Andalucia’s eight provinces pulse with the vibes and vestiges of past civilizations while embodying the best of modern day Spain.
Spain has forever summoned conquerors, explorers, artists, adventurers, lovers, and other seekers to its shores. In Iberia, his bestselling 1968 non-fiction account of his travels to Spain, late literary great James A. Michener captures the essence of the country’s eternal siren call appeal.
“I have long believed that any man interested in either the mystic or romantic aspects of life must sooner or later define his attitude concerning Spain,” wrote Michener to start the book. “For just as this forbidding peninsula juts into the Atlantic and stands isolated, so philosophically the concept of Spain intrudes into the imagination, creating effects and raising questions unlike those evoked by other nations.”
That perfectly describes my first sighting of Spain, a hazy fleeting glimpse a decade ago of its southern coastline from Tangier, Morocco across the Strait of Gibraltar. I was looking at Andalucía, which I knew as a mystical land of Moorish conquests and magic castles, but little more. Michener’s immersive travels to Spain began in 1932 aboard a coal freighter from Glasgow. While less adventurous, my virgin voyage, in September 2024 on an overnight Iberia flight from NYC to Sevilla via Madrid, came with pilgrimage-like expectations. Following in footsteps that changed the world, my whirlwind four-day tour was eye-opening at every turn.
Spanning southern Spain, Andalucía’s eight provinces, with same named capital cities, pulse with the vibes and vestiges of past civilizations. From Carthaginians to Celts to Catholics and others in between, outsiders came in waves, bringing ruin along with advances. Major eras included 600 years of Roman rule of the Iberian peninsula, which they named Hispania.
Celebrating Pride in Granada (Photo by Javi Indy)
The pivotal shift came between 711 to 1492, when Muslims held the peninsula, calling their kingdom Al-Andalus. Christian forces battled to reclaim their lands from the outset. Their eight-century fight, the Reconquista, ended in 1492 when the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, conquered the last Muslim stronghold of Granada. I was headed there, but first up was Sevilla, Andalucía’s enchanting capital.
From pandemics to the Spanish Inquisition to the Napoleonic and Spanish Civil Wars, Sevilla enduring sustained periods of suffering. Modern Sevilla strolls gaily along on happy feet though. This was the Spain I had always imagined, where life revolves around leisurely strolling, shared experiences, and spirited socializing over small plates and wine late into the night. Moorish, Gothic, and Baroque landmarks, monumental plazas, parks, and palaces, maze-like medieval barrios, and Sevilla’s other charms offer a ready stage for consummating these easy pleasures.
Alhambra Lions Fountain in Granada (Photo by Maziarz)
My hotel, the upscale 365-room Meliá Sevilla (Dr. Pedro de Castro, 1. Tel. +34-954-421-511. melia.com), quickly dispelled the fatigue of the flight-delayed overnight journey. Lunch at the hotel’s lobby-level Quimera Restaurant provided a tantalizing taste of arrival, mixing classics like grilled Iberian pork loin with innovative dishes such as carpaccio with ajo blanco cream and lumpfish roe. While the hotel’s sizeable outdoor pool was calling on the 90-degree day, the mystical towers visible from my exclusive Level-category room were more seductive. Minutes later, I stood before the otherworldly Plaza de España.
Set within sprawling María Luisa Park, this grandiose public square, built for the year-long Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, pays lavish tribute to the Americas. Bookended by two magnificent towers, the semicircular arcade of former national pavilions from the 1929 Expo that wrap around the massive plaza are a confection of Renaissance Revival, Moorish Revival, and Spanish Baroque styles. Details include wooden coffered ceilings, balustraded balconies, and banks of colorful ceramic tiles, or azulejos, a Sevilla signature, highlighting 49 Spanish provinces. Four bridges representing the ancient kingdoms of Spain cross a Venetian-style canal, while a giant central fountain and horse-drawn carriages add romance to the scene. With film appearances including Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, the plaza hosts year-round festivals, concerts, and events.
Archivo de Indias (left), Cathedral and Giralda Tower (middle) and Alcazar in Sevilla (right) (Photo by Right Perpective Images)
My first sighting of Spain was a hazy fleeting glimpse of its southern coastline from Tangier,Morocco across the Strait of Gibraltar.I was looking at Andalucía, which I knew as a mystical land of Moorish conquests and magic castles, but little more.
Now part of the nearby University of Sevilla, the former 18th-century Royal Tobacco Factory (Calle San Fernando, 4. Tel. +34-954-551-000. cicus.us.es/visitas-guiadas) once employed 10,000 mostly female workers. Once such cigarrera inspired the titular character of the legendary opera Carmen, the rebellious gypsy who famously rolled cigars between her thighs.
Evolving from a 10th century Moorish fortress into a 12th century Moorish palace before becoming a Spanish royal palace in 1364, the near by Royal Alcazar of Sevilla (Patio de Banderas Street. Tel. +34-854-760- 426. alcazarsevilla.org) is a fantasy of Arabian architecture. The UNESCO World Heritage Site’s screen appearances include Lawrence of Arabia and season five of HBO’s Game of Thrones, featuring venues including the Ambassadors’ Hall and the exotic gardens. The upper floors serve as the Spanish royal family’s official residence in Sevilla, making the Alcázar Europe’s oldest active royal palace.
Royal Alcazar of Sevilla (Massimo Santi)
The palace adjoins Sevilla’s former Jewish quarter, Barrio de Santa Cruz. Especially magical at night, this labyrinth of narrow streets and alley ways, populated with boutique hotels, tapas restaurants, plazas, and gardens, leads to another UNESCO-protected crown jewel, Cathedral of Sevilla (Avenida de la Constitución. Tel. +34-954-214-971. catedraldesevilla.es).
Built between 1402 and 1506 on the site of a 12th-century mosque, the world’s largest Gothic cathedral features an unmatched art collection, from paintings and sculptures to textiles and stained glass. The coffin-shaped tomb held aloft by four male statues representing the four ancient kingdoms of Spain may contain the partial remains of Christopher Columbus. The soaring bell tower, La Giralda, was originally the mosque’s minaret and remains the emblem of Sevilla.
The flow of history continues along the nearby Guadalquivir River, Spain’s longest navigable river and lifeblood of the city’s Golden Age preeminence as a global center of trade. Landmarks lining the Sevilla side of the river include the palatial five-star Hotel Alfonso XIII (San Fernando, 2. Tel. +34 954-917-000. marriott.com), built for the 1929 Expo. Look for the rectangular remnant of an ancient Roman road in front of the hotel. The Golden Tower (Torre del Oro), from 1220, is a remnant of the Moorish fortifications that once encircled the city.
While bullfighting’s appeal is fading in Spain over animal welfare concerns, the stunning 12,000-capacity Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza (Cristobal Colon Avenue, 12. Tel. +34-954-210-315. plazadetorosdelamaestranza.com) bullring is an enduring national icon.
Orange trees, a ubiquitous Sevilla icon, line the riverside promenade. One origin story has Genoese sailors introducing the trees from Asia around the 11th century and spreading word of the happiness they bring to their owners. Another attributes the Moors with planting the trees as ornaments in streets, gardens, courtyards, and mosques. Today, 50,000 citrus auran tium trees populate the city. While too bitter to eat, the orange adds deep fla vor to sauces, zests, cakes, marinades, liqueurs, cocktails, and most famous ly, marmalade.
In 1519, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s five-ship armada departed Sevilla in search of a western trade route to the Moluccas or “Spice Islands” of eastern Indonesia.
Anchored in the river, the Nao Victoria 500 Replica and Museum (Paseo Alcalde Marques Del Contradera. Tel. +34-954-090-956. fundacionnaovictoria.org/nao-victoria) is a life-size reconstruction of Magellan’s flagship. Following Magellan’s demise on the history-changing voyage, Spanish navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano captained the ship in the first circumnavigation of the world, returning to Sevilla in 1522. The replica was built for Seville Expo ’92, which commemorated the 500th anniversary of Columbus reaching the Americas.
On the northern edge of Old Town, Alameda de Hércules (visitasevilla.es/la-bohemia-alameda) is Europe’s oldest public park and the center of gay life in open-minded, LBGTQ-friendly Sevilla. Marked by two towering columns carrying statues of Hercules, Sevilla’s mythic founder, and Julius Caesar, this trendy, leafy neighborhood abounds with bars, tapas joints, cruise clubs, and discos. The annual June parade for Seville Pride (facebook.com/OrgulloAndalucia), also known as Andalucía Pride, ends here, with all-night festivities back at Plaza de España.
Across the river, Barrio de Triana (sevillecityguide.com/triana seville.html), or the Triana district, moves to its own passionate, soulful beat. The colorful facades lining Triana’s riverbank front a maze of narrow cobblestoned streets comprising this atmospheric former working-class neighborhood. Fiercely independent (residents consider themselves Trianeros before Sevillanos) Triana’s rich history includes ceramic-making and a spell as a teeming Gypsy community of potters, sailors, bullfighters, and flamenco artists.
Triana Neighborhood and The River Guadalquivir in Sevilla (Photo by Trabantos)
As you cross the famed iron Isabel II bridge into Triana, landmarks tell essential elements of the neighborhood’s story. The ornate twin-towered Carmen Chapel honors the patron saint of Sevilla’s sailors. The circa-1823 Triana Market (Triana Market Calle San Jorge, 6. mercadodetrianasevilla.com) is a vibrant multi-vendor food hall built atop the ruins of the Castle of San Jorge. Now a museum, the latter housed the court of the Spanish Inquisition and its prison. Walking in the footsteps of the accused down the adjacent Alley of the Inquisition was chilling.
Look for the Cubist-style bronze statue memorializing legendary local matador Juan Belmonte. Triana Al Arte Flamenco, a sculptural female dancer carrying a guitar with one foot on an anvil, commemorates the Andalucían origins of flamenco. Incorporating diverse cultural influences, this enigmatic art form emerged from the toil of nomadic gypsies, long ostracized in Spanish society, in forges and factories. Through singing (cante), guitar (toque), dance (baile), and clapping (palmas), flamenco is a powerful expression of their hardships, passions, and emotions.
Flamenco Performers (Photo by criben)
Sevilla’s and Triana’s many tablaos (flamenco venues), including the famed El Arenal and Casa de la Memoria, offer daily shows. As the scent of blossoming oranges fills the air in the spring, the sounds of flamenco from patios, doorways, and windows gives Sevilla a distinctive soundtrack.
Now buzzing with bars, cafes, restaurants, and shops, Triana was once an epicenter of Andalucía’s ancient ceramics industry, dating to Roman times. Decorating buildings, walls, and streets across Sevilla and other Andalucían cities, ceramic tiles continuously delight the eyes and imagination. Emissions regulations in the 1970’s ended the wood-burning operations, but artisans working in small workshops and potteries keep the tradition alive, as does the Triana Ceramics Center (C. Callao 16. Tel. +34-955-471-422. visitasevilla.es/centro-ceramica-triana).
Ceramics were on my afternoon menu in Triana, starting with lunch at Alfarería 21 (Alfareria 21. Tel. +34-955-834-875. facebook.com/alfarera21Triana). The restaurant and accompanying hotel update the former Montalván Pottery complex, a historic ceramics factory that closed in 2012. Dining spaces include former underground kilns, which created a dramatic stage for my delicious tapas lunch. Afterward, I learned about the origins and evolution of ceramic-making through the centuries in Andalucía and painted a ceramic tile at nearby Barro Azul (Calle Alfarería, 9B. Tel. +34-644- 455-624. barroazul.com) studio-workshop.
After strolling Triana’s narrow streets and the parade of landmarks, historic churches, and heritage sites, I enjoyed exceptional avant-garde Andalucían cuisine at fine-dining Abades Triana (Calle Betis, 69. Tel. +34-954-286-459 abadestriana.com/en) restaurant.
Castillo San Jorge and the Triana Market in Sevilla (Photo by Juan Manuel Aparicio Diez)
Located on famed Betis (the Guadalquivir River’s original Roman name) Street, this riverside gem features an outdoor deck and panoramic windows offering prime views of Torre del Oro and Sevilla’s captivating cityscape. The food, extensive wine list, and service were top-notch. While tempted to dive into Sevilla’s festive night culture, I was already well-fueled and had a sunrise departure for Granada. It was inebriating enough to amble back to the hotel, Michener’s “intrusion on the imagination” in full effect. Every European expedition should include a train ride. The two-and a-half-hour journey eastwards from Sevilla’s Santa Justa station, which opened in 1991, offers regular service across Andalucía and beyond, including to Madrid and Barcelona.
Santa Justa Station in Sevilla (Photo by Sean Pavone)
The ride was a waking dream of flat plains and patchwork fields becoming rolling hills that deepened and climbed as we descended into the Sierra Nevada-backed foothills of Granada. The endless march of ancient olive groves across the baking earth called to mind the waves of armies that soldiered across these lands through the centuries. Evocative too was seeing a distant Pueblo Blanco, or White Village, pocketed below a hilltop castle. Typically marking the border between Christian and Moorish territories, these shimmering visions dot Andalucía’s countryside.
Like Sevilla, Granada’s ancient past veers from progress to destruction and back. Legends abound, including the city’s founder (cue Hercules again) and origins of the name. One version is “Garnata” from the Arabic for “hill of pilgrims.” Another holds that Granada from above resembles a pomegranate (“punica granatum” in Latin) cut in half. With its nutrient-packed seeds and rich red juice, the folkloric fruit is fittingly the city’s symbol. Smaller than Sevilla, Granada, population of around 237,000 can swell ten-fold with tourists. With around 60,000 students, the University of Granada attracts a large U.S. and international enrollment and adds a youthful spirit to the city. Diverse and inclusive, the city has a thriving LGBTQ+ community. The airport is named for legendary local son Federi co García Lorca, one of Spain’s most celebrated gay poets, playwrights, and theater directors, and charter member of the highly influential Generation of 1927 group of writers and artists.
El Angél Azul, or the Blue Angel (Calle Lavadero de las Tablas, 15) headlines a diverse roster of popular gay and mixed crowd bars, clubs, and discos sprinkled around the city. Another popular spot is Tic Tac Granada (Horno De Haza 19. Tel. +34-58-296-366. facebook.com/tictac.granada). Granada’s pride organization Orgullo Granada (orgullogranada.com) puts on a flamboyant parade each June as part of month- long pride celebrations.
Layered in Jewish, Arab, and Christian eras, Granada above all is an immeasurable feast for the senses. “If you were to visit just one city in Spain, it should be Granada,” wrote Ernest Hemingway. Henri Matisse found Granada “so moving that it stimulates and melts all of the senses.” Honeymooning in the city with his Granada-born wife, Mexican poet, and historian Francisco A. de Icaza, seeing an old blind man begging for money, wrote, “Give him alms, woman, as there is nothing in life as the sadness of being blind in Granada.”
Aerial View of Cathedral de Granada (Photo by Saiko3p)
The postcard-perfect views from the exclusive top-floor Level Lounge of my hotel, the newly renovated 181-room Meliá Granada (CalleAngel Ganivet, 7. Tel. +34-958-227-400. melia.com), gloriously affirmed these sentiments. Amid the panorama of whitewashed buildings, tiled rooftops, and cypress trees, the massive Cathedral of Granada (Pasiegas Square. Tel. +34-958-222-959. catedraldegranada.com) and mighty, majestic Alhambra (Real de la Alhambra. Tel. +34-958-027-971. alhambrapatronato.es), one of Spain’s crown jewels, stood like sentinels. To the east, the peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountain range are home of Europe’s southernmost ski resort. Granada is also just an hour’s drive from the beaches of Costa Tropical.
Following lunch of flavorsome black rice paella at the hotel’s seafood driven Ola 1971 restaurant, I headed for the Cathedral. Constructed on the foundations of Granada’s main mosque following the Reconquista, this Spanish Renaissance masterpiece, completed in 1704, features an imposing façade and soaring white marble interiors. Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand are entombed in the adjacent Royal Chapel. The Cathedral’s massive scale gives way to the narrow confines of the Alcaicería. Once enclosed by ten gates, this ancient Arab silk and spice market is now a touristy but entertaining retail corridor.
Granada’s magic grows as the sun goes down. My evening began with a winding ascent to Sacromonte, the ancient hillside home of Granada’s Gypsy community and their original cave dwellings. Here you will discover Venta del Gallo (Blacks Ravine 5. Tel. +34-858- 950-315. cuevaventaelgallo.es), a cave restaurant featuring daily flamenco shows. Seeing a performance up close in the tight space was riveting. Accompanied by a singer and a guitarist, the trio of dancers, two female and one male, put on a foot-stomping, face-contorting, sweat-drenched display of controlled yet unbridled emotion.
Crowning the evening was dinner at Carmen de lasTomasas (Carril de San Agustín 4. Tel. +34-958 224-108. lastomasas.com) in the nearby Albaicín neighborhood, Granada’s ancient, labyrinthine Moorish quarter. Seated on the restaurant’s spacious outdoor terrace, I had the ultimate feast for the eyes to accompany my meal—the Alhambra at night.
The Arab conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 established a caliphate centered in another fabled Andalucían center, Córdoba. The kingdom oversaw a sustained period of economic prosperity and advances in the arts and sciences, before civil war dissolved the kingdom into smaller states starting in 1013.
While most had fallen to Christian armies by the 12th century, the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, established in 1230, survived for the next two centuries as the last Arab stronghold in Iberia. Constructed between 1238 and 1358 as the royal palace-fortress of the Nasrid dynasty, the Alhambra (red castle in Arabic) is a multi-layered archeological, historical, cultural, and horticultural prize for the ages. Book well in advance and go early to avoid the heat and the crowds.
The esplanade leading to the Gate of Justice (1348), the most impressive of the Alhambra’s four entrances, features a plaque commemorating legendary American author Washington Irving, who wrote Tales of the Alhambra (1832) following his three-month stay in the palatine city in 1829.
The Alhambra in Granada (Photo by saikp3p)
Nearly destroyed by Napoleon’s forces two decades earlier, the Alhambra was in a prolonged state of disrepair. Yet its majesty moved Irving along with Granada itself, which he described as “a most picturesque and beautiful city, situated in one of the loveliest landscapes that I have ever seen.” His book inspired Western rediscovery of the Alhambra, which became a state-managed national monument in 1870 and UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Albaicín, in 1984.
Every inch of the Alhambra intoxicates. Legendary graphic artist M.C. Escher called the Alhambra “the most fertile source of inspiration of all those from which I have drunk.” The hand carved in the keystone of the Gate of Justice’s outer arch, and the key centered in the inner archway, are essential Islamic symbols. Overhanging the latter is a Gothic figure of the Virgin and the Child, exemplifying the Islamic/Christian duality of art and architecture throughout the Alhambra.
Past the Gate and its hidden defensive corners, the wall lining a wide road incorporates Islamic gravestones, or macabres, placed after the Chris tian conquest. Water, precious in Islamic culture, flowed throughout in ingeniously engineered aqueducts, irrigation canals, pools, and fountains.
Spanning the centuries, the courtly city’s imposing landmarks start with the Alcazaba castle, built after 1238 atop an earlier 11th century Arabic fortress. The trio of 14th century Nasrid royal palaces are a spell binding spectacle of Arabic calligraphy, ceramic tiles, filigree windows, scalloped stucco, and carved wooden ceilings. Signature palatial venues include the verdant Courtyard of the Myrtles and the Hall of the Ambassadors, where the Muslim rulers ceded Granada to the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, and Christopher Columbus received the royals’ blessing for his New World expedition.
Begun in 1527 and finally completed in 1957, the immense granite Christian-Renaissance palace of Charles V backs onto the Nasrid palaces. The 15th-century convent of San Francisco is now the Parador de Grana da hotel. The tranquil terraced Generalife Gardens feature an auditorium that hosts annual events such as the International Festival of Music and Dance. I exited four hours later, exhilarated and exhausted by the 1,000- plus year walk through time.
Following a leisurely outdoor lunch at Jardines de Alberto (Paseo de la Sabica 1. Tel. +34-958-221-661. jardinesalberto.es/en) across from the Alhambra, and a traditional Arab bath at the unisex Hammam Experience (Santa Ana Street, 16. Tel. +34-958-913-125. granada.hammamalandalus.com) back in town I closed out my Andalucían adventure with a late dinner at award-winning wine-driven tapas bar Taberna La Tana (Placeta del Agua, 3. Tel. +34-958-225248. tabernalatana.com).
Seated outside on a narrow cobblestone street amid a colorful parade of humanity, the scene was pure cinema. As the wine flowed and one savory plate after another arrived, I thought of Michener and another muse moved by Spain, Anthony Bourdain. ‘Any reasonable sentient person who looks at Spain, comes to Spain, eats in Spain, drinks in Spain—they’re going to fall in love.’ he observed. I cannot wait to go back.
