Al-Andalus itinerary: Moorish Spain

For almost eight centuries, from 711 to 1492, much of the Iberian Peninsula was al-Andalus, an Islamic land where Arabs, Berbers, Christians and Jews lived side by side, fought one another and mingled, creating one of the most refined civilisations of the Middle Ages. While much of Europe lived in villages, Córdoba was one of the largest cities in the world, with libraries, public baths, lit streets and one of the largest mosques ever built. Through al-Andalus came paper, Arabic numerals, citrus fruit, sugar and many texts of Greek philosophy and science.

This eight-day itinerary crosses Andalusia in the footsteps of that civilisation: the Alcazaba of Málaga, the Alhambra of Granada, the Mezquita of Córdoba and the caliphs' city of Medina Azahara, and the Alcázar of Seville, where Christian kings had palaces built in the style of their enemies. It is probably the finest journey you can make in Spain, among courtyards with fountains, orange gardens, horseshoe arches, mint tea and flamenco.

Eight centuries of al-Andalus

In 711 an Arab and Berber army led by Tariq crossed the strait that took its name from him, Gibraltar, "the mountain of Tariq", and within a few years conquered almost the whole peninsula. In 756 a prince of the Umayyad dynasty, who had survived the massacre of his family in Damascus, founded an independent emirate in Córdoba, which became a caliphate in 929. After 1031 al-Andalus split into small kingdoms, the taifas, and the Christian kingdoms of the north pushed south: Toledo fell in 1085, Córdoba in 1236, Seville in 1248. Only the Nasrid kingdom of Granada remained; it built the Alhambra and held out until 2 January 1492, when the last sultan, Boabdil, handed the keys of the city to the Catholic Monarchs. See Muslim Spain, the Caliphate of Córdoba and the Reconquista.

Day 1: Málaga

Arrive at Málaga airport, fifteen minutes from the centre. In the afternoon climb to the Alcazaba, the 11th-century fortress palace, with its courtyards, fountains and terraced gardens above the port; at its foot you can see the tiers of the Roman theatre. From here a steep path leads to Gibralfaro castle, with views over the whole city and the sea. In the evening eat pescaíto frito, fried fish, at a beach bar on the Malagueta. See Málaga Airport.

Where to stay: in Málaga, for one night.

Day 2: to Granada

By bus or car you reach Granada in about an hour and a half. Spend the afternoon in the Albaicín, the old Arab quarter on the hill opposite the Alhambra, a maze of white lanes and cármenes, houses with gardens enclosed by high walls. Visit the Bañuelo, the 11th-century Arab baths, climb to the Mirador de San Nicolás to see the Alhambra lit by the sunset with the Sierra Nevada behind, and have dinner in one of the tea rooms and Moroccan restaurants on calle Calderería Nueva. In Granada's bars, a free tapa comes with every drink.

Where to stay: in Granada, for three nights.

Day 3: the Alhambra

The Alhambra is the best-preserved Islamic palace in the world and the most visited monument in Spain. Built mostly by the Nasrid sultans in the 14th century, it is a fortress city on the Sabika hill, with the red walls that give it its name, "the red one". The visit includes the Alcazaba, the military section, with the Torre de la Vela; the Nasrid Palaces, the heart of the Alhambra, with the Court of the Myrtles, the Hall of the Ambassadors and the Court of the Lions, with its fountain borne by twelve marble lions; the Renaissance Palace of Charles V, with the Alhambra Museum; and the Generalife, the sultans' summer villa, with its gardens and fountains. The walls are covered with stucco and Arabic inscriptions, many of them poems. Allow at least four hours.

Rest in the afternoon, and in the evening go to Sacromonte, the Gitano quarter of cave houses, for a flamenco show in a zambra. See flamenco.

Day 4: Christian and Moorish Granada

In the morning visit the Royal Chapel, where the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, who conquered Granada, are buried, and the cathedral. Stroll through the Alcaicería, the old silk market, now full of shops selling lanterns, ceramics and textiles, and visit the Corral del Carbón, a 14th-century caravanserai, the only one left in Spain. If you still have energy, return to the Alhambra for the night visit to the Nasrid Palaces, a magical experience.

Day 5: Córdoba

The high-speed train takes you from Granada to Córdoba in about an hour and a half. Head straight for the Mezquita, the great mosque begun in 785 and enlarged for two centuries by the caliphs: a forest of more than eight hundred columns of marble, jasper and granite, topped by double-tiered arches with red and white voussoirs. The mihrab, the prayer niche, is decorated with gold mosaics made by Byzantine craftsmen. After the Reconquista the mosque became a cathedral, and in the 16th century a Renaissance church was built in its centre: the contrast is astonishing.

In the afternoon stroll through the Judería, the Jewish quarter, with its small 14th-century synagogue, the statue of the philosopher Maimonides, born in Córdoba, and the calleja de las Flores, with pots of geraniums on its walls. At sunset cross the Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir to see the Mezquita floodlit.

Where to stay: in Córdoba, for two nights.

Day 6: Medina Azahara and the patios

Eight kilometres from Córdoba lie the ruins of Medina Azahara, the palace city that Caliph Abd al-Rahman III began building in 936: it was the capital of the caliphate for a few decades, then was sacked and abandoned, and today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The museum at the entrance explains court life; then a shuttle takes you among the terraces, porticoes and the hall of Abd al-Rahman III, with its restored stone decoration. In the afternoon visit the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, with its gardens and fountains, and a few flower-filled patios: in May Córdoba's patio festival, UNESCO-listed, opens dozens of private courtyards to the public. See UNESCO sites in Spain.

Day 7: Carmona and Seville

By train or bus you reach Seville in about an hour; if you are driving you can stop at Carmona, a white town on a hill, with its Seville Gate and a parador in an old Arab fortress. In Seville visit the cathedral, the largest Gothic church in the world, built on the site of the great mosque, of which the Court of the Oranges and the Giralda survive: the 12th-century Almohad minaret, later turned into a bell tower. You climb to the top on foot up a ramp, built, so the story goes, so that the muezzin could ride up on horseback. In the evening wander through the Santa Cruz quarter, the old Jewish district, and go out for tapas.

Where to stay: in Seville, for one night, or two if you can stay longer.

Day 8: the Alcázar of Seville

The last day is for the Real Alcázar, the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe. Its heart is the Palace of Pedro I, built in the 14th century by Muslim craftsmen from Granada and Toledo for a Christian king: it is the finest example of the Mudéjar style, Islamic art in the service of Christians, with the Courtyard of the Maidens and the Hall of the Ambassadors. The gardens, with their pavilions, fountains and peacocks, are an oasis. In the afternoon visit the Torre del Oro, the Almohad tower on the river, then head to Seville airport. See the Mudéjar style and a weekend in Seville.

How much it costs

To save money: Medina Azahara is free for EU citizens, and many monuments in Seville and Córdoba have free entry hours on certain days of the week. In Granada the free tapa with every drink lets you dine for very little.

Practical information

• Alhambra: tickets are personal and limited in number, with a fixed time for the Nasrid Palaces; in spring and summer they sell out weeks ahead. Buy only from the official website and bring your ID.
• Real Alcázar: here too it pays to book your entry time online.
• Trains: Granada, Córdoba and Seville are linked by high-speed or mid-distance trains; book with Renfe a few days ahead for the best fares. See getting around Spain.
• Heat: from June to September visit monuments early in the morning and rest in the hottest hours, as the Andalusians do.
• Dress: in the Mezquita and the cathedrals cover shoulders and knees.

Variations

• Almería: the largest Alcazaba in Andalusia, with views over the sea.
• Toledo: the mosque of Cristo de la Luz and the synagogues; see Toledo.
• Zaragoza: the Aljafería palace, the only great Islamic palace in the north; see Zaragoza.
• Úbeda and Baeza: the two UNESCO-listed Renaissance towns between Granada and Córdoba; see Úbeda.

What to read before you go

Washington Irving's Tales of the Alhambra, written after he lived in the palace in 1829, which made it famous around the world; for history, a good account of Muslim Spain; for fiction, Amin Maalouf's Leo the African, which opens in the Granada of 1492. See also Andalusia and the cities of Andalusia.

Final tips

• Pace: if you can, add a night in Seville: the city deserves at least two full days.
• Combinations: from Granada or Seville you can link up with the flamenco and Lorca itinerary; from Málaga with the white villages itinerary.
• A tip: in the Alhambra's Hall of the Two Sisters, look up at the muqarnas dome, thousands of tiny stucco cells like a honeycomb: it is one of the most beautiful ceilings ever made.

See also our other itineraries in Spain.

Granada on the map

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