- Islamic route — mosques, baths and fortresses from al-Andalus.
- Gothic route — churches and towers after the Christian conquest, starting in Cordoba.
- Renaissance route — palaces, cathedrals and planned squares.
- Baroque route — façades and altarpieces, with Malaga as a way in.
- Twentieth-century architecture — the last hundred years of buildings, not the medieval stack.
- Older architecture in the Alpujarra — villages and houses that still show an older plan.
- Ancient Andalusia — caves, dolmens, Iberians and Romans before the caliphate.
- Castles and monasteries — the coastal and inland strongholds.
- Painting and sculpture — museums and church art, province by province.
Andalusia itineraries — routes from Malaga
You will not see all of Andalusia in one holiday. The region is eight provinces. These pages are threads, not a single loop: wine, castles, white villages, Islamic buildings, Holy Week, the coast. Pick one or two that match the days you have and the way you travel.
Malaga Airport is the usual start from the United Kingdom — cheap flights from Heathrow and Manchester among others. The motorway net is good. Inland towns and mountain roads still eat time. A hire car from the airport is the tool most of these routes assume. Trains and coaches cover the big cities; they will not drop you at a bodega in Villaviciosa or a castle above a gorge.
Use the groups below. Each link is a full page, not a footnote.
Buildings and old kingdoms
Land, coast and villages
- Landscapes and viewpoints — coast, mountains and the places you stop the car for the view.
- Gardens and parks — from Cadiz and Malaga outward.
- Subbetica mountains — the inland range; sister pages cover water, the northeast and the west.
- White villages — the central hill towns; there is a western page beside it.
- Bicycle routes — including the Washington Irving line.
Food, drink and the table
- Wine route — Malaga first, then Jerez, Montilla, Huelva and the smaller hills.
- Gastronomy — cheese and the other table pages that sit with it.
Fairs, faith and old trades
- Fairs and folklore — the ferias, not a theme park list.
- Bullrings — the provincial and seasonal pages start here.
- Crafts — workshops and what you can still buy in the villages.
- Discovery route — Columbus, the monasteries and the Huelva shore.
Stories on the ground
- Romantic and monumental Andalusia — the nineteenth-century image and the cities that fed it.
- Templars and old stories — what is on the ground, not a treasure map.
How to travel these routes from Malaga
Start at the airport or your Costa hotel. A hire car covers the hill towns, bodegas and castles. A private transfer is the better first leg if you want someone else on the motorway; you still need a local car for most of the inland pages.
Malaga airport car hire
From Malaga Airport you can be in Ronda, Cordoba or Granada in a morning. The white villages, Subbetica and Sierra Morena need the same car the next day.
Malaga airport car hire
Taxi from Malaga airport
From Malaga Airport or the Costa to a hotel in Granada, Cordoba, Ronda or Seville. Use that city as a base. Do not ask a transfer to cover five villages in one afternoon.
Taxi from Malaga airport*No credit-card details or advance payment are needed to request a quote. Cancellation is free. Book ahead in high season to avoid price rises and to secure the car or group size you need.
Other options
High-speed trains from Malaga Maria Zambrano reach Cordoba, Seville and Madrid. Granada is a coach or a longer rail combination. City buses cover historic centres. They will not wait at a lagar in the Montes or a castle in Segura.
Coaches link the provincial capitals. From Fuengirola, Torremolinos or Marbella go into Malaga for the long-distance leg. For a week that mixes Ronda, the Alpujarra and Jerez, hire the car at the airport.
Practical tips
- Choose one thread for a short stay. Wine or white villages. Not both plus the Alhambra.
- Book the Alhambra, a bodega or a Caminito slot before you invent a loop around them.
- Summer heat and winter snow both close mountain hours. Check the page for that route.
- The romantic and “magic” pages are stories tied to places. They are not treasure hunts.
- The driver does not drink the tasting. Plan an overnight if the cellar is inland.
Frequently asked questions about Andalusia itineraries
Do I need a car?
For Seville, Cordoba or Granada as single-city trips, train and coach will do. For white villages, wine hills, Subbetica and most castle pages, hire a car at Malaga Airport.
How many routes can I do in a week?
One main thread and one nearby extra. A week that tries Islamic, wine, bullrings and the Alpujarra will be motorway, not travel.
Where should I stay?
The Costa if the beach is part of the holiday and the inland day is a single outing. Granada, Cordoba, Ronda or Seville if the route is the point.
Is the wine route only Malaga?
The listed wine page starts with Malaga. Jerez, Montilla, Huelva and the smaller hills have their own files in the same folder.
Are the “magic” and romantic pages serious history?
They follow stories travellers used to chase — Templars, bandits, the old image of the south — and point at real buildings. Treat legend as legend.
Can I fly into another airport?
Seville and Granada have airports. Most of these guides still assume Malaga as the hire-car and transfer base because that is where the majority of British flights land.
