How to choose the cheapest flights to Andalusia? Where should you land? Here is a complete guide
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Where to look for a flight to Andalusia? Recommended sites
Here are the flight search portals we regularly browse and where we most easily find interesting deals…
Skyscanner: it is one of the most useful comparison sites for searching for cheap flights to Andalusia. In addition to comparing different airlines and dates, it allows for very flexible searches, for example by considering the whole United Kingdom as the point of departure rather than a single airport. This is a particularly useful feature for anyone who can choose between several British airports and wants to identify the most convenient combination.
Expedia: allows you to compare and book flights, hotels and car hire. For those travelling from the United Kingdom, it may also be worth checking flight + hotel deals, while still comparing the package price with that of the individual bookings made separately.
Finally, you’re here: after long consultations and Hamlet-like doubts, you’ve chosen to take a trip to wonderful Andalusia, perhaps for a holiday on the beaches, or to visit some of the region’s most beautiful cities such as Seville, Cordoba and Granada. At this point, you may already have dealt with the issue of car hire and accommodation in Andalusia… but what is the next, thorny point on the agenda to sort out? The flight!
Flights to Andalusia from UK: the main airports
The choice of flights to Andalusia is, on the whole, a fairly straightforward task, but we must not overlook any detail. First of all: which cities have the best airport facilities?
- Seville: the capital of the autonomous region of Andalusia is home to San Pablo Airport. Located around 15 minutes from the city centre, it offers all the classic services we would expect from an airport serving a city as important and popular as Seville. For those arriving from the United Kingdom, Seville is one of the most convenient gateways to Andalusia. Direct flights are available from London and from several regional UK airports, although some routes are seasonal and may change between the summer and winter timetables.
- Malaga: Malaga is home to Andalusia’s main airport, Aeropuerto de Málaga-Costa del Sol, and is generally the option offering the widest choice for those arriving from the United Kingdom. The airport has direct connections with numerous British cities via airlines such as easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2, TUI and British Airways. As well as being the natural choice for the Costa del Sol, Malaga can also be an excellent airport from which to start a broader Andalusian itinerary or to reach Granada.
- Granada: has Federico García Lorca Granada-Jaén Airport, but for those arriving from the United Kingdom it is a far less practical option than Malaga. At present there are no direct connections with British airports, so getting to Granada by air normally requires a stopover. For this reason, in most cases it is worth comparing this option with a direct flight to Malaga and then continuing to Granada overland.
- Almeria: it is a particularly interesting option if your itinerary focuses on the eastern part of Andalusia, especially Cabo de Gata and the Desierto de Tabernas. Compared with Malaga and Seville, it has far fewer connections, but it does have direct flights from several airports in the United Kingdom, some of which are seasonal. It is therefore worth checking before automatically choosing Malaga.
To check timetables and prices for trains and coaches, I use Omio, a handy comparison website that lets you compare train fares with coach fares. You can also buy your tickets directly through the site without paying any additional booking fees.
Other airports to consider
For those departing from the United Kingdom, it is not worth limiting the search to Málaga and Seville. Depending on the itinerary, there are two other particularly interesting options: Jerez de la Frontera and Gibraltar.
- Gibraltar: although it is neither in Andalusia nor in Spanish territory, Gibraltar International Airport can be a very convenient option for some itineraries in the southern part of the region, especially for Tarifa, the Campo de Gibraltar and the western area of the Costa del Sol. For a British traveller it is particularly appealing because it offers numerous direct flights with the UK. Naturally, you have to take into account the border crossing if you continue on into Spain.
- Jerez de la Frontera: this is a very interesting airport for anyone wanting to visit Jerez, Cádiz, the Costa de la Luz and the western part of Andalusia. Its importance is even greater for those arriving from the United Kingdom, as direct connections are available from several British airports, although many routes are seasonal. Before booking a flight to Seville or Malaga, it is therefore worth checking Jerez too.
When should you go? The best time to book a flight
To find better fares, it is generally worth avoiding periods of highest demand. Spring and autumn can offer a good balance between price and weather, while flights tend to become more expensive during the summer and around the main UK school holidays. If you can travel outside the school holidays and are flexible with your dates, compare several days and several departure airports.
Exactly! From direct experience, I can say that you can also organise a trip to Andalusia in low season, and the effects of this choice are far more than beneficial not only for your wallet, but also for the visit itself: in addition to taking advantage of the fact that airfare is very affordable (as are hotel rates), at these times of year you will find monuments and attractions considerably less crowded and, in general, a much milder climate in the inland areas (in summer, in cities such as Seville, Cordoba and Granada it is very hot).
How to save money by choosing low-cost flights to Andalusia
To save a bit on flights in high season (and, why not?, low season too), you need to bear one basic concept in mind: rather than relying on the usual intermediary agencies, it is better to search for your ticket on dedicated websites. And not only that! It is now well known that online comparison sites offer many advantages, including the possibility of checking offers with very precise filters, cross-referencing your search across all the airlines (low cost and otherwise) that fly to Andalusia.
Moreover, you can find discounted fares here that you are unable to find on the individual airlines’ websites. See for yourselves: search for flights on a comparison site, select a specific airline, note down the prices, and then search for the same flight on the airline’s official website: in most cases, the price will be lower.
Search for cheap flights to Andalusia on Expedia
Search for low-cost flights to Andalusia on Skyscanner
Flight + hotel Andalusia: an excellent way to spend less
For those departing from the United Kingdom, it is also worth comparing flight + hotel offers with the cost of separate bookings. Package deals are very common on the British market, especially for destinations such as Malaga and the Costa del Sol, and in some cases they can work out well. However, do not assume that a package is always the cheapest option: compare the price, the hotel included, baggage, transfers and cancellation terms before booking.
Search flight + hotel deals in Andalusia
