Andalucia is the jewel in the crown of Spain. There are various stella attractions that help this region claim that title – the Alhambra, Seville, Cordoba, the striking pueblos blancos (white towns), the flamenco dancing, the Sherry Triangle. There are also natural spots that are worth the trip alone, such as the beaches of Tarifa, the mountains of Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema and the coastline of Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Nijar. But it is the unique historical blend of Christian Spain and Moorish Al-Andalus that gives Andalucia the magic touch and makes it the must visit region of Spain
The itinerary below will give you the highlights and try to minimise the driving by having Cordoba and Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Nijar as optional
I’ve listed tips below, but high level – the standout attractions are the drive through the achingly beautiful white towns of Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema, Seville’s Old Town with its Cathedral and Palace, and staying overnight in the sensational Vejer de la Fontera
Tarifa’s beaches are some of Spain’s finest. Stretching all the way from Tarifa town, the most southern point of Continental Europe, westwards to Cadiz are long, wide, fine-sand beaches that are enhanced with the dramatic backdrops of mountains behind. Whilst they can get crowded in the weekends, the sheer number and size of the beaches means that there will always be room to find a spot away from the crowds
Three top tips:
- Top beach to visit is Playa de Bolonia. The beach itself is super pretty, with its huge Bolonia Sand Dune to the west and various water inlets all along the beach that give that exotic feel. But it also has the added benefit of having the dramatic views of the mountains nearby, and, for those ancient history fans, the has the former Roman town of Baelo Claudia right on the beach, complete with its surprisingly well maintained old forum and amphitheater, plus a visitor centre that does a good job of setting the context. Extra tip – if eating in Playa de Bolonia, there are some great restaurants right on the beach, but be sure to book ahead at the weekends
- Visit Zahara de los Atunes beach for the drive through the wind farm. I know it sounds a bit dull, but the huge wind farms in this part of Andalucia have been designed to fit in superbly well to the local geography and offer a really dramatic drive as you make your way from the highway to Zahara. Zahara also offers a lot more food options than some of the other beaches and, of course, has the huge beach
- Tarifa town itself is worth a visit. It’s nowhere near as pretty or dramatic as the likes of Vejer de la Fontera or the various towns dotted throughout Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema, but it does have a nice narrow-street old town centre to walk through, with the castle to explore and surprisingly close views of Morocco across the Straight. It also has its own long beach stretching from the town to around 5km / 3miles to the west, which is a good option is you don’t have your own car to make it to the other beaches
Dune du Pilat is Europe’s tallest sand dune and, on the face of it, sounds a bit dull . . . I mean, it’s just a sand dune right? Seen heaps of them . . . but . . . it’s actually a better experience than you’d initially think. For one, the views from the top at 110m / 360ft are pretty impressive as you look across the various sand bars offshore and the giant spit of the Cap Ferret bending around in the distance. Secondly, the contrast between the turquoise island paradise to the west, the evergreen forest to the east and the bright white / yellows of the sand dune are one of those sites it’s fun to gorp at for a while. And finally, the whole walking along a giant sand dune largely on your own away from fellow tourists (see top tip below) is just cool. Very much makes sense to be down as one of the Lonely Planet’s top highlights of France
Top tip – the vast majority of fellow tourists get to the top of the dune from the stairs that lead up from the main northern end car park, walk around a bit in that area and then head back down the stairs again to the car park. I can see how this would be a tad underwhelming. Instead, start to walk southwards along the top ridge of the dune – after a short time you’ll have it largely to yourself, have better views of the surrounding forest and find that walking along the ridge is far easier than the sand you’ll have been waling on before. We walked along maybe 2/3rds of the way and then ran down the dune (which was fun) and the walked back along to the northern point of the dune via the shoreline, where we were able to walk around the dune on paths back to the carpark (you could of course just avoid this shoreline-route and walk back along the ridge if don’t fancy the longer route). Whole walk from car park back to car park, including stopping a couple of times, took us around 2.5 hours
Extra tip – go barefoot. Far easier on the sand
The UK isn’t known for its beaches, and for good reason – its only warm enough for them 3 months of the year and even less the further north you go! That’s why the coastline of Northumberland, and in particular Bamburgh Beach and Embleton Bay, comes as a bit of surprise when I put them in a list of the top beaches in the world. But before you write it off as nostalgic madness, consider a few factors:
- The castle backdrops – Bamburgh Castle is an imposing 11th century Normal castle that looms over Bamburgh Beach from its crag right on the waterfront and with as much history as almost any castle in the world. England dominates the world for stunning castles by the beach, and Bamburgh is the jewel in the crown. Dunstanburgh Castle, whilst more battered over the centuries, provides a similar backdrop for Embleton Bay
- The quality of the sand – the sand tone in this part of the world is the same as the powdery sand you find in the tropical beaches of the likes of Brazil and the Caribbean, and is so fine it squeaks, which is in stark contrast to some of the pebble beaches you find in the eastern Mediterranean and south of England
- The cute villages by the water – the likes of Low Newton-by-the-Sea, with its gorgeous white cottage square green circled by local pubs overlooking the beach are about as quaint and lovely as anywhere in England
- Few tourists – “best kept secret” seems to have held well for decades and you simply don’t have the volume of fellow tourists as you would in the south of England. The beaches are wide and long, and you will likely have big chunks to yourself
- The Northumberland Coast Driving Tour – you have some great nearby attractions that share the quiet vibe. In particular, Hadrian’s Wall (the well preserved northern boundary of the Roman Empire), Lindisfarne (aka Holy Island – a key centre for the spread of Christianity in Britain in the Dark Ages and infamous site of the first Viking invasions), and the various quaint Northumberland villages dotted no distance from the coast
It obviously doesn’t hit the tropical beach vibe, but is nonetheless beautiful. Just be sure to go in summer!
I say this trip is supercharged because it doesn’t leave much time for chilling out. But, if you’re like most of us and only have a limited amount of vacation, then this is a fantastic weekend to weekend trip that takes in the world famous sites of Jerusalem, Petra and Wadi rum; while providing time for some fun experiences like floating in the Dead Sea, scuba diving in the Red Sea, driving through sparse deserts and a party in Tel Aviv
You’ll need energy for these 7 days, but you’ll be rewarded as, in my opinion, its one of the world’s best week long trips in the world
I was hesitating in going in winter as I’d seen low temperatures. Don’t. The winter helped with reduced crowds, not needing to book far ahead and not getting exhausted by the heat. Perfect trip for a week-long winter break
No wonder they filmed The Martian, Star Wars, Dune and Prometheus here – Wadi Rum has an otherworldly feel to it and driving around in 4x4s with the wind in your face watching the sandstone cliffs and red desert pass you by really gives a sci-fi feeling of adventure. Expect to find yourselves regularly stopping to gawp at the latest stunning vista throughout the day
I’m sure there is a bunch of things that can take multiple days up, but we had half a day plus staying over night in one of the Martian tent, and that felt like the right amount of time. Especially as we had time for both the sunset and the stunning first light. A must if in this part of the world
I know there are white sand beaches all all along the Australian East Coast, and, in a country that already prides itself on its beaches, the competition is fierce. Even so, the Whitsunday Islands takes the prize for the most paradisiacal beach setting in the whole country. The Lonely Planet describes them as like emeralds scattered on aquamarine velvet – that goes part of the way to describing the beauty – you also need to throw in the sheer brightness of the whiter-than-white sand, the warm crystal clear waters and the range of corals all around
Taking time for at least a day trip so you can get in amongst the islands and sun yourself on the perfect beaches is a great experience, and one not to be missed on your East Coast adventure. But, and I regret not doing this, TOP TIP – a multi-day trip to enjoy them outside of the standard day trip would be truly magical
Shark Bay is huge – the UNESCO World Heritage listed site is 1500km / 930miles long and is a pristine Australian paradise of turquoise lagoons, white sand beaches, towering cliffs and very little development. This gives it that wonderful Australian wilderness vibe and also the opportunity to see some of the wildlife including the Kangaroos, Eagles, Bilbies (Rabbit-Bandicoots) and, the highlight for most people’s trip, the dolphins that come for morning feeding in the beach of Monkey Mia. A must-stop if driving the West Coast
Top tip – remember not to put any sunscreen on your legs as it irritates the dolphins eyes. You won’t need the sunscreen anyway as its early in the morning
