Things to do in Andalusia: 18 must-sees, from the Alhambra to the white villages

On the hill above Granada, the Alhambra brings together the Alcazaba fortress, the Nasrid Palaces, the Palace of Charles V and, a little higher, the gardens of the Generalife. The Court of the Lions and the Hall of the Ambassadors, covered in stucco and muqarnas domes, are the heart of the visit. The whole site, with the Albaicín district opposite, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In town, the Royal Chapel holds the tombs of the Catholic Monarchs. In the evening, the Mirador de San Nicolás, in the Albaicín, gives the view of the Alhambra at sunset.

The Andalusian capital gathers in its centre three monuments listed together by UNESCO in 1987: the cathedral and its Giralda, a former minaret climbed by ramps, the Real Alcázar and its gardens, and the Archivo de Indias. A few minutes' walk away, Plaza de España and María Luisa Park were laid out for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition.

The lanes of Santa Cruz, the Triana district across the Guadalquivir and the flamenco tablaos fill the evenings. Everything is covered in our Seville guide.

Capital of the Umayyad caliphate in the 10th century, Córdoba keeps its great mosque, begun in 785 and turned into a cathedral in 1236: a forest of columns with red-and-white arches, with a Renaissance cathedral built in its centre. Around it, the Judería, the Alcázar of the Christian Monarchs and the Roman Bridge over the Guadalquivir form a UNESCO-listed historic centre.

In May, residents open their flower-filled patios to the public. Eight kilometres away, the palace-city of Medina Azahara rounds off the visit. Details in our Córdoba guide.

Picasso's birthplace, Málaga is Andalusia's main gateway thanks to its airport. Above the centre, the Alcazaba, a Muslim palace-fortress, and Gibralfaro Castle, linked by the walls, look out over the port and the bay. Below, the Roman theatre lies at the foot of the Alcazaba.

The Picasso Museum occupies a palace in the old town, not far from the painter's birthplace on Plaza de la Merced. In the evening, espetos, sardines grilled on skewers over a wood fire, are eaten on Malagueta beach.

Ronda is cut in two by the Tajo gorge, spanned by the Puente Nuevo, completed in the late 18th century, its stone piers plunging to the bottom of the ravine. On one side, the old town and its lanes, the Arab baths by the river and the Mondragón Palace; on the other, the Mercadillo district and the Real Maestranza bullring, among the oldest in Spain.

From the Alameda del Tajo promenade, balconies overhang the valley. The Sierra de Grazalema begins west of town.

Between Huelva, Seville and Cádiz, at the mouth of the Guadalquivir, Doñana combines marshes, shifting dunes, pine woods and lagoons. It is a major stopover for migratory birds between Europe and Africa and one of the last refuges of the Iberian lynx. The national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The interior is explored by off-road vehicle with a driver-guide, on routes set by the park authority and run by approved companies, such as the El Acebuche-La Plancha loop (about 4 hours, 70 km). Marked trails also start from the visitor centres.

Founded by the Phoenicians about 3,000 years ago, Cádiz sits on a peninsula almost entirely surrounded by the Atlantic. The old town is explored on foot, from the cathedral and its golden dome to the Roman theatre, rediscovered in the Pópulo district, and the Torre Tavira, a former watchtower with a camera obscura.

La Caleta beach, between the forts of San Sebastián and Santa Catalina, is the most photographed at sunset. In February, the Cádiz carnival, famous for its satirical songs, fills the city.

Jerez gave its name to sherry: the big bodegas in the centre, with their whitewashed cellars, offer tours with tastings of fino, amontillado or oloroso. It is also the city of the Andalusian horse: the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art stages its show « How the Andalusian Horses Dance ».

In the centre, the Almohad Alcázar, the cathedral and the Santiago and San Miguel districts, cradles of flamenco, are explored on foot. In May, the Feria del Caballo gathers riders and carriages.

South-east of Granada, the Sierra Nevada holds Mulhacén, 3,479 m, the highest peak on the Iberian Peninsula. In winter, the Pradollano ski resort welcomes skiers less than an hour's drive from Granada; in summer, trails lead to glacial lakes and summits.

On the southern slope, the white villages of the Alpujarras, such as Pampaneira, Bubión or Capileira, cling to terraced hillsides, with their flat roofs and chimneys.

Behind the seafront and its hotels, Marbella keeps a small old town of white lanes around Plaza de los Naranjos, lined with orange trees and the 16th-century town hall. The seaside promenade runs along Venus and Fontanilla beaches.

Six kilometres west, Puerto Banús gathers yachts, luxury boutiques and night bars. Marbella is also a base for Ronda and the white villages inland.

At the eastern end of the Costa del Sol, Nerja spreads at the foot of the Sierra de Almijara. The Balcón de Europa, a promenade above the sea, separates small coves; Burriana beach, longer, is the liveliest.

Four kilometres away, the Nerja Cave unfolds huge chambers of rock formations, where prehistoric paintings and traces of occupation were found. Inland, the white village of Frigiliana and the walk up the bed of the Río Chíllar round off a stay.

At the crossroads of Seville, Granada and Málaga, Antequera is known for its Menga and Viera dolmens, among the largest megalithic monuments in Europe, and the El Romeral tholos, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list along with the landscapes of El Torcal and the Peña de los Enamorados.

The old town, below the Alcazaba, lines up baroque churches and the collegiate church of Santa María la Mayor. About twenty minutes south, El Torcal natural park displays limestone rocks sculpted by erosion.

The Costa del Sol is the coastline of the province of Málaga, from Nerja in the east to Estepona in the west. In between, Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola line up town beaches, promenades and hotels, served by the commuter train from Málaga airport.

The coast suits beach holidays from April to October. A few kilometres inland, white villages such as Mijas or Casares offer a contrast with the resorts.

In the province of Almería, Cabo de Gata-Níjar natural park protects a volcanic coastline, one of the driest in Europe: dark cliffs, coves and undeveloped beaches such as Mónsul, los Genoveses or los Muertos. The salt flats near the lighthouse attract flamingos.

The villages of San José, Las Negras and Agua Amarga serve as bases; Rodalquilar keeps the remains of old gold mines. The clear water suits snorkelling.

Perched on a sandstone ridge above the Guadalete, Arcos is the first of the white villages on the road from Jerez. Its steep lanes climb to Plaza del Cabildo, where a viewpoint overlooks the cliff and the plain, facing the basilica of Santa María and the castle.

The church of San Pedro, at the other end of the ridge, and the maze of vaulted passages between the two churches make up most of the visit, in half a day.

About fifteen kilometres north of Ronda, Setenil was built into the river gorge: many houses shelter under huge rock overhangs that serve as their roofs. The streets of Cuevas del Sol and Cuevas de la Sombra, one sunny, the other in the rock's shadow, are the most striking.

Above the village, the tower of the old Nasrid fortress and the church of the Encarnación look out over the rooftops.

In the province of Jaén, among the olive groves, Baeza and Úbeda are only 9 km apart. Their centres, remodelled in the 16th century along the ideas of the Italian Renaissance, largely by the architect Andrés de Vandelvira, have been listed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003.

In Baeza, the cathedral, Plaza del Pópulo and the Jabalquinto Palace; in Úbeda, Plaza Vázquez de Molina, the Chapel of El Salvador and the Deán Ortega Palace, now a parador.

In Santiponce, 9 km north-west of Seville, Itálica was born in 206 BC, when Scipio, victor over the Carthaginians at the battle of Ilipa, settled his legionaries there. The city was the birthplace of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian.

Its amphitheatre was among the largest in the Empire by capacity; you can also walk the streets of the upper town and the houses with mosaics, including the House of the Birds. The Roman theatre, in the village, held about 3,000 spectators.