Low cost Spain, the road trip in Andalusia, the stages, hotels and transfers of an affordable and accessible trip for everyone, read the post for the ideal travel itinerary.
Short while? Little money? A great desire to see, to discover, to do? An alternative to the usual, inflated European capitals may turn out to be a short one road trip in Andalusia. Here is our itinerary, clearly adaptable according to everyone's needs and tastes.
By booking in advance the Ryanair flight in order not to spend a fortune and adapting to their schedules that are not exactly "comfortable" we fly from Bergamo to Sevilla, where we rent a car and head south, Ocean direction. Running through the heart of this region we rediscover an arid landscape, an ideal setting for western films, and we skirt hills of olive trees, fields of sunflowers and villages that hardly appear on the maps. In one of these, a El Cuervo, we decide to stop for some refreshment and lunch, where we blindly try carne mechada, potato and shrimp medallions and a sandwich that alone could make up a lunch for two.
With the belly more than full we leave and after an hour we arrive at El Puerto de Santa María, city on the outskirts of Cádiz where we take a room at theHostal Alhaja Playa, a very nice hostel in a pine forest a stone's throw from the sea. By choosing to stay overnight there and not in Cádiz we can save some nice hotel money and we don't even have to worry about finding a (expensive) parking in the city, but in complete relaxation and with a few euros we take the boat that connects this town to its capital. of the province.
Half an hour of navigation and we dock at Muelle Reina Victoria, where our tour of Cádiz starts: Ayuntamiento, Catedral, Iglesia de Santiago, Torre Tavira, Gran Teatro Falla, Castillo de Santa Catalina, Parque Genoves, Iglesia Del Carmen, Baluarte de la Candelaria and finally Plaza de España all on foot and in a few hours, allowing ourselves a refresher from time to time to better withstand the sultry heat of a normal summer afternoon. As per Spanish tradition, we indulged in a dinner based on tapas y cerveza in a bar in the center and then take the ferry back to the hostel. Thus ends our first day in Spain.
A bit of sea, sun and relaxation is planned for the second day, but the weather doesn't seem to be on our side. So to cheer us up we enjoy an excellent breakfast based on churros y chocolate a Sancti petri, a long tourist town just outside Cádiz. With a full stomach we leave and stop to visit Cabo Roche and then finally reach the beach of El Palmar where we spend a few hours of doing nothing taking advantage of the appearance of the sun. Towards evening we resume the road and crossing bare hills on one side and blue sea on the other we reach Zahara, a village immersed in nothingness, very famous for tuna.
Not having booked the accommodation, we try our luck by asking directly to the hotels in the city. We decide to raise the standard a little and try to ask for a room at theGran Sol Hotel: luck assists us. The accommodation is centrally located, facing the sea and with a swimming pool, breakfast included of course. We enjoy the last rays of sunshine and then go out and taste the famous tuna
of the area in the various cafes around the town. This place, isolated from the world, but which offers tourists more than one reason to devote some time to it, is really worth a stop.
We arrived at the last day on Spanish soil. After a hearty breakfast at the hotel we enjoy some sea before resuming the journey: first stop of the day Tarifa. The coastal road is full of curves but offers striking views of the ocean and the rugged coastline. We take a detour to Bolonia, known for its white sand dunes which, in contrast with the green color of the pine forest and the deep blue of the sea, give a splendid postcard of the place. We continue on the road and following the wind we arrive in Tarifa, home of the kite. It is a very touristy city and you can immediately see it from the displayed prices of the premises. We slip into the less touristy alleys and bingo: we find an excellent bar that offers cheap but above all excellent tapas, plus we are also offered some very good tinto de verano.
Enthusiastic about the treatment we visit the city a little and go up towards el Mirador del Estrecho from which we enjoy a spectacular view of the African coasts. In fact, Tarifa represents a starting point to reach Morocco. Unfortunately for us time is running out and we have to leave the city to reach our last stop: Gibilterra. In a few hours we reach it and the glance is remarkable: the fortress stands on this strip of land torn from the sea, dividing the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. After passing customs, we park and go to the discovery of the English colony.
Here Spanish is a second language and everything moves like in England: roads, timetables, offers, prices. We go up with the cableway on the rock and the view is exciting: Spain behind, Africa in front and monkeys all around, which run free and they are the real masters of Gibraltar.
We get back in the car and go back to Spain headed to Malaga, for the last night before returning. We face tired the coastal road with the sea on the right and building abortions on the left: Andalucia is also this, wild urbanization that suffocates a wonderful landscape. Fatigue and unconscious disappointment as the journey's end is approaching brings stress, and after long queues and detours we finally reach our last bed. It could have been better, much better: practically a shack in the industrial area, but there is a bathroom and a bed and that's enough for us.
Wake up before dawn and departure for the airport. We greet with regret this wonderful land that never disappoints us ... Hasta ready querida España!
