Caves Nerja Giralda Cathedral Sevilla Sherry Jerez, Doñana National Park Andalucia popular to

Andalucia 10 most popularly tourism & tourist attractions. 6-10.

Here is the third part on the list of Andalucia 10 must popularly tourist attractions of what you can do in the summer time, instead of going to street market, shopping centre, golf courses and beaches.

6. The Caves of Nerja.

“I like the idea of playing live in very unusual circumstances-we're done one show on the side of Mount Fuji, at the Acropolis and in caves.”
Brian Eno, musician and record producer.

The Costa del Sol’s third most popular tourist attraction, according to a 2005 tourist survey, this series of enormous underground limestone caverns was discovered accidentally in 1959 by a group of boys chasing bats. The surreal natural rock sculptures and 60 meter ceiling makes the Hal of the Waterfall an acoustically perfect auditorium for orchestral recitals, rock concerts and ballets which are staged here during summer.

All year round there are guided tours through the well-it chasms, the highlight of whish is a giant 32-meter stalagmite joined to a stalatite- the tallest rock formation of its kind in the world. The caves were inhabited between 20.000 and 1.800 BC and some areas containing priceless prehistoric wall paintings are closed to the public.

Other must-sees: The pretty Moorish hill village of Frigiliana and the bustling town of Nerja with its natural, mirador, the Balcón de Europa, offering spectacular views over the rock coastline.

7. The Troglodyte town of Guadix.

“Immediately below one’s feet lies a broad yellow plain, perfectly bare and bounded by crinkled, ochre coloured mountains, and through the middle of this plain there runs a deep green splash, looking like ink that has been upset from a bottle, whish is the oasis formed by the river of Guadix and its tributaries”
Gerald Brenan in South from Granada (1894-1987)

This description by the late British author encapsulates the strange landscape of Guadix, a ramshackle town often coasted in the red dust witch blows from the surrounding hills but which is much-visited for one reason. – The Barrio Santiago, home to some 10,000 troglodytes and largest inhabited cave district in the world.

These modern-day Flintstones live in relative comfort, as satellite dishes denote, and most have upper storey, electricity and running water although some are more basic. The Cave Museum is the easiest way to gain an understanding of troglodyte culture as the cave inhabitants change exorbitant sums for a tour of their own dwellings.

Other must-sees: The wildly picturesque mountain regions of the neighboring Sierra Nevada and not far away, the equally rugged Alpujarras, homes for many years to Gerald Brenan and, more recently Chris Stewart, author of Driving over Lemons.

8. La Giralda and Cathedral, Sevilla.

“A building on so magnificent a scale that posterity will believe we were mad”
Pedro the Cruel.

There were guidelines from the Church authorities of the day for the largest Gotic cathedral in the world, an architectural tour de force built between the 14th and 16th centuries on the site of the old Almohad mosque. Historians still argue whether the cathedrals enormous monument to Christopher Columbus actually contains his body or whether he is buried elsewhere.

More emblematic of the city, however, is the stunning 98-meter tall minaret dominating the city skyline. Conscious of its beauty, the Catholic Church adapted it as a bell tower for the cathedral. Its name, Giralda, drives from the 16th century weather vane at its summit.

Other must-sees: Seville’s second most important monument, the 14th century Alcázar Palace and gardens, built by Moorish craftsmen under Christian rule and combining the best of Gotic, Moorish and Renaissance styles. The Museo de Bellas Artes, ranking second only to Madrid´s El Prado, housing works by El Greco, Velázquez, Zurbarán, Murillo and Goya.

9. The Sherry Bodegas of Jerez.

“Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.”
Orson Welles.

Orson Welles was a close friend of the Domecq family and a great fan of their sherry, to the extent that he agreed to promote their products in a series of TV commercials in the 1970s. It was a negative career move for which he was panned by the press. However, no visit to Andalucia would be complete without a stop at a bodega to sample Jemez’s “liquid gold.”

Jerez two largest producers are González Byass, of Tio Pepe fame, and Domecq which makes La Ina sherry and Carlos I brandy. Both organize tours and tasting and a chance to see celebrity barrels signed by such illustrious visitors as Martin Luther King, Queen Victoria and Cole Porter. Believed to have been introduced by the Phoenicians, the Palomino grape gives sherry its distinction. The classic is dry fino but variations on the theme include amontillado (medium), oloroso (sweet) and cream, a British-inspired blend.

Other must-sees: The delightful old quarter of Jerez, crammed with distinctive tapas bars – a great way to soak up all the sherry. The nearby ancient seaport of Cadiz, one of the most historically important cities of the Spanish south.

10. Doñana National Park.

“Unless something drastic happens rapidly the Iberian lynx is a dead cat walking”.
Callum Rankine, World Wildlife Fund.

Europe’s largest and most important wildlife sanctuary, Doñana is spearheading a captive breeding programmer to save the endangered Iberian lynx which once roamed the park in much greater numbers. A UNESCO World Heritage site spanning 1,300 km2 in Huelva and Sevilla provinces, Doñana`s mosaic of ecosystems – lagoons, marshland, dunes, scrub woodland and maguis – are home to wild boars, horses and a profusion of bird life including five threatened species and one of the largest heronries in the Mediterranean region.

The park runs four-hour land tours to various hides where you can sit out and wait for the wildlife to show up, or there is a boat cruise departing from the Bajo de Guía twice daily in summer. Advance booking is a recommendation as are binoculars, which can be hired.

Other must-sees: On the opposite shore to Doñana, at the estuary of the Rio Guadalquivir, Sanlucar de Barramedia is famous for its seafood, manzanilla sherry and summer house races along the beach.

This is the 10 most popularly tourist attractions in Andalusian, but I can guaranty you that you are going to find many, many more lovely and fantastic places and put on your top 10 list, go out and explore Andalucia.


See here number 1-2 of Andalucia 10 most popularly tourist attractions.

See here number 3-5 of Andalucia 10 most popularly tourist attractions.