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Seville, Córdoba and Granada, Spain
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Spain · Southern Europe

Seville, Córdoba and Granada

Orange-blossom courtyards, Moorish palaces, and a sunset over the Alhambra — our own photos, our own trip.

Women safety score

8.8 / 10

Best months

Mar–May · Oct–Nov

Currency

Euro (€)

Language

Spanish · English in tourist areas

What to expect the moment you arrive

Andalusia was the trip that made us slow down. Seville is a city built for walking after dark — the cathedral and Torre del Oro lit gold above the Guadalquivir, tapas at ten, nobody in a hurry. Córdoba gave us the Mezquita's red-and-white arches, which no photo prepares you for. And Granada handed us the pink sky over the Alhambra from a Sacromonte terrace, which is still the best twenty minutes of our travelling lives. Three cities, high-speed trains between them, and not one moment where we felt out of place as two women.

Arrival notes

Fly into Seville or Málaga. Seville's airport bus (EA) runs into the centre in about 35 minutes for a few euros. Skip a rental car entirely — Renfe AVE trains connect Seville, Córdoba and Granada quickly and cheaply, and all three historic centres are pedestrian anyway. Book Alhambra tickets weeks ahead; they genuinely sell out.

Getting around

All walking, on cobbles — bring real shoes. Seville is flat and bike-friendly with Sevici bikes; Granada's Albaicín and Sacromonte are steep, so take the little C31/C32 minibuses uphill and walk down. Andalusian nights start late: dinner at 9 or 10pm means the streets are still busy when you head home, which we found reassuring rather than nerve-wracking.

Highlights

  • 01The Real Alcázar gardens in Seville — go at opening, book online, and give yourself two hours in the gardens alone.
  • 02Setas de Sevilla (Las Setas) at blue hour, when the lights start cycling pink and purple across the waffle canopy.
  • 03Cross the Puente de Triana for lunch on the riverbank side, then walk back at sunset.
  • 04The Mezquita-Catedral in Córdoba — first entry slot, before the tour groups fill the arch corridors.
  • 05Sunset over the Alhambra from a Sacromonte or Albaicín viewpoint. Mirador de San Nicolás is famous; a quiet terrace nearby is better.
  • 06The Generalife gardens and the pebble-mosaic paths, then the Alhambra again after dark from Paseo de los Tristes.
  • 07The Court of the Lions inside the Nasrid Palaces — book the earliest timed slot you can get.
  • 08Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences at dusk, then the Umbracle walkway when the palms catch the last light.
  • 09Madrid's Atocha station palm house — arrive early for your train just to sit in it, then jamón ibérico nearby.

From our trip

Photos taken by us, on the ground.

The Giralda and Torre del Oro over the Guadalquivir, Seville
Puente de Triana on a bright afternoon
Setas de Sevilla lighting up at blue hour
The gardens of the Real Alcázar, Seville
The arches of the Mezquita-Catedral, Córdoba
Sunset over the Alhambra from Sacromonte, Granada
The Alhambra at night from Paseo de los Tristes
Pebble-mosaic paths in the Generalife gardens
The Court of the Lions inside the Nasrid Palaces, Alhambra
The City of Arts and Sciences at dusk, Valencia
Walking the Umbracle garden walkway, Valencia
Inside the palm house at the Atocha station gardens, Madrid
Madrid Atocha — a train station that doubles as a jungle
Jamón ibérico on warm bread, a Madrid lunch stop