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Travel bucket list idea:

Al Andalus

Andalusia, Spain

|eltrenalandalus.com|
Bucket List Experience
Last updated: 16 July, 2023
Expert travel writer: Anthony Lambert

This 6-night journey across Andalusia starts in Seville and visits Cordoba, Baeza, Granada, Ronda, Jerez and Cadiz. It threads the deep and palpably arid valleys of Andalusia, where there can be olives from one horizon to the other.

Among its highlights are excursions to historic Seville, the riding school and sherry bodegas of Jerez, the salt marshes of the Donana National Park, Ronda’s breathtaking gorge, the Alhambra in Granada and the stunning Mezquita in Cordoba.

The lounge, bar and restaurant carriages, dating from 1928–30, have been beautifully restored, giving a feeling of timeless elegance as well as spacious comfort thanks to the wider Iberian track gauge. The sleeping cars are more recent, with generous-sized en suite cabins. The restaurants are of a high standard.

Price from: £6000
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around
Duration: 6 days

Getting there & doing it

The journey starts and finishes at Seville station. Smart casual wear is fine for the evenings, though an extra layer can be needed on cooler evenings.

A shorter, 4-day version named the Lusitanian takes three nights for the journey between Seville and Porto via Merida and Lisbon.

When to do it

The train runs from early May to late October. Inevitably the shoulders of the season will offer lower temperatures and marginally smaller crowds.

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Andalusia

Andalusia, Spain

Andalusia

A big dazzling region, packed with fascinating cities, beautiful landscapes and beaches, colourful fiestas and oodles of sunshine.

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Seville

Andalusia, Spain

View of the cathedral looking up at the end of the nave and an intricate stone tower

Extravagant and sensuous, Spain’s fourth city entices with brilliant monuments, gardens, tapas bars, flamenco shows and full-on nightlife.

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Cordoba

Andalusia, Spain

Inside of the tiny, beautifully decorated Chapel of Iglesia San Bartolome

A fascinating city of labyrinthine lanes and Roman and Moorish monuments, including one of the world’s greatest buildings: the Mezquita.

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Granada

Andalusia, Spain

Close up of fountains in the stunning Generalife Courtyard in the Alhambra

Crowned by the dreamlike Alhambra, this vibrant Spanish-Arab culture capital combines fascinating sights and lively nightlife with the Sierra Nevada on the doorstep.

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Round-ups that include this experience