Most UK visitors to Spain will head for the Mediterranean resorts (Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca), to the Balearic Islands (Majorca, Ibiza) or to the Canary Islands, but those who choose to travel to inland cities will find that Spain has many other beautiful and fascinating places to see. The Andalusian region in the south of Spain has much to offer the traveler. Cordoba, Seville and Granada are the area's most famous cities, but there are many other smaller places which are also worth visiting. Those who are interested in visiting this part of Spain will find direct UK flights from many airports to Seville. Malaga, which is a main gateway to the Costa del Sol, is also convenient for visitors to Andalusia.

The Andalusia region is in the southern part of Spain. This large and varied region contains ancient cities such as Seville, Granada and Cordoba, rugged mountains in the Sierra Nevada range, and excellent beaches on the Mediterranean coast.

The south of Spain, particularly areas some distance from the coast, can get very hot during the summer. Many visitors feel that the area is best enjoyed during the spring, when the vegetation is still fresh and green. In fact parts of the area have a desert climate, and the famous spaghetti westerns were actually filmed here in Spain in the desert around Almeria.

For a long time the southern part of Spain was under the Islamic rule of the Moors. Eventually the southern kingdoms were re-conquered by the northern Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. This era of Spanish history is called the Reconquista (or reconquest), and was only completed at around the same time as Columbus sailed to America.

The old cities of the region therefore contain a fascinating mix of earlier Islamic and later Christian architecture. The beautiful Alhambra palace in Granada was originally the palace of the Moorish Emir of the territory, and the Mesquita Cathedral of Cordoba was originally a mosque (the word Mesquita means mosque in Spanish). Both these buildings are World Heritage sites.

Seville is both the largest city and the capital of Andalusia. During the time when the Spanish ruled in South America, Seville had a monopoly on trade with the New World. As a result the city enjoyed a great age of prosperity, during which vast quantities of silver and gold flowed through the city. Visitors will be interested in sights such as the Alcazar Palace, the Cathedral with its impressive bell tower (the Giralda), and the Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold), which at one time was used to store gold and silver imported from South America.

Spain is famous for its festivals (fiestas), and many of the best of these occur in the cities and towns of Andalusia. Some fiestas are of religious significance, occurring during Holy Week (Semana Santa), or on the day dedicated to a town's patron saint. Other fiestas (Moros y Christianos, or Moors and Christians) are celebrations of each city's reconquest (Reconquista) from the Moors. There are usually parades by companies of soldiers in period uniforms, followed by mock battles with lots of explosions and fireworks.

Those who wish to see Andalusia will find scheduled UK flights to Seville, and many chartered flights to Malaga, which is the main airport for the Costa del Sol.