Our full guide to plan your trip to Andalusia

ARTICLES : 14

Welcome to our page dedicated to Andalusia! After a first (quick) stay in the region in 2019 where we visited a friend who lives in Malaga, we came back to the region during the winter of 2021-2022. This time we decided to stay longer and do a big road trip in Andalusia.

Andalusia is a very popular destination for travelers and cities like Sevilla, Granada or Malaga are often praised for their relaxed lifestyle and the many things to see and do. Far be it from us to discourage you from visiting these cities (on the contrary), but through our articles we will focus more on the more natural and wild side of Andalusia.

Andalusia Map: all our blog posts at one glance

At the end of this page you will find all our blog posts about Andalusia in their chronological order. If you prefer to find your way around on a map, simply click on the button below to display our map of Andalusia with our articles on it.

Coming to Andalusia and getting around

Andalusia is the southernmost region of Spain and therefore, theoretically, the furthest from France or Switzerland. Nevertheless, it must be said that it remains very easily accessible. As for us, we had the time and so we went down by van from Switzerland (taking our time, especially by doing a nice road trip in Catalonia on the way) ;)

Afterwards, if you have less time or if the road seems a bit long, there are obviously other alternatives. The plane is one of them. You can easily find flights to Sevilla, Malaga or Granada for a very reasonable budget. You can compare prices on Skyscanner to see.

Then, as an alternative, there are also trains! Fast trains are very well developed in Spain and there is even a night train line from Paris to Seville.

Once there I would say that there are 2 ways of doing things:

You are in Andalusia to discover the cities, visit museums, eat tapas, party, go to exhibitions? Then we clearly advise you to opt for fairly central accommodation and to travel between cities by train or bus. The network between the cities works well and you won't have to worry about parking, which can clearly be a bit complicated in the city center.
You want to make a trip more oriented to nature, small white villages, creeks? Then we advise you without hesitation to rent a car! In Andalusia the prices are really cheap and it will allow you to travel easily. Public transportation exists of course, but in our research we found that outside the big cities the frequency is VERY limited.

Afterwards, if you make a mix, nothing prevents you from renting a car several times for a few days and staying without a vehicle for the days you are in the cities. For example, if you go to Málaga, explore the center on foot and then rent a car for 2-3 days to easily get to the Caminito del Rey, Nerja, Frigliana, Comares or the Torcal de Antequera. Then, if you take the train to Granada, you can always rent another car 1-2 days to go to Guadix or the Sierra Nevada.

See prices on Rentalcars

Best time to travel to Andalusia

To be honest, Andalusia is a region that can be visited (almost) all year round. We have been there twice, and each time it was between December and February. These months are considered to be the "less good" ones from a tourist point of view but to tell you the truth, we really enjoyed these months: the accommodations are cheaper, there are far less people everywhere and the temperatures are mild.

Of course, if your project is to swim, then it might be better to aim for September-October or May-June... After that, it should be noted that in winter the temperatures vary greatly depending on the region. While it can snow/freeze in the Sierra Nevada mountains or even in Ronda or Guadix in January, the coast is generally much more temperate (15-20°C during the day and 10°C at night).

July and August are, as in many places, the high season. Personally, these are precisely the 2 months of the year that I would avoid in Andalusia. Besides the crowds, personally it is mainly the temperatures that make me say that. Andalusia is a dry region and during the summer the thermometer often exceeds 40°C!

How much time should I plan for my road trip?

For the duration of the stay I think that there is not really a limit... We spent more than 2 months in Andalusia and we are still far from having seen everything there is to see. ;) But my advice would clearly be to prefer stays of one week (to visit a part of the region) to 2-3 weeks for a more global tour. The distances are, after all, quite big and it would seem to me very optimistic to want to see Seville, Granada, Cabo de Gata, Ronda and Malaga in a single week.

In all, Andalusia has 8 provinces: Huelva, Sevilla, Cadiz, Malaga, Granada, Jaen, Cordoba and Almeria. It is difficult to make a general rule, but in order not to be in too much of a hurry, we would recommend spending at least 4-5 days per province.

From a tourist point of view, all the provinces have their strong points and attractions, although often, for a first trip, people tend to favor Sevilla, Granada, Cadiz and Malaga.

Activities and sightseeing in Andalusia

Whether you decide to go to a big city or to the coast, there are plenty of activities you can do: museums, exhibitions, kayaking trips, guided tours or the free walking tours we like so much ;) To find and book an activity we recommend, as usual, to have a look at the websites GetyourGuide and Civitatis. However, for Andalusia and Spain in general we have a soft spot for Civitatis. The company is Spanish and they have by far the largest selection of activities in the region (the Spaniards use it a lot too, much more than in other countries actually).

See the tours in Andalusia on Civitatis

Travel budget for Andalusia

As often, the budget is a question of taste and expectations in terms of comfort, but overall the region of Andalusia remains a cheap region to travel in Europe. We will certainly publish a detailed budget of our road trip at the end of our stay, but to give you an idea we currently spend about 25€ per day per person. For information: we travel with our own van and alternate nights in "wild camps", campsites but we also regularly rent apartments. So the budget includes: our accommodation, our gasoline and food (some restaurants but also a lot of home cooking with shopping in supermarkets and markets).

Update: Our detailed travel budget for Andalusia is live. You can read it here

In order for you to better estimate your budget on site, here are some budget estimates:

Transports:

Van rental: between 50€ and 90€ per day (excluding fuel). See the vans on Yescapa
Car rental: In Andalusia car rentals are really cheap. On Rentalcars you can easily find vehicles for less than 10€ per day (excluding insurance). The cheapest prices are often from the big cities and especially the airports. So even if you arrive by train, it may be worth comparing ;)

Accomnodation:

Camping: There is a great variation in prices depending on the season but also on the popularity of a place. Overall, the inland areas are less expensive than the coast. Camping rates range from 15€ (off season inland) to about 35€ per night (high season on the coast) for a van with 2 people (including electricity)
Hotels: Again, it depends on the city, but prices generally start around 40-60€ per night for a double room. To find a hotel, we recommend you take a look on Booking
House rentals: from 35-40€ per night (depending on the season and location of course). You can compare hotels and rentals by looking at Booking

Food/Restaurant:

In supermarkets we found that the prices were a little cheaper than in France (and obviously much cheaper than in Switzerland ;) )
For fresh products, markets and small shops are often cheaper
For the restaurants, count about 10-13€ per person for a lunch menu
In the evening, it all depends on your desires, but for our part we generally count 20€ per person for a good meal with a glass of wine.

Well, this time I think we've told you everything! Find below all our articles written about Andalusia in chronological order (the most recent first).

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