Alpujarras

Enjoy a true taste of Andalusian scenery and life, as you pass through gleaming white villages perched perilously on hillsides or clifftops, and twist your way through the mountain roads on the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada.

This area was one of the last strongholds of the Moors before their expulsion from Spain by the Christian forces of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Its isolation has helped it maintain a strong character of its own.

full day

Alhambra Palace

Lying below the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains, Granada is quite simply one of Spain's loveliest cities. It was the last Moorish city to fall to the Christians, in 1492, and its most famous legacy is the Alhambra – the magnificent fortified Royal Palace.

Visit the Hall of the Ambassadors, to see its magnificent cedarwood ceiling, the Patio of the Lions - a lovely arcaded courtyard with a fountain supported by 12 stone lions, and the spectacular Generalife gardens. This is a very popular attraction with limited tickets so it's best to reserve your place sooner rather than later - you may like to do this online before departure.

This excursion involves a lot of walking, with numerous flights of stone steps.

Three quarter day

Lecrin Valley

An area of outstanding natural beauty, the Lecrin Valley in Andalusia has not yet experienced the mass tourism seen along the coastal strip and in parts of the Alpujarras. The valley has a number of delightful small towns and villages, and is home to over 300 species of wild flowers, 66 of which are endemic to this area. It's especially beautiful in the spring, when the almond trees are in blossom and the distant peaks of the Sierra Nevada are still capped with snow.

half day

Nerja

This attractive resort lies between the Sierra Almijara and the Mediterranean, and is the most easterly town in the province of Málaga. It is famous for its seafront promontory viewpoint, the Balcón de Europa, where you'll find a life-size, moustachioed statue of King Alfonso XII. He reigned from 1874-1885 – after a coup d'état restored the monarchy and ended the first Spanish Republic – and admired the panoramic view from this spot.

half day

Málaga

Phoenicians, Romans and Moors have all shaped Andalusia's second largest city, so there are plenty of historical sights to see during a tour of this elegant provincial capital. Highlights include the outstanding 8th to 11th-century Alcazaba with its part-excavated Roman amphitheatre, the 14th-century Moorish castle and the 16th-century cathedral. There are plenty of shops to enjoy too!

three quarter day

Granada City

Nestling below the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains, Granada is one of the loveliest cities in Spain. It was the last Moorish city to fall to the Christians, in 1492. This Andalusian city is justly proud of its delightful location and for the richness of its Moorish architecture, which is equal to anything in North Africa.

Attractions include the Royal Chapel, where the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella are buried. It adjoins the cathedral built in the early Renaissance style on the site of the former mosque.

Full day