Andalusia, white villages and sierras.

Which part of Andalusia should I choose?

Andalusia is almost as big as Portugal and can't be seen in a week. It holds three different trips, and it is best to choose one.

• White villages and sierras: inland Cádiz and Málaga. Whitewashed villages on gorges and crags, twisty roads between holm oaks and the Sierra de Grazalema. Here is Setenil de las Bodegas, with whole streets beneath rock overhangs, about 20 minutes from Ronda. It is the trip to make by car, with one base and half-day excursions. For three or four nights.
• Monumental cities: Seville, Córdoba and Granada. The Giralda and the Alcázar, the Mezquita, the Alhambra. They are linked by train and seen on foot; here, a car gets in the way. For a week or a long weekend per city.
• Coast: two seas. To the west, the Atlantic coast of Cádiz, with long beaches and the levante wind. To the east, the Mediterranean of Málaga, Granada and Almería, more built-up on the Costa del Sol and almost empty at Cabo de Gata.

For a short first trip, combine two: a couple of days in a city and another two in the villages of the sierra. Setenil and Ronda can be seen on the same day; Ronda, Grazalema and the surrounding villages fill a weekend.

How do I get there and how do I get around?

By train, the AVE goes from Madrid to Córdoba and from there branches to Seville, Málaga and Granada. From Barcelona and Zaragoza there are direct trains to Seville, Málaga and Granada without changing in Madrid. The stations are in the city: Sevilla Santa Justa, for example, has Cercanías, buses and car hire at the station itself.

By plane, Málaga, Seville and Granada are the airports with the most flights from northern Spain, the Balearics and the Canaries. For the white villages, Málaga is the most practical: Setenil is a little over an hour and a quarter away by car.

By car, from Madrid you go down the A-4 towards Córdoba and Seville, and from Bailén along the A-44 to Granada. Once there, a car is essential for the villages: buses go there, but with few timetables. In the white villages, leave the car at the bottom and walk up: the streets are narrow and steep.

When should I go and what will I spend?

• Spring (March to May): the best time. The countryside is green, the weather is good for walking and it is the season of the big festivals: Easter Week and, in Seville, the April Fair. On those dates city prices shoot up.
• Autumn (October and November): almost as good, with fewer people.
• Summer: only for the coast. Inland, Seville, Córdoba and the villages of the campiña often exceed 40 degrees in July and August; if you go, sightsee in the morning and rest at midday.
• Winter: the coast stays mild, the cities are quiet and Sierra Nevada, above Granada, is a ski resort.

The budget is mid-range. Eating is still cheap if you go for tapas; sleeping in central Seville or Granada during Easter Week or on a long weekend is what is expensive. Outside those dates, the villages of the sierra have country houses and small hotels at good prices.