Where to go in Spring, when wheather in northern Europe is highely unpredictable? The south of Spain is a good shot!
We went to Sevilla 2 years back (read more here), at the end of June, which was a crazy trip because it was way too hot. Now we are the beginning of May, and temperatures are perfect: between 25 and 30 degrees (Celsius) and sunny.
Day 1 / 2 – Sevilla
Our trip starts with a classic city trip, in Sevilla. We stay at an AirBnB (which is always a guess, no matter how good the reviews are …) in the centre. Only positive thing about our appartement is the rooftop terrace, from where we have a nice view over the (back of the) cathedral. Sevilla is best visited by walking from one small street to another monument. We watch the sunset from Las Setas (Metropol Parasol – €3/person), enjoy the cooler temperatures at the waterfront, visit the ‘other Sevilla’ in Triana and have fun people watching at the Plaza de España (the Parque de Maria Luisa is a must-see as well!).
A nice place for vegetarian food is Abok2, and the best icecream ever you’ll find in Sevilla at Créeme Helado (which is located at a cozy park and the Museum of Fine Arts).
Day 2 – Cádiz
Time to move on after two days. We get a rental car and hit the road towards the coast: Cádiz is our next destination. We take the toll road (€7,9 from Sevilla) which is the fastest, and the easiest. In Cádiz we kind of follow a route around town, from the harbour along the promenade/enclosure. At the Playa de la Caleta we diverse from the route and go into the centre. The highest viewing point we find is the Torre de Tavira (€6/person).
We continue our trip along the coast, stopping at some beaches and viewing points like Cabo Roche and Cala Puntalejo. Tonight we sleep at Nexo Surfhouse (not recommended).
Day 3 – Andalucia
From here on we are in known area. We have travelled along this coastline a few years ago (check the blogpost Andalucia). The coastline is beautiful and quiet (even on beautiful days, not like today with a cloudfilled morning). We stop at Playa de Zahora from where you can walk towards the Trafalgar lighthouse. There we have early lunch at Panetería de los Caños de Meca (vegan). From there we drive and walk through the nature park of Breña y Marismas del Barbate, with amazing views over the ocean and the small fishing town of Barbate in the distance.
Along some more beaches we reach our goal of today: Tarifa. Tonight we sleep at the Hotel & Spa La Residencia Puerto, which is a beauty! From the rooftop terrace we have a very nice view over the harbour, the beach and … Africa! Only a stonethrow away it seems. And staying in Tarifa means automatically eating in Restaurante Tarifa Eco Center. This is by far the best vegetarian restaurant you can find in the south of Spain.
Gibraltar, the British enclave, is only a short drive away (45km). Although we have been here before, we take the opportunity for a quick visit. We only go till the runway, which basically is the main and only road in once you’re granted access to the UK. By incident, we see two airplanes taking off. Quiet spectacular to see how a main road is turned into a working runway so fast and punctual.
Málaga
We don’t have that much time: we are returning our car today in Málaga (130km further) and we have an appointment with our AirBnB host at 1 o’clock. After checking in, and returning our car, we enjoy our second to last day in Málaga and the Spanish sun. We didn’t know, but there is a lot of (big) streetart to see. Off course not in the touristy areas.
We have a map of Maus (Málaga Arte Urbano Soho) with the murals. Some of the big names: Obey, D*Face, Aryz, Pejac, Faith47, Dal East, Space Invader and the most beautiful one by ROA. We end the day with a small walk around the harbour. By the way: this AirBnB isn’t the thing either, it’s like we’re sleeping on the street.
Our last day in Malaga? Enjoying the sun, walking along the Parque de Málaga and Playa la Malagueta up to the Castillo de Gibralfaro and the famous Plaza de la Merced with the statue of Pablo Picasso. Today we also have a birds-eye view on the city, from the top of the cathedral (only with a guide, € 6 per person). To end our trip, we have vegetarian dinner at Vegetariano El Calafate.
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