Andalusia (Andalucía in Spanish) is the most populated and second largest autonomous community in Spain, as well as most visited, both by Spanish people and by foreign tourists. Among the most popular routes is the “pueblos blancos” route. On it, the traveler can visit small and medium-sized villages in Cádiz and Málaga (Sierra de Grazalema and Serranía de Ronda) and enjoy a varied and beautiful landscape. They’re called “pueblos blancos” (white villages) because its inhabitants frequently whitewash their houses, which are located on narrow streets and have red tile roofs. Many of these pueblos still have a castle or the remains of a castle.

East of Almería you’ll find the National Park Cabo de Gata-Níjar, with its beautiful and quiet beaches, going as far as Mojácar. In Almería’s countryside you can find a blend of mountains and deserts.  Its landscape made it a perfect location for shooting western movies (”The good, the bad and the ugly”, “For a few dollars more,” “A fistful of dollars,” and even “Lawrence of Arabia” were shot on location there). On the way to Granada, you can choose between crossing the Alpujarras or going north towards Sierra Nevada.

Another very interesting excursion is “Ruta del Califato”. It goes through Córdoba, former capital of the Muslim empire in the 10^th century, and Granada. There you’ll find remains of the Arabic splendor like La Mezquita (The Mosque), the Medina Azahara ruins in Córdoba or the Alhambra in Granada. Bullfighting and flamenco (a music and dance form that originated and is still exclusive to this region) also attract visitors from all over the world.

Among several famous people from Andalusia we have Pablo Picasso, Alejandro Sanz, David Bisbal, Lola Flores, Estrella Morente (and her father Enrique), Diego Velázquez, Federico García Lorca, Camaron de la Isla, Paz Vega, Antonio Banderas, Joaquin Sabina and Paco de Lucia.