Guide to Andalucia for Tourists

For most Northern European holiday makers the Costa del Sol is the playground of sun worshippers who step off their planes and spend lazy days on sun loungers and sip martinis at night, though in recent times the Costa del Sol has become so much more, it is more than just a 200km long beach, it is also home to several wonderful towns that have all reinvented themselves as destinations.

From east of Malaga to Gibraltar, the Costa del Sol's reputation as a beach resort is warranted, with many of the beaches being set aside exclusively for those who want to perfect their tan. Many beaches include purpose built shade umbrellas.

The shops of the Costa del Sol are found in Malaga and Marbella. Malaga city is the second largest in Andalucia and as such is home to several large shopping centers as well as the central city shopping precinct. Marbella and it's outlying suburbs Nueva Andalucia and Puerto Banus are home to some of the world's most exclusive brands as the area has become Europe's playground for the rich and famous.

Sevilla is known throughout the world for the Seville orange, or the proud Andalucian horses bred on stud farms in the valleys outside the city, but for visitors to Sevilla, this is the city that defines Andalucia in all her richness of culture and history.

The city is Spain's 4th largest, and at various times during Spain's history has been its most important capital. The Americas were discovered by sailors who departed from Sevilla and in the city's main park there is a huge monument in honour of Christopher Colon (Christopher Columbus) and the men who sailed with him.

As befitting a majestic city of importance, Sevilla's old town is large and important, it is home to a cathedral widely considered to be the 3rd largest in the world after St Peter's in Rome and St Paul's in London. The La Giralda tower next to the cathedral contains the church bells, and a terrace with views over the entire city.

The Alcazar next to the cathedral is still to this day used by Spanish royalty when they stay in the city, and is a gorgeous building filled with historic decor and centred around a patio the envy of other European palaces. During the Islamic period it was from here that the downfall of the Cordoba Emirate was plotted by their enemies and friends alike.

Sevilla is also home to one of the most impressive bullrings in the world, and it is from Sevilla that the oldest of the two bullfighting styles was named. The Plaza de Toros in Sevilla often competes with Ronda for the claim of oldest bullring in the world, though in fact neither are, even if they were the first bullrings constructed specifically for the purpose of the corrida.