fiesta is around every corner.
Do you want to discover Andalucia and do not know how or the best way to go about?
Rent a car and start driving to discover Andalucia!
With the flow, according to your mood of the moment. Not only will you see more of Andalucia than when sticking too much to a schedule or guide, you will experience that quintessential Andalucian highlight: being utterly relax.
There’s no such thing as a Must. A ‘Must’ is the contrary of what Andalucia is about. It’s the region par excellence to just drive, stroll, and live according to your personal bioritm – a ‘spa’ feeling unlike any other. Being, not sightseeing.
Prefer the secondary roads to discover Andalucia over the motorways, stop at a ‘Venta‘, the typical roadside restaurants that were originally meant for seasonal workers, offering local food at low rates: drive into a calm village for a coffee (one of the several types of coffees)..
You are never far away from stunning scenery or the next highlight, be it Donana Natural Reservation, El Torcal, ‘flamingo lake’ at Fuente de Piedra, the Sierra de las Nieves, the serrania de Ronda and much, much more.
Many a first time traveler (now you’re no longer a tourist, but a traveler) has compared driving through Andalucia as a road trip in the USA: from a diner to a dusty village, roads all to yourself and then all of a sudden in the hustle and bustle of a big city.
In the towns you often find very inexpensive Hostals, and in the country side there are plenty of guesthouses, in all price ranges. On your trip to discover Andalucia you will see there are guesthouses that are fully booked months in advance, whereas others still have space on the day itself. Whatever happens, you’re never further away than 1 hour from a big town or maximum 2 hours from the nearest big city (Seville, Cadiz, Granada, Malaga).
Enjoy and discover Andalucia!
