Andalucía in 7 days: Seville, Córdoba, Granada, Ronda and Málaga

This route links four of Andalucía's best cities with one rural stop and keeps every transfer to about three hours or less. The Andalucía travel guide explains the region. For the country overview, see the Spain guide.

The route runs west to east: two nights in Seville, one in Córdoba, two in Granada, then Ronda and Málaga to finish. You can run it in reverse if you fly into Málaga. It assumes a visit in spring or autumn; in July and August, the same plan works if you move sightseeing to the morning and evening and rest through the afternoon. The where to stay in Andalucía page compares the five main bases.

One booking decides the shape of the week: the Alhambra. Check the official site for ticket release dates and pick your slot first, then fit Granada's two nights around it. The Alhambra's official page lists general day admission at €22.27 and sells tickets online until 11:59pm the day before your visit, with a limit of 10 tickets per person each month. Check hours and tickets for the Real Alcázar and the Mezquita too, since rules change by season.

Arrive in Seville and drop your bags. The airport bus into the center takes about 35 minutes, and the AVE station is a short ride from the old quarter. Keep the first afternoon light: walk through Santa Cruz, stop for tapas and watch the sun go down along the river. In summer, a long rest after lunch and a late dinner suits the local rhythm.

On day two, start at the Real Alcázar at opening time. Its official site lists 9:30 to 17:00 from October to March and 9:30 to 19:00 from April to September, and encourages you to reserve your visit online. The palace and gardens are the city's finest sight, and the earliest slot is cooler and quieter. Then visit the cathedral and climb the Giralda tower for a view of the roofs; the cathedral sells tickets on its own official booking system and offers free Sunday visits with advance reservation. After lunch and a rest, cross the river to Triana for a walk, a ceramic shop and an early evening drink. Dinner in Triana or El Arenal is a good place for a flamenco show; check which venues have small, intimate rooms.

For more detail and neighborhood choices, read the Seville travel guide. If you want a day trip instead of Córdoba on a separate night, Cádiz is about 1.5 to 2 hours by regional train, but it takes a day away from the route.

Take a morning AVE from Seville to Córdoba, about 45 minutes, and keep the day simple: the Mezquita first, then the old quarter and the river. The Mezquita sells tickets on its own portal and has a free entry hour on Monday to Saturday from 8:30 to 9:30, which is easiest to use if you slept in town. Our Mezquita tickets and visiting guide covers prices and timing, and Córdoba in one or two days gives a timed plan, so this route does not repeat them.

The point of Córdoba in a seven-day route is the night. It breaks the Seville to Granada journey, and the old quarter is calm once day-trippers leave. If your days are tight, run Córdoba as a day trip from Seville and keep both Seville nights; the cost is the quiet evening and the early morning. Read the Córdoba travel guide for the sights and for how to choose a base.

From Córdoba, travel to Granada by coach or by train with a change. The journey takes roughly 2.5 to 3 hours, so check timetables in advance and book a morning departure. Arrive at the hotel, leave your bags and spend the afternoon in the Albaicín, the old Moorish quarter on the opposite hill from the Alhambra. Climb to the Mirador de San Nicolás for the classic view of the palace at sunset. Dinner in a tapas bar follows: in many Granada bars, a free tapa comes with each drink.

Day five is for the Alhambra. Allow at least half a day, preferably more. The complex includes the Nasrid palaces, the Alcazaba fortress and the Generalife gardens, and the official page says the tour of the Nasrid Palaces can only take place during the time on your ticket. Read your ticket carefully for the slot and the entrance, and arrive early to pass the checks. The official hours run from 8:30am to 8pm from 1 April to 14 October and to 6pm from 15 October to 31 March, with night visits on selected days. Wear comfortable shoes, and carry water in summer. After the visit, rest, and spend the evening in the center or Realejo.

The Granada travel guide covers neighborhoods and the Alhambra in more depth. If you cannot get an Alhambra ticket, check the official site for any released slots or a guided option, and consider adding a night rather than skipping it.

Day six has two options. The first is by car: hire in Granada, drive to Ronda in about 2 to 2.5 hours, spend the afternoon at the gorge and the old town, and sleep there or continue to Málaga. The second is by coach to Málaga, about 1.5 to 2 hours, which gives you a full afternoon on the coast and avoids a hire car. Choose by interest: Ronda for a dramatic bridge and gorge, Málaga for the beach and museums.

If you choose Ronda, see the Ronda travel guide. Walk the Puente Nuevo, the bridge that spans the gorge, and the old town on the south side, and sit at a terrace with a view. Allow 3 to 4 hours, longer if you add the bullring or a walk down the gorge path. Leave early the next morning for Málaga, about 1.5 to 2 hours by road.

On day seven, spend the morning in Málaga's old town, with the Alcazaba, the cathedral and the Picasso Museum, and have a late lunch before you leave. If your flight is late, a beach walk is a good last stop. From the center, a Cercanías train reaches the airport in about 15 minutes. The Málaga travel guide covers the city, and the Costa del Sol travel guide covers the coast if you want to add days.

If you want to go further after Ronda, the Arcos de la Frontera travel guide covers a white village on the way back toward Seville, and the Almería travel guide covers the southeast coast. North of Seville, Badajoz is the gateway to Mérida and Portugal.

If you need to cut or stretch the route, here is where. To shorten it to five days, drop Córdoba as an overnight and visit it as a day trip from Seville, then go straight to Granada. To stretch it to nine days, add a night in Cádiz or a night in Ronda, and a beach day on the Costa del Sol. Seville and Granada are the two stops that reward extra time, and Córdoba is the one that rewards a quiet night over a rushed day.

If you fly home from Málaga, remember that the airport is a short train ride from the center and that coaches and the Cercanías line both run through the day. If you fly home from Seville instead, run the route in reverse and finish with the Alcázar and a last tapas evening in Triana.

This route suits first-time visitors who like cities, history and long evenings. It does not suit travelers who hate train days, because four of the seven days include a transfer. It is a poor fit for a summer trip built on sightseeing at midday, and for anyone who needs a beach: Málaga gives you a city beach on the last day, but not a coastal week. If you want the sea, use the Costa del Sol travel guide and keep only Seville and Granada as inland stops.

If you cannot get an Alhambra ticket for the dates you have, swap Granada for Cádiz or Ronda, or move the route by a few days. The ticket is the only fixed point, and the rest bends around it.

To cut a day, drop Ronda and go from Granada to Málaga by coach. To cut two days, make Córdoba a day trip and drop Málaga as an overnight, flying out of Seville instead. To add a day, give Seville a third night for a day trip to Cádiz, or give Granada a third night for a quiet day in the Albaicín or the hills. Our where to stay in Andalucía page shows how each base fits.

The first mistake is booking hotels before the Alhambra. The second is treating a seven-day route as seven nights of sightseeing: leave one afternoon free for a siesta and a long dinner. The third is driving between Seville, Córdoba and Granada instead of taking the train. The fourth is carrying all your luggage to Ronda: if you take the car leg, leave bags at your Granada hotel only if you are returning, and otherwise pack small. The fifth is forgetting that opening hours shrink in winter, so a late arrival can cost you a palace visit.

Use trains between the big cities. The AVE links Seville, Córdoba and Málaga in short hops, and a seat on a fast train beats a hire car and a parking search. Reserve seats ahead for weekends and holidays, and check whether a pass really saves money for your route. Our is a Eurail pass worth it? guide explains how to price single tickets against a pass.

Use a car only for Ronda and the white villages, and collect it on the day you leave a city. Avoid driving into the old quarters of Seville and Granada, where streets are narrow and parking is scarce.

Plan for heat from June to September. Start sightseeing before 9am, rest from 2pm to 6pm and keep dinner for after 9pm. In winter, the cities are cooler and quieter, but Granada can be cold at night. Pack layers, comfortable shoes for cobbles and a hat.

If you arrive from outside Europe, the EES explained page covers border registration at your first Schengen entry. Add an eSIM for Spain for rail apps and maps, and compare travel insurance for Spain for cancellations and heat-related delays.