We like to travel on our own vs tour guides and buses. This is one of those self-guided trips using Avis, booking.com, Rick Steve’s guide book and podcasts. We flew into Lisbon and rented a van for five of us to enjoy southern Spain over nine days. 

We had been to Seville before, but wanted to return. We visited Granada, Ronda, Arcos de la Fronterra and Seville on this trip. 

 

Granada 

 

We started in Granada, a 7 hour drive from Lisbon. Granada is a major city in Andalusia. Andalusia is the southernmost community in Spain, known for its rich history, diverse landscapes, and vibrant culture, including flamenco music and dance. It comprises eight provinces, with Seville as its capital.

 

Andalusian culture still bears distinct traces of the eight centuries of Moorish rule. The region’s Moorish architecture, flamenco dancing, and bullfighting have helped form the popular image of Spain. We decided not to attend bullfighting, but did partake in a Flamenco show. 

 

We stayed in old town Granada at the foot of the palace. The Alhambra is a palace and fortress of the Moorish monarchs of Granada, Spain. The name Alhambra, which means "the red" in Arabic, likely comes from the reddish color of the tapia (rammed earth) used to build the outer walls.

 

The Alhambra is located in a place of natural beauty. It was constructed on a plateau that overlooks the Albaicín quarter of Granada’s Moorish old city.

 

Our next stop was Ronda, a few hours drive. 

 

Ronda is situated in the Malaga province and It is one of the "White Towns" that are scattered around Andalucia. It is 67km inland of Malaga 

Ronda is built on a rocky outcrop and is split in half by deep river gorge the El Tajo created by the river Guadalevin. This gorge is spanned by an amazing beautiful 18th century arched bridge, the Puento Nuevo, and tall whitewashed houses perch along the edge. Our hotel was right near this edge and bridge. We hiked down both sides of the bridge for better views. 

 

 

This is a charming and picturesque town to perched on a 150 metre high limestone ridge overlooking the river Guadalette. 

This hilltop town is one of the famous "pueblos blancos" (white towns) of Spain, known for their whitewashed buildings and narrow, winding streets. We had to park at the bottom of the city walk up to the top of the city where our hotel was. The streets were not wide enough for our van. We had amazing views from our rooms and the hotel patio of the valley in the mountains.

 

 

Seville is the capital and largest city of the Spanish community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville has a municipal population of about 701,000 and a metropolitan population of about 1.5 million, making it the largest city in Andalusia and the fourth-largest city in Spain. Its old town, where we stayed, with an area of 4 square kilometres, contains a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising three buildings: the Alcázar palace complex, the Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies. We visited all three and sampled their tapas, paella, and sangria daily. The Seville harbour, located about 80 kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean, is the only river port in Spain. Seville was founded as the Roman city. 

 

Even though the dollar has weakened against the Euro, we found hotel and food to be very reasonable. Gas was still over $7 for diesel. 

 

Our next trip to Spain will include Cordoba, Toledo, and Malaga. We much prefer this part of Spain over Barcelona.