Andalusia is the Spain of the imagination — a region of Moorish palaces, white villages, sherry bodegas and a flamenco culture that is the most authentic expression of the Andalusian soul.

The Alhambra is the defining experience of Andalusia — a Nasrid palace of extraordinary beauty, built on a hilltop above Granada in the fourteenth century, with gardens, fountains and a view of the Sierra Nevada that is among the finest in Spain. Entry is strictly limited and must be booked months in advance. Bella Via handles all bookings as part of our Granada itineraries.

Cordoba is the most underrated city in Andalusia — a city of extraordinary historical depth, with the Mezquita at its centre: a tenth-century mosque of 856 columns, with a Gothic cathedral inserted into its heart in the sixteenth century. The Jewish quarter of the Juderia, the Alcazar and the Roman bridge are all within walking distance.

The white villages of the Sierra Nevada and the Alpujarras — Ronda, Arcos de la Frontera, Zahara de la Sierra, Capileira — are among the most beautiful in Spain, each one perched on a hilltop with views of the surrounding landscape. Bella Via designs Andalusian itineraries that combine the great cities with the white villages and the sherry culture of Jerez.

Andalusia rewards those who arrive with time and leave with a deeper understanding of what eight centuries of Moorish civilisation actually produced.