Provinces
The eight provinces
Andalucía is not one place. Almería is desert, Jaén is olive groves, Cádiz is Atlantic. Where you land decides most of the trip.
AlmeriaCabo de Gata, desert landscapes used by the spaghetti westerns, and the emptiest beaches on the Mediterranean coast.Airport Almería (LEI) — 9 km from the centre. Limited routes outside summer.Best months April–June and September–October. The driest and sunniest province in Spain.CadizAtlantic coast, sherry country and the oldest continuously inhabited city in western Europe. Where the white villages actually begin.Airport Jerez (XRY) — 8 km from Jerez. Seville (SVQ) serves the north of the province.Best months May–June and September. Atlantic beaches are windier and cooler than the Mediterranean side.CordobaThe Mezquita, the patios, and a compact old city that works as a day trip but rewards an overnight stay.Airport No commercial airport. Seville (SVQ) or Málaga (AGP), both around 1 h 45 by road.Best months March–May and October. The Patios festival falls in early May; July and August are the hottest in Spain.GranadaThe Alhambra, and a mountain range behind it. The only province in Andalucía where you can ski in the morning and reach the coast the same afternoon.Airport Federico García Lorca Granada–Jaén (GRX) — 17 km. Málaga (AGP) is often the better connection.Best months April–June and September–October. Sierra Nevada ski season runs roughly December–April.HuelvaDoñana, pine forest and long empty Atlantic sand. The least visited coastal province, and the departure point of the 1492 voyage.Airport No airport. Seville (SVQ) is about 1 h 15 by road; Faro in Portugal is a realistic alternative.Best months May–June and September. Romería del Rocío falls at Pentecost, in late spring.JaenOlive country, the Renaissance towns of Úbeda and Baeza, and the largest protected natural area in Spain at Cazorla.Airport No airport. Granada (GRX) is about 1 h 15; Madrid and Málaga are both realistic road approaches.Best months April–June and September–October. Olive harvest runs from late November into February.MalagaThe easiest arrival in Andalucía and the base most first trips start from. A serious museum city that also happens to sit on the Costa del Sol.Airport Málaga–Costa del Sol (AGP) — 8 km from the centre, C1 train every 20 minBest months April–June and September–October. The sea stays warm well into October.SevilleThe regional capital. Flamenco, the Alcázar and the Cathedral, and the two events that define the Andalusian year — Semana Santa and the Feria de Abril.Airport Seville (SVQ) — 10 km from the centre, bus EA every 20–30 minBest months March–May and late September–November. July and August regularly pass 40 °C.