The BEST of Andalusia: EPIC 2 Week Southern Spain Road Trip

Few places capture the essence of Spain quite like Andalusia. Located along the southern shore less than 10 miles from the coast of northern Africa, this region has a unique blend of Spanish culture with Moorish influences. As a birthplace of tapas, flamenco dancing, and home to iconic Spanish dishes, it's easy to see why this is one of the top regions to visit. It's home to world-class beaches along the coast of El Sol, incredible Moorish architecture of the Alhambra and Mesquita, historic centers lined with ripe orange trees, and endless olive groves and mountain vistas. Despite visiting Spain more than seven times, I've never visited this remarkable region, but that changes today. I'm renting a car and driving a 500 kilometer loop to explore some of Andalusia's top sites. So ride along with me and we'll discover the best things to eat, why is it so good, see, and do on this unforgettable southern Spain road trip. The easiest way to start this road trip is by flying into Malaga. This is where this road trip itinerary will start and end, but you can also fly into Sevilla, which is about two hours east and close to other attractions in Andalusia like Cadiz and Ronda. For this trip I flew into Madrid, it's where I found the cheapest flights and I picked up my rental car that I booked with Discover Cars. Here we go. Discover Cars has become our go-to car rental platform. They're a comparison website working with over 700 partners across 45 countries in 10,000 locations to help you secure the best possible price for your car rental. They have several suppliers all across the country in Malaga, Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, and countless others, making it super easy to find exactly what car you need no matter where you're headed. The booking process is super straightforward, they have flexible cancellation and modification policies, and pricing is crystal clear. I love that there was no surprise fees waiting for me at pickup. Just make sure you have an international license, which is required to drive in Spain, and always take pictures of your car when you pick it up to document any prior damage. If you're planning an international road trip like this one or you just need a rental car for the weekend, scan this QR code to book your next rental car with Discover Cars, or use the link in the video description below and see how easy they make the car rental experience. The entire process took like five minutes to check I've made it to our spot in Malaga, and it's so charming. I love this apartment. It has everything you could want and need, particularly for a long-term stay. There's a washing machine, awesome bathroom and kitchen, and it's right next to the park that leads up to the castle at the top of the hill. So I just have this beautiful green space to look out at, and it's really well located. It's only like a five minute walk to the downtown area. It did come with parking, it was about a four minute walk to the parking garage. The weather here could not be better. Even though it's November, it is such a beautiful day. Some people were even like swimming at the beach earlier. I have a lot of fun stuff planned, not only exploring the city, doing some day trips, it's gonna be a good time. My first stop was at the Picasso Museum. As the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, Malaga has two must-visit attractions dedicated to the famed artist, the Picasso Museum and the house where he was born in 1881. Having produced over 50,000 works in his nearly 80-year career, Picasso's revered for being one of the most prolific and diverse artists. While cubism is what he's most well-known for, he experimented with a wide variety of materials, from sculpting, ceramics and printing, constantly blurring the lines between what's real and make-believe. I really enjoyed the Picasso Museum. It was smaller than the one we visited when we were in Barcelona. That one has more of his famous works and some of his larger pieces, but this one did a really good job of showcasing his entire life and kind of featuring the progression he made, giving you like a holistic view of who he was as a person. So definitely visit this one, even if you've been to the one in Barcelona. I think it is well worth it, but make sure you book your tickets in advance. I am here for five days in Malaga and there was only one day that there was still tickets available and I had to get there right when they opened at 10 a.m. So definitely book ahead. I will have a link for you to book. Skip the line, get your guide tickets right up here and in the description below. But now I am going to explore some of the beautiful historic center. So right around the cathedral, they have all of these plazas and gardens with flowers and orange trees. It is absolutely beautiful. I'm about to head into the cathedral. I always recommend going inside the churches. They're typically stunning, but this one's special because you can go up to the ceiling and get a vantage point of the city. Sadly, they're doing renovations on the church right now. So you're not able to go up to the roof and see that vantage point when you're coming. Hopefully the renovations are done. It was $10 entrance. If you really are into churches or have never been in a huge cathedral, it's definitely worth it. They do give you an audio guide, which is really nice. I'm not like the biggest fan of churches. The whole appeal to me was to be able to go on top, but it's all right. There's plenty more to see in Malaga. In the center of town, there is a Roman theater that dates back to 1 BC. It is always so amazing to me to think about how historic so much of Europe is. You can also go up to the very top of the hill where they have a fortress that dates back to the Moorish rule. I am not going to be doing that this trip because I'm going to be going to several other Moorish sites along this Andalusia road trip, including the Alhambra and the Mesquita in Cordoba. So if you are interested in not going to other places, definitely add that to your list. The cost for entry is not that much, and it includes getting access to the platform over by the Roman theater. In the center of town, there is a beautiful park that you can just go for a stroll, get out of the heat. It's filled with all of these tropical plants and beautiful flowers and fountains. And it is just such an oasis in the center of the city. And it runs pretty much the entire path of the main street. I have heard wonderful things about Malaga. It's the capital of the Costa del Sol. It's an expat haven. It's so global and bilingual. I mean, I've heard at least five to ten languages anytime I leave the house, and I can see the appeal and why it brings so many people in. It's absolutely beautiful here, and I would love to spend more time. I'm at the famous market here. It reminds me so much of the market in Barcelona and in Madrid, but this feels so much more local. There's actually people like shopping right before their lunch break to get their fresh ingredient. They have everything organized by like meat, fruits, fish. There's a lot of tapas restaurants that you can go to as well. I really wanted to try a bao from this place. That's what they specialize in. They have lots of fried seafood, but I'm here right before they close and they're out. So I'm gonna go somewhere else for lunch, but first I'm gonna grab a drink. I'm getting a vermouth, which is a typical drink here. In the first place, it's actually the national drink, not sangria like many people think, but they have loads of different sweet wines for you to try at this spot. The vibe is on point. Everything is in these little barrels. They just write down on chalk what have you ordered to keep your tab up to date. If you want to order food, you have to go across the way and you can order food from this other guy. I love this vibe so so much. Super local, cash only. Salud. This spot I came to for lunch today was recommended by my Airbnb. The weather is wonderful right now. The specialty that I got today was a tortilla, but it's not your typical tortilla. This one adds camarones and they make it super thin and crunchy. Oh wow. I was not sure I was gonna love it. I love it. They have like medio raciones, medium-sized tapas, and they have raciones, which are large portions. It would be like considered a full meal. And they also have tapas. I'm gonna be getting a few different variety of tapas. Ensalada rusa is a very popular tapa. You can find it all across Spain. Rabo de Chollo is on point. Tender, flavorful. Wow, the sauce that it's in is awesome. A great way to walk off all that lunch is go to the very top of the city, to Castillo Jibráfaro. Beautiful castle that sits right on top of a hill. Sometimes you can't see it, so it's easy to miss. It's above the Moorish fortress and the theater. So you just take this little road that goes all the way up. You will be climbing, that's for sure. And it's about a 20-minute walk. You can also take a bus if you're not as mobile and would prefer not to have to walk it. But I'm really looking forward to it. Looks like it's going to give me amazing views of the city. Castillo de Jibráfaro was built in the 10th century by the Caliph of Cordoba. It was later expanded under Moorish rule in the 14th century to protect the nearby Alcazaba and served as a military stronghold. Adapted from the Arabic term for Hill of the Lighthouse, this fortress has played an important role during the Reconquista as the Catholic monarchs took back control of Spain in 1487. This was pretty cool. I recommend coming here. It's worth the effort. The views alone are worth it, but they also have a free audio guide, which makes it really nice to learn about the history. And it's cool to think that this one was both influenced by Moorish rule and Christian rule. The castle we see today is mostly from its Christian times. There's a little cafe up here if you need it. If you're hungry and want to grab a bite or just want to grab a drink. I'm going to spend a little more time exploring the city before it gets dark. I'm kind of sad that I only have about three days to explore here, especially because one of the days I'm going to be doing a day trip. I think a lot of people come here from cruise ships. They're just spending a day, but give yourself time. Malaga is a wonderful city to explore. Today I'm going on a new adventure. I'm going to be driving about an hour outside of Malaga to go to El Caminito del Rey. This is one of the most famous hikes in all of Andalusia and I am so, so excited. I am not going to be going on this trip alone. I met one of my friends from a vlogging community I'm a part of who lives in Granada and she took the bus here. So I just picked her up from the station. She's grabbing us some coffees and we're going to hit the road. We raced on the bus. It's $2.50 out and back cash only. We found out we parked at the wrong parking spot. We did the north parking lot, which you have to hop on a bus. It takes you into the town center and then from there it's another 20 minute walk to actually get to the entrance. You have to go through this set of tunnels. It's really beautiful, but we were very tight on time. We're actually late for our entrance right now for our guided tour. We were jogging to get here because we did not realize how long of a walk it was. There are some people parked at the entrance, so I think that is an option. I'll let you know in our blog post, which will have all the juicy details I'm not sharing here. I'll have a link for that down below. We made it. I can't believe it. Just in the nick of time. It's going to be about a two to two and a half hour walk through the canyon. Caminito del Rey, meaning the little king's pathway, takes visitors through one of the region's most breathtaking landscapes of the Jaitanes Gorge. It was originally built between 1901 and 1905 to provide workers access to two hydroelectric power plants. But after years of neglect, the decrepit walkway claimed the lives of five people, giving it the reputation of the world's most dangerous hike. That is terrifying. People used to walk on that bridge. No, no thank you. In 2000, the pathway was closed and was rebuilt with a wooden walkway, reinforced with steel supports anchored to the cliff walls. Watch your head. I really cannot even tell you how amazing this hike is. Every single turn we make, I am like, oh my God. Wow. It just gets prettier and prettier. Since reopening in 2015, this hike has remained one of the top things to do in Andalusia and receives up to 1,100 visitors per day. The hydroelectric power plants it once served are still in operation, but visitors come here for the epic views and the thrilling hike as you over 100 meters high above the river. First stop on my Andalusia road trip is officially here. I am going to Cuerva de Nerja. This is about a 45-minute drive north from Malaga on your way to Granada. So it's a perfect like in-between destination as you're driving. I am very impressed with the drive so far. This spot from Malaga as you're heading out to Granada is just tunnel after tunnel and the views are absolutely stunning. I love getting to drive right along the ocean and seeing all these little charming white villages sprinkled across the coast. I want to stop at every single vista point. There's this one look over point in Calacete that has these super cool like art installations. I feel like I'm living a European dream come true. I do think it would be ideal to come visit in October because I think it would be warmer and you'd actually be able to like go and enjoy the beach a little bit more. This is supposed to be a super cool place to experience and walk deep inside caverns and caves so I'm really excited to see what this is going to be like. Nerja caves were discovered by chance in January 1959 when five local boys ventured inside searching for bats. Since their discovery archaeologists have been excavating the three main caverns uncovering incredible historical treasures. While the massive chambers along with their stunning stalactites and stalagmites are awe-inspiring on their own the cave's history makes them even more incredible. Archaeologists have found evidence of prehistoric humans occupying these caves as far back as 35,000 years ago with the last evidence of human occupancy around 3,600 years ago. Although visitors can't see the ancient cave paintings or carvings you can dive deeper into its history at the Nerja museum in town. Wow that was amazing absolutely worth the detour. I would recommend visiting Tuesday through Sunday because the museum that's in the town of Nerja is open. I was blown away to know that true cave people lived here with like ancient versions of wolves. I mean it's like you see in movies. I only spent about 45 minutes in there and I used a free audio guide so you don't need to like book a tour or anything for this and if you get hungry there is a restaurant site that has absolutely spectacular views overlooking the water. I'm so glad I came for this this is like such a great start to the road trip. I continued the road trip an hour north to Granada passing the Sierra Nevadas and driving through endless olive groves. Just before arriving to the city I took a 30-minute detour to the Canales Reservoir a beautiful scenic drive that's the perfect addition to an Andalusia road trip. The drive was actually much better than I expected it to be. I made it to parking Victoria which is where I'm going to be leaving my car for the next three days. Granada is a huge city and I'm staying in the historic center there's no parking other than in these parking garages so I did a lot of research to find the best possible spot that would fit my car. It's a Ford Focus which isn't a huge vehicle but in European and Spain standards it's pretty big so a lot of the parking garages are very very difficult to maneuver at the very tight turns the parking spaces are so small. I parked in one in Madrid and I didn't want to do that again so I did a lot of research in parking Victoria had really good reviews about more spacious parking altogether so I made a reservation last night and I did have to access this on a pedestrian only street that they can give you tickets for. They see your vehicle driving on the road they have cameras that look at license plates but if you're parking here it's the only way to access it and so they can register that your vehicle is parked here and you don't get a ticket so make sure you book ahead super smooth easy process when I'm ready to check out since they have cameras for everything they'll know that it's me leaving and I just pay for the time that I spent here. I'm gonna check into my Airbnb which is only about a five minute walk from here. I am in the heart of Centro and I have a beautiful balcony that overlooks like the main shopping street since the bed's in the back it's not too noisy which is really nice to have a full kitchen washer dryer really nice like living space. I'm very impressed with this especially for the cost I feel like everything in southern Spain is so affordable. My family is actually going to be meeting us here I have cousins who live in Rota if you see a few new faces that's why Granada is known for being one of the only cities in Spain that still practice this but you get a free tapa with a drink order such a cool thing I'm really excited to experience this tapa culture here. Starting the morning off with churros con chocolate in Spain this is like a very early morning breakfast treat or super late night after you've been partying Madeline my niece wanted to start her day with churros con chocolate and we found it this place is so cute and it's so fun to see how they make it with this big spiral it's just chocolate with deep fried dough and it's perfection look at that goodness I'm shocked at how many restaurant options there are in this city last night we went to a bustling tapas bar and it was in fact free although we ordered completely wrong so you don't want to order things on the menu necessarily you want to ask them like what tapas come with the drink we got huge ones we could have easily eaten an entire meal for free and since the drinks only cost like three to four euro you're getting away with an amazing alcoholic beverage if you'd like and a meal for so cheap I don't know how they sustain this but it is amazing our next stop for the day was on a walking history tour which began in Granada's iconic Jewish quarter poised in the hilltop of the city this steep but charming neighborhood was once the thriving center of Sephardic culture until the expulsion of the Jews after the Catholics returned in 1492 trying an almond cookie from the cloister nuns they don't see anyone they're not allowed so they have this special area that you can turn you just put your money there tell them how much you want and they give you the cookies there is a famous one in Madrid they also have one here in Granada it's my first time officially founded in 1013 during Moorish rule it became a cultural and political hub of all Andalus it flourished into the Nasrid dynasty and was even the last Moorish capital on the Iberian peninsula we came to the Saint Nicholas viewpoint which is by far the most popular spot to see the Alhambra and the views are stunning but it's absolutely packed with people I mean we could never get a picture even if we wanted to so if you're going to come to this viewpoint come early in the morning people are preparing to line up right now for sunset loads of little cafes and restaurants that have vista points overlooking the Alhambra so if you're looking for like a splurge meal I highly recommend making a reservation there this is such a cute charming neighborhood and I love this walking tour we're learning so much fascinating history that if we were just walking around on our own we would have never understood what we were looking at or the significance or the meaning of all of it definitely recommend we're starting a tapas bar that specializes in Moroccan cuisine since this is so close to Africa there's a lot of Moroccan influence throughout Granada we ordered two drinks and we could choose two varieties of tapas but we had to ask we got like a meatball sauce dish and a tagine bowl this place is so cute I'm glad we ordered properly this time so we came to a special spot called Isla this is traditional for pio nonos which is one of the only specialties that you'll find here in Granada so they said it was egg yolk sugar and a little bit of I think cinnamon on top so it's super simple oh it's kind of squishy the inside is hollow and it tastes like a cinnamon bun I was not expecting this one of the top things you need to do in Granada is see a flamenco show this is one of the areas that like flamenco dancing originated and you can go to a in the hill overlooking the Alhambra and see a flamenco show so we booked this with Kitcherguide and I'm so excited it's so intimate and fun I've never seen flamenco dancing like live in a show like this before but obviously it's so iconically Spain amazing as my first time seeing flamenco I think it was such a great introduction it didn't feel like overly thirsty it was just beautiful to watch them sing and dance it was amazing you have to do this when you're here the next morning we started our day with a leisurely stroll through Granada's streets from its cobblestone alleys century-old archways an impressive cathedral in the heart of Granada it's easy to see why so many people fall in love with this city its history dates back to ancient times its name Granada comes from the Spanish word for pomegranate and has transformed into a symbol for the city after filling up on a delicious breakfast at note we set off for the crown jewel of Granada the Alhambra you have to book this far in advance I'm talking weeks potentially months we're going to be going on a guided tour that includes the Nasarit palace inside which I've heard is like where a lot of the most striking features are so definitely make sure whatever ticket you're buying includes that and it is a timed entry and passport is required we're having to climb up the hill though the city is very hilly you can't take a they also have buses that run the city center up there but we're gonna walk the Alhambra was built in the mid 13th century by Muhammad the first of the Nasrid dynasty this sprawling complex served as a royal palace fortress and administrative hub in the last Moorish capital of the Iberian peninsula today this UNESCO world heritage site it's the second most visited site in all of Spain receiving up to 2.7 million visitors each year well it has a fascinating history most tourists come here to admire its intricate tile work elaborate carvings and gorgeous courtyards which are considered the pinnacle of Islamic artistry during the Al-Andalus period right now we are headed up to one of the three towers this is in a separate section from Nasarit palace which is the first area we went to I had no idea how massive the Alhambra was the views from the top of the tower are very very very beautiful Sierra Nevada is covered with snow right now it's actually a spot that you can go skiing in peak winter time so we're on our first break of the tour so far this is a three-hour tour there's so much to see here the Alhambra is massive we started in the Nasrid palace I'm not gonna lie it was a little bit overwhelming for me there were so many people our tour guide says that in peak time from April to October they sell about 10,000 tickets per day I'm visiting at the end of November it's about 8,000 people on like the peak days be prepared for crowds I'm really glad we did a tour guide because she's helping us kind of like move through the property but things are moving very fast I'm having a hard time like keeping up filming and trying to show you guys and taking the beauty and also hear all the history it is fascinating and this place is absolutely stunning the tour finished at Haner Life Gardens which is about a 10 to 15 minute walk from the Alhambra and is the summer home for the Nasrid rulers the home is modest compared to the Nasrid palace but the gardens are beautifully designed with fruit trees ornate fountains colorful flowers and manicured hedges to create a serene paradise for the royal elite I'm officially leaving Granada today I feel like there's so much more I could have seen this is definitely an area you want to give yourself plenty of time there's a lot of really cool day trips you can take I am officially on my way to Jaen which is the heart of olive oil country I'm so excited for this I think it's one of those like hidden gem doesn't get quite as much hype as like Sevilla or Granada or Cordoba but I think it is has a lot to offer and I'm really excited to explore it I have about an hour drive to get to my first stop today which is going to be at an olive oil factory I'm already starting to see the landscape change completely there's just like olive fields everywhere it's rolling hills with these beautiful mountains in the background it's stunning I made it to Pecualeo they are producing some of the best olive oils in the world they won a ton of awards and they are now even in the United States I've seen their brand before so I was really excited to see that this is where their factory is held today I'm going to be doing a like 45 minute tour of the factory see how the olive oil is produced grown all those things and then I get to do an olive oil tasting 40 percent of the world's olive oil is produced in Spain 20 percent comes specifically from Jaen this region has more than 67 million olive oil trees making it the largest producer of olive oil worldwide and Pecualeo is one of the most advanced state-of-the-art olive oil facilities it's a cooperative around a thousand farmers who can bring their olives here to be sorted tested cleaned and processed into high quality olive oil in just a few hours the most incredible part is that nothing goes to waste in the process every part of the olive is reused the leaves feed animals sand and stones are repurposed for construction materials and to repair farm roads water from the olives are stored and about 40 percent of it is used to wash new batches of olives even the olive stones are dried and burned to generate clean energy which powers the entire facility this eco-friendly approach is what makes Pecualeo a leader in sustainable production there's a lot of clever marketing around olive oil made to confuse consumers for example you've probably heard the term cold pressed it sounds fancy but it's just a seasonal fact olives are always pressed in cold months usually from October to December because the trees need cold weather to oxidize and turn the water into oil also unfiltered olive oil isn't a more natural option it contains all of particles and water which will spoil the oil within weeks instead always buy a hundred percent olive oil labeled extra virgin or virgin if it just says olive oil without those words it's likely a blend of oils made from the toxic byproduct of the natural extraction to make it usable they treat it with chemicals and intense heat which is definitely not something you want on your plate like grapes to wine every olive varietal has a different flavor profile to be impacted by loads of different things from soil quality the weather that year and when it was harvested what i tasted today was not the mild and smooth olive oil i'm used to back home they were complex bold and spicy very spicy it doesn't smell to tomato it's meant to another thing artichoke nice artichoke this one's less intense for me oh there it is there it is there it is wow that was such an awesome tour i learned so much 10 out of 10 experience if you're interested you can book with them directly i'm going to be grabbing a small tasting menu from their restaurant here they've been recommended in the michelin guide which is a huge accomplishment for them i think they've only been open for a few years so i'm very excited they have this beautiful contraption that they've made solely for olive oil experience there it's like a proprietary thing that we only have here you can take off each of the containers so you can smell it i'm trying three different ones we did not get to try on our tasting already they always are so spicy once you try them so much more than they smell who knew olive oil had this much variety it was so complex and so much to it second course is a specialty from cayenne it's called pipara this was like traditionally something that the farmers and the workers could go out and have no matter where they were if it was a hot day they could just take all these ingredients with them and drizzle it with the olive oil on top so it's tomato onion pepper it has a little bit of a sardine on top wow it kind of feels like just an awesome salsa because it's just so tomato and pepper forward i love that they're including olive oil in every single part of the menu and they're using it in such creative ways there's a part that looks like it almost like crumbled feta but it's actually olive oil that they've made look like earth it's so smoky we're in the best way every dish i had on this tasting menu was truly outstanding it beautifully showcased paqualia's olive oils while honoring the traditional comfort foods of this region if you're looking for an authentic taste of cayenne's culinary scene this restaurant is an absolute must visit finishing it all off with a cafecito this was absolutely amazing but now i'm about to hop in the car and drive about 30 minutes south to the actual city of cayenne the highways are super easy to navigate they're mostly like really well-paved roads there's lots of roundabouts there's pull-offs so you can just fill up your gas you don't even have to get off in like tiny towns and have to navigate any of that they make it really really easy but once you get into these small towns it is a completely different story and when you think about it these cities were built literally hundreds of years ago long before cars ever existed the roads are extremely narrow so i highly recommend getting the smallest possible car that you can rent it's just going to make your life a lot easier as you're going from city to city to park cayenne is crazy please look at this like what is this road this is insane two hours later the path to my airbnb was absolutely bananas but i made it car runs skates i don't know how it's going to be a miracle getting out of there tomorrow i wish i had like a mini cooper or something i only have an hour before the sun goes down here and it's a very cold gloomy day so i'm not sure how much of cayenne i'm going to experience they are famous for a beautiful cathedral in the center of town it's in this gorgeous plaza and as i walked up to it i literally gasped it took my breath away it really is so grand if you want to go inside it's eight euro per person it's a little steep for me i know cathedrals are really important and beautiful and i'm sure it's awesome but i think i'm gonna spend my time going to the arab bath i believe it's a free entry there's a museum on top and they are traditional arab baths that date back to when the moors ruled it's supposed to be absolutely awesome and one of the best areas to see these in all of andalusia wow this is amazing look at this place so worth coming to cayenne just for this i can't believe i'm in arab baths that would have dated back over a thousand years ago it's absolute insanity to me this is so cool obviously a lot of it has been reconstructed for example the murals that were painted on the walls those are replicas of what would have been here they had remnants of the paint but they've retouched them up so that we can kind of get a vibe of how beautiful this area would this is so cool on my way out of town i wanted to stop at the castillo santa catarina this is the castle that's at the top of the hill in cayenne part museum part hotel the country of spain has these things called paradores and they are like province funded hotels that you can stay at and they're typically in historic sites so if you're looking for a cool accommodation that it would be a really amazing place to stay it's also one of the best views of the entire city the castle was built in the 13th century by ferdinand iii of castile after recapturing cayenne from moorish rule serving as both a fortress and a royal residence its location on the top of the hill offered strategic protection against invasions the castle never saw any combat but it was an important part of the reconquista today's free entrance i think because they're just doing so much work on everything around the castle right now so there's a lot of like guardrails and stuff but they have a free audio guide that you can follow as you're walking around that i'm loving a little like tales and history i've visited castles in spain before but this one's really well maintained the audio guide is like 25 minutes and you can walk out to the beautiful cross at the end which is the mirador area and i mean you could probably spend 30-45 minutes here it's a perfect stop on your way in or out of cayenne holy moly this airbnb is so cute and nice and brand new i'm right in the heart of the center of town i will have links if you were interested in booking any of the places you see in this video i am very glad that it was a large parking spot though because my little ford focus is a little bit wide i'm already in love with cordoba though it's absolutely stunning and so different from any of the other places i've been in spain i'm hungry it's almost three o'clock which in spain time is tiempo de comida so i came to this really cute spot called it is filled with locals right now i'm pretty sure i'm the only tourist here but they have traditional spanish tapas particularly a lot of cuisine from cordoba which they have like their own unique dishes salmorejo is probably the most famous it's a cold tomato soup mixed with garlic and bread olive oil sometimes sherry and it is so delicious it's very typical all across spain in summertime as like a first starter dish or just when you need to cool off because it gets very very very hot here in summer but i am trying something called masa mora which is a creamy cold almond soup and this one has mango drizzled on top as well as smoked tuna it's like really unique i don't think i've ever had anything like it it's super thick really rich delicious the tuna on top is awesome i also got salmonitos which are like these little kind of like orange fish the size of a sardine that they fry whole i've never had these before i'm really like branching out of my comfort zone of spanish food which is so fun i do see some spines or bones in there which is not surprising but i'm hoping it's like sardines where you can just eat it no i was doing it all wrong so i had to have the waiter do it for me you cut it down pull up the spine it makes a lot more sense when you see it but it's so good i came to cordoba's main plaza which is called plaza corredera it's huge very beautiful lots of shops and restaurants the bottom floor all these little outdoor dining areas i think there's hotel rooms above so i always love to seek out the plazas in any of the towns that we're visiting because they're normally very historic very beautiful and a great spot for some coffee or grab a drink just around the corner from here is the start of the unesco world heritage site in the historic area of cordoba and this is where tourists will spend most of their time there is a roman temple from a long time ago that you can go visit unfortunately right now they are doing some construction on it so you can't go up to it but it is so cool to see the influence from all these different cultures and to think about how long this city has been here it's mind-blowing to me cordoba spain was founded by the romans in 152 bc became a major city of hispania after the fall of the roman empire the visigoths ruled until 711 ad when the moors took over cordoba became the capital of all andaluz serving as a center for learning it was home to europe's largest library and was extremely advanced in science medicine and philosophy unlike much of the rest of medieval europe cordoba had innovations like paved streets running water and street lights which is impressive considering it was one of the world's largest cities having nearly 500,000 residents in the 10th century roughly 200,000 more than it has today i'm taking an evening paseo on the historic bridge there's a park that runs along the river which is a great spot for like it has a playground there's all these people walking their dogs and even on the roman bridge i kind of thought it was going to be a very touristy area but it's packed with locals just going for like a lovely walk right at sunset i'm really digging the vibe here there's a lot of really cool tourist sites to see in cordoba but by far the most popular is la mesquita this is a mosque that dates back to when the moors ruled this area of the iberian peninsula i got to experience a little bit of the history last year at the fiestas in craurete if you haven't seen that i'll have a link for the video up here and i'm so excited to get to go inside my first mosque this is supposed to be one of the prettiest buildings la mesquita catedral de cordoba is spain's third most visited site attracting over 2 million visitors annually built in 785 a.d by abdel rahman the first umayyad ruler it predates the alhambra by 600 years and served as cordoba's grand mosque during the city's golden age from the outside la mesquita seems unassuming but once you step inside you're met with the breathtaking view of over 850 red and white striped arches inspired by roman and visit gothic architecture combined they create a mesmerizing forest of columns and is truly one of the most stunning places i've ever visited designed to accommodate 40 000 worshippers it was a reflection of cordoba's majority muslim population at the time and today remains one of the largest mosques in the world most mosques were destroyed across andalusia after the christian reconquest in the 13th century but thankfully king ferdinand iii chose to preserve la mesquita's architectural beauty rather than destroy it and instead he built a cathedral within its walls this blending of islamic and christian influences makes this one of the most unique religious monuments in the world wow wow wow that was probably one of the prettiest places i think i've ever visited i said that when i went to the sagrada familia in barcelona but honestly this rivals it and it's just so different i love the architecture here this is definitely a site you have to visit if you're doing a southern spain road trip our tour guide was an english speaker he spoke fantastic english and i'm really glad that i did the first tour because the line is getting bigger and bigger and there's more and more crowds here i also recommend making sure you come on like the off season i think a weekend would probably be packed after the tour i walked through the jewish quarter one of the oldest areas of cordoba and once the neighborhood for sephardic jews well it's best known now for its narrow whitewashed streets charming artisan shops and intricately decorated patios it has a rich history and is home to one of three medieval synagogues still standing in spain i'm doing the southern spain road trip in middle to late november and honestly i think it is the perfect timing you should not visit cordoba in the it gets extremely hot here i think this summer it reached as high as 50 degrees celsius which is absolutely insane people are barely surviving in this summertime here so spring and fall are definitely the times to come if you want to explore this beautiful city and make sure you give yourself enough time i think a lot of people come here like on a day trip but the city deserves so much more than just one day i only have three days here and i already feel like i'm running out of time so i think three to four days would be perfect just to truly take in the city and visit all four of the unesco world heritage areas cordoba is the only city in the globe to have four unesco world heritage sites one of which is the fiesta de patios which happens every may these patios a tradition from roman and moorish times celebrate cordoba's history and it's one of spain's most beautiful festivals to partake in the neighborhood known for decorating the patios have several that you can come to year round but bring some euros like the coins because it is a donation and it is obligatory if you want to enter it's not just if you're going to take pictures or anything like that if you enter you pay i had someone get mad at me about that the neighborhood itself is just beautiful well worth visiting there's lots of restaurants and really cute outdoor patios and i love all of the oranges everywhere they're very bitter you don't want to eat them so don't pick one off the tree a lot of people think the citrus is just for show andalusian oranges are very functional the government actually harvests them every january to february and they sell them largely to great britain but the queen used to favor the oranges from this region for lunch today i came to a spot called bodegas mesquita they have several locations across cordoba this one was right in the heart of the jewish quarter it was very convenient for my exploring today i ended up choosing the menu del dia which is a very special menu that they offer across the country only during the weeks it has a fixed price typically anywhere from like 12 to 20 euros and you get a first second course dessert and a drink of your choice which can be wine or beer if you'd like normally it's like whatever they have on hand obviously here since they specialize in cordoban dishes i'm getting some traditional like tapas or main course items to start i got berenjenas which are eggplant they deep fry them and they put a sweet sauce typically honey and like sesame seeds on top for my second course i got an iberian pork cheek with a wine that's made from this region and then for dessert i ended up just getting orange slices they put cinnamon and some honey some brown sugar on top i love that they serve fruit as their desserts the meat looks so good there's a lot of things that are similar that you can find in many different places across the country but there's a lot of things that are so unique to cordoba i still have a long list of other items i need to try while i'm eating here if you want to find out my recommendations for the places to eat and the things that you shouldn't miss that are traditional for this area i'll have a blog post for you to check out lunch was fantastic i made it back to the airbnb this is normally like siesta time so from like 4 p.m to 7 30 8 ish most of the stores and restaurants will shut down and then they reopen so this is kind of like a good time to go back to your hotel relax take a siesta yourself but i did want to try the pastel cordoban which is a special pastry from cordoba they use a white pumpkin i guess that's grown in this region they make a puree out of it and then they put powdered sugar and cinnamon on top it's just like light puff pastry oh my god whoa they must add a lot of sugar to it because it's really sweet this is really good buenos dias it is a new day in cordoba and i'm so excited for what i have planned today i'm going to be going to a hamam the rulers when they were here installed era baths so if you go to alcatar you can actually see the historic baths here they don't have those exact same baths anymore obviously they're like ancient but they have kept the tradition going and there's several hamams you can visit the most famous ones are in granada but they do have one here so i'm going to be going to hamam al andalus we've booked a 70 minute soak with a 15 minute massage and i'm so excited i'm unsure as to how much i'm actually going to be able to show you i think there's probably a no recording rule in there it is a public bath for both men and women oh my gosh that was so amazing if there's one thing outside of the mesquite you do it should be that it was such a relaxing experience and it is absolutely beautiful inside there was three pools that you could kind of move between they had lockers for me to put my in it they provided towels and they also have showers even a blow dryer and hair straightener for after so if you just want to freshen up and continue exploring it's like a super comfortable place to do it now i'm going to go to the alcatar this is the christian palace that was built here after the christians took back over it was built in 1328 by king alfonso the 11th of castile on top of a former moorish fortress since there was no audio guide or plaques to really tell the history i kind of just thought i was walking through a beautiful old palace but i later learned that this home served as the royal residence of king ferdinand and queen isabella who planned columbus's voyage to the new world here in the late 15th century today it's known for its moorish style gardens roman mosaics and it's a beautiful spot to get a view of the city this is going to be my last meal in cordoba so i'm trying to get all of the things that i haven't ordered yet although i'll never be able to eat all the local specialties today i came to the san pastillo neighborhood which is next to the alcazar this is a super traditional little spot they have pictures of like all the toreadors next to the alcazar they have a really cool equestrian flamingo show that they do now so if you're into that i highly recommend it my sister went to it when she visited and she said it was awesome her kids particularly loved it i'm not going to be doing that this trip but today i ordered flamenquin which is pork loin wrapped in jamon and they deep fry it it's like long roll i also got chorizo de venoa which is venison made chorizo i obsess with chorizo and get it every chance i get i don't think that's typical here but i'm very excited about it why is it so good why is it so good it's kind of like a schnitzel with the breaded i don't know if there's cheese also inside or if it's just pork on pork on pork and then deep fried but it's very tasty and just like that my two-week southern spain road trip is over and it's time to return my rental car to the malaga airport i still can't believe how incredible this trip was from diving into the art of olive oil hiking the most insane canyon learning about the fascinating moorish history making memories with family and eating so much tasty food this road trip exceeded my expectations in every way if you're going to be following in my footsteps don't forget to book your next road trip with discover cars until next time hasta pronto so many people are staring at the camera this is my life i think a lot of the yeah that's the word back in the airbnb and i'm officially trying a pastel de cordoba how do you start this i need an instruction manual no oh you have to hold it whoa