Andalusia 7-day Itinerary
Spain
Where to go and what to see in Andalusia to get the most from your trip – a 7-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Dana Facaros.
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Overview >Bucket list experience:
Sherry tasting in Jerez
Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain
Last updated: 10 November, 2022
Jerez de la Frontera is synonymous with sherry (the very word is an Anglicization of Xeres or Jerez), and according to DOP regulations it can only be made in the ‘Sherry triangle’ – Jerez, Sanlucar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Maria.
Made with white Palomino grapes, the wine is then fortified to various degrees, from pale dry Fino and Manzanilla to Oloroso and the very sweet, very alcoholic (up to 22%) Pedro Ximenez.
Many of the bodegas (wine cellars) have a British connection, a love affair that began in 1587 when Sir Francis Drake brought back 2,900 barrels of sherry after destroying the Spanish navy in Cadiz. The tours, some including serious tastings, food and even art, are fascinating; the grandest bodegas are breath-taking wine cathedrals.
While you’re there
After a bodega tour, linger in Jerez to sip more sherry-like a local in its traditional, often quirky tabancos – wine shops combined with tapas bars.
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Price: Free
Minimum age: 18
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Getting there & doing it
With its many downtown bodegas, Jerez is perhaps the only wine region you can visit without a car – but’s also a beautiful area to explore behind the wheel. Get inspired by downloading the free Big Book of Sherry Wines and check out the sherry wine road website crammed with useful practical information on visiting the bodegas outside of Jerez, along with restaurants, museums, and a remarkable range of experiences you can book along the way. If you don’t want to drive, Toma and Coe offer 4-day tours of the Sherry Triangle.
When to do it
The bodegas are open all year round, seven days a week, although April and May are ideal, when it’s not too hot, the vines are in full leaf and you can often combine a visit with a fiesta. Late summer, when temperatures have dipped and the vines are laden with grapes is beautiful too; the vineyards will be busy but visitors are welcome, and you can combine a visit to the beach.
Experience
Bodega Barbadillo
Cadiz, Andalusia, Spain
Sanlucar de Barrameda is renowned for its Manzanillas, and Barbadillo, founded in 1821, makes one of the best; visits to their cathedral-like bodega includes a Manzanilla Museum. They also do optional self-guided visits and tastings.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
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Experience
Bodega Osborne
Puerto de Santa Maria, Andalusia, Spain
In Puerto de Santa Maria, book morning tours in English and learn about the sherry and their famous hilltop Osborne black bull silhouettes, so striking they’ve become a symbol of Spain itself.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
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Experience
Bodegas Tradicion
Jerez del Fontera, Andalusia, Spain
One of the oldest bodegas, from 1650, and supplier to the British Royal family in the 18th-century, where the tour includes one of Andalusia’s top private art galleries, with works by Goya, Velazquez, El Greco and Zurbaran.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
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Experience
Diez Merito
Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain
In the centre of Jerez, a bodega in beautiful vaults dating back to 1760; they also do sherry cooking and vineyard tours, and special tastings of VORS (Very Old Rare Sherry).
Best for ages: 18+ | £10
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Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
Sherry and Tapas Wine Route in Vejer de la Frontera
Cádiz
Carlos is an expert and passionate about local cuisine and wine, as evidenced by his Wine Certification, WSET (Level 2).
He will explain an...
€71 | Rating 5 / 5 [8 ratings]
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Cadiz and Jerez Sherry Tasting Day Trip
Seville
Explore Cadiz, the oldest city in Europe, savor first quality sherry in Jerez on a comfortable day trip from Seville. Immerse yourself in th...
€279 | Rating 5 / 5 [7 ratings]
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
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Overview >Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Jerez’s May Horse Fair
Jerez del Frontera, Andalusia, Spain
A big, week-long fiesta, featuring beautiful horses, traditional costumes, music and flamenco – and sherry.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free | 1 week
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Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art
Jerez del Frontera, Andalusia, Spain
Tour one of the world’s top riding academies, and watch noble Andalusian horses perform extraordinary equestrian ballet.
Best for ages: 4+ | £9