Top Spots to Visit in Andalucia, Spain

The golden beaches of the Costa del Sol are not the only reason for a family to travel in the south of Spain. The region of Andalucia teems with breathtaking palaces, gardens and picture-perfect white villages perched atop craggy hills. Add dancing horses, festivals of flowers and a handful of UNESCO sites, and you’ll quickly fill a vacation with family memories.

Many of the most memorable sights are remains of the Islamic culture, which flourished here in the Middle Ages, and the booty of gold brought back from the New World by Spanish ships. Don’t miss these highlights.

The Alhambra and Generalife

Granada’s Alhambra is perhaps the signature piece of the Islamic period, when Al-Andalus (as they called it) represented the epitome of culture and civilization in Europe’s Middle Ages. There is no adequate way to describe the intricate carvings, perfect courtyards and breath-stopping decorations of the Alhambra. Generalife’s terraced gardens offer the right chaser — and splendid views — back at the rest of the complex.

Seville’s Alcazar

The Alcazar began in the Islamic period in 712 and continued by King Pedro after the Catholic Kings reconquered Andalusia in the 1300s. Its ornate Moorish style is called Mudejar. The rooms and salons are breathtaking, and the gardens are a joy to stroll in, shaded by fragrant orange and lemon trees. Kids will also love the singing fountain.

Seville Cathedral and La Giralda

La Giralda tower, Seville Cathedral and the Alcazar combine to form a UNESCO World Heritage site. The tall slender tower is a minaret, and kids will want to climb to its top, trying to picture the king riding his horse to the top on the spiraling ramp. The Cathedral has more interior space than St. Peter’s in Rome, and its knock-out highlight is the 120-foot main altar of carved statues covered in gold. The tomb of Christopher Columbus is held aloft by a quartet of larger-than-life figures.

Great Mosque of Cordoba

More than 1,000 columns of marble, granite, onyx and jasper support row on row of rounded Moorish arches in a symmetrical pattern so pleasing and majestic that most who enter stop in their tracks. Beyond the mosque, Cordoba is worth visiting for its old narrow streets and flower-decked houses. The flower festival in April fills every patio with bright blossoms.

Andalucian Riding School

In Jerez de la Frontera, don’t miss Royal Andalucian School of Equestrian Art for stable tours and shows, where famous Andalucian thoroughbreds perform high precision ballet. These are the same horses that perform in Vienna’s Spanish Riding School.