Our 10-day Andalusia tour is a ready-made itinerary in which we have included the main wonders of this magical region in southern Spain. All you need to do is follow this itinerary to the letter, along with the various travel resources we suggest, to create your holiday in a DIY style and enjoy the very best this land has to offer.
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An itinerary designed for summer
The 10-day Andalusia tour model presented here is designed specifically for the summer months: at this time of year, the temperatures in inland Andalusia are very high, so it is not advisable to concentrate the tour stops exclusively in the classic triangle of Seville Cordoba Granada. For this reason, the tour alternates visits to the inland cities with those to the beaches of Andalusia, considered among the most beautiful in all Spain and beyond.
Map of the journey
Travel Info
- Best time: Summer and Spring
- Duration: 10 days
- Distance to cover: approximately 800 km (497 miles)
- Total driving time: around 10 hours
- Daily driving time: about 1 hour
- Start: Malaga
- End: Malaga
Itinerary
Here are our suggestions on how to divide up the itinerary.
Day 1
Our tour begins in Málaga. As we said in our article on flights to Málaga, this city is, together with Seville, the most suitable place to start a 10-day tour of Andalusia. You can choose whether to visit it thoroughly in one day or to get to know the city better at the end of the tour.
- Recommended accommodation: Casa de las Mercedes
- Tips on areas and neighbourhoods where to stay in Malaga
- Advice on what to see in Malaga
- Advice on where to eat in Malaga
- Tours, activities and excursions in Malaga
- Advice on car hire in Malaga
Day 2
The second day in Andalusia is immediately all about the sea. The beaches of Malaga and those of the surrounding Costa del Sol are a hugely popular seaside destination for travellers of all ages from across Europe and, despite the fierce urbanisation of recent decades, you can still find a few corners of paradise where you can enjoy relaxation and fun, between parties and swims in the splendid Andalusian sea. You can choose the well-equipped beaches of Torremolinos and Fuengirola, or the fashionable resorts of Marbella or Puerto Banùs, where you can stay overnight.
- Recommended accommodation: La Morada Mas Hermosa
- Tips for an itinerary on the Costa del Sol
- Tours, activities and excursions on the Costa del Sol
- Malaga beaches and the province on the Costa del Sol
Day 3
The beaches of Cádiz and the surrounding province are completely different from those on the Costa del Sol: wild and unspoilt, they will delight anyone who prefers a more adventurous than touristy approach to a holiday. After visiting the Moorish streets of the Afro-Spanish city of Tarifa and/or the curious English colony of Gibraltar – where the monkeys reign supreme – you can choose your favourite seaside spot on the Atlantic Ocean, and arrive in Cádiz once it is already dark.
- Recommended accommodation: Hotel Argantonio
- Advice on areas and neighbourhoods where to stay in Cadiz
- All available accommodation on the Costa de la Luz
- The beaches of Cádiz and the province on the Costa de la Luz
- What to see in Gibraltar
- What to see in Tarifa
- the beaches of Tarifa
- Tips for an itinerary on the Costa de la Luz
Day 4
In one day you can manage to visit the ancient Cádiz, a bright seaside city full of personality: wandering through the pretty narrow streets of the historic centre and suddenly catching sight of the Cathedral’s yellow dome is an experience you won’t forget! After visiting the city, in the late afternoon you can get back in the car and head towards Seville: unless you already want to stay overnight in Seville, find accommodation in Jerez de la Frontera.
- Recommended accommodation: El Andaluz
- All available accommodation in Jerez de la Frontera
- Tips on what to see in Jerez de la Frontera
- Tips on what to see in Cadiz
- Tips on where to eat in Cádiz
- Tours, activities and excursions in Cádiz
Days 5-6
We are already halfway through our 10-day Andalusia tour, and one of the most exciting moments of our trip awaits us: a visit to Seville, the undisputed queen of the Andalusia region. To get in touch with the noble soul of this city, you need at least two days, not least because there is so much to see and you’ll need to try to concentrate your visits during the cooler hours of the day. The city is very easy to explore on foot, so find a hotel with parking, or leave the car in a slightly out-of-town car park and reach the centre by bus!
- Recommended accommodation: Hotel Boutique Casa del Poeta
- Tips on areas and districts where to stay in Seville
- Tips on what to see in Seville
- Advice on where to eat in Seville
- Tours, activities and excursions in Seville
Days 7-8
Still with the beauty of Seville fresh in our eyes, we set off to reach a city that may even surpass it for charm and atmosphere: Granada! This hilltop city is a Moorish gem nestled among the mountains of the Sierra Nevada: the Alhambra, the Albayzin quarter and Granada’s many places of interest have made it the forbidden dream of millions of travellers from all over the world.
- Recommended accommodation: Parador de Granada
- Advice on areas and neighbourhoods where to stay in Granada
- Tips on what to see in Granada
- Tips on buying tickets for the Alhambra in Granada and advice for your visit
- Advice on where to eat in Granada
- Tours, activities and excursions in Granada
Day 9
After exploring two of the most fascinating cities in the whole region, we return to the coast to round off our 10-day Andalusia tour in style. Let’s make a stop in Nerja, a splendid seaside resort in the province of Malaga, situated not far from the border with the province of Granada: if you wish, you can even head a little further east, to the Costa Tropical. Overnight stay in Nerja.
- Recommended accommodation: Paraíso del Mar
- All available accommodation in Nerja
- The beaches of Granada
- Nerja and the beaches of Malaga (see eastern Costa del Sol)
- Tips for an itinerary along the Costa Tropical
- Tours, activities and excursions in Nerja
Day 10
We have reached the end of our 10-day Andalusia tour, but it is only right to make the most of this day too. So, if you did not do so at the start of the tour, you can visit the city of Malaga, or else relax on the city’s popular, well-equipped beaches (La Malagueta above all!), before heading to the airport.
Bonus stops
If you have a couple more days available, we recommend these additional stops:
- visit to Cordoba and/or Ronda, two cities well worth getting to know and which can also be visited in a day each. If you want to include them in the trip, follow the advice in our itinerary in the heart of Andalusia Seville Cordoba Granada;
- it is a little out of the way, but the Costa de Almeria (Cabo de Gata) has some of the most beautiful beaches in all of Andalusia. It can be reached after visiting Granada. This stop can be combined with a visit to Almería and Mini Hollywood, in the Tabernas Desert;
- if you are passionate about the pueblos blancos, you can add a road trip along the ruta de pueblos blancos of Malaga or Cadiz to your “10-day Andalusia tour“, discovering a more authentic and rural side of Spain.
Travel itinerary
- Day 1: arrival and visit to Malaga
- Day 2: Malaga – Costa del Sol – Marbella
- Day 3: Marbella – Costa de la Luz – Cadiz
- Day 4: Cádiz – Jerez de la Frontera
- Day 5: Jerez de la Frontera – Seville
- Day 6: visit Seville
- Day 7: Seville – Granada
- Day 8: visit to Granada
- Day 9: Granada – Costa Tropical – Nerja
- Day 10: Nerja – Malaga
Recommended accommodation
Malaga
Casa de las Mercedes: located in a restored historic palace and furnished in Andalusian style, this accommodation is a real gem, both for the staff’s courtesy and attentiveness and for its very central location.
Marbella
La Morada Mas Hermosa: this distinctive hotel is located in Marbella’s old town, and we recommend it because we just can’t resist its white charm!
Cadiz
Hotel Argantonio: this hotel is one of the most charming in Cádiz. Its strength lies in its architectural eclecticism: each of the three floors it is divided into reflects a different traditional style (Andalusian, rustic and colonial).
Jerez de la Frontera
Al Andaluz: some say that Jerez de la Frontera is the most Andalusian city of them all. Well, it’s hard to say, but if you get there, don’t miss this splendid hotel with two Moorish-style patios.
Seville
Hotel Boutique Casa del Poeta: when a hotel stay becomes an unforgettable aesthetic experience… this is what happens at Hotel Boutique Casa del Poeta, a very classy accommodation in the heart of Barrio Santa Cruz.
Granada
Parador de Granada: what can we say? Granada’s is considered the most beautiful parador in all Spain, and not without reason! Set in an old Franciscan convent on the hill of the Alhambra, this is accommodation we would call princely.
Nerja
Paraíso del Mar: an elegant hotel in the centre of Nerja. It features a garden, swimming pool, private access to Playa Burriana and a terrace with sea views.
Book flights and car hire
We have published 2 guides dedicated to how to book flights and hire a car for a trip to Andalusia. To find out more, do read our in-depth articles linked below:
