24 Jul Five Reasons to Visit Andalucia Now
A few summers ago, my husband and I took our kids to Andalucía. I’d wanted to go for years, but knew it wouldn’t be an easy family trip. Not only is it incredibly hot there in the summer, but most of the highlights (such as the Alhambra, octopus tapas, and sherry) don’t really appeal to children.
© BigLip
Nevertheless, we made it work – mostly by including enough ice cream, souvenirs, and horse-drawn carriage rides to sink a ship. Whether or not you’re traveling with kids, Andalucía is wonderful. Here are the top five reasons to go there on your next vacation.
1. The narrow streets of Sevilla
One of the best things about visiting Sevilla is that you don’t need a plan. Just explore the tangled streets of the Jewish quarter on foot! The street where our hotel was located was so narrow that we could touch both walls while standing in the middle.
Besides wandering the narrow, winding roads, other kid-friendly Seville activities include driving canopied quadricycles in the Parque de Maria Luisa, climbing to the top of the Giralda tower, and feeding fish in the Gardens of the Alcazar.
2. Dinner at midnight
Perhaps you’ve heard that Spaniards dine late? I had too. I just didn’t believe that they dined late with kids. I mean, what kind of lunatic takes children to a restaurant at 11pm? Predictably, my kids loved it. Unfortunately, they didn’t embrace the flip side of late dinners (the siesta) with quite as much gusto.
Since we could almost never even find a restaurant that was open before 9pm, we just threw our hands up and adopted the Spanish schedule: an early light lunch around 11am, a heavy meal at 3pm, and (if we were still awake) dinner late at night.
3. Ronda and the white villages
Los pueblos blancos, or the white villages, are a series of whitewashed hill towns in Andalucia. They’re very beautiful, but also very sleepy – there’s not much to do here besides look. The city of Sentenil de los Bodegas is built into the rocks that overhang it, and is worth a stop. Arcos de la Frontera is also lovely. Since it’s a little bigger than other white villages, it makes a good place to stop for lunch or dinner.
Ronda is worth an overnight, and is practically a thriving metropolis by local standards. You can explore the Bullfighting Museum, admire the deep river gorge from the Puente Nuevo, and have a leisurely meal in the Plaza del Socorro.
4. A chance to dust off your high school Spanish
Compared to residents of other European countries, Spaniards — especially older Spaniards in small Andalusian villages — speak comparatively little English. This is actually a lot of fun if you’ve taken any Spanish classes yourself. Consult your dictionary and ask your question. If you don’t quite catch the answer, just say, “Màs despacio, por favor” (more slowly, please).
5. Prehistoric cave art
Half an hour outside of Ronda is La Cueva de la Pileta, a wonderfully rustic caving tour appropriate for children 4 and up. The one-hour tours are actually led by the descendants of the farming family that discovered the caves in 1905.
After distributing propane lanterns, the guides will show you various limestone formations, lots of bats, and prehistoric art. The tour is mostly in Spanish, but the highlights are underscored in English. Wear good shoes, it can be slippery in places.
Featured Spain Adventure Tour:
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